I haven't been keeping up with this thread,, not enough time to read much of
the list unfortunately.  Anyway, I did see Ben's statement on how buying an
'82 was a mistake and just in case this anti air-cooled perspective is all
that you are hearing I wanted to shed a bit of light from the other side.

Ben knows these beasts better than most of us and he may have good reason
for dissing the early vanagons but in my experience an '82 isn't really much
different than any other year vanagon.  It is a bit older but that doesn't
matter too much now.  How it was taken care of is what matters at this
point.  The biggest difference is obviously in the cooling of the engine.
Both engines have their problems and both their strengths.  Either, if
properly setup and maintained provide good service for a long time.
Performance from both is very comparable when you are comparing examples of
them that are in good repair.  So, did you screw up buying an '82??  Not in
my opinion.  It was only a mistake if you paid too much for a really beat up
and run down van, but in the end most can be fixed if you are up for it so
do what you want.

Anyway, I love my air cooled vanagon.  I drive it all over at respectable
speeds, getting good mileage etc. etc.  It is pretty simple to keep up with
and I never have to worry about leaking antifreeze!  My heat isn't as good,
but it is still more than adequate.  I have melted stuff that was
accidentally left in front of the heater outlet,, so it will get hot..  I
also like some features of the early westies better as they have a little
less plastic and such.  Again, in most ways there aren't many real
differences in my experience.  A lot of the bad experiences folks may have
had with early vanagons are probably the result of vans that were in poor
repair.

Good luck getting her sorted out,

Jonathan Poole
'83 AC Westy