> but a GOOD well done EFI 1.8 inline four gasser is a very decent pacakge.
> Just not overly powerful. About the same as waterboxer ir slightly better
> maybe,. but smooth ..
> and can be super reliable.
> Scott
>
>
This is second-hand and speculation, since I have never personally rebuilt
either of the motors, but reading and pricing through the Net I think if you
were to rebuild a WBX motor and an inline four VW, the inline would cost
perhaps 1/4 as much to do and likely last better.

  I did plenty of research as I looked at Vanagons before I got mine.  The
WBX motor didn't get the best reviews for the most part. There wasn't much
data on inline 4 conversions at all, other than some bad rap about the TIICO
ones.
 When I saw the one I ended up buying for just $3k I decided to give it a
go, for that kinda cash it was worth a chance on a combo that had little
"Press" ...
I have since learned there are plenty of "Us" out there...but nobody much
seems to say anything about our vans cause they are .....unremarkable.  They
just work, no fuss, no clouds of burning tire smoke leaving stop signals, no
'10 car passes going up Tioga Pass, no 95mph average trips across the Mojave
Desert, no 'fooling the VSS with a Hall sensor and a re-programmed "EProm
widget" no upside down and backwards cooling systems.....Just a plain old
Vanagon rolling down the road for little money without many problems...
  "Perfect"?  Hardly!  Good enough?  Yes
  Don Hanson