dear first timer
in excess of 40 responses

get a bently service manual

before you bring out the cash .. get the most van you can with the cash you
have ...
you make your money on the day you buy

unless you really want a learner that you will spend considerable time under
...
get one that ha everything done so you can go camping and traveling right
away and fall in love... with the van

then r n r stuff as it wears and requires work /
plus you can get to know your van through regularly scheduled maintenance
rather than through repeated HELP pleas to an internet list

and first and formost ... before you haul out the tightly rolled wad of cash

examine how you deal with life...
how do you and your mrs deal with stuff ... when the breakdown happens at 3:
30 pm no one has eaten yet and the fridge spoiled all your food and your dog
is sick
and you just filled up with fuel 5 minutes ago ...
and now you are beside highway 101 ... the afternoon traffic is haulin' ^$$
and each vehicle that goes by your vanagon causes it to shake ...
and your wife says ....
and your response is ....

yes my friend that is where a westy owner begins to take on a patina of
ownership ...
the shop keeper says that will be 6K$ and your credit card is only good to
5k$

good luck sir ...
regards

On Mon, Jan 17, 2011 at 9:27 AM, Brad Pauly <bpauly@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Everyone,
>
> I think I'm finally ready to take the plunge. 10 years ago I was
> searching pretty seriously but never pulled the trigger. This time I
> think I'm ready. I was hoping to get some first time buyer advice.
> I've been looking for '86 and newer Westys. Originally I was set on a
> full camper, however, I think I'd be really happy with a weekender (at
> least at first).
>
> I'm not really a "car guy." I'm actually an engineer on paper so I can
> understand most of that stuff. I do like tinkering, but it's been with
> bicycles all my life which are decidedly less complex. I have two main
> questions.
>
> Should I avoid out-of-state vans? Not having experience working on
> cars it makes me a little nervous. If I could find a good local
> mechanic to make sure things are okay I'd feel much better though.
>
> What about older vans? Am I needlessly limiting myself with '86 and newer?
>
> Thanks for any advice or feedback!
>
> Cheers,
> Brad
>

--
roger w
 From Proverbs:
Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: a
servant who becomes king ...
----------------------------------------------------------
Explore printed work at: http://www.prliving.ca/
View the growing list of video work at:
http://www.prpeak.com/articles/2010/11/29/multimedia/video/doc4c62e5f80d228504902172.txt