I bought my diesel vanagon via eBay, flew down to Anaheim, CA and then drove
it back more than 2000 miles to central WA.  Like you Roland I brought a
rolling tool kit with me and man did I end up needing it.  That said I had a
great time even though I had to make repairs to the transaxle, the fuel pump
and the coolant system along the way.  I think I slept for about 2 days
afterwards, but that was because by the time I got it home the "Yes, I got
my van" had worn off and all I had left was "OMG, that's a long way".

And no kidding about selling, I'd rather repair, replace, or repaint than
sell mine.  Someday I may look for a Syncro with TDI project, but Zeno,
despite his problems, is way too much fun to be rid of.

MT

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Roland
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2011 11:07 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: first time buyer

I bought my Syncro in the Bay Area, 500 miles away from home with a plan to
drive it home.  I planned ahead and brought tools, some supplies (tape,
wiring, etc.), jack and jack stands.  The seller was initially skeptical of
me, but when he saw that I came prepared, he instantly turned around.  He
said plainly that this preparation gave him confidence that I knew what I
was getting into, and he would not have sold me the syncro unless he was
satisfied that I was a competent buyer.

That night I had to swap some tires and make other adjustments / quick
fixes.  The ride home was 10 hours of pure adrenaline, a combination of
"Yes, I got a Syncro!" and "OMG, is this thing goona break down in the
middle of nowhere".  Which is why I won't sell it now that it is mostly
dialed in to where I want it (there is always more to do!).

Roland