Fair points to be sure, Dennis. And I don't disagree that a WBX can be a reliable solution, if you've got the proper support systems (which I arguably don't, living in rural Texas). My point in sharing the story wasn't so much to say "WBX's are unreliable, go with a Bostig," but rather to illustrate that if you're going to convert, you ought to ask the question of why you're bothering to convert it in the first place. Once you've done that, then go and read up on all the options, and find the one that best meets your needs.

For most people, deciding what is best is typically measured in time or money. But there are other measurements: performance, enjoyment, satisfaction, peace of mind. More difficult to quantify some of those, mind you, but they can be a metric, nonetheless. What makes perfect sense to one Vanagon owner will look like folly to another.

Fortunately, in this Vanagon community at least, we are tolerant, even indulgent of each other's foolishness. Perhaps that's one reason there are so many viable options when it comes to keeping our vans alive. 

For the record, I did imagine what I could do with the money spent on the Zetec. None of the things I could come up were as interesting or important to me as the thing I chose.

-Jarrett

On Sep 20, 2012, at 7:43 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:

> Now imagine if
> you kept the engine and it ran to 250K. What could you have done with the
> money used for the Zetec?