you're right ..
the engine is the easy part.
Good transmissions, when needed, are not that common.
a whole used vanagon can be cheaper than a good used trans almost sometimes.

Things like headliner ...harder to deal with ..
Surface rust is very easy to deal with .
Body cancer is a serious problem of course.
and big crashed areas ....not fun or easy either ..
but an engine ..'that's just one part.'

Shame too ..
there's a fine 86 GL in a junk yard near me......the metal insert at the
forward end of one of the main plastic coolant pipes blew out ..
they probably overheated it. Went to a shop ..
shop says something like at least $ 4,000 ......
not having that to invest, they let the whole fine machine go for
probably a few hundred .
  Now it's being picked over ..and will eventually get crushed.
They are not making any more of them.
it's a shame to waste any good body/chassis .
they are endlessly repairable really.

I regard the Vanagon as the best overall VW of all time.

scott
turbovans

On 10/31/2012 7:02 PM, J Stewart wrote:
> Scott, you are 100% correct, a lesson I learned the hard way MANY
> years ago- no engine/blown engine is way better than a rusty body!
> I'll take engine work any day over body work! Easier and usually
> cheaper too!
>
> Jeff Stewart
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>     no engine isn't that big a problemreally.
>