>
>   Recognising that those early 80s Vanagon Westfalia's have been politely
>   described as underpowered, I'm curious to know just how woeful the little
>   Rabbit engine is pushing all that weight:
It is not like anything else.  My '82 diesel Westy took a while to get
used to, it was especially hard to drive it in NJ where everyone thinks they
are either Fittipaldi or Al Unser Jr. ....

I must say that it was our primary transportation for almost 6 years (between
late 87 and 93) and it did very well -- we had it maintained regulary.
major problems in those years: front brake rotors at 70,000 miles and
clutch  at 108,000 miles (plus crankshaft seals).
it is our tertiary transportaion now, we kind of share it with our
friends for camping trips.
>
>   1) How long does the engine last, or better phrased, how much shorter is
>   the life expectancy than in a Rabbit?
Don't know...  at 108,000 miles, the engine is still as strong (???@!@?!@)
as it has ever been, no oil burning or loss...

>
>   2) After the 5 minute acceleration lead-up, at what speed can the Diesel
>   Vanagon cruise comfortably on level highway?
With the wind in your back, on level road, you can cruise around 65 mph.
Serious headwinds could cause you to drop to 50 mph easily.  We have reached
73 mph a few times, on serious downhills...  On the interstates, you can
expect to find yourself in the slow lane with the truck 90% of the time.

>
>   3) What are people's actual experiences with mileage around town and on the
>   highway?
>
21 mpg downtown and 23-25 highway.  26-27 if you stay under 60 mph.

Cetin
cs@sypro.com