Hi, I'm new to the list, so pardon me for asking the obvious. 

We've had our 71 bus since 1983. The last engine rebuild seems to be holding
up well. It's a homemade semi-camper conversion with a sleeping platform and
a sink. We car camp out of it.  I love it, but I'm tired of the low power,
high noise and being buffeted by every breeze. Also the steering will need
replacement soon.

Two alternatives: 1. fix the puppy up and live with its shortcomings;  2.
sell it to a surfer and move up to, say, an 83 air-cooled Vanagon, possibly
a Westphalia. What to do??

Besides the fact that repairs are a lot more expensive, what else would I be
in for if I went with a Vanagon? What's the repair record and maintenance
schedule?  How reliable is it? Is 83 the least problemated year for the
air-cooled? (Don't want a waterboxer.) We like to go on back roads in the
desert, and I'm nervous about taking a vehicle that can't be patched
together with duct tape like the 71 (I'm not a mechanic but I do have Muir's
Idiot Book).

If all this is too crashingly obvious to bore the rest of the list with,
please email me privately. Thanks in advance -- Steve Tokar