well, i'm in the six-digit realm now ... only trouble is, it's my bus's
odometer, not my salary. :(  so i thought i'd entertain you folks with
some retentive statistics and such about the long and winding road to
the first hundred thousand. actually, it was kinda odd ... i didn't plan
it this way, but today is exactly the 7th year, to the day, since i bought
the bus. :)

bus purchased new on 12/02/1988 (from a crooked dealer in Jackson, MS).

odometer     cost ($US)  ...... item ................................
  15,159     (warranty)  water pump replaced.
  26,881     (warranty)  idle stabilizer valve replaced.
  29,050     30.00       coolant tank replaced (leaking)
  39,358     70.00       battery died. replaced.
  47,533   1100.00       engine fuel injection wiring harness melted
                          (cause i pinched a wire when changing an air
                          filter!). :( replaced harness, power relay,
                          pump relay, brain, and idle stabilizer.  :(
  49,234     15.00       replaced coolant temp sender for temp gauge.
  49,778     27.00       replaced small fuel hose section & clamps
                          (fuel leak, up above starter).
  56,800    337.00       replaced shock absorbers (got Koni's).
  57,617     15.00       replaced coolant temp sensor (for ECU).
  57,839     10.00       replaced accelerator cable rubber boot
                          (yes, that's ONE tiny little rubber boot!!!)
  61,810    314.00       replaced four tires. new Michelin XZX.
  62,065      n/c        replaced another small section of fuel hose
                          (another leak!).
  62,246     30.00       replaced ALL fuel hoses & clamps.
             45.00       replaced all v-belts (screwed up two of them
                          while testing the new fuel hoses). :(
            175.00       replaced right side power mirror (broke it
                          while messing around replacing fuel hoses!
                          don't ask!) :(
  62,335     25.00       replaced horn.
  65,007     60.00       replaced driver's seat belt.
  67,321     90.00       replaced one tire (tread starting separating).
  69,929      5.00       replaced hand brake cover (broke).
              3.00       replaced hand brake switch (broke).
              1.00       replaced rear suspension nut cover (lost).
               n/c       greased speedo cable.
  71,375   1470.00       transmission rebuild. 3rd/4th gear syncronizer
                          cracked. :(
  75,640    100.00       replaced all four cv joint boots; cleaned and
                          regreased all cv joints.
              2.00       replaced right front brake bleeder valve (rusted)
  77,230     50.00       replaced coolant tank & sensor (leaking again).
  83,914    300.00       replaced front outer wheel bearings, rear wheel
                          bearings, rear brake cylinders (leaking), rear
                          brake shoes.
  90,550     40.00       replaced clutch slave cylinder
  92,125    175.00       alternator died. replaced with rebuilt.
  92,473     15.00       replaced coolant temp sensor (for ECU) & o-ring.
 102,510   4504.00  ** total ** on 12/02/1995 (7 years).

gasoline used:
                Tanks  Gallons      Cost       Miles   mpg    $pg   mp$
-Total            385  5,064.1   5,754.55  100,142.7  19.78  1.136  17.40
 Per Tank Avg             13.2      14.95      260.1  19.78

so we have
  14,645 miles/year (about average).
    $645 unplanned repair stuff per year (mostly those two big ticket
          items, only one of which was really vw's "fault" (the trans)).
          (if not for the melting of the wiring harness and the
          transmission repair, it would have been only $1934 total, or
          about $20/month for non-maintenance repairs).
          maintenance items are probably excessive ... i change the oil and
          oil filter every 2500 miles.

overall, not tooo bad. :)  i'm pretty pleased with the bus.

oh, yeah. and $8,000.00 (at least) for "accessories". :) power radio
antenna, space shuttle landing lights, rear anti-collision fog lights,
$200 worth of reflective tape (inside, of course), cb radios, aircraft
compass, syncro "mud guards", camper rear hangie-straps, window tint,
driving computer, switches, tools, and assorted "maybe i can do
something with this!" stuff. :)

and i have no idea how much on toy buses. :)

joel