Hi, folks.

I'm de-lurking, stung by the references in this week's stats to no-good,   
lousy, rotten lurkers ;-)  My name's Kate, and I live in Victoria, BC.   
 At the moment, I am without a VW, but am seriously considering picking   
up a Westie for camping with my husband and 9-month-old son, and   
occasional commuting and knocking-about-town.

Waaaaaay back in the dark ages, I was a flat-broke student who bought a   
'71 Super Beetle with the last of my money, only to discover that it was   
in 'orrible shape.  Bought Muir's book and slooowly overhauled her into   
drive-across-the-country condition.  Paid for the rest of my education   
doing tune-ups for a local bug shop, since it paid better than washing   
dishes.

I was never a talented mechanic, and frankly, bashed my knuckles,   
stripped nuts, and spent hours making big messes without making lots of   
progress on projects more complicated than basic tuning.  The overhaul   
came from desperation.  Now, with the kid, I'm not sure I can make a   
commitment to doing my own work and giving the car the attention it   
needs.  Happily, I'm an employed computer weenie now, and can afford to   
pay someone to help me out.

THAT SAID--I'm looking for suggestions on

1)What type of bus (in your opinion) will be a nice, friendly, reliable   
(within VW limits) addition to our family

2)  (Victoria Local Knowledge) Which mechanic locals recommend for work   
and maintenance on the vehicle, and

3) (VLN pt. 2) Where I might go looking for the bus recommended in item   
1).

Regards,

Kate Weber Brown
kwbrown@sierrasys.com