Chris et. al,

The purpose of my inquiry was to get a feel for the value of my vanagon
given the current condition it's in.  All the things listed are
repairable/replaceable (pop top seal, radio, windshield, power steering
r&p, etc), this I know.  I thought those details would help in
determining the value range of the Vanagon.

The engine is dead?  My wife called one day and said that the car was
out of oil and had stopped running (I don't have constant access to the
van)!  It's had a chronic cylinder head oil leak for several years now.
I took it to the dealer because one of the service advisors/backyard
mechanics is a Westy owner and has been watching my back for years.  The
engine has lost compression, barely runs, runs rough (real rough) at
that, and I'm told I need a new engine, power steering unit, and all the
hoses/lines from the radiator back.  Plus there's still that
unidentified coolant loss problem.

The dealer wants 6700 for the work.  The independents in the area want
5000 to 6000 for the work.  One of the big concerns we have (we don't
want to sell it), is that we keep hearing again and again that the old
tranny won't handle the new engine!

Not being mechanically skilled/knowledgeable I'm having trouble deciding
what's in our best financial interest.  We would like to fix the van and
keep it for another 150K miles, but we'll be taking out a loan just to
fix the van.  So, is there any reason not to put a new engine in?  Or
should we go for it?

Thanks,

Bryan
JordanVw@AOL.COM wrote:

> do you have insurance? say a rock broke your windshield , and get your
> insurance to pay for it.  ron sells the poptop seal for like $40 or > less, i
> believe.
> radio? geez.. how many do you want? the vanagon is a std size, and any > std
> size radio will fit the hole. you can get antennas from pep boys.
> dents?  pop it out yourself from behind, or live with it.
> have you seen your radiator hoses leaking?
> you can get rebuilt ps racks for under $300.
> detailing???  you would pay to have someone else clean your car for > you?
> "oh...and it needs a new engine too"???
> how ya figger that?  does it run?

> chris