Date:         Thu, 20 Apr 2000 22:17:37 EDT
Reply-To:     Roq8cyans@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rusty Johnson <Roq8cyans@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon Love (Friday)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"

John wrote:
>I joined the list this past Monday and, after reading all the posts, I'm
>starting to come to a few conclusions:

>1. I must be very naive. I used to think I could just USE our new '85
>Westy for fun and enjoyment -- now I almost fear I'll be spending more
>time repairing it than using it!

>2. I'm going to have to build a garage on my house so I have somewhere
>to work on it at night and when it rains -- also so my wife will know
>where to find me when I'm not at work.

>3. I really do need to get a cellular phone.

>4. This list will be an invaluable aid in my new profession as a VW
>mechanic.

>Seriously, are these busses really that unreliable or am I just hearing
>from the "vocal minority" who have had problems. (No offense meant) What
>is the reliablilty factor for an '85 Westy? My wife and I both love ours
>and look forward to many years of camping with it, but if it becomes (or
>already is) a "money pit" it may be a short-lived love. Last weekend at
>EveryBus we talked with many other owners -- many who have lovingly
>restored some nice busses -- but I never thought to ask about general
>reliability of our bus. Quick, somebody tell me I'm not getting
>paranoid!

>P.S. I've not seen these famous Friday posts -- yet -- and this is not
>meant to be one of them (although I'm prepared for whatever may come).
>(^_^)

Hello and Welcome!
    Vanagons aren't the mechanical-distaster-waiting-to-happen that this list
makes them seem to be.  You don't often hear about the ones that run well.
After all, who is going to brag that their van has made it through another
trouble-free week of commuting?  It's just taken for granted.  So, most of
the posts are requests for help with tricky repair jobs, or people going into
detail about the restoration or overhaul they just did.  And if that's all
you see here, then of course it looks like everyone's truck is either
breaking down constantly, or is a pile of rust held together by duct tape.
But, that's not the whole picture.  What you don't see are the people who are
enjoying driving their Vanagons day in and day out, without problems - or at
least no more problems than they'd have with any 9-to-20 year old minivan.
    But do keep in mind that these are not new cars.  They take more work to
keep running well than, say, a brand new Toyota Sienna.  But, compared to
anything their age, they are quite reliable.  When they do break down,
though, they're not all that difficult to work on once you learn how. One
reason you see a lot of discussions about maintenance is that in many cases,
Vanagon owners know more about them than do some mechanics -- and do the work
themselves to make sure it's done right!
(By the way, this is very likely a "Friday" post.  But it's Friday in the
Azores by now, so it should be all right.)

Rusty J
'80 Westy -- The Mysterious "Smoking Van" from The Vw-Files
"The Fahrvergnugen Is Out There"