Date: Sun, 29 Oct 2000 03:30:23 -0800
Reply-To: t <vbob@PRIMENET.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: t <vbob@PRIMENET.COM>
Subject: Re: last questions on 84 Vanagon
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Ya never know.
Did you do a compression test on it?
Did you look at the coolant tank after it warmed up? Are there any
bubbles?
Did it start right up cold? Do all the electrics work?
If you fill it with gas, does it smell like an oil refinery?
Do you have to double pump the brakes to make it stop?
When you checked the oil, is it black? Is it full?
Are there real tires on it? Load rated 6 plys?
All these give you an idea of how it's going to fare in the next six
months.
Is it worth $1800.00? If all the questions listed above come out in a
positive direction, yes. You cannot compare prices on 2WD and Syncros.
Those guys are nuts. Besides... there weren't any Syncros till 1986 I
believe.
Will it be worth what you payed for it if you hate it?
1.) You won't hate it.
2.) How long has this one been on the market at that price?
Coolant costs (iffum you do it yourself) about $30.
tim o'brien
I drive my '84 from San Jose to Emeryville twice a week or so... 120
miles round trip. At 70-72 MPH.
Jonathan Lee wrote:
>
> Last questions -- promise!
>
> My back is really against the wall now. By Tuesday, I MUST have a
> vehicle with which to move harpsichords. The alternative van I had in
> mind simply won't work (for one thing, it won't currently crank). So,
> the Vanagon is left as my only option, unless I want to scramble for
> something else within the next few days.
>
> My questions are these:
> What are my chances that I might buy this Vanagon for $1800, and invest
> very little money in it between now and May? Even February might
> justify the purchase -- I just can't buy a van and invest money in it
> next week . . . or next month.
> Please keep in mind that the daily driving would be quite light. On
> the days that I go into San Francisco, the thing would get driven 44
> miles on the freeway (granted, the morning traffic is stop-and-go). On
> the days I don't go in, the Van would get driven about 15 miles a day.
> So, we're talking 200 miles per month here, plus a few gigs moving
> instruments 100-200 miles every other month.
> So, are my chances in the 90% range? The 50% range? The 3% range?
> If I choose to buy the Vanagon, how much will a coolant change cost
> (in Northern California)?
> If the head gaskets go, how much will that job cost (in Northern
> California, again)?
> If I choose to buy the Vanagon and hate it, will it sell for $1800 in
> a few months? I've noted that, here in Berkeley, somebody is selling an
> '84 Synchro that needs a new engine for $6,900. Perhaps they're a bit
> nuts, but that gives me some hope that the Vanagon I'm considering is at
> least worth what I'm paying for it. . .
>
> best,
> Jon
> ---
> Jonathan Rhodes Lee
> jrlee@mailandnews.com
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