Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2001 23:59:57 -0500
Reply-To: wilden1@JUNO.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1@JUNO.COM>
Subject: Re: Clean Westy at junkyard, sad, happy day, long
Content-Type: text/plain
I've resurected several Westfalias over the years with used motors and
various other used parts from dead vanagons.
It's rare in Texas to ever find any aircooled Vanagons in wrecking yards.
I've got my favorite yards to scout out about once a month but I find
only Waserboxers with dead engines.
Although the 84-91 vans are a good source for body and trim parts I've
never found a watercooled Westfalia in a wrecking yard.
The fact that they are Westfalias keeps them on the road a lot longer and
I believe that Westys have fewer owners throughout their lives.
I've had my 83 AirCooled westy for seven years and have located about
four others (2 Air and 2 Water) within about five miles of my house and
they just always seem to be there and are still being driven.
I recently bid on an estate liquidation 81 Westy with a boatload of
problems, with the worst being a dead engine and a long list of items
that simply built up from neglect.
The owner thought about my offer for a few days and I gave her about five
sites that advertize used VWs, Vans, Vanagons and Westfalias so she could
evaluate what she had to offer. She now says she's going to do something
with it but I think I'll be able to call her in about a month and buy it
at my bid price.
I hate to think about a Westfalia getting crushed but since I don't need
two, the second would be a fix-up for profit project and there are just
so many dollars that a not so super Westfalia will bring.
I felt like the general visual appearance and the bent trailer hitch on
the back pretty much told a story of neglect that was a lot deeper than
just an engine and some trim parts.
In summation this Westfalia was at least $2000.00 away from being a
$2500.00 Westfalia and that tells me it's time to give it up.
Stan Wilder
83 Westfalia Air Cooled
http://williamwareagency.com/forsale/stanvan/stanvan.htm
On Sun, 3 Jun 2001 18:57:08 -0700 Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
writes:
> Yesterday I went junking with a couple other list members. It was 1/2
> price day at a chain of self serve yards we frequent anyway so we
> each
> bought good stuff for almost nothing. We all met early at the yard
> to
> help a list member pull a pop top he had spotted the day before.
>
> Our main target was a really clean 82 Westy full camper. Written on
> the
> outside was "bad motor" or some such but otherwise it was a clean,
> rust
> free thing of beauty. It had only just arrived so almost everything
> was
> still there. Dan bought a clean complete pop top with perfect canvas
> and
> seals and upper bunk for $50. I bought the lower Westy bed, water
> tank
> cabinet with tank, perfect front seat with swivel assembly,
> instrument
> cluster, front carpet, and a few odds and ends for $75 total.
>
> The sad thing was that such a clean and clearly recently well loved
> Westy ended up at a bone yard like it did. I always wonder what
> circumstances resulted in such tragedy. This thing was dent free,
> clean
> in and out, garage kept, all good glass, original unused spare, etc.
> I
> have become hardened to seeing clean passenger models end up like
> this
> but a Westy in this good shape is a rare find. A few days ago it was
> a
> dream Westy and today it is a stripped out shell, nothing of much
> value
> left.
>
> If Subaru engine conversions or ANY other conversion options can
> help
> keep this from happening I am all for it. This nonsense about
> keeping
> them original to maintain "collectability" ignores that fact that if
> something is not done to make them reliable the main "collectors"
> will
> be car crushers.
>
> Incidentally, the crowd on half price day was beyond belief. The
> checkout line was at least a hundred people long and took over an
> hour
> with 3 cashier windows running. Yard security was busy keeping the
> line
> feeding the cashiers in an efficient manner. Even at near giveaway
> prices they must have raked in a bundle.
>
> As my friend Mike remarked yesterday, asking us where our favorite
> yards
> are is like asking us where our favorite fishing holes are.
> PLEASE DON'T!
>
> Mark
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