Date:         Fri, 14 Sep 2001 01:51:02 EDT
Reply-To:     WarmerWagen@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Keezer <WarmerWagen@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: My Westy:The daily driver
Content-Type: multipart/alternative;

Hello Chris,

My 1982 Vanagon Westfalia which I have owned for 6 years is my daily driver.
I also have a 1987 Jetta. The Vanagon is first safer, so the extra expense in
gas is well spent.
A few things about the Vanagon: it was marketed as a station wagon and later
as a mini-van. It was designed, even the campers, to be a multipurpose
vehicle, a daily driver.
Mine has 240,000 miles on. It runs great-but only because it is powered by a
2.0 95 Golf engine. I added power steering, and AC. It is as good as a '91 to
me, without some of the expensive 91 parts. I don't think I could sell it-not
for all that I have invested in it.

Trying to preserve it is nice-but then I bought it to use it-not to turn into
a dust collector.
I did my conversion from scratch in 1995 in 3 months. I had no prior
experience with fuel injection or vanagons, just a desire to succeed. there
was a few setbacks, the problems were solved by local help.
 I drive it everyday and I am not plagued with problems I was with my old
air-cooled busses.  I am not tired of it, weary of it, or bored of it. I
would like to renew the suspension with new springs, bushings and
shocks-after 19 years it's about time. But the car, now with power steering,
is easier to drive than the Jetta.  The power steering mod was as impressive
as the engine. Have you ever driven a stock 82 vanagon?
the steering is heavy, very tiring for the kind of driving I do. 4 years was
too long-it changed the handling completely.
There is a lot of room for upgrades and improvements in the Westy. I have a
vented catalytic heater on the rear closet wall. A water filter,
dual-batteries, the list goes on. Much of what is in it came from junkyards.
Even the power amp was a throw-away. (Yes, I have a CD changer and subwoofer.
) Proving that there are ways to cut costs. I liken this Westfalia to a good
sailboat. As long as you do the upkeep-it will last and function
indefinitely.
I put in an extra propane tank, a roof rack, bike rack, tracked middle seat,
side step and alarm. And I still don't have that awning or porta-potti.What
else is missing?
Now you know the reason I need the taller springs!
You could do a lot with the upgrades. Letting a car sit like this for several
months is not good.  humidity rusts and corrodes electrical. Or the dust
filters in.
My advice: sell the Honda, use the vanagon, and if you can, get another cheap
vanagon that can be your spare driver and an emergency parts supply.
And, if you really want to get more power and reliability, convert it to a VW
I-4.

Robert


Good luck.

Robert
1982 Westfalia

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