Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 20:03:11 -0500
Reply-To: Mike Collum <collum@BANGORNEWS.INFI.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mike Collum <collum@BANGORNEWS.INFI.NET>
Subject: Re: First impressions
Congratulations, Bob!
I, too, absolutely love my '84 7 passenger and its 1.9.
Yesterday I sent the money to buy a 1985 Westy which is in Richmond, VA.
My brother-in-law, there, will act as my agent and effect the
transaction. My B-i-l will keep it at his place 'til I can get down
there and pick it up (from Maine).
Expecting to be a happy camper
Mike
'84 GL "Mongo"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Whitby" <rpwhitby@MINDSPRING.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, April 06, 2002 9:12 PM
Subject: First impressions
Took the plunge yesterday on an 1987 Westy. The van was about 200 miles
from my home so I got a good long drive to think about my purchase. A
few observations:
1) The WBX engine is too much maligned. The power plant in this van has
157,000 miles on it, yet returned compression readings of 150, 150, 145,
and 160. That's damned good for any engine of this age and mileage, let
alone one that has taken a bad rap on reliability and longevity. As for
power, apparently most people on this list haven't spent much time in
air cooled buses. (I speak here of the 1600 cc variety, that being the
animal I have logged way too many miles in at 50-55 mph.) This thing is
a rocket by comparison. I blew the doors of a Ford Fiesta on the way
home! My '70 couldn't hit 70 unless it was falling off a cliff, and even
then the aerodynamics of the thing made the event unlikely. This '87 has
a sweet spot at about 70, and I kept looking down and noticing I was
going 75. The speedometer is, by the way, the only way you know you are
over taxing the little 2.1. It is so quiet (again, in comparison to air
cooled engine) that the bus seems powered by the wind itself. I
literally had to shout to be heard in the 70. And this thing is smooth.
Rest assured I won't be looking to do an engine conversion until this
WBX bites the dust. I love it.
2) This is a modern vehicle in every sense of the word. Great brakes,
quiet interior, decent mileage. Best of all it handles wind gusts as
well as any van I've ever driven. Anyone who has spent time in a
Transporter is familiar with the "suddenly two lanes over" syndrome,
wherein a gust literally shoves you across the road. I once got sore
shoulder muscles fighting a cross wind for five hours trying to keep my
70 in its own lane. Hardly relaxing driving. The Vanagon shakes and
shimmies a bit, especially when caught in truck turbulence, but it
doesn't develop a magnetic attraction for the next lane.
3) The camper interior is beyond comparison with the old version. Very
well laid out. Good fit and finish. Everything works.
So that's the report from a new owner happy to be among the fold. Ask me
again when my heads start leaking, but for now I'm in love.
| 
