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Date:         Thu, 30 May 2002 13:49:13 -0700
Reply-To:     Brent Christensen <sbsyncro@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Brent Christensen <sbsyncro@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: To buy or not to buy:  87 Westy
Comments: To: lamusicamellama@JUNO.COM
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Les:

Personally, I would run, not walk away from that deal unless a much more thorough investigation showed that things were much better than they might be. $12,000 is high, even it it were here in Santa Barbara (where '89-'91 Westies routinely sell for more than $15,000). You did not mention what part of the country you are in.

The fact that you know nothing about the van's history is probably the worst thing of all. Green coolant probably means that the previous owner was uninformed/uncaring about the maintenance of a Vanagon (unfortunately not uncommon). Worse than the empirical evidence of green coolant is the possibility that it was rarely changed (which is in my unscientific opinion a primary cause of problems). The brakes? The drums are probably beyond spec (yet more evidence of poor maintenance). The oil filter? While not fatal, it is just more evidence.

My fear would be that you are looking at a potential hornet's nest of problems. For a '87 Westy with 78,000 miles on it I would be willing to pay close to $10,000 for it, but ONLY if I was buying it from the original owner, with all the original repair receipts, and clear evidence of "proper" maintenance throughout its life (not to mention a nice clean interior). The same car from a dealer in your situation? I'm not sure I would want it at any price, to be honest - the cost to me of the potential frustration and angst (in addition to the real cost) of dealing with all the maintenance issues that could pop up would simply make it unaffordable (emotionally and financially). Keep in mind that the whole point of owning a Westy is being able to jump in it and take off across country. If you cannot depend on the reliability of the van, what is the point?

If you shop around a bit more, I can guarantee you will find a better deal.

Brent Christensen '89 GL Syncro Westy 234,000 miles/daily driver Santa Barbara, CA

----- Original Message ----- From: "Les Shiaman" <lamusicamellama@JUNO.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 12:53 PM Subject: To buy or not to buy: 87 Westy

> Hello - > > I saw a 1987 Westy on a VW dealer's lot yesterday so I checked it out. > Body is in excellent condition, interior is a bit worn, but not bad. > It's the motor I have some reservations about. First of all the coolant > is green. Is this a bad sign or do non-phosphate coolants come in all > variety of colors? Next, the oil filter is Firestone brand. I thought > generic filters are not good for engine life, and is this a sign of > "uninformed" vanagon owners? Power mirrors don't work. More importantly > the muffler looks pretty shot, thoroughly rusted with barely any exhaust > pipe left. The cat looks pretty rusted too. No leaks around the heads > as far as I can tell. I started it up cold, sounded ok, test drove, and > brakes seem pretty ineffective, so some work needs to be done. Otherwise > it cruised smoothly. > > Odometer reads 78,000 miles. Automatic trans, no a/c, Asking price > $12,000. Ouch! I think that's really steep for a 15 year old camper > that's not in pristine condition. > > I am currently without a westy, but I want to wait for the right one, and > I have hesitations here especially with respect to the price! It's there > on consignment. I'm thinking around $8,000 as a bid. Does that sound > fair? > > Thanks for your input. > > Les > Trek 800 > > ________________________________________________________________ > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/. >


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