Date:         Tue, 18 Mar 2003 21:01:44 -0800
Reply-To:     pedro dos santos <pedrokrusher@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         pedro dos santos <pedrokrusher@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      everybody knows them to be high maintenance
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hi volks

Just remember that most of our vans had MORE previous
owners than most vehicules on the market. That means
to me that there is more chances that the westys did
not have the proper maintenance.

Just think about a person that buys a westy in spring,
uses it, and at autumn, sells it with barelly some
maintenance... Damn! he's supposed to be on vacation!
And repeat that a couple times... I have talked to
people that asks me questions about my van at gas
stops, and sometimes they tell me how they sold their
vans, and probably half of them had ripped off the new
owners...

I think there is 2 kind of westy owners, the one that
takes way too much care and knows what he has in his
hands, and the one that doesn't give a damn and does
not have a clue of what he has.

And there's the fact that a lot of regular mechanics
just does not want to work with this particular
vehicule, and just do a terrible job.

I totally agree that besides the engine, the rest of
the vehicule is no worst than an average car. Pretty
much the same wear and tear. Nothing is eternal.

On my personnal experience with my 91 vanagon that I
bought in 96 with 125 000 km, now with 280 000 Km, I
can say that I have been lucky, compared to some
listees. The previous owner was a mechanic! I have
never been stranded anywhere. No big surprises. All
the repairs had their warning and I could change the
parts before it gives up. That explains why I do so
much "conversions" with her...

Now with that said, I should knock on wood...

Pedro dos Santos
91 vanagon + carat int + pop-top transplant
85 ddcab project

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