Date:         Fri, 4 Apr 2003 12:54:57 -0800
Reply-To:     Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@TSSGI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jeffrey Schwaia <jeff@TSSGI.COM>
Subject:      Picked up my new '90 Carat - Trip Report (little VC)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Just got back into town today after taking a road trip to pick up a '90
Carat I bought over a month ago.  Had to borrow the SO's Expedition to tow,
1000 miles at 12 MPG... ouch!!

I could've saved myself a lot of trouble if the PO would've been a little
more knowledgeable.  When I asked about the mechanical condition of the van
I was told it was spewing water "all over the place".  Upon arrival I did a
little snooping, the van runs great, the valves didn't even clatter, however
the radiator was cracked, hence the water.  The pisser is that I could've
flown down, put a new radiator in and drove the van back without a hitch...
damn!  Too late now.  Had to crawl underneath and take the axles off before
towing, PITA when laying on the ground.

About the only nice thing about driving from Sacramento to San Diego is that
I usually take the long way and go through Mojave.  Being a pilot, I love to
snoop around at airports, especially one as interesting as Mojave.  I didn't
have time for a tour this time, which was a shame because the place was
packed with planes.  Seeing all those planes in dry storage was a pretty
good indicator of how depressed the airline industry is.

Anyways, if you're ever driving by Mojave, and you like airplanes, stop and
take a tour (call ahead 661-824-2433), it's really cool!!

Cheers,

Jeff