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Date:         Tue, 23 Mar 2004 10:42:02 -0600
Reply-To:     "Warren.K.Lail-1" <wlail@OU.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Warren.K.Lail-1" <wlail@OU.EDU>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon mania
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

On Tue, 23 Mar 2004, Eric Zeno spoke thusly:

>snip<

>>The only way, is if you are highly knowledgeable and do your own work. After reading some of the questions here, that's clearly not the average individual. Case in point, the "BIlly bones" financial disaster. After reading the first few threads, it made me sick, to see the money this poor guy wasted.<<

Stay a bit - stay a bit. Before I pulled the engine and tranny in Bill Bones, I had done little more than changed oil and spark plugs, and so I think I've done pretty well considering that I've pulled and replaced the entire drive train. One pays, either in labor or cash, for everything that gets done, so I've invested a lot of labor and not all that much cash (most of the parts were swapped out of my GL, which suffered very little in this venture). If you saw my parts list and knew what I paid for the van, you would probably be surprised at how little money I have invested (I doubt you could buy a Kia for what I have in Billy Bones)(and whose ever heard of giving a Kia a name, anyway).

Now I know WAY more about my bus than before, feel confident to tackle whatever may arise, and am no longer quite so dependent on local mechanics. With the help of the fine people on this list, I believe that most of us can do about anything that needs to be done to keep these Vanagons running smoothly for many years.

If any of you guys or gals out there are contemplating a big do-it-yourself project, I say go for it, be patient, have some fun, be willing to laugh at yourself (required) and get an education at the same time.

Finally, I think that for most of us these vehicles are not merely transportation, but hobbies as well. We not only get to drive and camp in them, but we get to know other great people who share our enjoyment of Vanagons.

Regards,

Warren Lail 88 Westy "Billy Bones" (we've signed Articles) 87 GL "Long John" (in dry dock, temporarily)


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