Date: Wed, 11 Aug 2004 20:38:36 +0000
Reply-To: mark seifert <ubervanagon1@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: mark seifert <ubervanagon1@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: My 82 Diesel
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
The guy I bought my previous Vanagon from said he spent about an average of
$1000 per year maintaining it. He had it for about 16 years and it was an
86. Of course, he didn't do any of the work himself. You save a ton of money
if you know how to work on your own vehicle. I know this firsthand because I
work at an auto repair shop, and our customers pay over 4 times what I would
have to pay for some of the work that we do. I can buy any parts, supplies,
oil, other fluids, etc at wholesale cost. And I don't have to pay myself
anything to do the work. But sometimes I wish I could afford to just pay a
mechanic to do all the work for me. Unfortunately I have no other option but
to do it myself. One other great resource for DIY'ers like myself is the
junkyard. You can get good used parts cheap if you go to the
pull-it-yourself places. So I dont expect it to cost a whole bunch of money
to keep this van on the road.
Mark
>From: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
>Reply-To: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
>To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>Subject: Re: My 82 Diesel
>Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 15:19:55 +0300
>
>No no, Stan, that doesn't work. It has to be inversely related to what you
>pay for it! You know, the more you pay, the less you should have to spend
>to keep it running. But the incredible bargains to purchase should have
>higher operating costs.
>
>Otherwise I'm in big trouble. Matilda wasn't so cheap! I've been griping
>about how much I've spent on her upkeep, but in 9 months it's not even 20%
>of what I paid for her.
>
>And happily when I set out on the road this morning to take her to the
>hospital to find out why she's been losing power, she performed just
>splendidly outracing the speed limit on the Garden State Parkway. After 50
>miles I decided this was for real, and I turned around and went back to
>where I started. For another 50 miles she was just fine. Let's just hope
>it lasts, and all I wasted was some gas and a few tolls. Lots cheaper than
>the Vanagon hospital in Westchester.
>
>
>
>Joy
>
>
>****************************************************************
>Joy Hecht
>and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
>
>For musings about life and the vanadventures:
>http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy
>
>****************************************************************
>
>:::-----Original Message-----
>:::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
>:::Of Stan Wilder
>:::Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 6:27 PM
>:::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>:::Subject: Re: My 82 Diesel
>:::
>:::Not so fast there, bunkie. Remember the new-tew-yew vanagon rule.
>:::You're
>:::gonna spend twice what you paid for it in the first two years just to
>:::keep
>:::it running.
>:::------------------ Clip -----------------------
>:::Absolutely right!
>:::The market price for Vanagon going to wrecking yards is $250.00 with
>:::decent
>:::body parts and dead engines.
>:::The market price running down the road under it's own power is about
>:::twice
>:::that much.
>:::If you invest in an engine rebuild then it's a marriage made in hell as
>:::everything else begins to fail.
>:::
>:::Stan Wilder
>:::www.engineceramics.com
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