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Date:         Wed, 11 Aug 2004 14:44:26 -0700
Reply-To:     Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Robert Fisher <refisher@MCHSI.COM>
Subject:      Re: My 82 Diesel (DIY vs. Shop Rates)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I was thinking about this last week- might be the start of a new thread... I find that I either have time, or money, but not much of both at the same time, and not an excess of either in any case. I grew up 'poor' you might say (not destitute), and 'tho we're doing ok now, we're not flush either. As a result, we never used professional services when I was young, and generally don't now. Instead, we bought what tools we could afford and did the work ourselves. This meant we accumulated a decent set of skills, a middlin' set of tools and a reckless self-confidence (my wife, after eight + years, now chuckles to herself and shakes her head even before I get a chance to say 'you could make one of those pretty easy' or 'hell, you can fix that'). She once told somebody that if I decided I needed a Space Shuttle, I'd probably try to build one myself in the back yard.

Looking back on it, I plan to raise my kids in similar fashion (hopefully with a little more cash and without the sense of desperation we sometimes had, however). If we won the lottery today I think I'd still take that approach. When I was 16, I had to teach another guy (also 16) that was giving me a ride home how to pump gas so we could continue our trip- I couldn't believe this guy's folks gave him the car without teaching him how to pump gas, or even that he never figured it out by watching. I've also met grown adults who not only did not know how to change a tire or their oil, but also believed they weren't capable of doing it. I always find that astounding.

Anyway, what made me think about all this (this time) was that the local tranny shop recently raised their hourly labor from $60/hr. to $65/hr. The import shop where I generally buy my parts locally is now charging $80/hr. for labor! When I was managing the local Staples, I met a college graduate applicant who was doing his damndest to find a $10/hr. job. I didn't have one to give him, and I was just making $20/hr. myself.

So, how do people that don't have the skills, the tools or the time do it? You could easily top the amount of your car payment on a simple repair. It's nuts.

Cya, Robert

----- Original Message ----- From: "mark seifert" <ubervanagon1@HOTMAIL.COM> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM> Sent: Wednesday, August 11, 2004 1:38 PM Subject: Re: My 82 Diesel

> 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 > > _________________________________________________________________ > Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfeeŽ > Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963


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