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Date:         Tue, 24 May 2005 11:09:09 -0400
Reply-To:     Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Re: Did I buy the Right Vehicle? Am I hearing all the bad.
Comments: To: Adam Thacker <87westy@THACKER.CA>
In-Reply-To:  <004d01c5604f$190136c0$6401a8c0@10forward>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

OK, here's a happy story for you Adam:

I bought my 1985 Westie in 2001, specifically for a cross-country trip (NYC area to the Pacific and back). Picked it up in June, drove it home without any problems (a 3-hour trip). My departure was scheduled for mid-September, and I wanted to have time to get familiar with the beast before going solo on the road. I can't recommend this step enough, you need to use the van as a daily driver for a while to work out the kinks before hitting the open road!

I bought the Bentley manual, and spent the next few months refreshing my long-dormant skills as a shade-tree mechanic, and getting to know my van. I replaced all the cooling hoses and belts, and replaced/repaired a couple of other items that cropped up (alternator died, a corroded wire splice added by a PO gave me a "no start" problem that led to a couple of days of troubleshooting and a harness bypass). I had the brakes checked out by a local mechanic, since the e-brake handle was not engaging, and I didn't (yet) want to trust to just my skills on that critical system (I've gained much skill and courage since :-).

I departed on schedule in September, and toured this wonderful continent for the next six weeks. Saw some amazing sites, got (for the first time) a sense of just how much *empty* there is between everything in the US and Canada once you leave the east coast.

I had one breakdown on the road (the FLAPS alternator I put in before leaving only lasted until Wyoming), but was able to nurse the van into a town by connecting the camper battery and main battery directly together with jumper cables, and shutting down all non-essential systems (heater fan, radio, lights, wipers... it was snowing just slightly). I was able to get a Bosch remanufactured alternator locally, and was back on the road.

That was it. Six weeks, 10,000 miles, one small repair. I'm sure I got lucky, lots of common stuff had already been fixed on the Westie I bought, and lots of stuff has needed attention since the big trip (any of which *could* have gone wrong out in the back of beyond).

So... the long and short of it is, that westie ownership has been a great experience for me. I've been camping out lots more since I bought it, I've met lots of great fellow-addictees. I've also improved my repertoire of mechanical skills, since I've had my share of breakdowns and road-trips-turned-flatbed-rides (OK, only two, but still :-).

I guess my bottom line advice is, enjoy it, but accept the fact that a westie is *two* hobbies... something to take great road trips in, and something to work on between trips. Mine is twenty years old now, and I wouldn't recommend *any* 20-year old vehicle to anyone who wasn't willing and able to do a lot of their own mechanical work. Anything that old *will* break from time to time, there's no magic to protect Westies from the law of entropy. If you are paying someone for every repair, it can quickly become a huge drain.

On the other hand, if you like the idea of maintaining a 20 (or 30, or 40) year old vehicle, I wouldn't recommend anything *but* a westie. If spending your time getting greasy, breaking loose seriously rusty bolts, and tracking down hard-to-find parts is something you enjoy (apparently I do :-) there is *no* other vehicle that can give *back* as much for your effort as a VW camper.

Every time I hit the road, I know that something may go wrong. I carry tools in my van and knowledge in my head. I also carry a AAA card and a cell phone.

At 06:55 AM 5/24/2005 -0400, Adam Thacker wrote: >I have wanted one of these van's for years and looked around for 2 months to >get one in good condition in my price range (87westy) I would love to take >this thing across country but now after reading this list I am unsure if it >will make it without me crossing my fingers the whole time. Am I hearing the >worst of the worst? I am reading a lot of problems with these van's now and >I am nervous I don't know if I can take this thing out of the city or trust >it on a long trip. Engines blowing, CV Joints, Bearings, Hoses Popping etc. >Can people please provide me some positive stories of trouble free ownership >and trips with regular maintenance? Am I hearing all the bad news only? >Thank you your comments are welcome. > >./athacker > >1987 Westfalia >http://www.thacker.ca/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=1987-Westfalia


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