Date: Fri, 14 Oct 2005 12:47:35 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: 31K for a vanagon? You must be mad -- or not.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Howard, I try not to marry these VWs or anything else.
I hold onto my 86 Olds wagon because it's my plywood hauler at my mini farm.
I hold onto my Crown Vic because I have to take Mom to several doctors
appointments and various other functions every month.
I hold onto my Porsche Carrera because I love to drive and so far it's been
a good car for the 10 K miles I've driven it and nobody has offered enough
to buy it.
Most cars that come up for sale have issues of some type.
With VW it's just neglect that catches up with the owners and they just
don't have the time, parking space or tools to keep the aging cars running
dependably.
With Porsche it's the next $2000.00 clutch job or getting the A/C fixed foe
$1800.00 that gets them onto the auction block.
I'm always interested in buying something I can turn for a profit so in
reply to your question .......... Yes I'm interested in split window busses.
I have no regrets over making $2600.00 on the last one I sold.
One of my neighbors bough a one owner 74,000 mile Westy about five years
ago. She paid about $4500.00 for it because it's truly a nice example of a
78 Bay Window Westy.
She's had some issue with it every time she leaves town in it
............... so the thing just stays parked. Right now it needs new
canvas and a straight rear bumper so she can open the engine bay. It's just
been a maintenance nightmare for her, first with me and everybody else
refusing to work on the Half Fast A/C system then lots of replacement parts
like complete front axle rebuild and the very expensive NOS steering box .
I'd guess she's into it for about 8 g's by now and drives it three times a
year.
Since she's an attorney I don't envision her doing any preventive
maintenance herself and I backed off from working on it because If I change
her oil it takes her three weeks to come back to get the Westy.
I'm a friendly guy and I don't mind helping other VW folks but I'm not a
driveway mechanic except when I don't have a choice on my own cars.
If you got yourself a $750.00 westy I'd suggest that you change the fuel
lines, replace all the rubber brake lines and pack a tool box, large fire
extinguisher and some basic spare parts if you're going more than 50 miles
from home.
AAA has save Joy Hecht more than a few times.
http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy
Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Howard Allen" <Howard.Allen@FAIRCHILDSEMI.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, October 14, 2005 12:07 PM
Subject: Re: 31K for a vanagon? You must be mad -- or not.
> So Stan;
> Would it be safe to say you wouldn't be interested in the 1966 or so spit
> window van I saw yesterday in my local junk yard?
> Just kidding! Between you and Malcolm I can't decide which is my favorite
> poster in the short time I have been on this list.
> I just hope my "new" $750 Vanagon treats me a little better than you Westy
> did...
>
> Best Regards
> Howard Allen
> S. Portland, Maine
>
> Packaging can be an enabling technology
>
>
>
>
> Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
> Sent by: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> 10/14/2005 12:12 PM
> Please respond to Stan Wilder
>
>
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> cc:
> Subject: Re: 31K for a vanagon? You must be mad -- or not.
>
>
> I've done my share of ADVENTURE; having driven vanagon westies in
> ------------------------- Clip --------------------------
> Part of the great adventure was always ............ Is this SOB going to
> make it there?
> the next great adventure was, Is this SOB going to make it home.
> I guess I developed that attitude after I blew a transmission.
> Another trip I blew #3 Piston.
> Another trip the injectors made the Westy jerk for 500 miles at 60 mph.
> Another adventure was a fuel leak at a split plastic OEM filter and I got
> about 8 miles to the gallon for 2000 miles (just glad it rained most of
> the
> trip so I avoided a fire).
> Another adventure was a front wheel bearing that made a grinding noise for
> months before I found that the NEW rotors were bad.
> Carrying on with adventures like blowing alternator belts, blowing
> passenger
> car tires (shucking the treads).
> Turning on my windshield wipers and finding that the feral cats had wiped
> out the serrations and my wipers just rotated on the drive post.
> It didn't take long for me to put $4000.00 worth of parts on my $2000.00
> Westy. That is with me doing all the labor except installing new front
> suspension parts.
> Many of the parts I replaced twice or more in ten years like clutches,
> heater boxes, mufflers. hatch / strut shocks, tires, brakes, CV joints, CV
> boots, clutch master and slave cylinders.
> It's hard to think of a part on that Westy that haden't been replaced in
> my
> time of ownership.
> That extends right on up through sun visors at $100.00 a pair and all new
> interior from another Westy.
> My westy was an on going maintenance responsibility and required
> mollycoddling the whole time I owned it.
> Most people would have thrown in the towel but I stayed with it through
> the
> second engine before I found a buyer that was willing to pay RETAIL for my
> Westy.
> I'd venture to say that almost any old rag of a car would make it to the
> West coast if we all just backed off to 65 top end and 45 mph going up
> hills.
> I found those to be my driving restrictions many times.
>
> Stan Wilder
> Engine Ceramics
> 214-352-4931
> www.engineceramics.com
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