Date:         Wed, 19 Jul 2006 09:25:38 -0700
Reply-To:     Rich Bennington <rich.bennington@CHARTER.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rich Bennington <rich.bennington@CHARTER.NET>
Subject:      Re: where do the best vanagons come from?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

>Date:    Wed, 19 Jul 2006 09:03:30 -0400
>From:    Helena Troy <lacewingfairy@HOTMAIL.COM>
>Subject: where do the best vanagons come from?

>I was thinking that the vintage plan= es all live in the desert.  They dont
age, perse, but dont their hoses and = things get baked?  But no rust, is
>that really a benefit?  What about somet= hing that drove in the mountains
all the time, or  was a weekend camping wa= rrior?  What is the best
>combination of living/driving for the discerning p= urchaser to get?Oh and
price.  I have seen all kinds of $2000 vanagons from=  dealers who dont
>know >of the vana-magic, but obviously there is no way to = know of the up
keep.

I live in the high desert -- my experience is hoses are no different than
elsewhere;  as they are protected from UV, being out of the sun, and
temperatures in the engine compartment are way greater than the sun can
manage.

Desert cars suffer most from window seal rot and paint fade, at least in the
high desert.  The UV and constant sun are tough on anything rubber, and the
paint will oxidize.  The lack of rust, however, is a big plus.  Usually, it
is localized to where a repair was done (too much bondo, not enough prep).
If you want to hold onto a vehicle for a long time, IMHO, that's the biggest
thing.  You can still replace or repair window seals, engines, transmissions
and ball joints, but if you start with a cancer rusted vehicle from an area
where salt is used on the road in winter, you may never win the battle.

Being that all vanagons will require replacement of something "soon", I
think you have to do a thourough inspection and go from there.  Sometimes I
think the best path is to get a cheap one, then go through it methodically
and fix "everything" that is worn.  At least then you know the status of
everything <grin>.  The reason I say that is I've had to repair stuff on
older cars that was supposedly fixed, too often.  I think it's a bit risky
to buy one 3000 miles away and just expect to drive it home, at least for
someone not looking for adventure.  I'd buy a cheaper van, truck it home, if
not close, and go to work on it.  Plan not to drive it for 6 months to a
year.  Or, if you are rich, just buy a GoWesty one and drive away....

Rich