Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:43:15 -0400
Reply-To: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Benny boy <huotb@VIDEOTRON.CA>
Subject: Re: Going towards a new era...
Ok you guys, (thanks you Joy, RonL, Geza...)
I know one thing for sure... average vanagon are getting older, and there is
NO way back unless you put energy and money on it, Bus's, not the same, most
Bus owner that i know don't go very far, don't do much millage a year.
Different for Vanagon, new owner think they can go around the world (figure
of speach (English getting better..)). Not so! 70% of vanagon that i see
comming in the shop are time bomb.. yea, owner don't see or know it but i do.
Now, don't get me wrong, the Vanagon is still simply the best compact
afordable (we now need to elaborate on what is "afortable", it may have
change a bit!) camper out there, period. With time, over the next few year,
you! will have to put money on it, more than you think, just to make it
safe, not even perfect. So, after many K's $$$ into it, will you still sell
yours for 10K?... NO.
My van is a very good exemple. It drive like a new one, even better.
Of course, as a customer, i would NEVER pay 40K for a 20 yo van, i would
find that stupid... is it stupid? Think twice! You see your van with all
it's little problems that will have to be fix one day, but you hope for the
best, will it do the summer, maybe, maybe not. Me, I'm tired of that
"Maybe" word. I did what i had to do to re-built a solid compact camper, and
the cost is what you see... take it of leave it. It's a fact.
http://www.benplace.com/85westy2.htm
So keep on driving that old "out of shape" westy, i'll see you beside the
road waithing for a tow truck.
Ask my "helper" Jason, he as been working for me for the past 2 months, yea,
he work but i don't pay him, it's an exchange labor for labor/parts on his
out of shape van. He can not believe what he is seeing! broken parts,
fissured parts, impossible to remove parts, in our case, RUSTY parts! Hours
an hours of labor, sometime for a stupid stuck in rust part. Getting parts
is sometime harder than other time. Bad cheeper aftermarket parts... not
even a choice sometime, not available at the dealer, we need to go the
"Aftermarket" way.. sandblasting, weldering, painting... Send to machine
shop some unavailable parts. Thninking hard, make parts, invent parts,
invent tools. But who is paying??? you, the cutomers who want a Westy.. the
un-happy customer when he see's the bill... WHAT, 4 hours for that axle???
yea bro, next time, comme and help me get those 12 bolts out!!! i had to
remove the wheel hub to get those 6 rusted to the bone outer cv joint bolt
out...
So, you want to hear a good one, last week, he pick me up at my house, we
drive the westy to the shop, i said, put down the radio, i listen! i say to
him, bad news bro, your transmission is shot!!! kapout! (he leave in 10 days
for Alberta to plant tree's)... you should have seen is face, we already
have done a lot of works on his van including a partial engine
rebuilt/reseal, exhaust system, steering, suspension, camping stuff, new
canvas, drive axle, bearings... but niet! another major problem, a trany...
his my EX brother in law, i love him, i had to tell him the truth!
Lucky he his, we call Daryl from AA Transaxle and he fix us up real good, in
matter of days the trany was ready and it's in my shop now (thanks Daryl).
Jason now understand that even if his 84 was good to him (very good, believe
me), it's not "karma" that will help him, it's a machine, an old machine
that need care. A lot of care. Even with all his working hours (more than 2
months), he will still how me big time, and he as parts at cost price.
I can tell the you about complete mechanical condition of a vanagon in about
5 min.
Keep on driving that "hippie" van with an hippie way of thinking... or put
some love and money on it and make it a superb compact camper van ,your choice.
Let's say that now i don't count on "luck" to do a 15k miles trip! i count
on being intelligent and doing prevention. I have been stupid in my pass
westy years, going into Mexico with a beat-up 73, i paid the price. This IS
WHY I HAVE A WEB SITE AND I TRY TO EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT WESTY! I now know
better!
There is NOW 2 kinds of westy owner, the "i hope for the best and have no
money to spend on their van" and the "i want as much as possible a reliable
westy and i am ready to do what i have do to do so it's safe and solid"
Which one are you?
You have all seen those "Titanic" pictures, but this is still my daily job:
http://www.benplace.com/syncro/syncro18.jpg
http://www.benplace.com/syncro/syncro29.jpg
http://www.benplace.com/gilles/gilles3.jpg
http://www.benplace.com/head3/100_0007.jpg
http://www.benplace.com/amc_head/amc6.jpg
Amen, Ben
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