Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:26:44 -0700
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Opinions Please!
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8"; reply-type=original
What color is it Jeff ! ?
( I had that exact model...so I think I know what color it is )
sounds scary in many ways.
that someone wouldn't remember having big or expensive work like headgaskets
being done is ...
uh ...'unfortunate' ....more like 'spaced out' in my world.
likely it needs good head gaskets and valve job work, and a good amount of
brake work.
miles are low, that's good.
With auto trans they drink a bit of gas, mine would do 16.5 mpg driven
nicely ...
which I consider unacceptable ........like 18 mph is the lower end of what's
decent enough to live with .
running too cool, which is common, but not good.
Already I'd say the price is high ..
unless 'you really like this particular van' ..........or there is NO rust
and no dents.
yeah, really....just ask yourself what it will take in dollars to get it up
to full roadworthiness.....
sounds like a few thou to me. Like this van is 'down' some few thousands in
serious repairs here and there.
Based on that ...
it should go for much less than $ 3,200.
here's how mine was when I got it ....saw it sitting by the side of the road
in front a shop ( before I forget...this model sits 2 inches too high in
front ...I just fixed that on an 85 Westy GL I'm getting ready to sell..
might not bother some people, but I can stand it ....that is a $ 500 job <
or can be > to get regular front springs in )
anyway, poor thing is sitting there, in the winter, no skylight ...rain
going right inside ....same model 85 Wolfsburg , auto trans, PS, AC,
Shredomatic upholstery ....I thought maybe the auto trans was blown
...engine was just tired.
The shop told the owner it had worn out cam lobes , and it just ran ratty
and skaky ...and seemed to have a oil leak right at the lower seem of the
case halves . No rust though. And tent shreded from being put away wet ..
the poor van. I paid $ 1,100 for it.
so they are desireable models. ....Wolfsberg Weekender ....'but' - mainly
I'd say you could probably save this one, but the price is rather high for
what it needs.
don't mean to go on ..
look at it this way ...regardless of price ....say it was free even ...
are you willing to take this project on ??
that's the real question, do you want this van in your life, and can you
visualize getting it to pretty decent condition ?
if you can ....and sounds to me like it needs 'everything' ....then make an
offer on it.
supposing you got it for $ 1,200 and had $ 2,000 budgeted to innvest in it
...
I'm sure you could burn right through that $ 2K without a lot of trouble.
btw ...I get vans all the time, rust free and non-dented ones as much as I
can. They are all 25 or so years old.
In every last case ...they all need 'everything' ..
and I don't care if they've been maintained by FancyBoys Vanagon Specialist
shop for years. and have had thousands of $ spent on them ...I find dozens
and dozens of things that have never been touched, or lubed, or taken care
of .
and with the owner not even knowing if the head gaskets have been done ..
this one sounds 'real bad' in that department to me. And shops ...
most shops do 'jobs' like brake work, clutches, engine repair etc. ..
they do not fuss over the little spots that need attention, stopping rust
while it's just easy-to-deal-with etc ...
So I would say ..
IF you can visualize making this van a fine van for yourself....then see if
you can get it for less.
If you just 'love it' and have to have it ....try to get the price down
some. and I am not tough about bargaining at all, I want both sides to win,
but ..
this van sounds kinda bad to me, for the asking price. I'll bet I could do
4,000 dollars worth of work on it , and not even be charging very well for
all the time it would take to make it really healthy again.
Miles are low though.
and the automatics are not bad ...but they eat up fuel and power. I put a
2.1 in mine, and full convesion to 2.1 cooling system and EFI etc. Had
that stuff left over from doing subaru conversion.
And ...as models of vanagons go ...
really good model to have, nice little comfy mobile living room. If decent,
will always hold value.
next !
Scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "J Stewart" <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2010 6:22 PM
Subject: Opinions Please!
OK, I looked at my first prospect tonight. '85 Wolfie Weekender. The good:
starts and runs well, auto trans shifts good, goes down the road straight,
paint fair, would look better with polish/wax. Door panels all good, except
fronts hacked for larger speakers. Under the dash the wiring looks good, not
a hacked up mess. Maintained by a reputable VW shop, but hasn't been there
in a couple of years. Carpeting good. Minor seam rust, undercarriage solid.
Engine very dirty but not oily, even the underside.Canvas good, couple of
very small tears.The bad: shred-o-matic corduroy, brakes work but pedal has
a lot of travel and feels soft. Has air, not working, and power steering
(not a big fan) pop top seals shot. The real bad: coolant expansion tank
empty, main tank full (green, of course, but at least it was full) Temp
gauge never went above 1/4 in 20 minutes on a very hot day (95) I couldn't
get a real good look at the fuel lines, but first thing I always do is
replace those plus all vacuum lines. Mileage is 137K, receipt from VW shop
at 104K (back in 2004) said "Head gaskets leaking badly". Seller can't
remember if they were done, but I'm thinking 6 years and 33K miles on leaky
head gaskets isn't likely. He says he does remember a couple of large repair
bills between then and now. The good karma: the seller and I have the same
name and were born 7 days apart in the same year. His bottom line price is
$3,200.00. I can do all the work it needs myself. So, listees, what do you
all think? Opinions welcome. Thanks, Jeff
Jeff Stewart
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