Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 20:04:03 -0500
Reply-To: "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "kenneth wilford (Van-Again)" <kenwilfy@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: super cheap 88k orig mi. '87 westy for sale $4000
In-Reply-To: <082a01d01e37$3a70a600$af51f200$@busdepot.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Thanks for sharing. I was calling this guy this morning as well about this
van. Sounds too risky for the price. You couldn't really lose but it is a
bigger project than I am interested in taking on at the moment with several
customer projects we are already doing. Got to know when to walk away,
know when to run...
Ken
On Dec 22, 2014 5:32 PM, "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@busdepot.com> wrote:
> > not mine but local to me.. a friend of mine looked at this morning..
> this
> > one wont last long at this price.. the westy is from florida.. no
> rust..
> > straight body.. 88k orig mi. only $4k van runs and drives.. just
> has
> > head leak.
> > http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/cto/4813862462.html
>
>
> I am not particularly looking for another Westy, but it happened that I was
> about 20 minutes away from this van on another matter so I decided to give
> it a look in case it was an absolute bargain that I couldn't refuse. I
> ended
> up passing on it but thought I'd provide some info for anyone who is
> considering it (assuming it's still available).
>
> The camper is on a rollback and can't be driven. Therefore it's impossible
> to know if the odometer works, but if the 88k miles it shows are accurate
> then I'd have to say they were really hard miles. This Westy looks like
> it's
> seen a lot of use by an owner who hasn't treated it particularly gently.
> There are numerous scrapes and scratches but no major dents. However the
> previous owner went crazy with spray paint cans and spray painted the lower
> half of the driver side (starting directly below the inlets, which are
> covered with electrical tape). I presume this was to cover seam rust but
> it's hard to know what is under it. He also painted the metal trim that
> goes
> across the front of the sink cabinet and holds the instrument panel with
> silver spray paint for some reason. He did not bother to neatly tape
> things
> off before wielding the spray can. The driver side turn signal lens and
> mirror are damaged and the driver side headlight is loose. All four tires
> and the poptop canvas are severely dry-rotted. The poptop skylight is badly
> cracked. Both tables are present, as is the windshield curtain (although
> it
> is ripped and patched). The battery was dead and I did not bother to charge
> it and start the engine. Since it is strapped to a rollback there is no
> way
> to confirm whether the auto trans shifts properly. The seller is an
> unlicensed "curbside dealer" who said he bought it in an estate sale. It
> drove onto his rollback under its own power and that's all he knows about
> it. A plaque on the side of the camper indicates that it was originally
> sold
> in Florida, but the last inspection sticker is from 2012 and is from
> Pennsylvania so I don't know how long it's been since it was actually in
> Florida. The seller says he will not have the title for about two weeks.
>
> I don't really need another Westy and would have had to be "wowed" to
> bother
> with this one. It didn't "wow" me. When I see a Westy that's been cobbled
> together with spray paint and electrical tape, it makes me wonder whether
> it
> was serviced and maintained in a similar manner. Coupled with the
> inability
> to test drive it and the known issues just from a cursory look, I felt that
> $4000 was a gamble. Not a rip-off, but not a steal either. I offered him
> $3000 knowing he'd say no, and he did. He said he's gotten a lot of calls
> and is pretty sure someone will pay him $4000 for it in no time. He's
> probably right.
>
> Ron Salmon
> The Bus Depot, Inc.
> www.busdepot.com
>
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