Date:         Sun, 23 Oct 1994 07:13:59 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jvanwyk@halcyon.halcyon.com (Jon Van Wyk)
Subject:      To Buy or Not to Buy?

I looked at a '82 Westy at a VW dealership yesterday.  The exterior is
rust-free with a few minor dents in the metal.  The interior seems nice for
a camper of this vintage: clean; no mold; nice canvas; decent seat & bed
fabric; seats, top & bed work; etc.  They're asking $5688 for it (which
seems a bit high, tho' they claim it's down from $7999, ha!).

More details:
168k miles
 30k on a rebuild
New tires of dubious manufacture in front and
fair tires of similar manufacture in rear
rear hitch
front towing brackets

Here are the concerns:
1) Seems like a lot of miles and this could be trouble.  What major
gotcha's could be lurking?

2) They're gonna compression check the engine.  Anything else I should check?

3) The fact that it's towed stuff.  Any redflags there?

4) The fact that it's been towed.  I hear that's tuff on the trans.  Cause
for concern?

5) I've not tested the camping gear (aside from the top).  Prior owner said
it all worked.  Should I verify?  Tips?

6) Brakes are mushy.  Is this typical?

7) Steering has a bit of play and the "sway factor" seemed high.  Could
this be due to the passenger car tire it's shod with?

8) What's a good price?

Thanks in advance.

Jon

---------
Jon  \/an   Seattle, WA
    \/\/yk  (jvanwyk@halcyon.com)