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Date:         Mon, 24 Oct 1994 21:57:47 -0700 (PDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         H Steven Dolan <dworkin@netcom.com>
Subject:      Re: gimmie some opinions

Attached are my comments on your post. All are of course IMHO and worth what you paid.... :-)=

H Steven Dolan dworkin@netcom.com

On Mon, 24 Oct 1994 moran@cs.utk.edu wrote:

> Ok here is the situation, I found a guy witha 79 camper. He wants $3200 > for it. Here is a general description of it. > > 79 westfalia

One of the two best years for the breadloaf series. Some say the '78 was as good, but I got one and the redesigned exhaust on the '79 is better. So all in all you are buying into the best year available.

> beige

Yuck (I warned you, IMHO)

> 59,000 original miles, has service record of every service except the 60,000 > milse service because it is not there yet.

Low mileage on older cars is great for some systems, immaterial to others, and bad for a third set. For transmission wear, low mileage is everything. For exhaust parts it is death. For suspension parts, gravity is omnipresent. If the car sat for years (check service records for unusual gaps) acids in the oil *may* have pitted things in the engine. If it was seldom, but regularly used, no sweat. Also check the rubber bits. Brake lines; CV joint, ball joint, and tie rod end boots; the foam seals in the front end air intake; etc.; etc. should all be checked, in decreasing order of significance. BTW, if the ball joint boots are torn, here in VA, that's $400. The rest are lots cheaper. Check the rubber stuff, if nothing else it's a bargaining point.

>Original manuals.

Nice to have, but you will need the Bentley (Official VW manual {green for this year}) as well.

> Engine looks and runs good except for small oil leaks from around push rod tubes.

The busses with the 2L engines are worse than an old tomcat. They want to mark every spot they have ever been.

> Needs to have camper top cavas replaced because of holes, does not have > seals around the camper top. fridge works great, sink works electric > works

I've never owned a Westy, so Idunno... The other response I read says mucho bucks, JC Whitney says seals cost: luggage rack base (front piece of fiberglass) $23.95 pop-top seal $74.95 and canvas top $209.95

> has california emmissions stuff on it.

I'm in VA but recent posts say "YES!"

> Body is in great condition only 2 small rust spots around the > windshield.

Check also under other window seals with a nylon putty knife(pry up rubber *gently* an eighth of an inch, look for orange). Under the windows is a favorite starting place for rust and I am suspicious. If you see rust under the rubber, this could get expensive fast. Rust = cancer = death

> it has been taken to a mechanic and he checked it all over > but said that the only prob is that it has an oil leak. A friend of > mine who has a similar van said that it just needs new push rods and > pushrod tubes.

As I said earlier, these vehicles tend to leak a bit there on a constant basis. If you want a good laugh, take it to a VW-wise mechanic, and ask for a 1-year warrantee on the seals. It's not serious, but they can make for a smelly winter, as the place they drip is on the heat exchangers (on the other hand, your heat exchangers never rust out, well seasoned, like a frying pan)

> My questions are about how much is this camper worth?

At $2000, it's a steal. At $3000, its reasonable. Try to talk him into bearing the cost of the pop-top repair, numbers in hand, and torn boots if you find any, but be willing to settle between $2500-$3000. (Sorry to you CA folks, but here in the east, rust free is hard to find, and worth the extra bucks.)

> Is having all that calif. emissions stuff on there gonna complicate > servicing the engine?

Yes.

> I am in Tennessee so all the emmissions stuff is not required here.

OK, so: if your plan is restoration to factory fresh, keep it. if your plan is daily driver keep it till it breaks then remove it. if you plan to move to CA, keep it and keep it running.

> By looking at it, it appears to be in exellent condition execpt for the > canvas top, rubber seal around the top, and needing the push rod tubes and > that junk fixed.

Agreed, 100%, Ja, you bet!

> I was told that that runs about 100.

No way. Make it $400-$500

> I am new to the vw scene, but it is like the perfect > vehicle for me as I am a diver and a camper.

Ageed, 100%....... (so now you become a mechanic too)

> Please give me your opinions about this vehicle.

OK, (see above). One final note, older VW's are fun, cheap, and reliable. The one you have your eye on sounds like a dream. BUT... You must be willing to learn to do some minor mechanicing yourself, or it will quickly become your mechanic's path to a second home. VW's are easy to fix, but time and labor intensive, which can mount up at $40/shop hour. Good luck, and keep on truckin'


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