Date:         Wed, 27 Sep 1995 11:38:15 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Steve.Tokar@ucop.edu (Steve Tokar)
Subject:      71 in hand vs. Vanagon in the bush

Hi, I'm new to the list, so pardon me for asking the obvious. 

We've had our 71 bus since 1983. The last engine rebuild seems to be holding
up well. It's a homemade semi-camper conversion with a sleeping platform and
a sink. We car camp out of it.  I love it, but I'm tired of the low power,
high noise and being buffeted by every breeze. Also the steering will need
replacement soon.

Two alternatives: 1. fix the puppy up and live with its shortcomings;  2.
sell it to a surfer and move up to, say, an 83 air-cooled Vanagon, possibly
a Westphalia. What to do??

Besides the fact that repairs are a lot more expensive, what else would I be
in for if I went with a Vanagon? What's the repair record and maintenance
schedule?  How reliable is it? Is 83 the least problemated year for the
air-cooled? (Don't want a waterboxer.) We like to go on back roads in the
desert, and I'm nervous about taking a vehicle that can't be patched
together with duct tape like the 71 (I'm not a mechanic but I do have Muir's
Idiot Book).

If all this is too crashingly obvious to bore the rest of the list with,
please email me privately. Thanks in advance -- Steve Tokar