Carefully inspect the CV joint boots- pull and push the axle shaft to see the boots move. They should be soft and have no cracks, traces of leaking grease, etc. Each joint costs $100 to replace, and an old, cracked and empty boot pretty much guarantees you will have to replace the joint, not just the $8 boot. Look in the engine compartment for crud and dirt and missing pieces (You should not be able to see the road from inside the engine compartment of an air-cooled VW). Engine should be clean top and bottom. Not greasy, not rusty, no pencils, golf-tees etc, blocking hoses. An engine or tranny that's black with leaking oil and road-grime is not long for this world. Ditto reduction boxes on splitties. Dusty is ok, a little darkening at the seams or under the final drives is ok. Wet is problems. Check under the battery for corrosion- have the owner remove the battery or move it to one side. I've never owned a vehicle where the battery tray started ok and rusted completely through, but I've seen plenty of rust-throughs, and bought and repaired more than one. Parts are cheap but the work is hard and it DOES matter. Look for the cover that protects the workings under the pedals- clutch and accelerator cable, brake master cylinder and parking brake cables, etc. Presense is a good sign. Absense is not terrible but means prior maintenance may have been sloppy and indifferent. THOROUGHLY inspect the underside for poorly repaired collision damage and bad rust. Peel back the mats and check inside the body as well. Look for signs of rust-through, standing water inside, etc. If you care about paint, factory paint is the same inside and outside. VW never painted engine compartment interiors black or trunk-paint grey. From the factory, all *five* wheels and tires were the same size, at least through breadloafs! Of Course: Compression check, inspect spark plugs if you can, look at oil on dipstick (correct level? Fresh looking?), look at color of fluid in master-cylinder resivior (a little discolored is ok, black is a sign of indifferent maintenance). As you look at the bus, ask yourself if what you are seeing is consistent with the story the owner is telling you. Ask them why they are selling, and listen carefully to the answer. Remember that you'll miss something anyway. Be picky. Its your money, you deserve to he happy. ------------------------------ |######\ _==_ /######| cheers! |#######\ = \/ = /#######| Bill Abbott |########\ =\/\/= /########| '70 single cab |#########\ -__- /#########| '93 Corrado |##########\ /##########| ------------------------------ | N E T S U R F N U G E N | | vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu | ------------------------------
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