Date:         Mon, 29 Apr 1996 16:56:20 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         wabbott@mtest.teradyne.com (William Abbott)
Subject:      What to look for in buying a bus

	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.

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				|######\     _==_     /######|	
	cheers!			|#######\   = \/ =   /#######|
	Bill Abbott		|########\  =\/\/=  /########|
	'70 single cab		|#########\  -__-  /#########|
	'93 Corrado		|##########\      /##########|
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