Date:         Sun, 6 Oct 1996 02:23:47 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         MVRhoads@aol.com
Subject:      87 Synchro for $6K


Spotted an '87 passenger Synchro for sale.  140K miles, "some" head work,
clean, body and paint appear to be in good shape.  It's offered by a small
local
used car dealership, so I'm skeptical of its true condition.  I haven't
driven it
yet.  I have a '70 camper, but I'm not familar with the problems to look out
for
with the Westy's (well, I have heard some water jacket horror stories) and
especially Syncho's.  Is six grand a fair price for a Syncro?  If 6K is "too
good
to be true", what problems should I look out for to explain a low price?
 What
should I expect to repair or replace soon?  Would an inspection at a VW
dealership find any major problems that wouldn't otherwise be obvious before
forking over $6,000?

BTW, VW's safety inspection seems like a good deal.  After two different
non-dealer mechanics diagnosed my bus's steering wander as a worn steering
box, I heard about the VW dealership inspection.  At the time, that
inspection
cost me only $45 and correctly fingered the culprit of the wander as the
steering damper, NOT the steering box.  After replacing the damper, I'm still
driving straight five years later.

--Mark Rhoads
  MVRhoads@AOL.COM