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Date:         Mon, 21 Oct 1996 10:53:05 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         mholser@Adobe.COM (Malcolm Holser)
Subject:      Diesel Westy advice for friend needed

Ok, a friend of mine is the second owner of an '83 Diesel Westy. He wants to give the beast to his 16-year-old-surfer-dude-dreadlocked-son. The van has a problem, the family has more...

To start with the simple stuff -- the van. It is a California Desert beast, which means no rust but the foam seat "cushions" have the resiliency and audio-flavor of Wheatabix. The whole refer/sink/stove unit is out of the van currently (and still in a VW box!) -- the unit was replaced under warranty long ago but never installed. The engine has about 1000 miles on it, a new engine from Brazil, but the bus has sat for years as well. The transmission has "no 4th gear", but I have no details. It drives well in 1, 2 and 3, I'm told.

The kid lives with mom, but dad holds the title. Mom want's dad to give the bus to junior, but dad wants to retain title since junior won't be able to get insurance, doesn't want to pay the taxes, etc. Mom (and the uncle, her brother) believe that this is Mr. Blandings dream bus, and don't want to sink a dime into it. They love VW buses like they love herpes. Son is a surfer-dude, and really does like VW busses, but thinks more in the lines of a splitty. Junior basically has the Diesel Westy and about $1000 to work with.

Any advice? Should the kid hold onto the Westy? Should he bail and find an old Kombi-painted-jamaican-mon? He (and me too) lives just outside Yosemite, and there are some serious hills in these parts. The diesel was always pretty pathetic up the hills -- without a top gear, it's pretty pathetic downhill and level (like the long cruise across the Big Valley to the surf).

Of course I like Vanagons -- got me four o'them, and they know my bias! So, how much would a not-great, partly broken diesel Westy be worth?

I'll forward a sage (or otherwise) words of wisdom that you fine V@L folks would like to send him on the subject...

malcolm


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