Date:         Wed, 5 Mar 1997 06:24:41 +0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Michael Neville <mneville@wt.com.au>
Subject:      Q: Thoughts on buying '82 vs '85 bus???

Hi all,
I've owned a 1978 bus in the distant past and I'm finally looking at buying
another camper (great rejoycing all round!).

The two I'm looking at are:
1982 Aircooled 2,000cc manual
and
1985 Watercooled 2,000cc manual (for DOUBLE the price of the 1982!)

Both are campers and they are in a similar condition.

I'm looking for help in making up my mind...
I know that the 1985 will get better economy and has better heating, but
I'm worried about the cost of repairs (especially the heads!) and the
complex cooling system.

Does anyone have ay experiences that they can relate to me about the
reliability of these vans?

Basically should I pay twice the price for an '85 van over an '82? Help!


Also what differences will I notice from my old 1978 1,600cc bus? Economy,
servicing costs etc etc? I've also heard that the newer buses have lots
more breakable widgets etc :-(

thanks in advance for your thoughts & help

Michael & Chris