Date:         Sat, 07 Jun 1997 21:48:33 -0600
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Jones <sjones@tetondata.com>
Subject:      '83 VW Westy

Hi,

I have been interested in purchasing a VW Camper for awhile now and 
would appreciate some advice.  I have been reading theis list for
a couple of weeks now, trying to glean some information . . .
I'm currently looking at an '83 Westy with 140,000 miles.  The 
dealership is asking $7995, but I've talked them down to $6000.  The
Westy appears to be in excellent shape (Everything works), though I 
need to have a mechanic check it out (I know very little, but am 
willing to learn).  This price seems a bit high to me, any thoughts?  

Questions:
How reliable should this vehicle be?

Potential problems with this model?

Would this have a water or air cooled engine?  The dealer says air,
but I thought they started making water cooled in '83.

Availability of parts?

I believe this model would have a carb, not fuel injection . . . Will
this need to be adjusted for altiture (I live in the mountains)? 

How well will this model pull a 350 lb trailer?

Thanks for any thoughts . . .

Stephen Jones
Jackson Hole, WY