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Date:         Thu, 19 Mar 1998 00:53:35 +0000
Reply-To:     Chris Paquette <cp@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Chris Paquette <cp@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Prospective Westie Purchase: Please Help! (Longish)
Comments: To: vanagon@vanagon.com
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Thanks for reading! I'm an aspiring Westie owner and a VW newbie. Would those of you with more experienced eyes please comment on the price of the vehicle described below, and also please advise on any other obvious questions I should ask the owner... any comments or advice welcome...

Saw the following ad in the local paper: ____________________________________

"90 VW Westfalia SYNCHRO 4WD Camper Rare 4WD! A/C, pw, ps, stereo cass., tint, racks, full camper sleeps 4, 3-way refrig., stove, 13 gal. wtr., RV hookups, xtras. Orig.owner, all records, top cond. Must See !! $18,750 OBO." ____________________________________

There was an email address attached to the ad, so I sent the following to the owner:

> Greetings: > > Saw your ad for the Synchro. Couple of questions: > > - How many miles are on it? > > - Any seam or other rust? > > - Have the head gaskets been repaired or replaced? > > - Any accidents? If so, what kind? > > - What are the "extras" you mention in your ad? > > Thanks for your time. _____________________________________

And then I received this response from the seller: _____________________________________

Hi,Chris:

I am the original owner and I have all the records, including the ones referenced below. I have been the 100% owner since ( I think) 1993.

Here are the answers to your questions:

Mileage : Just under 133,000 miles

Seam or other rust : No seam rust that I have spotted. One or two real small rust spots (smaller than, say, 1/8" in diameter) , but I think it's superficial like at the site of a paint chip.

Head gaskets repaired or replaced? Yes. I had one head crack on me at 108,900 mi. It showed up as a small coolant drip from the gasket. I had both heads replaced at that time.

Accidents ? Yes. Just one. I was rear-ended on a freeway off ramp merge in July '95 at approx. 95,000 miles. The guy behind me hit me at a pretty low speed, and I was pushed into the car in front of me because we were all playing it really close. The front bumper and grille were replaced. The paint or body work on the front was pretty light. (I am re-reading the repair record right now.) The rear was a little worse. I had a trailer hitch which was bent but probably saved the rear end from more extensive damage. The rear bumper was replaced, and some of the body work back there was re-worked. It seems to be holding up pretty good after 2-1/2 years and almost 40,000 miles. I had it sent over to my regular mechanic at that time for inspection of possible mechanical problems associated with the car. We put in a new muffler and tailpipe, and decided to place new engine mounts. It was a good time to do those items since we were approaching 100,000 miles. All body repairs were done at a shop authorized and recognized by Farmer's Insurance.

Extras :

It also has a Bra;

Tinted windows ( 3-M film applied to the interior side of all window back from the from seat). This is pretty cool because we have a porta-potti (don't laugh yet) and you can have privacy just sitting in the rear, even in the middle of the day. This allows me to go places with my wife where she might not otherwise go;

Trailer wiring. I mentioned the trailer hitch above. I did not install a new hitch after the accident, but the trailer wiring is still there;

Cup holders. Two of the gimbled type you might find on a boat in the front, and two in the rear. No, make that one in the rear. My kids broke one;

Dashboard cover;

and Terzo racks on the roof, in case I did not mention them in the ad.

I think that's about it. _____________________________

What do you think? __

"If you dig it, do it. If you *really* dig it, do it twice." (J. Croce)


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