Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 07:36:27 +0200
Reply-To: Meier Michael <Michael.Meier@VT.SIEMENS.DE>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Meier Michael <Michael.Meier@VT.SIEMENS.DE>
Subject: Re: 85 Vanagon - should I buy
Content-Type: text/plain
I'm looking at an 85 Westfalia Camper.
> 108K miles and very clean. Everything works. Looks good, drives good.
> It has after-market AC (vital here in FL, 97 degrees today).
> Added in California, I think buy a VW dealer.Looks factory.
> For sale by original owner who bought it in Germany.
> Asking $3700.
>
> Questions?
>
> What is it worth?
$3700 would be a very fair price for a westy in good condition over here.
That should be the same in the states.
> Will it be reliable?
Here under german conditions 100k mls is a lot of stuff for any VW-Busses.
But what I could read from the list, a US 100 k mls bus is as good as a 100 k km
bus under german traffic-conditions (we're going faster and have shorter
distances) and that means it should be good for another problem-poor 60 k mls.
And it will cause problems like every other 13 years old used car.
> What kind of engine is in it?
It should have the 1.9 l 90 hp waterboxer with digijet injecion.
> I've owned a few old buses,
> including a cherry 67 that looked great but ate up a lot of my cash.
> Will it be similar to those or is it totally different in character?
I have a 58 split, a 77 westy and a 90 caravelle (german version of the
vanagon).
These are three totaly different cars. The 58 is very nice to look at,
stylish, vintage - and terrible to drive in todays traffic. In the 60s
everybody here was happy to do 70 k mls with one engine or gearbox.
The front axle needs grease every 2 k mls or will be ruined within 20 k mls.
A Heater is not to realise.
The 77 2.0 aircooled (dual carb) is a very solid car, reliable, much much much
more comfortable, fast enough for todays Autobahn (Motorway), but still loud,
bad steering, poor heater, little room to live in.
The Vanagon is very easy to drive, very very comfortable, very good overview,
lots of room, big windows, good steering (even w/o power steering), quiet,
rust resistant (compared to the other two), real heater.
But - more technical things will cause more problems. FI- System, waterpump,
radiator, AC.
> What should I look out for?
First of all: Engine leaks, especially leaks around the cylinder heads.
If you'll find a water leak around here, think again.
It' not an easy job to change head sealings - or better to have the problem
cured afterwards.
Here in germany I would prefer a factory rebuild exchange engine once it starts,
but it is about $3500.
Second: Engine leaks.
>
> Any help appreciated.
>
Best wishes,
Michael Meier
Germany
