If anyone feels inclined to giving me advice/opinions about the condition and value of a couple campers I'm looking at, i'd be more than happy to hear from you! These two are in SF bay area.

One of the camper's is an '87 4 spd, 89,000 m. Original owner has done No major repairs,ie., No head or other engine work, no clutch replacement, no water pump, etc. He has records from last two years service. This shop seems to have only been changing the oil every 5,000+ miles, they trued the front and rear brakes at 75,000 miles, replaced the stepped hose to the water pump, replaced thermostat housing, and did a tune up. She confirmed the coolant in the van was the correct sort. At 84,000 miles it had 75% front brakes, 35% rear. She noted an oil leak around the distributor but they didn't do anything about it. THey think something's wrong with the temp. sensor as the coolant and oil lights come on at times when the vehicle is not over-heating. He has not done anything about it. I looked under the car and there is fresh oil dripping moderately slowly at the back under the engine. It is making small puddles under the vehicle, but it was hard for me to know how long the van had been sitting in that spot to create the puddles. Probably a few hours?

The owner also gave me # of the previous mechanic who was very vague and didn't seem to have records about what was done on the car.

The rear and front tires don't match. Fronts are micheline's, having a reasonable amount of tread. The rears look to me like they are in need of replacement! 3 of the hubcaps are broken and the internal driver door handle is missing. The pop-top has mold on it, the screening is ripped and the carpeting and seat cushions need cleaning. I couldn't get the fridge to start on the propane, (but that could just as well be me as a problem with the propane thing!! (-: )

What is this vehicle worth, given that it will likely need major repairs in the near future?

The other camper is an '88 westfalia, 4spd., 102,000m The current owner says he put in a new clutch and did a brake job. I haven't seen the receipts (I've yet to see this one on friday or saturday.) The heads were done by the previous (original) owner at an east bay shop. I spoke to the mechanic and he confirms they replaced the heads about 2 years ago, around 87,000 m. He did a tune up at 86,000 and replaced the water pump, a coolant bottle, and used the correct coolant he says.

The owner says camping gear is working, pop-top is good. But, this van is missing the passenger side rear-view mirror, apparently also needs the thermostat sensor thing replaced, and has a small crack in the windshield, apparently amounting to ~$600.

The owner is asking 11,000 but told me on the phone he'll knock off $1,000 or more to sell fast, (i think he owes money on it). Is it possibly worth the $10,000, he's asking?

Thanks much again,

Karen