Kevin, I love Vanagons. However with your tight budget constraints (I know exactly what you are up against as my business is still in its infancy) I would not recommend the Syncro Vanagon either. You could get a van that is reliable as anything and have no problems with it at all. But you could also get one that is one heartache after the other and repairing a syncro is more expensive than any other Vanagon (they have a special exhaust system, coolant hose setup, fuel tank, and the AWD system will set you back $3000 if you need to replace it or have it rebuilt for some reason). If you were to get a Vanagon here is my advice: 1. Get a normal Westie (non-syncro). At least with this one the repair bills will be less and less that could go wrong. 2. Get a cheap second car that is reliable in case the van has problems so that you can still function normally (get to work) if the van is down for some reason. I have a '81 Jetta diesel that I run in bad weather, or on short trips and I save the van for trips over 15 mins. This is nice because if the van has any problems I have the car to drive (never have had this happen yet though). Actually right now my Jetta is down (usually a super reliable car but the steering rack was damaged about 5 years ago and I am just now feeling the after effects). You should be able to pick up a diesel VW or a fuel Injected one that is reasonably reliable for under $1500. Hope this helps ya. Ken Wilford Van-Again John 3:16 PS Or you could just buy my 5-cylinder Vanagon I have for sale and not worry about the motor. :) |
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