Date:         Wed, 10 Feb 1999 08:44:22 -0500
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <ron@NETCARRIER.COM>
Subject:      Re: Wasserboxer  (was: I drove it! (engine swap info)5Cyl.)
In-Reply-To:  <37aeb0b9.36c0c580@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

> I don't see what the fuss is, my Vanagon has plenty of power for a VW
>  bus.  I think the wasserboxer is a great engine for the Vanagon, it
>  cruses fine all day near the redline and doesn't complain.


Personally, I agree.  I love my Westy as-is.  The engine has plenty of power
for everyday driving, is sufficient if not outstanding for intermittant
steep hill climing, and has been ultra-reliable (knock wood :-) other than
the obligitory head gasket replacement at roughly 100k miles. I don't think
I'd want to go much faster than the 75 mph range that my Westy offers me,
not just because of fear of tickets, but also because the in terms of
aerodynamics (yeah, right! :-), braking, etc., the Vanagon clearly isn't
meant for excessive speed anyway (at least not safely).  If I wanted to beat
everybody taking off from an intersection or drive 100 mph, I wouldn't drive
a big box on wheels in the first place.  To me, in terms of performance the
wasserboxer is acceptably (if not optimally) suited for the Vanagon just the
way it is. I might pay a few hundred bucks for improved performance, but
certainly not the cost of an engine transplant.

So, if I dismiss the performance-improvement benefit as not worth the
expense (to me), the option of an engine transplant becomes purely a
dollars-and-cents question in terms of long-term repair cost of the existing
design, versus cost of conversion.  And taken from that standpoint, I can't
see a reason to convert. To me, that converted engine would have to take me
200-300k miles without a whisper of a problem just to reach the break-even
point relative to the cost of the conversion, and no engine can be
guaranteed to do that. Spending a thousand bucks on head gaskets every 100k
miles is really not that bad, considering the overall reliability of the
drivetrain other than that. I've had other cars that didn't cost $1k every
100k in a lump sum, but nickeled and dimed you to death all along the way
instead. Risking the wrath of aircooled VW owners (and I myself am one), I'd
certainly put the aircooled busses in that category.  The wasserboxer is not
in that category.  It may need a big repair every several years, but as a
rule is very reliable day in and day out. I'd rather budget the $1k every 6
years (maybe $200 per year averaged out, not a lot when you look at it that
way), and take the reliability of the Vanagon drivetrain - especially
considering how many head gasket jobs, head rebuilds, or even engine
rebuilds I could do for the price of that engine conversion.

Not to put down anybody who feels differently, just my personal take as a
Vanagon owner.

- Ron Salmon
 The Bus Depot
 http://www.busdepot.com>