Date: Thu, 24 Jun 1999 18:10:06 -0400
Reply-To: John <u1031271@WARWICK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: John <u1031271@WARWICK.NET>
Subject: Re: Defeat snatched from victoryıs jaws [FS: 89 Syncro Westy]
(long!)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Steve Hoge wrote:
>
> It was 10PM and I was humming along I-70 through the empty desert of
> southern Utah, driving my new Syncro Westfalia with the cruise control
> set at 70 and the tunes cranked up on the Alpine CD changer. I was
> disappointed to be missing that fantastic southwestern landscape, but I
> needed to be back in California in a couple of days. I consoled myself
> with self-congratulations for having pulled off the Vanagon deal of the
> century: snagging this incredible vehicle - a clean 89 with 90K miles -
> for only $12,000. Whoo-hoo!
>
> And thatıs just about the time that the oil pressure light came on.
> Turns out Iıd be seeing that desert landscape by the light of day after
> all...
>
> But Iım getting ahead of myself. Just a few days before, Iıd been
> visiting my girlfriend in Boulder, Colorado, when around the corner from
> her house my Vanagon radar (perpetually on seekı) detected an 89 Syncro
> Westy parked on the street. An appreciative comment solicited the info
> that it might be for sale. Hmm! From the maintenance records, the owner
> seemed not to have used it much (only a few thousand miles, but enough to
> have replaced one head gasket) and it was too wimpy to haul his growing
> family around. Extensive test drives confirmed that it wasnıt as peppy
> as the non-Westy 89 Syncro I already owned, but no more sluggish than
> Iıd expect due to the extra camper gear. I got more serious.
>
> A local VW shop in Boulder did a thorough pre-purchase inspection on it
> and gave it an A+ rating. Good compression, CVs, and 4-wheel drivetrain,
> clean coolant and oil, and the brakes, steering and tire wear all checked
> out (spare had been rotated with the rest.) A/C cooled, sink pump
> worked, stove lit up and the fridge got cold. Check, check, check and
> check!
>
> The only scintilla of doubt I had was focussed on that oil pressure
> light. After one long test run on the freeway, I had been idling in a
> parking lot and I caught a *brief* flicker of the warning light out of
> the corner of my eye. *%@?*!! I shut off the van and immediately
> restarted it (hey, Iım a computer guy: reboot at the first sign of
> anomalous behavior) but I never got it to light up again, nor at any
> other time during the next couple of days. It was unnerving enough,
> however, that I paid the VW shop an extra hour of shop time to give it a
> thorough oil pressure check. Again, it passed with flying colors - musta
> been a faulty sender. So much for due diligence.
>
> After some dickering with the owner, during which I convinced him how
> much trouble he was saving by not having to advertise the car, detail it,
> deal with the barrage of phone calls and tire-kickers, etc., we settled
> on a price of $12K. I moved heaven and earth to generate a cashierıs
> check and cash from my out-of-town account by a local bankıs
> close-of-business on Friday, and Saturday morning we sunk the deal.
>
> By Sunday morning my girlfriend and I were on the road, climbing up over
> the continental divide on I-70 through the Eisenhower tunnel, over Vail
> Pass and cruising down beautiful Glenwood Canyon. Performance was
> as-expected: poky but steady, no hiccups at altitude, and temperature
> needle solidly mid-gauge. After a celebratory dip at Glenwood Springs, I
> put my girlfriend back on the bus to Boulder and headed west towards
> Utah, passing Grand Junction, Moab and Green River...
>
> Now, perhaps I was pushing it a *bit* too hard - for sure, I wasnıt
> babying it: drove it just like I do my van at home, topping out a little
> above 4K RPM. Or maybe the gods just looked down at my happy ass and
> decided a little comeuppance was in order. In any case, I was climbing
> up a grade in the darkness about 90 minutes west of Green River when that
> oil light came on, and I knew in my heart-of-hearts it was all over. The
> strident oil warning buzzer came on too (didnıt even know there *was* a
> buzzer), adding to the overall atmosphere of catastrophe - I wouldnıt
> wish that sound on anyone! Providentially, at that very moment a ³Scenic
> Viewpoint² sign appeared on the right, so I peeled off, coasting in
> neutral into a deserted, service-less rest stop.
>
> A peek with the headlamp under the engine didnıt reveal any oil leaking
> (nor did it the next day) and the dipstick showed the oil level square
> between the dots. Everything *looked* right in the engine compartment.
> And while the engine seemed to idle OK, pulling it up to about 2K RPM
> generated a frightening clattering sound and relit the warning light. I
> shut it off, popped the top, and spent a grand first night in my new van.
> Oh boy. Between the stress, the caffiene Iıd pumped myself with in
> Green River and the cycling compressor of a big-rig reefer that pulled in
> behind me at 3AM, you can imagine how much restful sleep I got.
>
> The next morning, the cooled-down engine exhibited pretty much the same
> symptoms. I experienced the joy of my first van-cooked breakfast - that
> Westy kitchen is sure great! - and caught a ride with a long-haul trucker
> 70 miles west to the nearest telephone, in Salina, Utah. A frantic 9AM
> Monday call to my insurance company in California - God Bless you, State
> Farm! - connected me with the local agent, who was suprisingly sanguine
> considering heıd last heard from me at 4:55PM the previous Friday to
> confirm that the new van was indeed covered under my existing policy. He
> made a comittment to cover the towing charges 200 miles back to Grand
> Junction, Colorado, where I was confident of finding a competent VW
> mechanic.
>
> The tow driver and I had quite a pleasant ride back through the high
> desert with the Westy on top of his flatbed, and we dropped it off in the
> yard of Foreign Aid, the best little VW shop in Grand Junction, Colorado
> run by the gracious (and loquacious) Steve Stewart. His aural diagnosis
> confirmed the ones Iıd gotten by describing the symptoms to other
> mechanics over the phone: a salvageable core, but otherwise useless.
> Complete rebuild or replacement. I left him awaiting further
> instructions, and a combination of busses and planes actually got me back
> to California by my deadline. And there the matter rests.
>
> SO, Vanagon Listees: I open up the floor to any and all advice,
> suggestions, and purchase offers that could help me dispose of this
> diamond-in-the-rough. You can see pictures of it at various stages of my
> ³adventure² at <http://www.cruzers.com/~steveh/> At this point, Iıd just
> like to get my $12K back out of it, so I'd have to consider that a firm
> bottom-end sales price (the other expenses I incurred in the purchase go
> into the karmic write-off column.) In the interests of full disclosure,
> here are the particulars:
>
> 1989 Syncro Westfalia
>
> Pros:
> * Metallic blue, blue westy top
> * 90K miles
> * Power windows,locks, mirrors
> * After-market awning
> * Alpine 10-CD changer
> * Brand new battery
> * All working camping gear, A/C and cruise control
> * No rust, no leaks, good boots, clean interior
> * Prepurchase inspection reports (ha ha!)
>
> Cons:
> * Dead motor (but the core's good for full credit!)
> * No rear diff lock
> * Partial service records only (last 3 years)
> * Plastic sunroof cracked
> * Missing rear wiper, dead motor
> * Passenger-side mirror non-motorized
> * Slight 2-foot crease rear driverıs side (maybe possible to buff out -
> see pix)
> * Scuffed rear bumper corner pieces
> * 2 inch tear in corner of pop-top canvas, some torn mosquito netting.
> * 49-state emissions means $300 smog fee for Calif registration.
>
> This would be a most practical purchase for someone already living in the
> Colorado/Utah area, obviously, but Iıve also gotten quotes in the $750
> range (one as low as $500?) to transport it to California. Foriegn Aid
> seems like a very competent - though busy - shop, and they would be
> willing to do an engine replacement there. And of course, this vehicle
> is probably the *ideal* candidate for one of the engine transplants weıve
> all been dreaming about lately. Anyone interested?
>
> -Steve Hoge
> '89 Syncro Westy (RIP)
> '89 Syncro (128K miles and cranking!)
Steve,
My name is John and I do not wish to insult you or exploit the situation
but I'll give you $4,000 cash and flatbed the westy to the Eastcoast for
rebuilding. While it may be worth more, it's not to me as it's sitting
>2,000 miles from my home. If you say no you'll be doing me a favor as the last thing I need is a project like this - but I can't resist a bargain - and a challenge !
JP
| 
