Date: Mon, 28 Jun 1999 01:52:35 -0700
Reply-To: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Coby Smolens <cobys@WELL.COM>
Subject: Re: Bay Area Vanagons... wow.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Welcome to the list, Susan!
I don't have anything intrinsically against diesels. There are a couple
drawbacks you should be aware of though: 1. They are perhaps the slowest
vehicle on the planet. You are definitely committed to taking it easy when
you own one. I'm talking 55mph at full tilt on a level stretch of smooth
highway on a calm day. Maybe 60 with a bit of a tailwind. 2. There are very
few people who will work on them. (I will, but my total diesel customer base
can be counted on the fingers of one hand with a few left over)I mean, there
are few enough shops that will work on Vanagons, period - when a diesel
comes in they break out the garlic and the crosses and start reciting Hail
Mary's. There are damn few of them on the road, so diesel parts (engine and
fuel system related) are not so easy to come by (junkyards are not brimming
with newly deceased kerosene burners). 3. They can be noisy and smelly -
this would describe a van with an older engine, not a freshly minted one
like yours allegedly has.
4. The engines don't last as long as they do in the little FWD models
(Rabbit and Jetta both use the same identical engine) because they are
attempting to push around a vehicle almost twice the weight of the small
ones.
These minor foibles shouldn't necessarily discourage you, though. Here are
some of the plusses: 1. They are certainly far and away the most fuel
efficient of all the vans. (I don't have the figures in my head, but I
believe over 30 mpg is normal.) 2. They are seldom seen, so you can feel
like you've gotten into a rather exclusive club peopled by eccentrics, and
can wave and flash your brights at other club members feeling sure they'll
return the compliment. 3. The rate of travel you are constrained to will
force you to abandon any sense of hurry while you are driving. Owning a
diesel Vanagon is a little like owning a sailboat. You are at the mercy of
forces of nature beyond your ability to affect, so you learn very quickly to
relax and go with the flow. Your blood pressure will drop, your serenity
level will soar. Road rage is unknown among owners of Diesel campers.
5. Here is the secret coup de Gras: A diesel van is already configured to
accept a wide range of other power plants relatively cheap to obtain and
easy to install, should you ever wish to rejoin the rat-race. The Rabbit GTI
engine will drop right in with hardly any fuss, and you will then have speed
which will rival any late-model Van on the road (you might have to replace
or modify the transmission at that point to take advantage of the increase
in horsepower, but one thing at a time.) 6. In California (not sure about
other states), diesels are smog exempt. Even if you upgrade the powerplant,
since smog follows the VIN number - unless you go and announce to the Bureau
of Automotive Repair that the vehicle is no longer a diesel it will be
assumed to be one still and hence never need to be smogged, not even on
resale - sweet, huh? Since you're from Oregon this doesn't concern you much,
maybe (or are they finally doing emissions testing?) but if you ever wanted
to move to California having a diesel chassis would save significantly on
the notorious California import duty, which is based on smog law)
Hmmm... Let's see, that's four against and six in favor... Looks like you
could be leaning in the direction of becoming the proud owner of a diesel
Westy. The price is a bit high, though. Kelly Blue Book gives a retail value
of $5100 based on 100K miles, selling in Marin County, California.
Oh, and I'll add one more thing - GET IT INSPECTED BEFORE YOU BUY! If you're
not familiar with the idiosyncrasies find someone who is to look at the
thing for you. One big clue: It should start easily after warming up the
glowplugs for fifteen second. It should not belch smoke out the tailpipe,
other than perhaps a few wisps of light, blackish, sooty smoke right after
startup on a cool morning.
I'll hop off now and let the rest of the list respond. Good luck!
Coby
Valley Wagonworks
"Intimately acquainted with VW Vans since 1959"
Volkswagen Bus, Vanagon, Westfalia and Eurovan
Repair and Service Specialists
1535 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., San Anselmo, CA 94933
Voice:(415) 457-5628
Fax: (415) 457-0967
http://wagonworks.com
mailto:contact@wagonworks.com
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Susan Bernavich [mailto:susanb@wizzards.net]
> Sent: Sunday, June 27, 1999 2:32 PM
> To: Coby Smolens
> Cc: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Bay Area Vanagons... wow.
>
>
> Hi all..I.just joined this site about a week ago...it surely has
> triggered my
> desire to have a Vanagon...tomorrow I am looking at a 1983 deisel...full
> camper...body and inside supposedly in mint condition...1500 miles on a
> rebuilt...the asking prices is 6, 795 dollars..could anyone tell me if
> that is
> a fair price??? Also I am a single middleaged women who is not really
> swift in
> the area of mechanical expertise...(however that is sure to
> change if I keep
> reading all your posted mail!!) I live in Roseburg Oregon...any advice
> as to
> what I should look for ? Be mindful of???? I would appreciate any
> input from
> you experts!!! Newbie-Susanb
>
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