Hi everyone.  I've been asking a bunch of questions, and I = have to say you all have been great.  I've been on many mail lists/message = boards for other brands of vehicles, but none have been as quick to respond as you = have been.  

 

I think that a Vanagon will be the right size for me to haul my = racing kart and gear to races.  (I even made a .jpg picture with the van and = kart to scale to see how it fits inside.)  The longest drive for a race = will probably be 6 hours, 350+ miles.  I plan to use the bus for the 9 = kart races I have this year, as well as every Tuesday for mountain = biking during the summer (can't beat it for hauling the bike around).  If the van = is fun to drive, I'll use it for some around-town use as well.  = Should things really pan out, the bus might see winter duty if I decide to get a = sports car to replace my current daily driver.

 

I've grown up driving Hondas, some with as much as 187,000 miles on = the clock.  They have generally been dead reliable, though obviously = over that span of time I did plenty of maintenance (timing belts, head gaskets, = suspension work, exhaust, etc.).  And now my question:

 

How much maintenance should I expect on a bus with 145,000 miles or = so, with a rebuilt-a-year-ago engine?  I'm not afraid of a little = maintenance, but with the kart (very maintenance-intensive) I won't have a lot of = time to be fixing the bus.  Am I wrong to think that the bus will serve me = well in this intended use?  Thanks again for any info - I tend to research = things in massive detail before I jump in.  : )

Chris