Hi all...I am the sentimental owner of = a recently "deceased" '85 Westfalia (Westy, I gather from previous msgs) that I had = named "Buster Brown"...Buster bcuz he was always in trouble (mechanically = falling apart but I wasn't able to afford continuous maintenence) & Brown = for obvious reasons (gawd, I hated that color!).

Anyway, my problem is that I'm too = sentimental to give him away to charity but I really don't have any use for him = now. For different reasons, my husband & I are just not able to use the van = for camping purposes anymore & his usefulness for commuting ended with a = blown reservoir next to the back-end water-filling tank. As you can see, I = know little to nothing about car terms...

What am I going to do? I read = w/interest the msg about how many miles one can expect to get out of one of these & = I must admit Buster is over the 200,000 mark easily...(after I nearly fainted = when I saw that 142 msgs were waiting for me...anyway to decrease = some of that? I just came into this to ask my little questions...).

Some of the problems I've had over the = years related to the O2 sensor but the strangest concerned what would happen = to Buster's personality when I would use the defroster (or heater) for the = 1st time each winter. First it was the O2 lite going on, but after being = frustrated w/know-nothing "generic" mechanics I took Buster to a VW specialist = & he knew what was going on in an instant, fixed it & I thought the = problem was solved. Another time, the speedometer would bounce around = like the dial on a vegetable scale (that was after using the = cigarette lighter to power something off the battery). In short, it was always doing = wierd, quirky things.

Most recently, the heat = sensor started to go on the minute I started the car (but it again, it was right after I'd = used the defroster for the 1st time on a particularly cold = & rainy/foggy morning) so I ignored the problem. This light matched the = temp gauge (in the "too too hot" range) only at the initial startup of the = car, and the problem would stop once the car had been running awhile...So I again ignored it. I never heard anything wierd in the = engine, nor felt the car struggling to operate in any way, right up until the = time I saw steam pouring out of the back end & heard that little reservoir = blow apart. Thank God I didn't have the back end opened or the = engine cover off when it blew!

I really can't afford the complete = overhaul it would take to get Buster operational again, and I really won't be using = him for camping any more (my husband's a weenie for modern comforts & really = doesn't enjoy the outdoorsy life, and I'm too convenience-oriented to go thru = that much work in a quirky vehicle...I didn't use to be). Im now using my = hubby's car to commute with (he's got a nice new one) so I won't need Buster for = that either. Problem is, I get all choked up thinking he's just going = to rot away somewhere he's towed to if I sit still and do = nothing...

Can any of you help me by = suggesting inexpensive repair options, = or maybe someone would want to buy him off me for parts or restoration? My original idea = was to donate him to a worthy cause of my choosing so it wouldn't be a = complete waste or junking issue, but I still can't help but feel that there = may be some hope for him yet.