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Mon Jun 19, 2017 3:50 pm

Hello, I'm a newbie here.
Apologies in advance for the philosophical nature of this post.

I have a 1990 vanagon.
I have owned it since 1996 (2nd owner)
It has about 245k miles, most of which are mine.
I've put about $20k into it over the years to keep her alive/ running
Replaced cylinder heads & studs 9 years/25kmiles ago

I love this car but I'm not sure I love it enough.
I've wanted to restore the interior & exterior over the years but have never gotten around to it (this is why I question my own fidelity).
I got into a fender bender last week that has more or less forced this issue.

Sell now (for a significant discount post fender bender) or
Restore Vanna White to her former glory?

Thanks in advance

Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:10 pm

Sell it.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:18 pm

Unload.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 4:47 pm

dump it.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 5:47 pm

If you need a car, you have one. It's always cheaper to fix a runner than buy a new one, the question is does Vanna work for you!

Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:18 pm

Seeing the rust around the windshield seal how is it on the other windows?

That much rust around the seal is almost guaranteed for the rust to have eaten through the body.

I would not be worth it to me with that rust.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:36 pm

Time to move on :|... unless you are unlimitedly wealthy and the sentimental value is unbearable.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 7:47 pm

If it still runs, and drives straight, just run the wheels off it. I doubt you'd ever get enough to justify the sale, in terms of $'s in hand. There's nearly 0% chance that someone will say "hey, that thing deserves a whole tear down, body work, engine, trans, paint, and new everything else", with that body the way it looks from the only shot you gave. Look for your next Van and then you'll have your parts car ready to give up the ghost when it's time.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 8:29 pm

bobbyblack wrote: If it still runs, and drives straight, just run the wheels off it. I doubt you'd ever get enough to justify the sale, in terms of $'s in hand. There's nearly 0% chance that someone will say "hey, that thing deserves a whole tear down, body work, engine, trans, paint, and new everything else", with that body the way it looks from the only shot you gave. Look for your next Van and then you'll have your parts car ready to give up the ghost when it's time.

Sounds like best advice.

Mon Jun 19, 2017 9:42 pm

Yeah, I refer to that as utility value. If the utility value exceeds the market value, then it just makes sense to keep using it for as long as it provides a useful purpose. Our Audi wagon has almost no market value any longer, so we just keep it in service because it's reliable and moves stuff around relatively easily.

The sad fact is that once a vehicle becomes bruised like that, lots of folks sorta psychologically shut down their give-a-shit centers and lose interest in maintaining the thing. And it all goes steadily downhill from there. It takes a special kind of stoicism to keep and maintain a vehicle longterm solely based on its utility value.

Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:32 am

can you do the work your self, partially do the works or just paying people?

Tue Jun 20, 2017 2:56 am

If you have place, just drive it until it drives and than store it.
In 10 years you will get X times the money you get now.