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Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon?
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Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon?
No
94%
 94%  [ 103 ]
Yes
5%
 5%  [ 6 ]
Total Votes : 109

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0to60in6min
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 2:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

heck NO...

but yes... some regret that I can't afford Syncro...

Very Happy
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tjet Premium Member
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 2:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

Yondermtn wrote:
...I think a lot of the regrets are due to unrealistic expectations.


I agree. I drove my rusty Syncro daily to NY all last summer. Lots of fun, even though the oil pressure light was constantly flashing, which I expected it would with almost 300,000 miles.

What I didn't expect was the 3 breakdowns I encountered that seemed major when it happened, but turned out to be minor & easy fixes (oil leak, coolant leak, & brake fluid leak). Note, the only thing that didn't leak was fuel - because I replaced most of the hoses before I drove it

I did get another low mile 2.2 wbx with dual Webers from a Sambanista that I was going to install, but now I have the TDI conversion bug (bad)
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seans67
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:11 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

No way do I regret it. My whole family loves our Syncro. While I was putting the 1.8T in last month my two daughters (12 & Cool were constantly asking when it was going to be done. Had to tell them it will never be done but they would be riding in it soon. It is the vehicle of choice.

Would like to have another!
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TequilaSunSet
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 3:20 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

No regrets... dumped a chit load into it, some things I wish I might have done differently... but no regrets Smile

...and will be spending more on it Razz
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Merian
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:39 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

Regrets? Yes, I have a strong regret - Some years ago, I passed on buying a White Syncro Westy. The interior and bodywork were both fabulous. But it needed mechanical work in several areas, and each area would have cost ~~ $3,000 - so maybe $10k of parts & labor.

So I leased YAHP (Yet Another Honda Pilot) while waiting for VW to bring out a newer version. Piech ran them out of money (he's good at that) and they never did.

Finally, I gave up and started looking for any Westy. They are thicker than flies around here, but very few were for sale. I finally wound up with a 2wd. I regret the horrible baby poo darkness color.

I also regret the lack of air conditioning.

And I regret that it is not as fast as sport car and cannot do autonomous driving on its own while I read the newspaper.
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SCM
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:42 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

The short answer for me is this; I don't regret owning/buying my Westy but I am OFTEN reminded of the great relief I felt after I sold my first car (74 Super Beetle) for an 89 Nissan pickup. Having a Beetle was my dream but I became a complete slave to it and got all worked up if it was damaged or broken down. Having a car that was "just a car" and NEVER gave me mechanical problems freed me in some ways. I don't like that I sometimes feel shackled to the Westy.

I'm still in the phase of R&Ring the neglected systems on my van and while I'm almost there (I think) it does frustrate me when it seems like every year there is something else to address. And sometimes it's fairly major - like why my rebuilt engine all of a sudden appears to consume 400 ml of oil every 200 miles.

I think a lot of the "naysaying" that the OP refers to is directed at potential buyers who may appear to have unrealistic expectations.

I know I bad mouthed my Westy before. In one of those cases there was a college aged girl, with little mechanical experience, who envisioned buying a Westy for a few $K and setting off for a series of extended "adventures" a couple months later on. I don't think having "adventure" is dependent on owning a certain vehicle and I also don't consider surprise break-downs and roadside delays to be "adventure" - I see those things as interruptions and potentially costly ones at that. I know others enjoy that stuff as part of the journey.

Unless someone has been bitten by the VW bug and is an "enthusiast" I think there are better vehicles out there. I happen to be a VW guy and an avid camper/mtn biker. Given that, and the super high prices of other van-based camp machines, the Westy makes sense for me. I would have zero interested in owning a tin top however.
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Last edited by SCM on Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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MV2
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:48 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

About four years ago I was looking for a road-trip-mobile to attend youth baseball games outside of our Black Hills area. Many thousands of dollars (found a '91 Multivan in Kansas, now with a rebuilt transmission, 2.5 Subi, springs, brakes, etc. etc.) later, we've been to ballparks in:

Sterling, Colorado
Denver
Gillette, Wyo
Casper, Wyo
Cheyenne, Wyo
Bismarck, ND
Fargo, ND
Minneapolis
Omaha
Billings, MT
and probably a few others as well.

Actually, it's been awesome, although those dollars spent (and a fair amount of effort of my own as well) have led to a very reliable machine. My longest trip is around 1500 miles.

Would this experience (travelling through the region watching my son play) have been the same in another of our vehicles? No, it wouldn't. Lawn chairs and an awning. BBQ. Cold beer. My bride crawling in back and making sandwiches as we're driving down the road. My daughter (not really a big baseball fan) hanging out in the top bunk reading. It's like the ultimate family vehicle.

Yes, it may have been a mid-life crisis event. But in a few more years this page of our family's life will be gone, and we've enjoyed it tremendously. Some men my age would opt for a comb-over and a Corvette. I feel like I did way better than that.
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Jeffrey Lee
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:51 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

We in no way regret purchasing our 1983 diesel Westy.

We bought it sometime in 2000, our first Vanagon or Westfalia ever, and soon began camping locally, then longer and more distant trips of several thousand miles. At that time it was "only" 20 years old, so we had a few minor mechanical mishaps while travelling, but never needed so much as a tow. We loved it.

About 2005 the original engine gave out rather catastrophically so we parked it to consider our options. Some other major changes in life delayed our decision and the van languished under a Tyvek cover. For a decade.

During that time we returned to car-camping (hated the rain and bugs, finicky campstove and soggy cooler), and tried fly-and-drive trips (hated the expense and inconvenience of airports, rental cars, and motels).

Finally, my wife declared that we either had to fix the van or sell it, and I agreed. I sent the transaxle out for a rebuild, bought a larger crate motor, and went through every system on the van to make it roadworthy again. After several shakedown trips, we embarked on a month-long 8000-mile tour from Wisconsin to Vancouver Island, down the 101 to California and back through Yellowstone. We had not a single hiccup.

We've seen a lifetime's worth of spectacular scenery and have enjoyed countless days and nights since then, and look forward to many more. We are ecstatic to have regained what we both agree is our favorite way to travel.

Even now we sometimes glance up from the campfire to see the van gleaming softly beneath the pines and we marvel at how far she's come; almost literally back from the dead. And our only regret are all those years of Westy roadtripping that we missed out on while she was parked ...
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Farfrumwork
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 4:55 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

NO
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Tom Powell
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:02 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

I do not regret buying a Vanagon.
I do regret the mechanic that worked on it.
I do regret the fire.

Aloha
tp
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designer
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:19 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

Can't think of a regret - it gets kind of stressful sometimes wondering if it's not going to make it home. Had some issues - wife mostly had issues bc she had to use it as a daily driver for a while.

I'm ready to drop the transsexual (wait, not that), the transsexual (damn spell check) transaxel. And put over $2k MORE into it. Then there's the engine conversion, and the AUX setup - and the new fridge, and the fiamma, oh, the fiamma. Then we'll be done. Oh, wait, the bumpers and the swing aways. Then we'll be done. Very Happy

Love it Love it Love it. And i rest easy knowing I can sell her anytime and hopefully recoup up to 2/3 of my money!
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:26 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

I don't regret the weekender poptop I got for a good price, the tintop work van or the '82 diesel chassis I got to restore into the Ultimate Franken Weekender Westy. But, the '89 and '90 tintops I bought as parts vans and hid from my wife at a friends house, maybe I should have passed on them or told her. Shocked Embarassed Rolling Eyes .... Hey, they where cheap($500), I parted out what I didn't need and got my money back right away(so they where basically free), and I knew she would have said no no matter how good of a deal they where. Three years later and she's still pissed, but that might be because I still have them....

Hmmm... maybe I need a twelve step program.... That, or a better hiding spot next time a great deal comes my way.

Hans
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Vinzanto
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 5:33 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

Best investment I've ever made.
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Alex Proulx
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:02 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

No regrets, 7 years of ownership and 7 years of fun. Fun to drive, fun to camp, fun to fix/upgrade. It's a great hobby for me and the whole familly gets to enjoy it so funding always gets approved Smile
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TopBud
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:29 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

I do not buying my Syncro. I did get it for a steal so the purchase wasn't a regret at all. It's rusty and gross on the inside, but I put my dogs (3), bikes, family, skis, boating gear and everything else I have inside it. I often use it for a wood hauler.
I regret, not saving my money earlier to put in a stronger motor, but for now. I love it. As someone else mentioned, the awning, chairs, the cold beer and the conversations people have with me are awesome. Living in Flagstaff, we have the forest right outside our door. I often camp a few nights a week in the spring/fall, even weekdays with work, because it is so easy.
I've had VW's for almost 20 years and I just love the vanagon.
I have a very reliable newer pick up truck sitting in the driveway, but I usually drive the vanagon more.
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Merian
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:40 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

how many people who do regret it would still be on this forum?
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Ahwahnee
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 6:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

Plus, (speaking as someone nearing the end of their 7th decade) the things one generally regrets in life are the things one didn't do.
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Syncro Jael
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

No regrets having (4)four of them in the family. I bought and sold a couple Westfalia and Tin Top Syncro. I have older Porsches, Splitty bus, and old VW bugs. I got used to working on them and fell in love with German engineering.

My Syncro Westy is still the vehicle of choice to take out and drive. It has become a home away from home, our perfect camping vehicle, and the one we take just for a casual drive on Sunday anywhere we want to go.

It doesn't crawl like my wife's jeep, it doesn't go fast like the porsches, it doesn't get the looks our old splitty gets, but we love this vanagon to death.

Expensive to own? It depends on your wrenching skills and at what level you want to keep your Syncro. I would say the Syncro is one of the most expensive vehicles we own, but wouldn't trade it for anything!



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wesitarz
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

76 Westy, 77 Westy in the 80s ; 79 tintop in the 90s ; 88 Vanagon Carat since 2000. Laughing Wink
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 25, 2016 8:32 pm    Post subject: Re: Do You Regret Purchasing Your Vanagon? Reply with quote

No!!!! I beam when I drive it and sometimes call it a POS when I work on it…like the time I replaced the water pump. It's as near as I can get to having a mechanical soul mate.
Tom
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