is my bus worth it or did i waste my money

[jpeekstok]

hello,
i purchased a 1984 westy for $800, interior is in pretty good shape, the motor runs and drives but needs A LOT OF WORK (heads and seals), the body is damaged (couple large dents and folds, rear panel completly folded up to bumber, aswell as driver side rusted completly through as though someone sliced the panel through on the bottom front to back), the floor boards are in great shape, and it has low original miles (i know this for a fact i new the seller when she bought it 6 years ago drove it sparcly for a year and then parked it), other than that its in pretty good shape lol,

i was going to restore it i have already done one camping trip with it, bought it in new york (worked on it for a week) and drove it home to michigan.

basically should i restore it and have the body work taken care of and well all of the above, which i am fully willing to do, or should i scrap it and cut my losses...

thank you for any responces to sooth my worries, lol[/img]

[Perales]

$800 for a full Westy that runs is not a bad deal. I would suggest that you restore it and get it in as good a shape as will serve you well. You could probably get more than that if you parted it out, but I say go for it. Think of it as saving an endangered species. You did not waste your money. You gained a hobby. And, Welcome to the SAMBA! You will find lots of useful information and help here.
Now lets see some pictures of this ugly duckling.

Here is how to post pictures:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6
_________________
-- 1987 Westfalia automatic (Captain Vino)

[sbclayton]

jpeekstok - welcome to the Samba! Look, I'm not sure where your heart is on this matter, but one thing is sure - they ain't making any new Vanagons no more.

You might indeed have an "ugly duckling" on your hands but consider this - what possible any other vehicle in the world could you take and bring back to beauty as well as a Vanagon? What other vehicle can you bring back to life and see it blossom under the ministrations of your very own hands?

True, Vanagons are bricks on wheels; they are (as someone said) "moving guardrails". They are immensely impractical on occasion, and yet with all that said, I will gladly sell my Vanagon - 10 minutes after I'm dead. I *mean* it - I want to hold onto my ride just as long as good folks can keep selling me parts or I can keep scrounging them.

Fiercely loyal? Naaawww - no more than a momma cat with her kittens!

The regrettably late, much missed John Muir said it so well, "Come to kindly terms with your Ass, for it bears you". The more you put into restoring and maintaining your Westy, the more it will actually *help* you do so. Not to say our rides can't be cantankerous - they sometimes bite without warning. But on the whole, they are as user friendly as a puppy and as eager to GO somewhere - anywhere!

Long post, and I'm sorry for getting a little mystic on ya' - but my vote is *hang on to your ride and restore it*. Put your heart into the thing and just *do* it! You will be surprised what a little work, a whole lotta help from your brethren and sistren at The Samba, and a few layabout dollars can do.

Besides, we've all got the bug - I mean the Vanagon - and we love to see a new Owner falling in love with his ride. For some of us, it's the only real romance we get!

Here's what I want you to do. Send in pics of your ride as it is now - all the warts, rust, this and that, etc. Then, one year from now, I want to see pics of what it has become. I'll bet the difference will surprise even you!

Visit this site often. "Use the Search, Luke". Ask lots of questions, 'cause there are some *really* great people here, and that is *why* they're here.

Keep it!!!!!!!! Welcome, again!
_________________
Steve - Tampa Bay Area
Original Owner (12/1990) of
NavDog, a 91 Carat

Enlightenment came when I realized that any time in my life I was having fun, it was somehow connected with owning a Volkswagen.

[woggs1]

Posting a question like that on the Samba is like going into a church asking if you should accept god. ...... Enjoy your new ride
_________________
4 speed 88 Westy

[Glenn]

It's a Van.

VANagon.
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare

עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי

[levi]

[tschroeder0]

I've got an 85 weekender, if you look they are at the bottom rung as far as price goes.
I've easily got three times it's value in it. It's a labor of love and fun. If you like it and you're having fun, you can't get much better. Todd

[danfromsyr]

Indeed they did, I have a VW model introductory flyer, it goes on why they chose the body styling, engine & trans configuration and name
it's a Van Wagon..

[transporterjr]

[klucz]

It won't cost you anything to start checking and cleaning things.
_________________
84 Westy 4spd sold

[hansh]

[mightyart]

[Ma'ili Pt Westy]

When I purchased my '87, I looked for a CLEAN Westy that did not need any work and was road worthy ( I send too much of my time working and I don't have time to tinker around, I'm a checkbook mechanic). I paid $12K for a stock original local SF Bay Area Westy with 96K miles.

These Westy's are awesone vw's. Keep you Westy and enjoy to road.

Check out my gallery for pictures of my '87 Westy.

[shorepig]

VANAGON

Van is here today, van a gone tomorrow!

I once had a vw mechanic who said these vehicles were well named....the

VANAGON , because they often died, and then were gone. Van is here today, van a gone tomorrow. Let's not live up to his theory, let's keep our vans going forever!!!

[FNGRUVN]

I suggest taking it camping a few times. If you're not totally in love with it by then, you might be one of those few people that just don't "get it".

Your van sounds just like mine when I first bought it. My friends, neighbors, and my wife thought I was nuts at first. They now "get it". My wife now has more feelings for the van than I do and that's saying a lot. I've got some before and after pics in my gallery that might help motivate you. Good luck and I hope you're one that "gets it".