Not yet an owner....

[shoblime]

...but I've wanted a Vanagon since I first remember seeing them at about 6 years old (I'm 22) Currently I have a nicely modded '89 Taurus SHO, it's a bit different from a Vanagon and could probably move a whole convoy of them, but I drive it really slow anyway (who needs tickets?) and I am ready to move onto a Vanagon.

I have only a few questions, and I do all my own work (degree in automotive technology...schwing!) but I've never worked on a wbx before. So my main questions are as follows:

I've got 6,000$ in cash to spend up front, but I only have a little left over each month (I've gone back for a degree in philosophy) I am looking for a late model (86+) westy with a blown engine. I have the tools/ability to drop in a new longblock from boston bob and I think that is what I would like to do. Unfortunately, parts add up FAST and I'm wondering whether I'd be better off buying a working van with the $6k up front. Buying a blown engine van and replacing it would only give me a little confidence vs a van which has been taken care of in the first place.

So, the question is: am I crazy to try to mechanically restore an exploded van (estimated cost $1-2k) with a $6k budget versus buying a nicely kept van for roughly $5k ? (and spending the extra $$$ fixing the little things)

I assume any van will need the following: oil change, tune up, tires, alignment, coolant line inspection/replacement, clutch (soon), brakes, minor repairs.

Obviously I'm familiar enough with automobiles to make this decision myself, but every time I do the math I end up spending roughly the same amount either way. What keeps me up at night is how fast my potential vanagon could turn into a horror story money pit (like my SHO!) I need a reliable driver, but don't need it daily and don't need to make any regular commutes.

[ChesterKV]

Young Dude,

I'd say buy something that's running, even if it has some issues and the motor's life is limited. I think it's a good idea to know your vehicle STOCK before upgrading and the like. I drove my '84 Wolfsburg with the stock 1.9 engine for over 60,000 miles before upgrading the power to a GoWesty 2.2 WBX. Then I upgraded that to a Subaru EJ22. What I've gained is a better appreciation for all stages of the van's life. I actually liked the 1.9 but it was a very tired engine and of course, underpowered. I enjoyed the GoWesty 2.2 but my mileage was bad and I knew I was still polluting the air like crazy. With the Subaru I'm trying to have the power benefits of the GoWesty 2.2 but with far less emissions and better gas mileage.

After I put in a 300 horsepower STI motor I'll know......wait.....


Scratch that last part.

- Chester
_________________
1984 Wolfsburg 7-passenger stock sunroof
1992 Subaru Legacy EJ22 boxer motor installed.... van is now sold.... currently playing with a 1987 Toyota MR2 with 1.6 liter twin-cam motor. Better than the Subaru boxers....... I'm impressed. Well, okay, in an "apples and oranges" kind of way.

[thirdman]

I would say to get at least one area that is in good condition: mechanicals, exterior or interior. I personally would vote for getting something that was at least mechanically sound, and then refit the rest to your liking.

Of course, it all depends on how much money and time you are willing to devote to the project...
_________________
1983 Rustfalia
1984 Wolftsturd
1985 Vanagon GL

[shoblime]

I guess I didn't make it clear at all...

I am looking for a vanagon with GOOD interior and exterior, ie little rust, good paint, good (clean, working, complete) interior, but with a dead engine. I'd rather repair mechanical parts then do upholstery, it's just not my thing!!!



70 views and 5 poll votes????


PLEASE VOTE!!!!! even if you don't know how to replace an engine, you've all dealt with vanagons more than I have!!!

[mightyart]

[psych-illogical]

I voted for 'buy it beat' but that's because it's what I always seem to do. Keep in mind that I just love working on cars and feel as though I'm pretty good at it.

There are so many variables to the question you posted in the poll though.

Are you rich? Heck, even if I could afford a pristine, low miles, Westy Syncro, I honestly don't think I would buy it. I've had this lifelong (been driving for nearly 40 years now) philosophy of 'rescuing' unwanted beasts and giving them new life. I just like doing it that way. It's not for everyone though. I think every car I've ever sold was better when I sold it than when I bought it. And I'm oh so anal retentive about how I repair things. It never, ever gets done half assed. Which is why my Westy has waaay more money into it than I would have spent on one that was already in great condition.

Do you do your own work? Mechanical or otherwise? Big, big factor here. If your payin' a shop $80/hr. you'll want one that's already running well.

If you do your own work, are you any good at it? Gotta be honest with yourself on this one. But doing things twice because your kinda far down on the learning curve is both frustrating and expensive.
_________________
83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS

[campism]

You know how you work. If you buy a fairly decent-bodied van that needs engine work/replacement, will you actually do the work required to get it running properly or will you putz around and wind up selling it unfixed?

Knowing how I work and being new to Vanagons (but having owned an engineless '61 sunroof that I never got going, a '63 Westy that went bad and which I sold in disgust without putting a wrench to it, and a '76 Dasher that I loved but which died in a cloud of oil smoke) I knew that to truly enjoy the Vanagon experience I should get the nicest one I could afford. Luckily, I found it.

Doing this has given me the opportunity to camp in my Westy and do the little mods that appeal to me, rather than feel like I'm under the gun from the wife to "fix it or sell it." You decide. You know what my vote is.

Good luck, man. Your van is out there.

[levi]

If you can find one in good shape that only needs an engine, you should be able to get it pretty cheap. I like that idea. Should be able to get great value there. Unfortunately that can be a hard one to find. If you COULD find one, instead of a b.b. engine, I'd snatch up that blue block engine that Tencent has for sale.
Nice benefit to doing this is it puts you on the fast track to knowing your vanagon very well, which comes in very handy if hear some funny noise while passing through b.f.egypt.
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40

[klucz]

I wouldn't spend over $5K on a Vanagon unless its a Syncro, Westy or Weekender and in good shape. Since you want to modify it anyway just start looking for a clean shell, running or not. Many are 20+ years old and they all need work eventually. But I also agree with campism, its really lame when a project never gets done.

[jackbombay]

[klucz]

Price seems right on this one in NJ.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=3605740

[shoblime]

Thanks for all the comments guys!

As far as mechanical abilities, the SHO V6 was the eighth motor I've rebuilt, the other six were chrysler 2.2 turbo II, cadillac 4.9L (piece of CRAP alloy with steel liners), GM 350 (turned it into a 383), Ford 302 (for a mustang..using explorer heads), GM 3.8L S/C (from a pontiac grand prix, motor made 346hp on the dyno), Toyota 2.4L (for an old-school Celica) and an Audi 1.8T (ate through the PLASTIC cam chain guide at 36k miles!!!!!!!!!!!)

So you could say I've (re)built my share of motors at this point, just never worked on a WBX and don't plan on finding out the hard way what Boston Bob or tencentlife have learned over the past 20 years.....

I finish all my projects, my SHO has 15k on the rebuild and I've also done new (larger) brakes, suspension (konis + springs), custom urethane motor mounts and bushings, and most of the interior was removed and replaced with a different color (tan to black) ... this was all while in school as well...

So I'm not worried about dropping in a longblock, I am more than able to do that here, I just don't want to take on the whole job due to school/time constraints.

[Lanval]

I went half/half ~ 82 Westy, with complete, but very dirty interior. redid the floor, replaced the foam/cover, made a few other changes to nice it up.

I pay others to work on my engine, so needed it basically sound. The PO had rebuilt the engine. Leaked a lot, but engine was sound, making 130 across the board.

Cost money to fix the engine, whereas the interior is really time + effort for me. I like and know sewing, so I did all the sewing in a couple of nights, recovering all the rear foam, and making matching curtains.

Since it sounds like you're in the opposite boat (i.e. mechanical OK, but don't want to hassle with the interior) I see no reason why you shouldn't hold out for the best version of what you're looking for.

That said, you won't likely find it. I've seen one Westy at the junkyard that was fully intact and clean inside, with no rust or body damage. It was clearly there from the 1.9 motor dying. That's a needle in a haystack, so be prepared to wait, or prepared to modify your desires.

Best o' luck,

Lanval

[shoblime]

I realize this wasn't abundantly clear, I rarely post on internet boards since I don't need a lot of help, but I would TAKE a van in overall good condition (needing neither engine nor interior work) if there were one available locally for $5k.

The classifieds here have about 100x more ads for vanagons than I have seen locally in the past 6 months. I see that if I drove a few hundred (or a few thousand) I could get a van that is good both mechanically and visually, however I'd have to rely on pictures aside from traveling out there to pick it up/have it checked out. But, I have been planning the switch to a new project since I finished my current one about a year ago, but other than working on a few Jettas and A4s I have little experience with dubs...this board plus vwvortex have been a HUGE help though.

8419p27 -- thanks for the tip that does look promising, however at this point I'm looking for a westy, I camp with my car every other weekend in the summer/spring or when I can. I'd love to save the time on setting up, honestly I think I'd go EVERY weekend instead.

[ChesterKV]

[shoblime]

570 is a large area code, but it is reasonably close to me (next one over) not sure from vanarus website where they are located, but they are pretty pricey as far as I can tell. I've worked on subarus and all I will say is that for $7300+ I'd put in a TDI first.

It's disappointing that $6k won't get me a decent example. The market for these vans is pretty strong, but I'm not sure that the general public (at least here) feels the same. For the same money I could get a very nice new(er) honda accord or civic, hell I'd consider a toyota previa van...they have AWD and later models all had superchargers. The only thing is...no Z-bed and no pop top. I'm sure something could be rigged up, but they don't have the ground clearance, either.

At these prices maybe I need to go back to a 4x4 pickup with a pop-up bed camper....

[ChesterKV]