What do you guys think?? 88 Vanagon

[westcoastbullies]

alright, ive owned a couple dozen aircooled buses and still have 2...but the kids and safety has led me in the direction of a vanagon...i know the basics but would appreciate a heads up on the 88 im looking at.......

1988/wolfsburg edition/weekender/GL
126000
good brakes/tires
good body/CA. car
brand new heads/h20 pump
no leaks reaching ground
clean interior/curtains/table/jump seats

ac inop/complete but not blowing cold
rear heater working but not allowing hot water to enter core?
ac roof channel falling down (minor)
dents/dings

the guy is asking 2500, but i think he'll take 2000
this sounds good compared to what ive been finding lately

what else should i look into, does price sound good??....ive read alot in this forum already..

thanks alot
Jeff

[John Schultheis]

Sounds about right, are the tires the proper load rating? That's at least $500 right there if not. If / when I get mine I will probably do the 15" wheel upgrade per gowesty.com (lots of info on that site)

Find out the a/c cost too. Shouldn't be too bad, but better to find out first.

John

[Stanagon]

Price sounds pretty good. You might want to find out who did the heads and if there is any guarantee on them. Most likely, not.

Replacing the rear heater core is pretty simple and the core isn't too expensive. I've got an extra one I was going to sell if you're interested.

A lot of times the failed A/C can the lines from the compressor to the evaporator housing in the upper rear. I did not pay to have mine replaced on my previous '87. It might also be as simple as needing a fresh charge if there are no leaks in the system.

I have not had any experience with repairing the A/C roof channel.

I sold my '87 (Syncro) weekender and kept my nice '81 Westy. I don't regret selling the '87. It tended to always have starter problems and needed a motor (217k on bottom end, 110k on heads). Last I heard the new owner had purchased a fresh motor from Boston Bob (www.bostonengine.com). He must be fairly happy with it...

I'd second the motion on correct tires. If it's got those, a nice interior, a strong motor (do a compression test) and a good trans. then I would say you've got the purchase price in parts you could resell if need be.

[obus]

A/C hanging down was a recall and should be fixed by VW. my 87 i had a few years back was replaced free of charge cause of the recall. tire weight is def. a big problem. rear heater cores tend to leak maybe that is the problem? my A/C went belly up and Ken from VanAgain in so.NJ hooked me up w/ a fuse and he put it in and in seconds...cold A/C!!! good luck. wish i still had my 87. the ECU went on it and i thought it was the engine even after i tried to spare ECU's. engine only had 10k on it and i sold it cheap. i learned a valuable lesson from that vanagon...
_________________
July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
March 1956 Beetle convertible L41 Black

[westcoastbullies]

thanks for the heads up.....i drove bus again today, double checked some stuff that was recomended here....tires are newish and are "Michelin Aquilis side rated"....my last concerning question is........the temp light goes through the blink check at start up , them blinks for a while, until engine is warm
(it seems like) ........engine is not hot and fan dosent come on...it just blinks then gone??

im gonna check around for other threads but if this rings a bell let me know, sellers getting ready to take van to auction
thanks Jeff

[earthmuffin]

I don't know if this is a coincidence or not, but my vans light was blinking when I bought it and the first thing that I did was drain and flush the coolant. The level was a little low, and ever since the flush and good bleeding, it has not happened again.

[westcoastbullies]

earthmuffin.....
i started thinking maybe there is air in the system and causing bad reads, until thermostat opens or something...sounds possible
thanks

[obus]

there is a trick to bleeding these so be sure to research it first. i forget what it was. also i think they say the vw coolant is the best bet. good luck.
_________________
July 1959 Mango Standard Bus aka Obus L346 L347 https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=256592&highlight=
June 1973 Pumpkin Orange Thing aka Othing L30H
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=711775&highlight=
1960 Paprika Red Karmann Ghia Convertible aka Schatze L452 built 5/20/60
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...highlight=
March 1956 Beetle convertible L41 Black