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How Long Have You Owned Yours?
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Ahwahnee
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 1:26 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

SyncroHead wrote:
29 yeas now with my '87 Syncro bought in 1991 from a Chevy dealer in Pasadena, CA. I still have the original paper ad from the Auto-Trader I found it in...


Me too.

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Guess I save everything that has something to do with the van.
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markswagen
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 5:55 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

we've had lucy 9 years almost 90k miles on her now.
bella, the wifes daily 4 years 60k miles
burni my work van, 4 years 47k miles
bobbi 1984 tintop 3 years about 60 miles, she's cheap storage
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campism
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 6:05 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

The PO of our van replied to this ad in '93 to buy the van we later bought from her, and her mass of records conveyed with it.
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I had seen it parked on the north side of town for a while and it vanished, turning up later in my neighborhood with a For Sale sign on it and we bought it in August of '06, during the week Pluto was demoted from planethood. Here we are heading out on our first trip.
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jimf909 Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 6:26 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

campism wrote:
The PO of our van replied to this ad in '93 to buy the van we later bought from her, and her mass of records conveyed with it.
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Oh man, she blew it! She coulda bought a newer Plymouth Grand Voyager for $300 less.

Look what she missed out on...

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Abscate wrote:
Do not get killed, do not kill others.


Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.

Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro).
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campism
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 5:56 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

It's okay, I bought a couple of those ^ but I waited for the price to come down. Not quite the cachet of a Vanagon but a damn versatile vehicle.
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shadetreemech
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:46 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Bought the '84 GL in April 1990 when we were expecting our daughter. Still have it, still runs.

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Cut my teeth on repairing & maintaining the '84. Discovered I had Vanagon OCD.

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Bought the '88 Westy Full Camper in September 2018 after my wife died. Made it into Northern California and out to New Mexico, and points inside that radius, so far.

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Dan
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:53 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Dorothy smiling down at you, Dan.
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.ssS!
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shadetreemech
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:55 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Abscate wrote:
Dorothy smiling down at you, Dan.


Cool

Dan
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Blaque Jacques
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 23, 2020 6:17 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Bought mine in July 2013 locally here in Moab. our daughter was 2 and with another on the way we were looking for a reliable used Honda or Toyota minivan with AC. My wife saw an ad in the local paper and we thought why not check it out? I'd had a '78 westy years before and missed it. We took it for a test ride and instantly fell in love, even though it didn't have AC. We offered $8k cash and drove it home. Took it to Yosemite and back a month later. Its now been all over the west and to the bottom of Baja and back. Its a huge part of our family!
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Playapixie
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 3:32 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

‘91 Vanagon GL full camper that’s owned me since 2002 (18years!) Subaru 2.5 conversion since 2020; here’s to another 18!
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‘91 Vanagon Camper since 2002! Subaru 2.5 since 2020.
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bself
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 7:10 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

15 years this fall...responded to a Craigslist ad from a guy in Santa Rosa. Flew down from Portland to San Francisco and had a friend of my wife's pick me up and drive me up north. Once we got there, she gave me about an hour to make the call on buying it or not as she had to get back to the city. I def. had some trepidation in choosing to buy it but have to say buying it has been one of my most favorite decisions ever! Very Happy
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jimf909 Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 26, 2020 8:04 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

bself wrote:
15 years this fall...responded to a Craigslist ad from a guy in Santa Rosa. Flew down from Portland to San Francisco and had a friend of my wife's pick me up and drive me up north. Once we got there, she gave me about an hour to make the call on buying it or not as she had to get back to the city. I def. had some trepidation in choosing to buy it but have to say buying it has been one of my most favorite decisions ever! Very Happy


Was this the used Vanagon dealer in Santa Rosa? I shopped Westys there in 1996 but ended up buying mine in Albuquerque.
_________________
- Jim

Abscate wrote:
Do not get killed, do not kill others.


Current: 1990 Westy Camper - Bostig RG4, 2wd, manual trans w/Peloquin, NAHT high-top, 280 ah LFP battery, 160 watts solar, Flash Silver, seam rust, bondo, etc., etc.

Past: 1985 Westy Camper - 1.9 wbx, 2wd, manual trans, Merian Brown, (sold after 17 years to Northwesty who converted it to a Syncro).
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Jake59
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 5:08 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Love this thread!

We bought our 87 2wd full Westie in 98 with 95k on the odometer. My wife was planning a 5 week trip to and through Alaska. She started the trip after owning for only a few months, in hindsight this was quite risky, but short of suffering from a bout of Vanagon Sindrum, all went well.

Now 22 years and 150k miles later we are much more savvy of her and are planning our retirement with many Westie trips included.
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Past Rides: 62 (23 window) Bus, 64 Ghai convertable, 68 single cab, 72 Super Bettle, 78 Bay window Bus, 84 GTI.


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bself
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 8:20 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

jimf909 wrote:
bself wrote:
15 years this fall...responded to a Craigslist ad from a guy in Santa Rosa. Flew down from Portland to San Francisco and had a friend of my wife's pick me up and drive me up north. Once we got there, she gave me about an hour to make the call on buying it or not as she had to get back to the city. I def. had some trepidation in choosing to buy it but have to say buying it has been one of my most favorite decisions ever! Very Happy


Was this the used Vanagon dealer in Santa Rosa? I shopped Westys there in 1996 but ended up buying mine in Albuquerque.


No, I bought it from a private seller.
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vwhammer
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 9:58 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

I bought my 85 about 6.5 years ago for $2000 in Fall of 2013 with 80000 miles on it.
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Drove it home and drove it around for a couple weeks before it started leaking coolant at the head.
Took the heads off to do a reseal only to find that both were cracked between the valves.
At the time I did not know that a lot of people still run with heads like that so I decided that I would do a Subaru swap.

At some point in prepping for the subie stuff I decided that I really wanted it to be 4x4 so I went all in and started my own 4x4 conversion.
It's still in the shop with no suspension under it.

I bought my 91 in Sept of 2018 for $3000 with 230,000 miles on it and the engine blew 20 miles into my 70 mile drive home.
Here it is fresh off the tow truck in my driveway.
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Currently doing a solid refurb on every mechanical bit and doing an ABA swap.
Hope to have it done in the next month or two and it will function as my daily driver and camp mobile until the 4x4 is done.


I bought my first MK1 GTI when I turned 18, my second when I turned 20.
I have always been a VW guy but for some reason I initially never really cared for the Vanagon.

I suppose maybe getting older and more financially stable or maybe my growing affinity for the outdoors had something to do with it but one day it just clicked and I had to have one.
Hell, take two they're small.

I don't suspect I will ever sell either one of them but I guess you never know.


Last edited by vwhammer on Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:26 am; edited 2 times in total
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:10 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Bought mine almost exactly 5 years ago, but I hadn't even been looking for a vanagon. I had been shopping for an old truck that I could work on for fun and use to haul garden supplies, maybe get a pop-up to tow. Saw the vanagon on my local craigslist and test drove it on a whim, loved it and bought it that day. I had owned a bay in the late 80's early 90's, so had that connection.

Over 5 years, my van has gone from this on day of purchase:

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To this:

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Obviously, I love it my wife calls it my second wife.

I think I'll try to take a better current glamour shot when I'm camping this weekend.
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 10:55 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

shadetreemech wrote:
Abscate wrote:
Dorothy smiling down at you, Dan.


Cool

Dan


Obligatory



What race does your daughter still run in?

Very Happy
Quote:
Bought the '84 GL in April 1990 when we were expecting our daughter. Still have it, still runs.

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.ssS!
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shadetreemech
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:01 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Abscate wrote:


What race does your daughter still run in?

Very Happy
Quote:
Bought the '84 GL in April 1990 when we were expecting our daughter. Still have it, still runs.


Human. Mostly. Next iteration, sometimes.

Cool
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HeinleinTrooper
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:15 am    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Just about five weeks now.
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raoul mitgong
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 27, 2020 12:29 pm    Post subject: Re: How Long Have You Owned Yours? Reply with quote

Great name there Trooper!
-d
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