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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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 Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:04 pm Post subject: Help for a first-timer! |
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Hi all!
I am so happy to be part of this community! I was raised in VW Vans and Vanagons (definitely the child of hippies), and now that I'm a boring and semi-financially stable teacher with a child, I thought it was time to get a Vanagon of my own for adventures! I'm not terribly interested in a Westy or high-top (or whatever you call them), just because I'd like to keep things as simple as humanly possible - plus, Westys are INSANELY expensive around here right now.
The van I'm going to look at in a few hours (https://skagit.craigslist.org/cto/d/oak-harbor-1986-volkswagen-vanagon-gl/7291542365.html) looks sound, and the owner seems legit and very nice. I am of course going to try to talk them down, but I wanted to have a few opinions from those of you here with more experience.
Do note the following:
1. VW Vans in the PNW of the USA are BANANAS expensive. This is seriously a good price for around here, no joke, especially considering the miles.
2. I'm looking to gradually improve this as a very lightweight (not too complex) camper over the next few years.
3. I like having an auto for city driving, but was raised on manuals. Any big con to the auto besides being slower?
What do you wisened and sage experts think? Is $9k a good amount to offer? Am I an idiot?
Thanks! |
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Steve M.
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013
Posts: 6829
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:25 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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Pictures look good, everything obviously cleaned up for the sale.
Closely check for paint bubbling along the window rubber seals- most likely a rust hole under the rubber.
Get down on your back and look up into each jack point
Check the body panel seams for rust- it is spot welded together and the space between the panels is filled with a seam sealer.
When you are on your back looking at the engine look at the cylinder heads- there is a rubber seal between them and the engine block Any water seepage could be a problem down the road.
Good luck and welcome to the invanity.
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:28 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| Great tips, thank you. Didn’t know about the rust spots around the window seals! |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32584
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 2:48 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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djkeev, you probably know a lot more than me - and are probably right for the price. What do you think would be more fair?
And I’ll get to reading! |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32584
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:11 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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From what I've seen, and others may disagree or think differently, a late model 2wd tintop 89,90,91 will often be in the upper single thousands...... for really nice ones.
Older ones or beat ones are often much less. Barely worth the cost in parts to fix them up.
Price of course is very dependent on condition which varies wildly when you are dealing with antiques.
Careful and informed shopping us a must for the higher priced units.
We recently had a new member in Chicago who over paid for a tintop initially, then encountered a never ending series of budget breaking repairs.
Last I heard it is for sale but at a significant financial loss.
She is cutting her losses and bailing before it drowns her.
Her unit would probably be a good buy for the next person.
Dave
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16CVs 
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2004
Posts: 4024
Location: Redwood City, California
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:18 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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That's a $5.5 to $7K van.(TOPS) if it were a Carat it may be worth 10K. It has the wrong seats, the air is Disconnected and what's up with the Black wheels and the covered lic plates? Wouldn't you get ticketed for driving with un displayed plates? (Yes I know they are paranoid whited out). What have they towed with that trailer hitch?
I have a hard time believing the mileage to be true, Does the odometer work. Someone is putting Lipstick on a pig here.
It's good that it's an 86 as it has the 2.1 and better fuse block, I'd keep looking and if you were weak and bought it I'd pay to have it looked at.
Stacy
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Don't let your van end up in an "abortions" thread. |
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dabaron
Samba Member
Joined: June 21, 2018
Posts: 2559
Location: Philly, mang
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| CrunchyLopez wrote: |
djkeev, you probably know a lot more than me - and are probably right for the price. What do you think would be more fair?
And I’ll get to reading! |
it's really market based - on the east coast they are not sought after so the price is depressed. out on the west coast, the demand for Westy's inflate the tin top market.
a $4k tin top here is an easy $7-8k out there. with that said, if it were me out on the West Coast, i would not pay more than $6k for that tin top. i see an easy $1500 one could spend to correct some choices that were made by a PO.
of some significance is the fact the A/C belt is not installed, that system to rebuild starts around $1k. also note the mixed bumper styles... i'm sure there is a story there.
odometer numbers on Vanagons are not to be trusted.
it looks to have been resprayed and that could hide some serious seam rot.
let the engine idle and watch the coolant pressure tank (blue cap, lower left corner) for bubbles. if it has a stream of bubbles coming in that is a sign the heads will need pulled.
good luck.
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| All great info! Thanks! |
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plummerdesign
Samba Member
Joined: September 04, 2010
Posts: 539
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:22 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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No.
Please do NOT pull the trigger on this vehicle.
Wait for a Vanagon in better condition.
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Here in PNW there will ALWAYS be another : )
The ODO is wrong and there are enough things wonky to say "no thanks".
.
Jeffery : )
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:32 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| I totally understand any apprehension, but how do you know the odometer is wrong? I’d like to know so I can be on the lookout. |
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plummerdesign
Samba Member
Joined: September 04, 2010
Posts: 539
Location: PNW
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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These vehicles have a fairly classic tendency for odometer issues.
I have restored many of them from the bottom up.
The speedometer cable can be disconnected from the instrument itself, or the odometer stops working from years of use (brittle plastic). To be sure, you can run a VIN report. This will give data on odometer readings throughout the vehicle's life. That is 25 dollars well spent : )
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The fact that this vehicle is 3 + decades old and shows the wear and of being used along the way, plus the modifications and unskilled "repairs" is an indicator of miles beyond what is stated.
The Vanagon has been listed for a month.
This also tells that it has been looked at and passed over by others.
OR, go drive it and watch to see if the odometer turns.
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It is unfortunate to see just how many dog eared buses are out there at inflated prices. They are money pits for the next owner.
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May I ask, have you owned one of these before?
Jeffery : )
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1984 Westfalia 1.9 |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22641
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 5:00 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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For $1000, or less. you can move any car in the 57 States to anyone of the other states.
Plenty of people will do a PPi for you for $500
Don’t let premium market pricing drive you over the $1500 delta
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32584
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 6:21 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| Well, thanks all. Pretty great body shape, no rust, but idled a little weird (surging). Just not worth 10k, and could only talk them down to 9,500 dollars. Thanks, all! I shall not give up and your advice was great. |
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4Gears4Tires
Samba Member
Joined: October 08, 2018
Posts: 3019
Location: MD
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:11 pm Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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Wow you guys. I saw the ad and thought hmm those front seats look like a great upgrade, the interior is in good shape, paint is excellent, only 73k miles? $10k sounds about right. I haven't seen a comparable van on the east coast for $10k. That said I don't hunt for deals or anything, but that is a seriously clean van. Pretty rare to see them in that good of a shape. I wish mine was half that good.
Crunchy, if you go and test drive it and everything feels great (aside from it being a slug), it's your money. Hunting for the perfect van and the perfect deal can take a year or two and that alone has value. For the sake of argument, let's say it's $1k too much. How long are you going to take to find another van? Maybe you miss the summer. How much is a summer of camping in the van worth to you? $1k? $2k?
If there was a better deal out there, I'm sure you'd be looking at it. But if that's the best you've got, well a van in hand is worth two in the craigslists.
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22641
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:22 am Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| CrunchyLopez wrote: |
| Well, thanks all. Pretty great body shape, no rust, but idled a little weird (surging). Just not worth 10k, and could only talk them down to 9,500 dollars. Thanks, all! I shall not give up and your advice was great. |
There was plenty of rust in that Craigslist Bus. You need to train yourself to look and see that or avoid a major pig in a poke. Looking fir it involves serious eyeballing, a magnet, a wooden dowel, and an ice pick.
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 5:59 am Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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4Gears4Tires, thanks for the confidence! I do think I’m rather good at spotting rust - I’ve purchased my share of turds (especially VW turds) over the years... I used a screwdriver, but didn’t have a magnet. The jack points were perfect, seams were good, etc.
I don’t know... as 4Gears4Tires said, not many to choose from around here. Gotta think on it, despite the portends of doom. |
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Steve M.
Samba Member
Joined: July 30, 2013
Posts: 6829
Location: Fort Lauderdale, Fl.
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 6:14 am Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| CrunchyLopez wrote: |
4Gears4Tires, thanks for the confidence! I do think I’m rather good at spotting rust - I’ve purchased my share of turds (especially VW turds) over the years... I used a screwdriver, but didn’t have a magnet. The jack points were perfect, seams were good, etc.
I don’t know... as 4Gears4Tires said, not many to choose from around here. Gotta think on it, despite the portends of doom. |
Dry southwest USA is only a plane ticket away....
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There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them. |
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CrunchyLopez
Samba Member
Joined: April 12, 2021
Posts: 13
Location: NW Washington State
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2021 7:20 am Post subject: Re: Help for a first-timer! |
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| I hear you, Steve M - but I have a hard time finding a decent one there too! Any ideas or examples? |
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