Hi all,

I happened into a 1985 Vanagon about a week or so ago that's sitting in the
back corner of the parking lot at local repair shop... I know the owner a
little, and was over talking about something else and the van caught my eye.
I've always thought they were interesting, but never really looked into them
'til now. I've been skimming the archives for the last couple of hours...

Upon investigation, it turns out that it's a 2.1/auto/AC Mark III conversion
w/93k on the odometer - it was a one-owner van. It's not a camper, but has
the folding rear seat. The body/interior are in fair to good shape, with no
dents and just the smallest amount of rust on the edge of the passanger
door. The paint is pretty faded, though it might come up some w/buffing.

New head gaskets were installed recently (mileage, not time, it's been
sitting for a year), and the heads supposedly had no corrosion. The engine
apparently smokes (oil, not coolant) when warmed, and the shop seems to
think it's rings. The owner decided that he'd buy another vehicle instead of
fixing it. As a result, the shop has the title, and he says I can have it
for $200.

I glanced at the engine while leaning over the back of the rear seat, and
well, it's there.... it's dirty and shows signs of having been sitting for a
year, but doesn't look to be covered in oil, etc. It (engine) was out when
the head gaskets were done, as the other oil leaks were sealed as well.

While skimming the archives, I see folks talking of spending 3k on rebuilt
motors. A quick glance at bostonengine.com shows a rebuilt long block at
$1,800. Assuming my heads are serviceable, what should it cost me to rebuild
this motor myself? I am mechanically capable of doing it, but haven't ever
done any VW work, so I don't have any grasp of what parts should cost.

Whaddaya think? Good deal? Get it for parts and find a better one? Get it
and fix it? I'd like to spend as little as possible as I'm currently house
shopping, so that makes this appealing. It's clean enough that if it ran
well it'd make a nice driver/commuter/whatever.

thanks for any insight,
Craig Faison
cfaison@magpage.com