Hi Jon !

Just by ASKING this list what to do I think your choice is made already - or ......
As I see it you could decide NOT to buy the Vanagon and regret it for the rest or your life OR buy it - and regret that for the rest of your life. 
But if you decide to buy them both - witch is a darn good idea - and fix the Vanagon, you will probably get one of the most entertaining cars you�ll have in your life, with all its bad habits added as "freebies" !
If you buy the Plymouth or any of those other vehicles you mentioned you�ll only have transportation.......
Oh, BTW, forget the Beetle, they look cool but are poor in handling, bad when inner space/ size are concidered and downright lousy in safety - even if the one I had - a -52 - always started even on the coldest winters day and got quite warm inside from the heat I produced when scraping the ice off the INSIDE of the windows :p
Best of luck whatever you decide, and please let us share your experiences with the Vanagon ;)

Calle
-88 Vanagon AND a Ford Escort Paneltruck until the Vanagon is in "perfect" shape again
Mullhyttan, Sweden

> Hello list.
> 
> Well, my long, hard decision-making process is nearing an end.
> I managed to get an old '78 Plymouth Voyager van to start today, and drove it
> around a few blocks.  It's cheap ($300), and will definitely sputter its way to
> Vallejo this weekend for a harpsichord-moving gig.  I've bought myself some time.
snip 
> 1.) Buy the Vanagon.
> 2.) Buy the Plymouth AND the Vanagon.  Do nothing to the Plymouth, fix the
> Vanagon.  That way, if either one of them is a mistake, I've got another
> harpsichord-schlepping vehicle.
> 3.) Buy the Plymouth and use it only for harpsichord moving.  Buy another
> (non-Vanagon) vehicle for everyday commuting.  Perhaps the earlier-mentioned '67
> Beetle (at least it's a VW -- would it be reliable?  The owner says it is. . .  But
> *she's* selling the thing) or perhaps something more like a mid-'80s Subaru or
> Honda.
> 
> Anybody have any final suggestions?
> 
> best,
> Jon
> ---
> Jonathan Rhodes Lee
> jrlee@mailandnews.com
>