My 84, 1.9 manual westy with 198k miles, Artie McPartie, has gone the way
of the ghost. Driving down hwy yesterday after a pretty good clip up hill
the engine lost power and will no longer start. Towed to my mechanic and it
is 0 compression in cylinders 1 and 3. He didn't dig much deeper other than
it needs a new engine.

I am at a loss here. I know I have gotten many years out of my van and will
get many more and should expect that any investment will get me returns. I
also knew this day was coming after getting the dreaded oil light after hwy
stretches. I am not made of money and want to make a good decision on next
steps.

And with that, I turn to this...the smartest group of van owners I know.

I want to keep a waterboxer, I know the engine and I like its simplicity. I
would love to upgrade to a 2.1 or more if it is worth the price. I am
located in Asheville, NC and would not be doing any of the work myself. My
mechanic can take delivery and do the install. (I do my fair share of work
but feel this is out of my league)

So, any ideas out there on next steps? Thanks in advance for your help!
Ryan