Date:         Sat, 6 Apr 2002 18:12:59 -0800
Reply-To:     Bob Whitby <rpwhitby@MINDSPRING.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Whitby <rpwhitby@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      First impressions
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Took the plunge yesterday on an 1987 Westy. The van was about 200 miles from my home so I got a good long drive to think about my purchase. A few observations:
1) The WBX engine is too much maligned. The power plant in this van has 157,000 miles on it, yet returned compression readings of 150, 150, 145, and 160. That's damned good for any engine of this age and mileage, let alone one that has taken a bad rap on reliability and longevity. As for power, apparently most people on this list haven't spent much time in air cooled buses. (I speak here of the 1600 cc variety, that being the animal I have logged way too many miles in at 50-55 mph.) This thing is a rocket by comparison. I blew the doors of a Ford Fiesta on the way home! My '70 couldn't hit 70 unless it was falling off a cliff, and even then the aerodynamics of the thing made the event unlikely. This '87 has a sweet spot at about 70, and I kept looking down and noticing I was going 75. The speedometer is, by the way, the only way you know you are over taxing the little 2.1. It is so quiet (again, in comparison to air cooled engine) that the bus seems powered by the wind itself. I literally had to shout to be heard in the 70. And this thing is smooth. Rest assured I won't be looking to do an engine conversion until this WBX bites the dust. I love it.

2) This is a modern vehicle in every sense of the word. Great brakes, quiet interior, decent mileage. Best of all it handles wind gusts as well as any van I've ever driven. Anyone who has spent time in a Transporter is familiar with the "suddenly two lanes over" syndrome, wherein a gust literally shoves you across the road. I once got sore shoulder muscles fighting a cross wind for five hours trying to keep my 70 in its own lane. Hardly relaxing driving. The Vanagon shakes and shimmies a bit, especially when caught in truck turbulence, but it doesn't develop a magnetic attraction for the next lane.

3) The camper interior is beyond comparison with the old version. Very well laid out. Good fit and finish. Everything works.

So that's the report from a new owner happy to be among the fold. Ask me again when my heads start leaking, but for now I'm in love.