Date: Sat, 26 May 2007 20:24:20 -0600
Reply-To: "Anderson,Chuck" <CAnderson@UA.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Anderson,Chuck" <CAnderson@UA.COLOSTATE.EDU>
Subject: FW: Free Vanagon In Colorado
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Oh yes, one other thing, the exhaust system. It makes enough noise that it attracts attention.
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of Anderson,Chuck
Sent: Saturday, May 26, 2007 8:16 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Free Vanagon In Colorado
I have a 1986 Vanagon GL that I would like to offer to someone on the list who will give it a good home. I have owned it for a little over ten years and it has been a faithful friend. But, a combination of circumstances dictates that I part with it and move on. I could attempt to sell if for a minimal amount of money, but it's more important to me that it go to a place where it will be repaired and give happiness and good service to someone else, just as it has to me.
Well, let's see. I'm the second owner. The original owner bought it here in Fort Collins at Ed Carroll VW. It is gold with the lovely tan interior. The exterior is in pretty good condition with the usual paint chips and sliding door dings. Is spite of spending its entire life in Colorado, there is some seam rust behind the driver's door. The bumpers are straight and have the end caps. The interior is in good condition with no rips or tears and a good rear cushion. There is a small (about ¼" hole) burn on the back seat. I'm not a smoker and I don't think the original owner was either so, I don't know about that. Right now, it has 134,000 miles on it and I drive it daily. The two biggest issues are the leaking power steering rack and the leaking driver's side head gasket. In addition to those things, the windshield is cracked completely from one side to the other, but other than that, all of the other glass is good. On occasion, there is a leak down into the passenger's side foot well. Both high beam lenses are cracked but the lights still function. I've been told by the VW dealer that it needs new ball joints. The tires are completely worn out. It still has the original Continental spare. I had the usual air-conditioning duct repair done years ago. It still uses Freon and the air-conditioning works, but it isn't outstanding. I have experienced so-called "Vanagon syndrome" on a number of occasions, usually after a long run in hot weather. I have quite a bit of paperwork from the time it was new. Something funny is that the first time the original owner took it back to the dealer was because the cassette player didn't work. It still doesn't. I still has the original radio and it doesn't sound very good. When I had the duct repair done, I didn't have the speakers reinstalled. They weren't worth bothering with. That's what I can think of at the moment. If I were a mechanic and only had to consider the cost of parts, it would probably be worth repairing. But, when I tally up the cost of parts and labor, even at an independent shop, I just don't think it's worth it. But, in spite of saying that, I still think it's too nice to part out .An additional factor in all of this is my partner. She has MS and it is getting increasingly harder for her to get into and out of the van. I need to buy something that is workable for her and that can carry a wheelchair. At this point, I think that will be a Land Rover Discovery.
If you are interested, please contact me.
Thanks-
Chuck Anderson
canderson@ua.colostate.edu
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