So I'm buying a van...

[Cole]

oh boy! what am i getting myself into! :coffeedrink:

Are Suby swapped Vanagons cool...you betcha....would I own one? Yep! Would I advise you to own one.....maybe not! Forums are notorious with people wanting to advise you on what THEY would do or own vs what might be right for you.

VW themselves eventually built a more powerful and better equipped version of the Vanagon you are looking at. So you can get all the advantages of that swapped van in a MUCH newer package built right from the factory.

For $16k large bills you may be much better off with a 2001-2003 VW Eurovan Weekender. Has all the power and more of the Suby swap plus you can take it to any VW garage to get it worked on.

Will drive much better down the highway. Factory cruise, factory ABS, stability control, traction control, bigger brakes, same interior space, etc etc plus it would be upwards of 18 YEARS NEWER!! Which, for full disclosure, I do own but haven't suggested because I thought you were wanting to keep your budget lower. But since you see to be feeling the VW vibe I'll bring it into this conversation:sombrero:

 

[HoboJen]

oh man. stop making such good points.

can't argue with that at all. i guess in my decision making process I rely on my intuition, and I tend to write it all out and just listen to what comes out. what i'm hearing from my brain is that i have two big cons - the price and maintenance. but for some reason i'm not too worried about it. of course it would be nice to spend less, but i've worked pretty hard for my savings and have decided i'm ok with spending more on a fun play rig. for maintenance, maybe this will be one giant [strike]migraine[/strike] learning experience, but i think i'm ok with that too. anyway, my gut seems in favor of this choice. i can't imagine it being a bigger mistake than some of the other huge ones i've made in the past.

i seem to have something going here so i'm going to see what happens. maybe it will all fall apart when we see the mechanic. maybe not. but that's where i'm headed in a little bit.


of course i still appreciate the advice

 

[Cole]

As long as you go into it with eyes wide open and are ready, at least mentally, for the adventure then go for it!:coffeedrink:

 

[draaronr]

Are Suby swapped Vanagons cool...you betcha....would I own one? Yep! Would I advise you to own one.....maybe not! Forums are notorious with people wanting to advise you on what THEY would do or own vs what might be right for you.

VW themselves eventually built a more powerful and better equipped version of the Vanagon you are looking at. So you can get all the advantages of that swapped van in a MUCH newer package built right from the factory.

For $16k large bills you may be much better off with a 2001-2003 VW Eurovan Weekender. Has all the power and more of the Suby swap plus you can take it to any VW garage to get it worked on.

Will drive much better down the highway. Factory cruise, factory ABS, stability control, traction control, bigger brakes, same interior space, etc etc plus it would be upwards of 18 YEARS NEWER!! Which, for full disclosure, I do own but haven't suggested because I thought you were wanting to keep your budget lower. But since you see to be feeling the VW vibe I'll bring it into this conversation:sombrero:

This I completely agree with based on the direction you're going.

 

[Hondaslayer]

With regards to repairs / maintenance. I would skip Subaru dealers and look for Subaru performance shops (pretty much everywhere) if you need work done.

 

[Cole]

Full camper for less money!

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1603105


Either one of these would probably be a better deal.

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1529100

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1526278

 

[John W]

I am just saying you should drive several before making that big of a commitment, as I think Stroverlander said, if you are narrowing into the Vangon realm then you should drive as many as possible before making the decision, esp a VW they are asking premium dollar for them. 16k is nothing to sneeze at. Now the hard part is containing yourself when you think you have found "the one", truth is that there are many, be patient! Or buy one cheap enough that you know without a doubt you can flip it and try something different, it gets trying but it is also a huge education, trust me, I just got a huge lesson, but now I know more than I did a week ago

I agree 16k for a 30 year old van sounds pricey. You could pick up a regular cargo van Ford/GM/Dodge for literally 1 tenth to 1 third the price.
And you'd have a lot more room for a kayak and all your stuff.

You could do much more traveling with leftover cash.

 

[digitaldelay]

I agree 16k for a 30 year old van sounds pricey.

30 year old van with the wrong motor!

Jason

 

[Quill]

Personally I would settle for a lower priced Ford E350. Lots of room, good vehicle and the prices are low. If you save $5k, you can buy a lot of fuel.

 

[Hondaslayer]

30 year old van with the wrong motor!

Jason

Such a wrong motor that even Jake Raby is switching to them instead of the camper specials.....

 

[Cole]

I agree 16k for a 30 year old van sounds pricey. You could pick up a regular cargo van Ford/GM/Dodge for literally 1 tenth to 1 third the price.
And you'd have a lot more room for a kayak and all your stuff.

You could do much more traveling with leftover cash.

Personally I would settle for a lower priced Ford E350. Lots of room, good vehicle and the prices are low. If you save $5k, you can buy a lot of fuel.

You guys aren't quite comparing apples to apples though. Even the old Vanagon she is looking at has TWO beds, full stand up room, small fridge and a table! Granted, as mentioned earlier in this thread there are domestic conversion vans that can be had that cheap with nearly the same features.


....also of note, there is a reason the VWs are going UP in value and the domestics to down!

 

[Cole]

Such a wrong motor that even Jake Raby is switching to them instead of the camper specials.....

This means nothing to me. Who is Jake and why should he matter? What is a "camper special" engine? (If he is swapping subies instead of "camper specials") A "camper special" sounds like a motor that leaves you stranded and needing to camp:coffeedrink:

If this guy is some sort of shop, then that typically takes a swap to a different level. One where another shop can call and ask what's what to do a repair.

 

[Hondaslayer]

This means nothing to me. Who is Jake and why should he matter? What is a "camper special" engine? (If he is swapping subies instead of "camper specials") A "camper special" sounds like a motor that leaves you stranded and needing to camp:coffeedrink:

If this guy is some sort of shop, then that typically takes a swap to a different level. One where another shop can call and ask what's what to do a repair.

Raby is the go to guy for a proper air cooled VW engine. He is the only guy that can be trusted to build a reliable performance minded air cooled engine. Let me put it this way, his engines do not leak oil, at all.

 

[HoboJen]

oh boy!

i definitely have my reasons against an empty cargo van. that was exactly where i started when i first came here though, asking for advice about ford vs chevy and the different engines.

 

[HoboJen]

then i had that wake up call that all the work i would need to do would be more timely and expensive than i wanted.