#our vanagon

[manwomanplanvanagon]

Untitled by Corey and Vanessa

Best picture Corey’s ever taken of the van. 

[manwomanplanvanagon]

[manwomanplanvanagon]

Road Trip 2013: Feeding the beast.

More from our road trip »

[manwomanplanvanagon]

Goodbye little van! Have a nice winter! #tumblr

[manwomanplanvanagon]

Road Trip 2013: Packing up at the Asheville KOA.

More from our road trip »

[manwomanplanvanagon]

Should you buy a Vanagon?

Sometimes, people email us and ask about Vanagon ownership. 

How reliable are Vanagons from the 80s? How much does a Vanagon cost to maintain? How often does the Vanagon break down? How much time do you spend working on your Vanagon?

I typed up most of the answers to those questions last month, to respond to a man from Connecticut who was considering buying a Vanagon. 

Here's what I said:

First of all: of course, we would absolutely recommend getting a Vanagon. If you like to travel and camp, it's the perfect vehicle. 

Saying that we "pour all our time and money into the Vanagon" is a bit of an exaggeration. It's definitely more work than a regular car, but we've been lucky so far. 

First of all, our van was in great shape when we bought it. It had 88,000 km on it and had always been kept inside and tended to by a mechanic. Second of all, Corey is a very handy guy. And, perhaps most importantly, he found a guy in Toronto who just loves Vanagons and has been teaching him to take care of it in exchange for the occasional meal or $60 at a time. It's wild. 

We had to take the Vanagon to a mechanic once for some minor repairs when Corey didn't have time to do them. That was $700 (eek) and the mechanic didn't flush the coolant properly, so we had to have it towed back to the shop the next day. The biggest issue with outside help seems to be that mechanics don't necessarily know how to take care of a 28-year-old car with the engine in the back (but they won't tell you that up front).  

Other than that and the problems you've seen on the blog, we had one other major issue where the van wouldn't start when it was hot. We ended up stranded a whole bunch of times, and we'd just have to wait until the engine cooled down. The final time it happened, the van just wouldn't start and we towed it home. We never totally figured out that issue: a mechanic friend came and fooled around with the engine a bit and fixed some loose spark plugs and that seemed to fix it. 

We've done no restoration, but are guessing that the engine will need to be rebuilt/replaced in the next 5 years. 

There are always little bits of maintenance to be done: fix a leak in the gas tank, replace the windshield seal, fix leaks in the lines, replace the tap water pump with a manual one, replace the oxygen sensor, change the oil filters, calibrate the ignition timing, figure out why the engine light it always on, etc. The cost of little parts can add up (and would add up even more if you had to hire someone to do the labor); so far this year, we've spent at least $300 on bits and pieces. 

If you know your way around a car, it doesn't seem too hard to take care of a Vanagon. The engine is simple and there's no complicated electric system to take care of. And there's lots of help available online and from the VW community in general. We've had great help from other Vanagon owners that we've met at campsites and online. 

In terms of Vanagon reliability, I guess it's just a gamble--you're looking at a really old car! It could die at any moment and you'd have to have the engine rebuilt or replaced or spend thousands of dollars to have it fixed. I was very nervous about that happening when we first got our Vanagon...but now I just accept it as a possibility (or eventuality, really). We've decided that if it ever gets to the point that we can't afford to fix the van, we just won't drive it until we can afford to (and since it's just a recreation vehicle, we have that luxury). 

Have you taken one for a test drive yet? Getting the van in the first place was Corey's idea--and I was on the fence until we went on one test drive. Then I was SOLD. 

I hope this helps (and I really hope it doesn't discourage you from getting a Vanagon!). Getting a Vanagon was one of the best decisions I've ever made. 

And I'll just add that, since I wrote this email, we paid $200 to have the fuel filters replaced and $926 to repair two rusted holes below the windshield and have the van undercoated. But it's still all worth it.  

[manwomanplanvanagon]

Campsite on Flickr.

This photo is from the last time we went camping: Algonquin Park last October. It's been a busy, busy spring and we haven't been out once. Can't wait for our next trip into the woods.