[oasis]

I had an '85 Vanagon (Transporter to most of the world) for six years and loved it. I didn't spend much money on it during that time but I was intense with keeping up on general maintenance, and made darn sure the coolant was phosphate-free. I would only say the 1.9L WBX was overworked if one wanted to drive spiritedly. On the other hand, our family used it for 1,000-mile trips without complaint.

Now having said that, if I got another Vanagon of some sort, I would probably go for a 2.0L ABA engine, a TDI of some sort, or maybe some offering from Jake. The two main reasons would be (1) most Vanagons are not kept up as they should, and (2) many parts have become NLA.

I saw a Type III in the UK for sale with a WBX and I had to tell myself a hundred times I want an air-cooled as my next car. It was very tempting.