I'm about to sell our '98 Grand Voyager, which has been a complete nightmare as far as cost of ownership, mainly due to the $2700 we got to put into the transmission, which, it turns out, is normal, even though Consumer Reports says it was fixed for '98. Anyway, my parts guy says I should consider a Vanagon, specifically '86+. I've owned two Sciroccos, a Ghia, and a Beetle, so I know my way around a VW as far as keeping it on the road. I want to get some input on what to expect from a Vanagon in the way of specific problems, strong points, fuel economy, or anything else anyone can share. The GV is on its way out; it's just a matter of gathering the information required to decide what to get as a replacement.
We need to put three child seats in whatever we buy, so if anyone has a recommendation on a reliable car that will fit the bill for somewhere in the $3-4k range (or less, if possible), let me know that as well. We recently sold an '87 BMW 528e with 200k miles, and it was outstanding, but too small for what we need now. I'm not sure if an older 735i would do it for us or not.
Feel free to e-mail me privately if you want.
Thanks in advance. Aaron '88 MR2 NA '70 Beetle project '92 Pathfinder