And some things just aren't worth fixing.

I know the 318 engine pretty well. My first two cars had those engines and they served me OK when times were tight. I sold each one of them for $50 when body work got beyond my capabilities, the first one to a body man and the second one to my brother-in-law who lived in Ohio where state inspections didn't exist and where he could drive it with the fenders flapping in the breeze. He drove it in the coal mine strip pits where he worked.

The VW Vanagon I owned in the early 1980s was the vehicle not worth fixing. Over 148,000 miles, I repaired a lot of things, some of them like CV joints, coolant expansion tank, and various exhaust components multiple times. I parted ways with it when both cylinder heads turned up cracked. I have never owned a vehicle with such a varied and frequent list of defects as that one.

Big Al

That’s a great article! I can identify with a lot of it.

I was introduced to motorhome camping by my friend’s parents when I was in 7th grade. They had a 1966 “Pacer” motorhome - one of the first of its kind. To me it was an absolute marvel and I can still remember falling asleep in the back of it while the anemic 300 cubic inch Ford 6 engine labored to pull the thing over Cajon Pass on the way to Lake Mead. We always got there but it took a while. Towing the boat didn’t help.

One of the members of their camping group had a Travco and it was even more wondrous. So sleek, so modern! I was in love and vowed right then and there to get an RV as soon as I was old enough to drive.

The Travco was red, and everyone called it the Big Red Sewer bus, after a local plumber who advertised on TV.

“Eat your prunes with great big spoons and keep Big Red real busy!”

As a seventh grader I thought this was deliciously naughty and hilariously funny. Dirt bikes and RVs became a big part of my life for the next 50 years, and it all started with that Travco. In fact we’re leaving May 1 for AZ to pick up a travel trailer we’ve had stored there since we moved.

I’m still in touch with that same friend. He lives in Tucson now and we text regularly. We’ve been friends for 55 years.

I’ll bet PJ has read “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” That book spoke to me like the article does.

There is great peace to be found in owning and repairing old things. I kept my last dirt bike for 25 years and kept it going the whole time, enjoying every minute I spent. Toward the end it was obvious that technology had rendered it obsolete but my reflexes were slowing down at the same time and we got along fine. I’m still tickled that I was able to sell it for what I paid for it in 1989.

I daresay there are piano people who understand, both players and technicians.

In 2017 I did some rough calculations that indicated I would have to replace my geriatric work truck just before I retired, which made no sense. By that time I wasn’t working with tools so much as driving around looking at stuff. That truck got some 11 mpg - fine if you need it but dumb if you didn’t. It was also impossible to park in most garages

I decided to buy a project car for day-to-day and bought a 2000 Toyota 4Runner for $2500. Even at that time it was hopelessly out of date but it had computers, electronic ignition and fuel injection - all things I wanted to learn about. I vowed never to take it to a shop and did all of the maintenance myself. The internet made that possible and I was surprised by how easy most if it was to do. I did a lot of work on it but it was basically reliable (gotta love old Toyotas), it was comfortable, quiet and fit in garages. It also kept a lot of miles off of the work truck, which I was able to sell for $7K with 269K miles on it when I retired. The guy I sold it to is still driving it but he really should replace it - repair costs are adding up.

I had to sell it when we moved as it made no sense to ship it. I miss it and wish I’d kept it, but I traded it in on the pickup I have now for the same $2500 I paid for it, after putting about 100K miles on it.

The point of my ramble if that committing to the care and feeding of old things is fun, but only if you don’t have to rely on them. When the Toyota broke I could always drive the truck. If the bike broke I could ride Greg’s. This guy has staked his entire life on the health and continued well being of a 55 year old Dodge with a lot of motorhome related add ons that were pretty dicey even in 1969. It’s cool, but it has to be maddening. He’s also not really suited to the task - fix the temp gauge fer Chrissake!

There are videos on YouTube!

Re: the Vanagon.

In 1982 I went to work for a computer company in Irvine - Pertec for those of you following along at home. I was in charge of facilities, phones, maintenance, leases and the company fleet, which included a geriatric Chevy van we used to schlep mail from building to building and a dozen Oldsmobile station wagons that the sales guys would drive. 6 cyl, 3 speed column shift and reliable as a claw hammer - remarkable for the 80’s.

In 1984 Pertec got bought out by VW and we got a shiny new Vanagon, along with a dozen Audi 5000s. It was a joy to drive compared to the Chevy but had to be the worst designed vehicle of its time - or any other time.

Al, was yours a water boxer? I still can’t figure out what possessed VW to manufacture them. Even under warranty it was constantly broken and it got to where renting mail delivery vehicles to drive while it was in the shop shot my fleet budget all to hell. I didn’t catch any flak for it though - everyone knew we should have dumped it 6 months after we got it.

Don’t get me started on the Audis.

Remember “unintended acceleration?”

Yes, Steve, it was a water boxer. The coolant system was patched onto what had been a pretty simple air-cooled engine, I'm told to be able to meet California emissions limits. That plumbing was one of many trouble spots. Even the speedometer cable broke on it once. I never owned an Audi, but I remember the unintended acceleration issue. That almost sank the brand.

I swore I would never own another VW and I've kept that vow. One of my daughters has a VW that she bought after her Ford was totaled by another driver in a T-bone accident. It's been a good car for her, but for me - never again.

Big Al

No to mention that their vans were much worse death traps than any Corvair ever. You have two pieces of sheet metal between your legs and anything that hit you.