If you look at the annual cost for fuel, it's about what an average, high mileage Vanagon costs! This estimate would have been much higher during the Bush/Exxon years.
Are you considering trading in an old Vanagon in the Cash For Clunkers program? What parts would you remove to sell independently before trading it in?
Official Details on the Cash For Clunkers program.
http://www.cars.gov
Official Government Fuel Economy ratings (used for Cash For Clunkers).
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm
I beg to differ with the 16 mpg rating. I have found that I can obtain 20 mpg!! with my 85 vanagon. The key is to not let it idle when you run into the store for something and also to go easy on the thottle. Skip third gear when possible and if you live in an area with long hills as I do, shut the motor off and coast downhill, when you are ready to go again put in the clutch slip it into 4th gear turn the key back on and let the clutch out. The fact is that a vanagon is a shoebox on wheels and was not designed for economy. It was designed to comfortably carry people and cargo with a panoramic view of the world as it passes by.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that anyone would trade-in their Vanagon for some small, tiny, non-camper car. Gack! Shame on those people for even considering it. There are plenty of people would pay cash for Vanagons, especially the campers. It's sad to think of a Vanagon sitting in a junk yard waiting to be smushed into a little cube. By the way, I was getting 18-19 mpg on my last cross country road trip.
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