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> The simple fact that their maintenance costs will be much higher simply because > I can't fix them myself makes modern cars of much less value to me. > They don't need much doing if they're VWs, assuming all that electrical stuff like windows, sunroofs, mass airflow sensor, oxygen sensor/lambda probe, turbo etc keep working, but the killer is the depreciation. I paid £2000 ($3500) for my Variant 12 years ago, and it would probably sell for around that figure today (well, maybe I'd need sort out a bit of fender rust for that). In 1998 we bought an '89 Jetta for £2000, and now it's worth maybe £300 ($500). That's $500 a year just to have it available for use. The Variant couldn't easily cost me that per year unless it was an unreliable old British car. ;-) We treated ourselves to a '99 Golf Variant TDI a couple of years ago at £7000 ($12500), and it's been no trouble and does 50mpg UK (40mpg US) on diesel, and does 0-60 in 12 seconds, but it's true cost has been the £2000 ($3500) less that it's now worth, plus the loss of interest on the cost, which adds an extra $500 a year in the early years. It's a nice car, and we'll probably keep it another 5 years, maybe more, but it can never be as cheap to have and run as the Type 3 until it's worth almost nothing. I am however well aware how suddenly my opinion could change if I had a serious accident in the Variant - no airbag, not that much side protection, front tank, no head-rests or high backs either in mine ..... It's the strongest argument that I know for driving a classic fewer miles, and defensively! Dave. UK VW Type 3 & 4 Club http://www.hallvw.clara.co.uk/ ------ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ List info at http://www.vwtype3.org/list | mailto:gregm@vwtype3.org