Eurovan, Vanagon, or neither?

[troyeb]

I am researching for a vehicle to tour and camp the states.
Duration: 12+ months. Occupants: 2 people, 2 dogs.
Would you recommend the Vanagon over the Eurovan? I could get one for less, work on it more so myself, and it would have many of the same camping features, but I am extremely concerned about the nototrious leaking/pitting cylinder head issue. If you would recommend the Eurovan, what are your reasons? Would you recommend one particular year over another? Do you happen to know how hard it would be to get replacement parts? For instance, after they are dicontinued (which I understnad has pretty much happened) how hard will it to be to get, say, a rebuilt engine? Is work on the Eurovan expensive labor and parts? How far can they typically accrue miles? To get a used Eurovan what are too many miles (generically speaking)? What do you regard as the biggest issues with the design?
And, finally, can you recommend any good reference sites or resources for more information other than the scant info from ConsumerReports?
I enthusiastically await responses and thank you in adnvance.
-Troye

[Dave Giggy]

I have a 2001 Eurovan camper that i use to fly fish/camp in the summer for 3-4 months. I live in Calif. and fish the Sierra and the Montana/Idaho Rockies. This 2001 van updated the horsepower and made a few other improvements and it drives very much like a passenger car. Very nice to drive and at 200+ HP it cruises well at 80 mph and gets close to 20 mpg on the road and about 14 in town. My main problems with it are: lack of ground clearance because i go on fire roads and dirt roads when fishing. I have banged my propane tank fittings on unseen rocks and it once cost $400 (US) to repair. Also the tires that come as stock are really the only size that fits the van. This means that i can't use an off road tire because of wheel well size. Because of the weight (abt 4,500 lbs loaded) i had to replace the original tires at 15,000 miles. Replaced with the same size Michelins (orig were Dunlop) and at 25K miles they appear to be in good shape and will last much longer than 15K (but cost $800).
2 adults and 2 dogs... The top pops up and there is a sleeping area above but i wouldn't consider it suitable for adults. I am 65 tho and if you are younger it may serve. The lower bed will probably sleep 2 as would a double bed. I go alone with 1 dog and have a foam pad on the floor for her. I am very satisfied with the van, however, it has the usual don't matter warning lights that go on when not needed that most new vehicles have. I am currently running with the check engine light on. It cost $90 to find out that it was reporting an emission valve malfunction & i don't have the $350 to have it replaced right now so it can wait. The fridge, stove, and internal furnace all work very well. This model comes with a high altitude package that enables the propane to work above 7,000 ft. It has a 20 lb. propane tank, a 20 gal water tank, 2 batteries, and the fridge will run on AC,DC,or Propane. You can find more specifics on the package it comes with at the VW home page. OOPS! I just found out by checking vw.com that the Eurovan's are no longer sold in the US or Canada which doesn't bode well for on the road service. I hit a 20K mile oil change requirement in Montana and had to hunt around for a drive through spot to change my oil. I even had to travel 30 miles back to Missoula to get an oil filter. From now on i will carry a spare or two. I suspect service will be a problem out of town in the future. I can be reached at [email protected] if you have any more questions i might be able to help you with.