Well, I did it. Purchased the car after some light negotiations. Had it towed from Eugene Oregon, back to Portland to a mechanic that is highly regarded in the Vanagon world for Subbie swaps.
Motor has bad compression, and the wiring is all jacked up. Motor is being rebuild, and a new harness is being made. Besides the compression issues, the wiring made it to where the car would not go over 68mph, Speedo didn’t work, and temp gauge always read high (why I towed it) this should all be fixed and dialed in, in roughly two weeks.
Turns out the car was a VS kit that a gentleman in eastern Washington built, then traded in at a BMW dealership. That dealership sold at auction to the shop in Eugene. I reached out to the guy who built it via email, and LinkedIn, hopefully he’s willing to chat about the car.
At the end of the repair/updates, I should have a fully functional VS body, on a 71 VW pan, with a 2.2L subbie power plant. Plus a mechanic that will know the ins and outs of the car. It doesn’t have a top, but I’m ok with that. Shifts smooth, stops great!!, handles like a go kart, and looks as pretty as can be! I’m stoked to be the new owner, and went into with eyes wide open thanks to Troy, and others on here. Caveat Emptor indeed!!