Planning to build or buy a Volkswagen engine? Right now all of the
major components come from other countries. Brazil produces
crankcases. Mexico casts the cylinder heads an produces most of the
auxiliary components such as the cam and its gea or the distributors
pinion gear. China has taken a major position by producing forged
4340 crankshafts and connecting rods, which sell here for near give-
away prices.

That was then.

If the proposal to bail out the banks goes through -- and it will,
given the degree of corruption in the present administration, it means
the American people -- you & me -- have just agreed to repay several
hundred BILLION dollars of bad debts incurred by the banks. In the
mean time the government will get busy and PRINT several hundred
BILLION dollars of new money... which means the money already out
there is worth that much LESS.

Didja get that? The bail-out, whilst good for the banks and the
incompetent bankers who bought all those worthless mortgages, is
poison for you & me became it make our money worth less. How much
less? Wait and see. But 25% is not without reason.

And that means your new crankcase from Brazil will cost you 25% more.
Ditto for your crankshaft & rods, or the heads from Mexico.,

What to do? Dig into the cookie jar and buy any parts you may need
NOW' rather than waiting until you need them. Indeed, even if you
aren't planning on building an engine, buying new engine components at
today's prices appears to be a wise INVESTMENT.

Just a thot.

-R.S.Hoover