Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (November 2001, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Tue, 13 Nov 2001 17:56:06 -0800
Reply-To:     Steve Schwenk <steve@SYNCRO.ORG>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Steve Schwenk <steve@SYNCRO.ORG>
Subject:      Re: Why I ask "dumb" questions By: Joel Sell
Comments: To: Joel Sell <jsell@PHILA.K12.PA.US>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

I meant "Joel"!!!

Steve Schwenk wrote: > > Joe, my most humble apologies! I should not have made > assumptions or cast you as a novice/green. And I sure > did not intend to connote anything negative about being > a new owner of a vehicle about which you know little, > if that had been the case. But i could not miss seeing > in the brief words of your post the image of a new > owner of a new van, new to the list, posting one of > those first basic questions all new owners face, how do > i fold down the bed. It is like the first step on a > journey to...well, you know from your history....or > just read the list for a while and you'll see. So, it > was that image i was responding to. Sorry if you felt > i cast you in a negative light. I sure did not mean to > and did not see the question as being dumb. > steve > > Joel Sell wrote: > > > > Volks, > > where do I begin... > > In '97 I bought my first car, a '71 Westy. I knew NOTHING about auto > > mechanics and even less about VWs. Turned out that bus had cracks in both > > heads. Compression was down in the 40s. With the help of a new friend (who > > had worked at a VW shop for years) we rebuilt that engine and bus in his > > garage. Then I moved to Chile (South America), where I went to Auto > > Mechanic's School and worked at a VW garage there. I only saw aircooled > > stuff, and even stuff we don't have here (see that "Brasilia" in VWT last > > month? I worked on a few. 411s? 412s? Those, too. Mexican beetles and > > buses? yup. Even drove a '98 Mexican Beetle off the showroom floor for a > > test drive and almost got clobbered by a public transportation bus. You > > should have seen how white the salesman's face was!) Came back to the > > states, sold the '71. Bought a '74 Westy and totally restored it. Put 8k > > miles on it, driving all over the East Coast with my wife and little boy. > > Sold it a month ago. During that time I restored a friend's bus, a > > neighbor's bus and my sister-in-law's bug. My wife wanted something more > > "modern" and comfortable,so we stepped up to a Vanagon this past weekend. > > I am a Teacher in the Philadelphia Public School System. My wife stays > > home with our child, expecting our 2nd one in March. I live in a row home. > > That right there should explain why I don't have more than one VW at a time > > ;-) > > Now, why do I ask "dumb" questions- Well, I've already made hundreds of > > dollars' (maybe thousands) worth of "dumb" mistakes that I could have > > avoided if I had just done my research first. Looking it up in the manual, > > asking a friend, or asking the lists. I saw this problem with the bed a > > potential expensive mistake. I couldn't find the owner's manual in the > > Vanagon, so I figured I would ask the list. Thank you to those who > > responded. I now know how to make my bed (and sleep in it). > > To Tim in SJ- what the heck are you talking about? (that damned silver > > thing next to the steering column) > > My ignorance shines again. > > See you guys on the road, > > Joel


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.