Date: Sat, 24 Nov 2001 23:59:42 -0800
Reply-To: developtrust <developtrust@HOME.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: developtrust <developtrust@HOME.COM>
Subject: Re: Vanagon versus Lazy Daze motor home
You make good points. If one can afford both and does a lot of traveling
with a large family then I suppose things change. For me I am moving toward
simplicity. And like you say, everything is a compromise. My neighbor just
bought a huge motorhome and he is chopping his garage in half to make a
driveway to his back yard where he is building another garage farther back
just to accommodate the motor home and decreasing the resale value of his
real estate drastically. But this is what he wants.
One man's trash is another man's treasure. I would never ruin a house to
accommodate a motor home I know he will tire of much later down the road. It
is only a matter of time. Hotels are easy to find for the cost.
I guess people modify their vanagons for more power for the same reason I
modified my Lazy Daze. To make it more perfect. Now I am into modifying this
wonderful Vanagon. It is fun.
William
----- Original Message -----
From: Dennis Haynes
To: 'developtrust' ; vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2001 10:40 PM
Subject: RE: Vanagon versus Lazy Daze motor home
Let me start off by saying that I own both an 87 Syncro Westy and a 1999
33.5 foot Tropi-Cal motor home (With Slide-out). If the VW is so great, than
why do so many Listees want to add more power, toilets, heat, AC etc.?
Because they want the comforts of the real RV without the costs. Everything
is a compromise. As for the awfull fuel economy, yours had a problem or you
drove very fast and up a lot of hills. My first motorhome was a 1992 Tioga.
Class C, 27 foot, 12,500 lbs loaded. At 55 mph I could get almost 10 mpg. At
the 65 to 70 I usually traveled, I got 7.5. This was with the Ford 460 and 4
speed overdrive transmission. The coach I have now weighs 16,300 lbs. empty.
With the Ford Triton V-10, I get 8.5 mpg traveling 65 to 70 mph. Maximum
wieght is 20,500 pounds. I usually wiegh around 19,500 fully loaded which
includes 75 gallons gas, 75 gallons water. I lose about 1 mpg when towing
the Syncro Westy. In four years, I have put about 60,000 miles on the two RV
's. At least this is 60,000 miles less for the Syncro Camper which now has
185,000 miles on it, (original heads and gaskets). By the way, at best, the
Westy gives me 17 mpg at those speeds. 70 to 75 mph with the AC on doing the
NY to Florida runs puts me down to 14 or 15. Especially with luggage
carriers on the roof and mounted to the hitch.
Anyway, I do agree with many of your comments about the Vanagon. However,
there are times when we need more room or more equipment. The Westy is
somewhat limited to fair weather and really only two adults. The four of us
need more space. Sometimes we travel with more. I really wish VW would
accomadate us with something a bit larger so we could keep on Bussin'
Dennis
|