Date: Wed, 1 Jan 2003 22:06:33 -0800
Reply-To: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Robert Keezer <warmerwagen@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Vanagon Thoughts (was RE: SUV Bashing)
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
The Vanagon was a popular automobile much like the original Beetle and Bus
was during their production years.
I wanted one back then , but at the cost of $17,000 in 1982 it was way over
my budget. So I drove an affordable 1965 camper Bus.
Like many other autos of the past, popularity continues long after the last
one rolls off the assembly line.
The Vanagon post-production phenomenom has some people (and some SUV
owners) scratching their heads.
Most people just move on to the newer versions or substitutes.
But a few of us, we are stuck in the past , fixing and improving Vanagons
beyond the manufacturers original design.
The Vanagon body style still looks modern enough to us, and has moslt of the
same features that make the Type 2's ancient technology.
We are not the rule, but the exception.
Not because we needed to find our own identities and be different from the
rest of the minivan or camper population, but because some of us stumbled
upon the Vanagon , by accident in my case- and found it to be a pleasant
surprise.
Most of us did'nt buy a vanagon because we deeply depised SUV's.
It has a lot more to do with features other than airbags or ABS.
It's a practical vehicle, has the same turning radius as the Golf, fit's in
smaller garages. I know a guy who's Westfalia has one foot of sapce on the
drivers side from the garage wall, three feet on the passenger side, and
four inches of cieling clearance. It's not wasting the garage space as a SUV
would. ( OK -there are some huge SUV's out there so i'm not sure about this)
The Westfalia camper is unique- nothing else compares as far as a camper is
concerned.
It's not too big , it's not too small . A multi- purpose vehicle-for
commuting, for camping. It has features that never go out of style:
a fridge, beds, water supply, sink, stove- these are the nescesscities of
modern living.
The Eurovan promised to take the Vanagons place- it did'nt .
Few have been sold . I hardly ever see them in this land of Windstars.
Eurovans did continue many of the features of Vanagons including the camper
versions. It's post-production following will be smaller. Unless of course
Eurovans are the first to dump their 'vans for the New Microbus.
Just like the Squareback never eclipsed the Beetle, so the Eurovan never
eclipsed the original modern "bus"
.
Most Vanagon owners who were former Type 2 owners like me will agree that
the Vanagon is a huge improvement in many ways over it's predessors.
Many parts are available and just like sailboats, the Westfalia and other
versions of campers never go out of style. I'ts still affordable especially
when you do your own maintenance, Name a car that is affordable to maintain
anyway with today's high shop labor.
So when I think of bashing a SUV, I try to keep in mind that an SUV can
never be a camper, so it is an apples and oranges comparison.They are nice,
big shiny oranges.
The apple is just a little bruised and wrinkled from storage.
Robert K
1982 Westfalia
Seattle
Robert
1982 Westfalia
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