Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 21:12:37 -0500
Reply-To: Christensen <populuxe@QWICS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Christensen <populuxe@QWICS.COM>
Subject: Re: vanagon sized/shape/style vehicles
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
friend of mine had the mitsu van, called it "the toaster". Bought it on the
west coast. Brought it back to Wisconsin. He gave up on it. Know why?
The head gasket blew out AGAIN.
He had it on e-bay, unsuccesful. I did notice that there was another cheap
e-bay mitsu van--also bad head gasket. No problem, also up for auction was
a head gasket rebuild kit--about 65 pieces...thats why my friend ditched it.
oh, by the way, he had the mitsu because he couldn't get a resonable/newer
vanagon where he was(San Diego).
chris c
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Demarest" <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 5:12 PM
Subject: Re: vanagon sized/shape/style vehicles
OK, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks those Mitsubishi vans look
kinda cool. Sure, the only *other* people who agree with me also think
Vanagon's are kinda cool...
Wouldn't give up my '85 Westy for anything... (unless I find a nice clean
Syncro Westy being sold by someone who has no idea what it's worth... :-)
Tim
At 04:21 PM 6/25/2003 -0500, Owen wrote:
>I too have always liked the shape of those Mitsubishi vans. I see more of
>those in Houston than Vanagons.
>
>One vehicle that might be the basis of a modern Vanagon is the MB SmartCar.
>While it appears like death on wheels that is the perception many have of
>the vanagon. In fact the Smart Car is built around a crash cage concept and
>is pretty darn safe for a car of any size much less that little thing.
>Expand the crash cage concept of that car and make maximum use of a larger
>chassis and you have the evolved vanagon. Modern TDI with decent mileage
and
>it could be pretty cool.
>
>That said I love my 84 Westy and wouldn't give it up for anything.
>
>Owen
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "John Parson" <bentway@IWON.COM>
>To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
>Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 1:55 PM
>Subject: Re: vanagon sized/shape/style vehicles
>
>
> > I've always thought small, older Mitsubish vans look like shortened
>Vanagons. The only place i've seen a lot of them is on the west coast.
> > Chris P.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > --- On Tue 06/24, Andrew Grebneff <
andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ
> > wrote:
> > From: Andrew Grebneff [mailto: andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ]
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Date: Wed, 25 Jun 2003 07:35:22 +1200
> > Subject: Re: vanagon sized/shape/style vehicles
> >
> > >one type of bus i always kinda lusted after was a
>Mercedes<br>>MB-100.<br>>about the same size and shape as our vanagons, but
>with a front<br>>engine between the front seats.<br>>i think they've
>discontinued it in favor of their<br>>more-minivan-shaped vehicles.
>:(<br><br>The MB100 looks like a Hiace gone wrong. It's also FWD, and made
>in<br>Korea... I strongly suspect therefore that it is actually a
>Ssangyong<br>design (until recently Ssangyong was a manufacturer
>making<br>locally-designed large Musso 4WDs using Mercedes sixes & diesel
>5s;<br>it was bought out by another manufacturer recently) and not a
>real<br>Mercedes..<br><br>>and i think the public misconception of no-nose
=
>no protection<br>>continues,<br><br>Unfortunately! The Type 2 and Hiaces
>prove that forward-control vans<br>CAN be safe... to their occupants (not
to
>the occup[ants of the other<br>car, though!... ie see the Caravelle vs
Volvo
>crashtest).<br><br>>and you aren't likely to see any
>well-designed<br>>vehicles (like our vanagons) that use the interior
>space<br>>efficiently or effectively. the Honda is an attempt at it,
>but<br>>look at the intended audience: surfers, bikers, hikers ... not
>a<br>>soccer mom in the bunch! ;)<br><br>Fortunately the YH/LH-100-series
>Toyota Hiace is still going<br>gangbusters in production, though there is
>also a longnosed so-called<br>Hiace sold alongside it! I hope Toyota sees
>the light and continues<br>the cabover design. The Mitsubishi Delica
>(=Express, L300) is still<br>in production in Korea as the Hyundai H100.
Kia
>has just released a<br>cabover Hiace clone also. Mazda is also still making
>its Bongo (also<br>sold with Ford Econovan badges).<br><br>Strictly
speaking
>these Japanese vans are front-midengined, as the<br>engine is located
inline
>& slightly behind the front axle line ie<br>within the
>wheelbase.<br><br>>but then, i wouldn't mind if the vanagons were a tad
>bigger.<br><br>Nah, it's plenty wide enough already. Want wider, get a
>Dummer... I<br>mean Hummer.<br><br>>anyway, i guess my point is, they ain't
>making no more no-nose<br>>vans ...<br><br>See above<br><br>>and the vans
>they are making aren't very good for what<br>>we want.<br><br>No, the
>long-nosed vans either are the same length as a VW with 1.5m<br>less
>cargobay length, or the entire vehicle is 1.5m longer...TOO<br>long!! Crap.
>I'll stick with rear-engined VWs and Hiaces (I just<br>bought 2 1986 LWB
>10-seater dual-slider 2.4 diesel Hiaces, one being<br>an LH66 dual-range
>4WD). The trend toward Eurovans is lamentable.<br><br>I believe the Hiace
is
>sold in México. What's to stop people bringing<br>them into the US
>privately?<br>--<br>Andrew Grebneff<br>165 Evans St, Dunedin, New
>Zealand<br>64 (3)
>473-8863<br><andrew.grebneff@stonebow.otago.ac.nz><br>Fossil
>preparator<br>Seashell, Macintosh & VW/Toyota van nut<br>
> >
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