Date: Sun, 9 May 2004 21:51:27 +1200
Reply-To: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Grebneff <andrew.grebneff@STONEBOW.OTAGO.AC.NZ>
Subject: Re: State of the List... State your ages!!!!!!! :<)
In-Reply-To: <IFEIJNJABPPGOMGBAIHJAEKGCJAA.sagmoore@zoominternet.net>
Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=us-ascii
Age 45 next month. Fossil preparator in the Geology Department of
Otago University, Dunedin, NZ, working mainly on whales (but sneaking
in as many fossil molluscs as I can).
Dad bought a new beige Fastback TL in 1967, just before we left
Edmonton for Victoria, BC. Fell in love with Beetles in Victoria and
dreamed that one day I'd have one (a "super-silver", as I called it
then, limited-edition Superbug.
We moved to NZ in Jan 1974, when I was 14. My first vehicles were
Honda trailbikes (which led to about 18 years of bikes, ranging from
a bored-out SL100 to a couple of 750 Fours bored to 900 & a CBX1047).
But my first 4-wheeler, when I was in my final year of highschool,
was a rough 1957 semaphore (no, they didn't work) Panelvan with stock
36hp 1.2), which I loved. It was really reliable, though I blew 2
engines by my own silliness before fitting a 1.6 & 12Volting it. Kept
this bus until about 1993. Meantime I mucked around with a 1957 Oval
and a 1964 Bug, a Hino Contessa, a 1970 Toyota Crown MS51 coupe with
327, a diesel 1988 Nissan Skyline 4dr hardtop (total disaster car)
etc. A 1975 Kombi (mustard-olive) with 1916-bored 1.8, which went
like stink but had a sad angine, kept me going for a little over a
year. Then I got hooked on Toyota diesels, so have had various FWD &
4WD Corolla & Corona diesels and currently a 4WD Hiace 2.4D (a
vehicle I really like). My return of VWs was in 1998, when I gbought
a 1984 Caravelle GL with a Holden (Aussie GM) 3.8 V6. The modified
5-speed 094 didn't last long after purchase and the van sat. I got
the idea of an SVX transplane very soon after the trans failure,
after finding that 3.0 Porsche engines were crazily overpriced
everywhere. And the SVX is a better engine anyway AND watercooled (so
I can have a heater). I had planned a Porsche trans conversion when I
bought the van, so eventually imported a G50 from a Porsche wrecker
in Germany... paid $1200US for it and when it arrived I found that it
was a one-year-only G50M220 Turbo trans, with LSD & reverse synchro.
Accumulated a couple of Alcyone (SVX) engines and it sat like this
for several years. Only now am I feeling affluent enough to look at
the conversion going ahead.
I have no use for a camper. Peoplemover versions or loadcarriers are
infinitely more drivable and useful. If I want to camp I can use a
tent or sleep in the back anyway...
Anyway, I'm a confirmed Type 2 freak. Whether it's a Split, a Bay or
a T3 ("Vanagon"). Front-engined VW vans need not apply...
I consider all front-engined VWs trash. They are inevitably
poor-handling (apart from nonUS 1st-generation Golf/Scirocco and Audi
80/Passat) and have electrical reliability issues. And VW, like most
European makers, can't be bothered to make RHD column-switches for
RHD cars, which is downright dangerous.
I too am concerned at the lack of spelling ability (eg "alot",
"alright"), punctuation (eg "VW's", "B-29's") and grammar (eg "could
care less", "couple weeks") on the list, but I see this everywhere,
including many PhDs... if a posting is bad enough in this regard I
trash the sender's messages without reading them.
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