Date:         Sun, 9 May 2004 17:57:28 -0400
Reply-To:     Scott Grass <csgrass@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Scott Grass <csgrass@BELLSOUTH.NET>
Subject:      Re: State of the List... State your ages!!!!!!! :<)
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Hi I'm Scott and I'm 34 and addicted to syncro VW's among other things.  I'm
fairly new to the list but I read all the tech threads, because one can
never have too much info. OK, sometimes you can but it isnt very often. As
for my addiction to VWs alll sarted a few years ago when I was over the
roughing it part of my climbing addiction, any my wife( she is so good) and
myself decide to look in to campers to live out of, for extended periods of
time. Let me tell you, the westy is a palace to live out of after spending
months living out of a tent. So the hunt was on for a climbing base camp
vehicle. We started looking at all the options, class C campers (gas hogs,
to big ), vans that were converted to campers that were made by the big
three ( felt like a coffin inside were dark and dreary, really didnt want a
restroom in a van that small, were gas hogs like the class C ). So we saw a
couple of westies at various crags on the west coast and talked to some of
their owners.They liked their westie, some liked air some water a lot of
info, it seemed that everyone who owned one was crazed with his or her van.
I just wanted a camper that was reasonable prices and not a "Hog".   Looked
on the internet, SAMBA and others , started shopping and low and behold,
found out that there was this van that was a westie and was 4 wheel drive.
This was a great break through, we were expecting with any camper that we
would be parking at the paved / semi paved roads and walking the rest of the
way in on foot. This was going to allow us to go to remote areas and stay.
So I did some homework and started looking for a Syncro Westfalia the later
the better, after much looking well over a years worth. I had almost given
up every van was trashed or a collectors dream and priced as such. I  was
going to buy a 93 westie 2wd out of SC and just days before the deal was
done. I came upon a 91 sncryo westie for sale, honestly I can remember were
i got the ad there were so many. It was for sale up in PA and I called and
bought my syncro from a member of this list, who was not all that sure that
he wanted to sell. Who could blame him. Well after driving it back to KY I
was in love with this van. It is every thing I was looking for in a camper
and more. After driving it on a few trips AL,TN, and GA, I was preaching the
virtues of the westie to all my buddies at the crags and Im starting to see
more and more showing up here . I have had good luck so far with the van,
knock on wood. just the things you would expect to fix on any older car. New
shocks and tires tune up air filter . Use it at least every weekend and
recently I spent three months in west Texas living out of it. The only draw
back I have found so far is the angry faces in my rear view mirrior on hills
in the mountians , but I think I got a fix for that to Im going to close the
rear window blinds . Now im looking for another westie another synchro or
maybe an air cooled Hmmmm.......


Scott Grass
91 syncro westphaila
87 toyota MR2 supercharged (60,000 org miles)