Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (May 2004, week 2)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Sun, 9 May 2004 18:17:45 -0700
Reply-To:     Veronica Fraga <veronicafraga@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Veronica Fraga <veronicafraga@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: State of the List... State your ages!!!!!!!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hi all, it's Vee. OK, my turn to tell a tale of love, loss and moneypits...

I'm 43, and like a lot of posters here, I can't even believe it. My subconscious still tells me I'm 28. I have a 7-year-old son who helps me maintain that illusion!

Unlike most people whose stories I've read so far, I have very little prior experience with VWs. When I was pregnant, we bought my son's dad a '65 Notchback. He had one before (it was in boxes when he bought it) and he always wanted one that actually ran. This one did. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at keeping it up, and by the time we had broken up and I made him sell it to pay me part of what he owed me, it really frightened me to think our toddler was riding in it. Selling it was a good move on both counts.

When I started thinking about buying a Vanagon, I was applying to an internship program in the film production industry. I lived about an hour from L.A., and I wanted to be able to crash near wherever we would be shooting the next day, so that I could maximize sleep and minimize late arrivals (a sure way to get booted from the program). In looking around online for RVs, the Vanagon camper really seemed to meet my needs -- small and unobtrusive compared to typical RVs, versatile for other applications like trips to Home Depot and daily driving, and not ridiculously expensive. (Ha! If I knew then what I know now...!)

In the shopping around process, I stumbled upon the most amazing contraption -- a 1990 Multiwagen with an Adventurewagen hightop instead of the typical Westy poptop. Of course, I didn't know that's what it was at the time. That all came with the rest of the education I've gotten over the past year of owning a Vanagon and being a member of these lists. All I knew at the time was that I was hopelessly in love.

Some of you know the sordid details of how I came to own my "Pound Puppy." For the rest of you, here's the condensed version. My fiance at the time came with me to look at that converted Multiwagen. It stalled some when starting it up, and he nixed the purchase. (Turned out to be a simple fix, and someone else bought that van for more than the seller had agreed to with me. Ugh!) My ex and I fought a lot about my desire to buy a Vanagon (even though I had recently sold my beloved Toyota 4x4 to help him buy his Expedition!). Eventually, he decided to "help me buy a good one." The rest of the story is a comedy of errors. He found one on ebay, described as "excellent, excellent." He made a deal offline with the seller. He flew up to San Francisco to pick it up, and the seller left him waiting in the airport for 9 hours while he made some last minute adjustments to the van. By the time the seller arrived, it was dark and my ex was pissed. He got in and drove away... and broke down about 2 hours later.

We went round and round with the seller, and eventually, I decided to just keep the van with all its undisclosed problems, and try to fix it up so I could sell it more honorably than the PO had. In the process, I became quite emotionally attached and my van revealed his name to be "Pound Puppy." He cleaned up nicely, and I went ahead (in a fit of obsessive compulsivity) and gave him an Extreme Makeover, turning him into the Syncro version of that Multivan I had fallen in love with but not bought. You can see him on the Roadhaus site -- he's proudly displayed as the Van of the Week. (At least I think he's still up there...)

I go back and forth about selling him, though. I want to buy a house this summer, and I know that I really should sell him to make my financial position stronger. I also really want to keep him forever and give him a Subaru engine upgrade, so we can go out and play rough together. The more I read other people's posts here, I know that I'll regret the decision if I sell him. I'll never find another van like him. I'll be 60, and I'll be writing posts about what an idiot I was to ever let him go. (sigh) Ain't life strange?

Oh, BTW, I never did go into that film production program. I ended up withdrawing my application, and although I still hope to apply again someday, right now, I've had to put it on the shelf in favor of being a responsible single mom. (sigh) Maybe my son will grow up and apply to the program, and he'll live in the Pound Puppy and they'll travel the world together shooting movies and having fun... Or he'll grow up and do something normal and boring, and when he moves out on his own, me and the Pound Puppy will travel the world together shooting movies and having fun... : )

Hugs to all! Vee

"Pound Puppy" '87 Syncro Westy-Adventurewagen Hybrid


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.