Date: Wed, 12 May 2004 11:05:06 -0700
Reply-To: Jerry Denton <jerrycorrine@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jerry Denton <jerrycorrine@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: State your age
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed
I’ll be 65 in June.
You’ve not heard much from me on this list, although I read it daily,
learning much in the process.
I currently drive (daily), a ’91 Westy. Over the years I’ve owned several
different cars. My very first car was a ’42 chevy, with the US Government
listed as the original owner.
The basis for all I have learned about cars came from this Chevy. A little
later, before getting married, I owned a ’49 MG TC and a “50 Oldsmobile club
coupe. Hard to imagine having two more dissimilar cars at the same time.
Sure would like to have that TC now. Have you seen what they are worth
today? I paid $1,000 for it in about 1959. After several other cars, I
bought a new ‘68 Volvo 122, not nearly as reliable as their reputation might
suggest. Had a Mini Cooper S for a while. Wonder if the new ones are as
much fun to drive as the old ones. Then some Japanese cars, Toyotas,
including a new ’86 MR2, which we still drive. Probably the most reliable
cars I’ve ever had, like 130,000 miles before it needed a clutch.
In 1990 my wife and I quite our jobs, (early retirement packages just too
tempting) and with backpacks spent a year in Africa, the Middle East and
Europe. It was in Europe we first bought a VW. A used camper, I forget the
year but it was the air cooled, pre-Vanagon style. This was a perfect way
to tour Europe, saving much money in hotels, hostels and restaurants. The
only problem was, with German plates, we would often be approached by German
tourist enthusiastically speaking in German. This camper cost about $3000
and although we didn’t get quite the same in deutschmarks when we sold it,
(back to the same dealer we bought it from) the exchange rate had changed to
the point where we received the same in dollars. Worked out pretty well.
We now own a ’91 Westy with about 125,000 miles, having put on about 60,000
ourselves. Contrary to all I have read, it has been very reliable, no
problems other than normal maintenance. We have driven it to South Dakota
in the north and to Mississippi in the south of the US. (We live in
Portland Oregon.) Driving down Baja Mexico and across the Gulf we have gone
as far south as Acapulco. We have lived in our van for 3 months at a time.
This will be no surprise to anyone on this list, but other, more normal
people, this seems amazing. We really like our van and plan to keep it
indefinitely.
Oh, yeah, I don’t have a motorcycle, but I do have two bicycles, A Gary
Fisher mountain bike and a Waterford road bike.
Cheers, Jerry
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