Date:         Tue, 20 Jul 2004 13:20:02 -0400
Reply-To:     The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         The Bus Depot <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
Subject:      Re: What is the worst design part in the Vanagon
In-Reply-To:  <EBA3D891-DA67-11D8-9562-003065AB24DA@farrside.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

> The Westy's awesome! I can't think of anything
>  I'd change on mine.


I'd have done these things differently if I were them...

1) Up until Mid-89, the door to the clothes wardrobe would not open if
the table were present. In mid-89 they slightly shortened the door so it
would clear the table without moving it. Funny that it took them 10
years to think of this obvious change.

2) The original poptop canvas should have had 3 windows/screens like the
aftermarket canvas I sell has. Westfalia used a three-window design on
early 1970's busses but cheaped out on the Vanagon. It makes a huge
difference in terms of ventilation.

3) The P.O. of my Westy put a light with a switch directly above my
sliding door. I probably wouldn't have thought to do it myself, but now
don't know how I ever lived without it.

4) The front passenger seat should fully recline. This would have
allowed it to sleep five instead of four.

5) Too bad they didn't offer a front child's cot for the Vanagon Westy
as they did for the Bus. This would have allowed it to sleep 4-1/2
instead of 4. :-)

6) A camper should have cup holders. Odd that they put them on the
Multivan but not the full camper. Fortunately these are easy to add.

7) Making the sink faucet pull out with an extsension hose, or adding
another one on a hose toward the rear as the Winnie Eurovan has, would
have been a nice touch.

That said, I can't think of any vehicle I've ever had that has as much
utility packed into such a small space as my Westy. Warts and all - and
despite the periodic head gasket issues and other idiosyncracies - I
have never once regretted owning it.  For everything one that they may
have done "wrong," they did a thousand things right!

- Ron Salmon
  The Bus Depot, Inc.
  www.busdepot.com
  (215)  234-VWVW

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