Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 18:05:33 -0500
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: swapping vanagon for Prius (was RE: license plate light bulbs
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Just hang onto the Westy.
Get an apartment with a roommate and take the Westy on local trips.
Living in a Vanagon / Westy is like being homeless.
I've never found a State Park that would let anyone stay over a week even in
a $200,000.00 motor home.
Admittedly there are lots of alternative places to park a Westy for camping
that are free or near free but living out of one is as close to poverty
existence as I've ever seen.
Every long trip I've ever made in mine made me rethink taking lengthy trips.
I went from Dallas to Miami (felt like a million miles), Dallas to
Albuquerque (2 times and 2000 miles round trip) and Dallas to Houston (250
mi) and Padre Island (500+ miles) a few times.
These were the most grueling and tiring travel I've ever done.
I kept most of my travel down to 300 mile round trips and tollerated hill
climbing at 50-55 mph and crosswind or headwind travel at the same speeds.
I can't believe that traveling in an Air Cooled Westy vs. a WBX would make
much difference so I figure all long trips are Extremely Long Trips.
When I bought my Westy in 1995 I bought it from the original owner that had
used up it's useful life.
I restored that life with a new engine and over 9 years I used it for
another 170,000 miles.
I then installed another new engine in it and sold it with about 12k on a
very good rebuilt engine.
I never got through with working on it and I never drove any highway miles
without constant worry about something failing.
The darn things just need to be mollycoddled or they come apart on you.
Stan Wilder
www.engineceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Joy Hecht" <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 5:36 PM
Subject: Re: swapping vanagon for Prius (was RE: license plate light bulbs
> Hi Tobin,
>
> For sure, camping in the rain sucks.
>
> But then I'm the one whose laptop got wet in a rainstorm when water came
> gushing in the edge of the poptop, and I had to get a new computer! So
hmm,
> which leaks more, the tent or the poptop? :-)
>
> I kind of think the hassle of setting up a tent about balances out the
> ability to leave a campsite in my car for the day without having to pack
it
> all up, if I'm returning to the same place that night. And I have just
> found that if I want I can borrow a big tent - big enough to almost stand
up
> in and to put in a little table and chair so I can sit at my computer and
> work properly and not be really crowded. Which would be nice.
>
> So it's possible that in terms of amenities for me the van and the camping
> might kind of balance out.
>
> In which case why am I considering the van? Well, it kind of feels like
my
> home. And a tent wouldn't. That's something. And I really like the
> Vanagon community. That's something too.
>
> And I would definitely like to know lots more about how to fix my van,
even
> while I recognize that the time it would take to become a good mechanic is
> likely to be more than I'm willing to give it. Especially as I don't have
> anyone to apprentice myself to. I don't really know anyone (present
company
> excepted) who works on cars or knows vanagons. In a way I almost don't
mind
> the cost of the repairs - it's a reasonable tradeoff for having my time to
> do other things - but it's the element of surprise that gets me when
things
> go wrong.
>
> Any good mechanics out there who want a hanger-on for a month or two who
> wants to learn to fix stuff? Intelligent articulate adult, writes well,
> generally clever, but no mechanical knowledge, available as mechanical
> assistant in return for education about Vanagon repairs.
>
> An hour ago I was ready to take off in my car. Now I'm leaning towards my
> van. Sorry for flooding you all with email this evening, but I didn't
> expect to be making a decision about this. Your comments are helpful -
> please delete if you feel deluged by mine!
>
>
>
> Joy
>
>
>
> ****************************************************************
> Joy Hecht
> and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
>
> For musings about life and the vanadventures:
> http://users.rcn.com/jhecht/gypsy
>
> ****************************************************************
>
> :::-----Original Message-----
> :::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
> :::Of Tobin Copley
> :::Sent: Monday, August 23, 2004 5:49 PM
> :::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> :::Subject: Re: swapping vanagon for Prius (was RE: license plate light
> :::bulbs
> :::
> :::On Aug 23, 2004, at 2:02 PM, Greg Potts wrote:
> :::> Look around for a "DIY garage" near urban centers where you can rent
> :::> space to work on your own vehicle. Get the bentley, and get familiar
> :::> with the minor mechanical systems on your vanagon. If you can tune a
> :::> bicycle you can swap the fuel pump on a vanagon. The investment in
> :::> tools and manuals will pay you back many many times over. And the
> :::> personal satisfaction involved in acquiring a new skill is not to be
> :::> discounted, either. You don't have to know how to tear down an engine
> :::> or reprogram the fuel injection, but being able to look after the
> :::> simple stuff will save you a lot of $$$ and will help keep you in
touch
> :::> with the condition of the vehicle.
> :::
> :::While I certainly appreciate the spirit of Greg's advice (I hadn't so
> :::much as changed oil on a car 10 years ago, and now I do nearly all the
> :::work on my vanagon myself--including "deep" stuff like replacing engine
> :::bearings and transmissions. Personally, I think self-sufficiency with
> :::cars is good, and I encourage everyone to take the initiative and learn
> :::about how their car works, and to start learning how to fix it,
> :::starting with easy, routine maintenance. It's all good, and there are
> :::lots of resources out there for people who want to pursue that.
> :::
> :::However, I get the distinct impression from Joy's emails that not only
> :::does she not know how to undertake repairs on her Vanagon now, she has
> :::no inclination or desire to want to learn how to do so. And that's
> :::completely within her rights, and it's great. That's what puts food on
> :::the tables of mechanics' families, and sells new cars.
> :::
> :::So the question is, if she both does not know how to fix her car and
> :::she has no desire to learn, then which car is more suitable for her
> :::extended trip: the larger but aging Vanagon, or the much smaller but
> :::newer Prius? I wouldn't have a lot of confidence in the long-term
> :::reliability of the Prius years from now, but right now it's pretty much
> :::a brand new car. With only 20K on it, it's likely to be trouble-free
> :::for a while--I'd guess up to 100K anyway. After that, well, who's to
> :::say, but it's new and complicated technology. If Joy's trip is going
> :::to be only a few months or a year long, she's unlikely to have a major
> :::issues with it, and hey, it's still under warranty, right?
> :::
> :::Now, I live in a very rainy part of the world, and the idea of making
> :::camp in the rain, breaking camp in the rain, driving around in a steamy
> :::little car full of soggy gear only to haul it all out that evening and
> :::setting up the wet gear again, then sleeping in the wet sleeping bag in
> :::a wet wet tent then packing it all up again in the morning and so forth
> :::for days and weeks on end makes me just shake my head. If Joy's going
> :::to spend her time in the desert or on the beaches in Mexico, then it
> :::could be a great time for her.
> :::
> :::I have a 22 year old diesel westy. I replaced a broken transmission
> :::this spring, replaced the thermostat and replaced the rear brake
> :::cylinders and shoes in preparation for a two-week camping trip with my
> :::family into Northern BC (far away from Vanagon repair shops). The
> :::result? Over 1,700 miles of great fun, and not so much as a mechanical
> :::hiccup. Three days of torrential cold rain, yet we were dry and warm,
> :::playing games over the westy table. Camp-mates were wringing out
> :::sleeping bags, trying to repair torn tarps, moving flooded tents, and
> :::comforting cold, wet, sleep-deprived children. Mind you, I drove the
> :::whole way with one ear out for Expensive Noises, whereas the cold wet
> :::sleep-deprived family was able to drive home in completely mechanical
> :::confidence at 120 km/h in their Honda Odesseys.
> :::
> :::To each their own, no?
> :::
> :::T.
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