Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 18:45:56 -0500
Reply-To: Jonathan Farrugia <jfarrugi@UMICH.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jonathan Farrugia <jfarrugi@UMICH.EDU>
Subject: Re: Vngns ARE junk!(Minivans)
In-Reply-To: <CAEOIPKOOCKNBBDDDMBPAEOJGIAA.jeff@vanagonparts.com>
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
wow these are cool, the perfect around town vehicle.
jonathan
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005, Jeffrey Schwaia wrote:
> Robert,
>
> How about a '58 Goggomobil?
>
> http://www.goggomobil.com/gallery/transporter/transporter.html
>
>
> Or perhaps you prefer the Doka?
>
> http://www.goggomobil.com/gallery/pickup/pickup.html
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Jeff
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM]On Behalf
> Of Robert Keezer
> Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2005 9:55 AM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Vngns ARE junk!(Minivans)
>
>
> Hey- I think Subaru had one of the first minivans,
> L@@K -
>
> http://www.cars101.com/oldsubpictures.html
>
> Robert
>
> 1982 Westfalia
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- Jeffrey Earl <jefferrata@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> > >> Please, do compare the Vanagon and its
> > reliability
> > to anything else designed in the late 70's. Do
> > compare it to other 20+year old vehicles. Let's
> > draw
> > relevant conclusions.
> >
> > and
> >
> > >> Tell me that a 20 year old caravan runs problem
> > free. All older cars require maintanance!
> >
> >
> > I assume you gentlemen read no more than the first
> > paragraph of my original post before gleefully
> > depressing your "Reply" buttons.
> >
> > Had you proceeded even to the next sentence you
> > would
> > have read me doing exactly what you request:
> > comparing
> > the 1980 Vanagon to a 1980 Mustang, or by
> > implication,
> > any other 20-year-old vehicle of your choice. And my
> > conclusion was that, as you say, ALL 20-year-old
> > cars
> > will require extra care and maintenance. I maintain,
> > however, that the Vanagon will require even a little
> > bit more ... (wink)
> >
> > Chris, to compare the Vanagon to a Dodge Caravan is
> > more than fair. In fact, according to this webpage
> > for
> > Chrysler minivan enthusiasts (and I thought we
> > Vanageeks were oddballs):
> >
> > "The Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager were first
> > introduced to the world in 1983, but Chrysler had
> > actually started working on them in the early 1970s,
> > with full development starting in 1980. Indeed, one
> > engineer told us that the launch was originally to
> > be
> > in 1981, but that the minivan project was put on
> > hold
> > for the Y-body Imperial."
> > http://www.allpar.com/model/m/history.html
> >
> > So it seems the Vanagon and the Caravan are very
> > close
> > automotive cousins, conceived nearly simultaneously
> > and born within two years of each other. The article
> > goes on to say:
> >
> > "Who invented the minivan?
> >
> > "Chrysler invented the modern minivan - twice.
> > Richard
> > Moss pointed out that Chrysler Europe was working
> > with
> > Matra on a minivan in the late 1970s / early 1980s.
> > ... Matra took the design to Renault, which modified
> > it to fit the Renault 21 drivetrain...resulting in a
> > calendar-year 1983 introduction and Europe's most
> > popular minivan. ... The American Plymouth Voyager
> > and
> > Dodge Caravan were also introduced in 1983, as 1984
> > models."
> >
> > The article seems to ignore the existence of VW
> > Vanagons on American streets as early as 1980(!),
> > and
> > if the earlier Busses/Transporters weren't "mini
> > vans", I don't know what is.
> >
> > I love my Vanagon Westy like no other vehicle I've
> > owned. You can have it only when you pry my
> > lifeless,
> > mangled corpse from its crumpled, steely clutches.
> > But
> > I am not blind to the Vanagon's peculiar foibles,
> > and
> > a little honest self-evaluation never hurt anyone.
> > Or
> > a van ...
> >
> >
> > Jeffrey Earl
> > 1983 diesel Westfalia "Vanasazi"
> > http://www.vanthology.com/
> >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________
> > Do you Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Mail - 250MB free storage. Do more. Manage
> > less.
> > http://info.mail.yahoo.com/mail_250
> >
>
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