Date:         Wed, 24 Aug 2005 12:28:30 -0700
Reply-To:     John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         John Bange <jbange@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Euro Highness ...
In-Reply-To:  <00f201c5a8d6$c1ad6080$2f01a8c0@FirstLaptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

> I share the same feelings and intention what Stan has.  I also have to add
> that between the older and newer van owners, the bread loaf, vanagon,
> eurovan, I sense a kind of cast system.  The new ones may look down on the
> old ones and the old ones envious of the new.  Now, this may not be accurate
> and applicable to all, of course.  But this is some natural reaction as it
> is between poor and wealthy.  I don't think, I am alone to have this
> feeling.

That's an interesting way to look at it. I noticed on my last trip
(Hwy 1 thru Big Sur to Santa Cruz-- lots of VWs)  that bay and splitty
drivers didn't wave back with nearly as often as Vanagon drivers.
Eurovans, seems like they never even saw me; none ever waved back, so
I gave up. But with the old loaf buses, I imagined that maybe they
didn't consider our water-cooled squaresville boxes to be "real
Transporters" and looked down on anything made after '79. Perhaps the
caste system is only imaginary. It seems pretty clear that the vast
majority of Eurovan drivers are completely oblivious of their van's
connection to its rear-engine predecessors, and this makes some sense,
I guess; but I wonder how many of the slights we perceive are no more
than simple tunnel vision on the other driver's part. When I'm driving
I often become so fixated on the road that my wife will jab me in the
ribs and say "hey, a Westy just drove by and you didn't wave!" and I
genuinely didn't see it. Maybe it's just me, that I've only been a
Vanagon owner for a little over a year and my "VW sense" hasn't fully
developed.

> One reason we like to be in this online club is, we know that there must be
> paupers and millionaires on the list, but we all have the same problems with
> the Vanagon and we don't advertise our differences.

Heh. I wonder how many had money before acquiring Vanagons, but are
now paupers?
I wasn't ever rich, but I sure do remember a time when I seemed to
have more money.

> And on the road we all wave and wave back.  

Personally, I'd rather have friends than money!
-- 
John Bange
'90 Vanagon
"Keine Bange, wir holen die Zange!"