Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005 17:10:22 -0700
Reply-To: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
Subject: Vanagon & Eurovan - community helping community
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Cross list post ... Vanagon.com & EV_update
To: EV-Update folks,
I recently posted a "distress call" for a stranded "Eurovan Traveller"
to the Vanagon & EV lists.
Several responses and offers of help came back from Vanagon folks, but
very little from EV folks.
I was a surprised and disappointed at the lack of help for one of your
own.
BTW .... current list membership count is:
Vanagon.com = 904 members
ev_update = 3627 members
Those results prompted a discussion thread on the Vanagon list as to why
EV owners don't seem to feel the same sense of Community (helping ea other)
as perhaps Bus & Vanagon owners do.
I don't intent this as a flame or put down to EV owners.
I would like to understand your perspective.
Why do you think EuroVan owners don't seem to be as motivated as other vw
bus/van
folks to help one another.
Or am I off base and drawing the wrong conclusion?
To me ... A VW VAN IS A VW VAN IS A VW VAN.
I don't care if its air cooled, water cooled or beer cooled.
We are all stuck with beautiful, but problematic vehicles.
If someone is in need I'll try and help.
I "clipped" a few of the comments from the vanagon group's discussion.
- - -
Personally I will help a "camper" regardless if splittie, bay, vanagon, or
euro. However I have found that the vast majority of the euro crowd looks
upon us all as "other" people.
- - -
To hell with those people, Larry. They won't even help one of their own, yet
they act like a Vanagon was the result of a drunken night spent with a
hooker
from the wharfs.
- - -
I think the split is a result of the change in design philosophy. The
Vanagon
was still the same basic design from '80-- it was the last of the
"traditional"
Volkswagen designs. The EuroVan was just another minivan. It just doesn't
have
that same "thinking outside the box" look or feel that came with the old
rear
engine VWs, so it doesn't attract the same class of nuts.
- - -
Several of us approached the EV folks and started a general VW oriented
conversation. They were not the least friendly. Would I help one of them if
they had a problem? Yes. Would any of them help a Vanagon, Splittie or Bay
bus
owner in trouble? I seriously doubt they'd give us a second look or thought.
- - -
The average EVC owner/driver doesn't see themselves as part of the
tradition,
history or lineage that the Bus and Vanagon driver/owner/caretaker does.
They
just don't connect their EVC with the past history of VW campers or
vehicles.
I have to think that it is their loss, not ours. The sense of community
among
those driving Vanagons and Buses is lost to most of the EVC crowd.
- - -
I've met vanagon & bus folks like this too and I've met people in Ford
campers
who were nice folks. It's the people and not the van.
- - -
good road, good adventure
larry chase
www.roadhaus.com
www.roadhaus.com/shops.html
www.roadhaus.com/tires.html
