VANAGON archives -- August 2005, week 4 (#312)

Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:24:18 -0700 Reply-To: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com> From: Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> Subject: Re: Vanagon & Eurovan - community helping community In-Reply-To: <000c01c5a909$7963ca70$8f9fd646@t41> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Larry -

Have you gotten any interesting replies to this on the ev list?

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 Larry Chase :::Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 5:10 PM :::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM :::Subject: Vanagon & Eurovan - community helping community ::: :::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

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