Vanagon EuroVan
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Date:         Thu, 25 Aug 2005 10:13:31 -0400
Reply-To:     Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Tim Demarest <tim.demarest@POBOX.COM>
Subject:      Re: Vanagon & Eurovan - community helping community
Comments: To: Larry Chase <roadguy@ROADHAUS.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <000c01c5a909$7963ca70$8f9fd646@t41>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Let's not bash the EV owners too hard... they are probably less willing to leap to the aid of others because they are less likely to have needed the help. Owning a van in it's first decade of life is much more trouble free than the second (or 3rd, 4th or 5th). Consequently, many EVs are still owned by folks who just buy their vehicles new (or nearly so) and drive 'em with the assurance that all will be well.

We second & third decade Vanagon owners are just more dedicated to our machines, because we need to be to keep 'em running... it's that camaraderie of shared effort and risk that pulls us together. We're more willing to help, because we've all needed the help at some point (or expect to any day now :-).

Owners of bays and splitties are tooling down the road in true classics, so the effort and risk (and the camaraderie) run that much deeper... if they look down a little on Vanagon folks, it's because we drive such shiny new trouble-free machines. :-)

Give the EVs another five to ten years, and they will pass from the hands of the "just drive it" folks into the "I really like this particular vehicle" folks... and they'll be waving at us with that same goofy smile we all wear so well.

adding another two cents to the opinion fund...

Tim

At 05:10 PM 8/24/2005 -0700, Larry Chase wrote: >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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