Date: Thu, 3 Sep 2009 07:33:01 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: vanagon difficulty
In-Reply-To: <d2a.55427fee.37d0f751@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
I'll contribute again. Vanagons are 'user-friendly' to a greater degree
than most vehicles I have owned and worked on. Especially with the
existence of this online community. If... it's the right "User"..
I am rarely in the position to simply throw money at problems, to be able
or even want to just call a dealer and get stuff fixed regardless of cost.
I've chosen free time over a lucrative career and piling up a stack of money
to pay for others to do stuff for me . So over the years I've learned
enough about things automotive to be somewhat knowledgeable and I've dealt
with my own vehicle problems. The Vanagon is easy for me.
I can see how some owners..maybe those who don't do their own work, those
who more closely conform to the Auto Industry's consumer specs, would have
problems using a Vanagon, find it "difficult'.. You can't just "get it
fixed".
If theirs happens to be a relatively 'young' one, it probably has all
kinds of 'extra' stuff, stuff that we're now conditioned to expect in our
vehicles, so more stuff to go wrong. More stuff to "get fixed". But all
that stuff was done in '90s Technology. It isn't very dependable. Neither
is the WBX motor..(I know, "But I have XXX,XXX miles on MY waterboxer motor
and I never_____ ___")
if you live in a big city and go to The Office everyday for 10-12hrs,
getting it fixed is difficult and you can't afford to not work and learn to
fix it yourself. You peeps got the wrong rig..too difficult to manage with
that lifestyle.
I wish mine worked just like a Honda or a Nissan or a Toyota..I put180 k
miles on a Datsun King cab back in the 90s and I never even knew what kinda
motor was in it (it was still running, un-opened, when it met
it's demise... crushed by a run-a-way cement truck)...When I started
considering a Van a few years ago, looking for fuel economy over my full
sized diesel camper truck, I was surprised at the Vanagon's poor rap. But I
liked the vehicle's configuration and further research revealed that
modified ones performed better. So I found one that suited me, one with no
extra stuff and a transplant Rabbit motor. It works fine and rarely
breaks. When it does, I can fix it pretty easily. With the online
community and some time, finding parts cheap is no problem. None.
I have some wealthy friends, one of whom bought a Vanagon recently. For
family outings and some 'car camping' when they have time. He sent the
whole deal, from Jackson, Wy. to Go Westy and just said "Fix it"...His
works fine. He's pleased with it. It is Nice, too. He makes the bucks,
with all those long hours in his business, to do it that way...Not so
'difficult' and probably better than a new Sprinter camper...fits under the
trees and into parking structures...If you do a Vanagon that way, that can't
be too difficult..And if you have problems later with your 'gold-plater' you
can tell your Personal Assistant to hire a Worker to drive it back to Go
Westy and get it fixed again or pay for whatever's needed to get it back to
your driveway, perfect again...
So there you go...Nothing is for everyone. Me, I have time and space and
not much cash. Some have cash but no time or space..Those peeps aren't
gonna find Vanagons easy to live with, mainly just because Vanagons aren't
'integrated' into our current automotive culture very well any more...
Don Hanson
On Thu, Sep 3, 2009 at 3:41 AM, Frank Condelli <RAlanen@aol.com> wrote:
> In a message dated 02/09/2009 10:07:30 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
>
> Thanks Ken for the absolute truth of the matter ! I could not
> have said it better !
>
>
>
> <<<<<<<<<<<What you have to understand about the Vanagon is that they are
> NOT any
> more difficult to work on or diagnose than any other car. >>>>>>>>>
>
>
>
>
> Cheers,
>
> Frank Condelli
> Almonte, Ontario, Canada
> '87 Westy & Lionel Trains (_Collection for sale_
> (http://frankcondelli.com/trainsal.htm) )
> _Frank Condelli & Associates_ (http://frankcondelli.com/busindex.html) -
> Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
> _Vanagon Stainless Steel Exhaust Systems_
> (http://frankcondelli.com/exhaust.htm)
> _BusFusion_ (http://www.busfusion.com/) a VW Camper camping event,
> Almonte, ON, June 11 ~ 14, 2009
>
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