Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (September 2009, week 1)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
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
Comments: To: RAlanen@aol.com
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 >


Back to: Top of message | Previous page | Main VANAGON page

Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!


Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com


The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.

Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.