Vanagon EuroVan
Previous messageNext messagePrevious in topicNext in topicPrevious by same authorNext by same authorPrevious page (March 2010, week 4)Back to main VANAGON pageJoin or leave VANAGON (or change settings)ReplyPost a new messageSearchProportional fontNon-proportional font
Date:         Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:45:45 -0700
Reply-To:     Neil2 <vidublu@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Neil2 <vidublu@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: .................... and vanagons (friday post with little
              Vanagon)
Comments: To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <6bc66ccf1003191645o81be643va65d97d07aff699b@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

Well, Don, you pretty much summed my feelings exactly.

On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 10:56 AM, Neil2 <vidublu@gmail.com> wrote: > > > My Sprinter has a tiptronic and a Bus feind teased me the day I bought it > > 'cause it didn't have a real stick. I suppose I might like the tip in a > > smaller van but Moby is 600cf inside and 25' long so it's still like > > navigating a ship and I sure my me Westy and its stick! > > > > On Fri, Mar 12, 2010 at 6:45 PM, Scott Daniel - Turbovans < > > scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote: > > > > > I will say that a 'good' automatic is a joy to drive. > > > More than a 3 speed slush box like vanagons have. > > > I am way satisfied with the 4 speed auto in my turbo volvo sedan, with > > > electric button shifting in and out of overdrive top gear. > > > > I can't recall ever owning an automatic vehicle. I do not care for them. > I hate the way they are in snow...They suck in soft sand and having some > engineer pre-determine when the vehicle will shift under +his+ conditions, > the one's they simulated on the computer in China, Japan, Germany or where > ever, that is often awkward. It can be fatal, if you're in an emergency > situation right at the limits of traction, and your silly automatic tranny > decides it must shift... You can't really tow them, you can't push start > them and you can't usually "baby" a faulty one back home in whatever gear > remains. They seem to be more expensive to have repaired and most of them > are less effective for fuel economy..maybe brand new ones can match a > manual > trans for MPG..but I doubt I will every buy one until they get really good > or there are no manual tranny vehicles allowed on the highway.. > > I really can't picture myself driving an automatic Vanagon..Mine, I drive > it like a small truck..It's pretty heavy and has a similar power to weight > ratio to a loaded truck, so I like to control where my RPMs are with an eye > on the highway ahead and the traffic I anticipate.. If I'm caught going > slow with a long grade ahead I like to have the option to be in any of 3 > gears in my 5speed manual..depending on how slow and how steep the > road ahead is..Fishing around for a usable gear in a slush box Vanagon just > makes me shudder thinking about it. On mountain or winding roads, as I > brake and enter a corner I can select the proper gear that I will need to > exit the corner effectively and lose no momentum at all nor induce any > stress into the drive line with a shift under load, like an auto does. > > Only if I lived in a big city would I consider an auto-shift...and I will > never willingly live in a big city again. > Don Hanson >

-- Neil2 '82 Diesel Westfalia (USS Tinosa) '86 Vanagon/Westfalia Wannabe (SaVannah) Nunquam Pendite Divendium


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.