Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 07:47:26 -0700
Reply-To: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Is it Calming to Drive a Vanagon
In-Reply-To: <1960121469.5439.1282307232038.JavaMail.root@sz0063a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
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I relax, traveling in my van because if it does have any problems during a
trip I can fix it. Vanagons are simple systems, especially the one I have
without any power accessories, a 5sp manual tranny and an inline gas VW
motor. During the almost 4yrs I have had mine and put almost 60k miles on
it, I've only had 3 real trip-delaying problems, all of which I diagnosed
and easily fixed without AAA or a flatbed. I travel the "Outback" (US
Western deserts and mountains), too. Small roads preferred and major cities
avoided. My problems only occurred during my first year's trip from the
Pacific NW to Mexico and were the result of shoddy work by the previous
owner and my own unfamiliarity with the vehicle.
Now, I head out without worries, knowing I've "been through" almost
everything. I take along a minimum tool kit and a couple of vanagon unique
spare parts and the confidence that if something goes wrong, I can usually
set it right without much trouble..
.I actually enjoyed having an alternator fail in Alturas, Ca a few years
back..a small town on Hwy 395 about as far from anywhere as you can get.
Camped overnight beside a NAPA store and walked the downtown during the
evening as I waited for morning and the store to open. Met a few ranchers
at the local coffee shop. I actually saw Alturas for the first time, rather
than as a blur and a gas stop on a trip through the town.. .I Bought a
second battery and re-charged my existing one in the morning at the NAPA
store (needed an Aux battery anyway) and drove the next 400 miles home
without my alternator working. When I got home, I had new Alt. waiting to
install, thanks to one of our Online Vendors..
A modern vehicle in that same situation? I would probably have had to
flat bed it around a hundred miles to Klamath Falls to find a dealer with a
diagnostic computer to analyze the "check engine" light and read the Error
codes..They would likely have replaced the "charging module'...after
'special ordering' it, of course...while I stayed in a motel for a few
days...
When you travel in a complicated newer vehicle you can't even get a tow
to the next town or probably find the battery under all the power stuff, or
even fit a wrench into the engine bay. You can mostly just drive em and
hope for the best...if something fails...you call AAA and get out your
Vaseline and your credit card and kiss the rest of your trip goodbye. Been
there, done that.
Not too 'relaxing' trying to figure airline connections back home from,
say, Elko, Nv. or to go back in two weeks with a suitcase full of cash to
pick up your 'dealer-repaired' fancy vehicle..Not relaxing, spending a few
days cooling your heels in a motel, at the mercy of some small city service
writer at a dealership..
Don Hanson
On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 5:27 AM, J Stewart <fonman4277@comcast.net> wrote:
> I used to be the same way, couldn't enjoy driving my Vanagon anywhere for
> fear it was going to break down. That was one major reason I sold my last
> one, an '84 Westy. But with the '85 I just bought, I decided I had to stop
> worrying about that and just enjoy the ride, and I am. The only time I had a
> bit of angst over driving the '85 was a few weeks ago when the wife and I
> took it to a Brooks and Dunn concert-she would have killed me if it had
> broken down and we missed the concert. It didn't, and in fact the Vanagon
> was a huge hit with the crowd in the parking lot (Nissan Pavilion, aka Jiffy
> Lube Live in Va.)
>
>
>
> Jeff Stewart
>
>
> ----- "Joy Hecht" <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU> wrote:
>
>
> I don't really like to drive my van - I'm always afraid something is going
> to break down. But I like to simply be in my van. I feel like I'm at
> home. Now that I'm living in a house again, I particularly like to just
> take a cup of coffee & hang out in the van and read or something. I don't
> do that in front of my house - maybe because the street is so steep, it
> wouldn't be comfortable? - but sometimes in other places, like leaving the
> gym, I'll do that. I guess I kind of miss living in the van, and that
> feeling that this cozy place is home.
>
> Matt, congratulations on the baby!
>
>
>
> Joy
>
>
>
> On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 7:39 PM, Matt Thyer <matt_thyer@hotmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > I love to drive my van about that much too. It really makes me happy when
> > I
> > wave to someone else driving one and they wave back. Even happier if they
> > beat me to the punch (which is a hard thing to do). I like to fiddle with
> > my van. Gets me to relax and use my brain all at the same time. Often I
> > open up the garage, put some music on the stereo or a good book, and then
> > spend some time working on the "next" project. Nothing is that much of a
> > black box that I don't feel comfortable at least taking a look and I'm
> > always learning something new. I often wish I knew more about these
> > vehicles so that I could be universally effective at keep them going.
> >
> > I like to talk to other people who drive them. My son and I went to a VW
> > get-to-gather last month and I talked to all sorts of people I wouldn't
> > have
> > otherwise met. I liked watching my son covet the DOKAs and splitties.
> > He's
> > 13 and he's been talking about saving up for a Kübelwagen (think they're
> > his
> > favorite) that we can work on together.
> >
> > More than just about anything else right now, I'm super excited that my
> > wife
> > and I are having a baby and I'm making Zeno into the perfect
> road-tripping
> > vehicle to support the two of us and this prospective person who's on the
> > way. That's just cool. And completely impossible with any other vehicle I
> > might own.
> >
> > MT
> > http://zenoswagen.wordpress.com/
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> Of
> > Michael Sullivan
> > Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2010 2:03 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Is it Calming to Drive a Vanagon
> >
> > I know it is a little off-topic...but here goes.
> >
> >
> > My van relaxes me.
> >
> > I cannot take the dog in the wife's car.
> > I cannot drive w/o a/c if I want to unless I am by myself(in the other
> > car).
> > I can't wave to folks while driving the wife's Mazda even tho it's really
> > fast and fun and looks cool. I still feel like a girl while driving it.
> > I went to the doctor cuz I had an irregular heartbeat. Prescribed rest,
> > vacation, herbal remedy and some Xanax.
> > Retested after taking the day off and driving the van to the beach and
> back
> > and passed the stress test w/o taking anything, except the herbal stuff.
> > You do the math.
> > Michael in San Antonio
> > 91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'
> >
> > BTW-Just sayiing this cuz I really think the van is more than
> > transportation
> > but a way of thinking. (And i'm just driving a GL. Wait till I get a
> Syncro
> > Westy w/o Fridge).
> >
>
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