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Date:         Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:33:32 -0800
Reply-To:     MICHAEL H <vwdash80@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         MICHAEL H <vwdash80@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: The Price We Pay For Being "Cool"
In-Reply-To:  <1034351211.132983.1325193641124.JavaMail.root@sz0063a.westchester.pa.mail.comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1

I get the `old is new again' retro marketing scheme. I am too old for cool. my cars are not - my cars ARE cool. if someone thinks my cars are cool we can talk ; if not, we can agree to disagree. they may not be a car person. we may be able to talk on another level. I will admit I feared a sell off at the very start of my quest for heat. I have confidence in my abilities - that's cool. did a bit of research, got beyond my initial laziness and dove in. crisis over - that's a rush and THAT is about as cool as frozen jello ... ________________________________ From: J Stewart <fonman4277@COMCAST.NET> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Sent: Thursday, December 29, 2011 4:20 PM Subject: Re: The Price We Pay For Being "Cool" I don't own/drive a Vanagon because I think it's cool, that was my 18 year old daughters comment. I drive one because I like the freedom it represents, and having owned many other vans (mostly Chevys) , I like the feel of the Vanagon on the road. The Vanagon DOES get a lot of attention wherever it goes, and this is fun. We take it the fireworks on the 4th and it always draws a crowd. But thats not why I own it. People own cars for different reasons. A guy once told me "Any man who buys a Corvette is buying a penis". I got a good laugh out of that, because I owned a Corvette once. I bought it because I wanted a Corvette. My penis was doing fine before I bought it, and continued to do well after I sold it. I in no way thought "Wow, the chicks will go crazy over me in a Corvette". Anyway, I learned very early on in my VW bus ownership that if I was going to drive these vehicles I had to learn how to work on it myself. My first Bay window bus barely ran. I took it to a well respected VW shop where i was told it would cost $2,200.00 to fix it. That was more than I paid for it. I ended up fixing it myself for $150.00. It's no different with the Vanagon. I know of no shop in N. Virginia that I would trust to work on it, hell, I don't even know of one that WOULD work on it. A few years ago I replaced the heater core in an '87 Chevy van, and that was just about as miserable as this job, maybe worse. But I am older now, (53) and I 'm just getting tired of working on cars in general. I'm at the stage where I'd just like to drop it off at a shop and say "Call me when its done" If this were a blower motor in a Chevy I'd probably have done just that. I do consider myself lucky that I at least have a garage to work in. Here it is snowing today, and I'm out working in a t-shirt, I can't imagine doing this job outside! Anyway, this is my 9th VW van, one splitty, 5 bays, and 3 Vanagons. I have regretted selling some, but not all of them (I'd sure like to have that '67 Deluxe back!) and this will most likely be my last one. Well, gotta get back out to the garage and back to work! Almost forgot, I ended up getting the cheaper Meyle blower, and it appears to be identical to the one I pulled out. I have already tested it and it works, and does not seem to be too loud on high speed as some have said it would be. Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message ----- > Anyone who has a van because everyone thinks its cool should think > about selling their van (unless they are single, in which there are > advantages that make the matter less clear, at least until after > they've thrown the right person down on the camper bed after said > person is drawn in innocently by the itty bitty sink and refrigerator > and the whole novelty of the thing.). > Anyone who has a van because its in their blood and THEY think its > cool should keep their van. > I know of many people who sold their vans and regretted having done > at a very deep level and they did not realize how much the vans meant > to them. > Here is a picture of my dashboard, so you can see that I am in the > midst of this exact job right along with you guys, so you are not > alone: > https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-SW-fdOP_6nE/TvzHXjifK9I/AAAAAAAAACg/6OBli2UqA-U/s800/year-end-2011%252520049.JPG > There are auxiliary fuseboxes, relays, and such over to the right but > you can just barely seem them. > The zip tie idea is a great one, I'd say, and using the OEM metal > clips. I use $$ Panduit $$ zip ties. I ordered the OEM clips two > weeks ago and have them. > When somebody asks me if I think they should get one of these vans, I > tell them no, that they shouldn't. Then, if they get one anyway, then > I know that they should have. > The case for the vans is stronger for syncro campers since there are > more alternatives in non-syncros and non-campers than there are for > syncro campers. > Every single accessory and capability that you add to the vehicle > multiplies the value of the whole. So, if you add a $400 device to > your van, you are not only adding $400 of direct benefit to it, but > there is also a multiplier effect upon the value of the whole that > becomes transcendent as you progress ever deeper into the rapture? > madness? expense? > The most important thing is to 1) defend the van against the > instinctual preelections of some spouses to want to stamp the van > thing out; DON'T let her, and 2) defend your life with your > significant other against the van activities ruthlessly..... for > example.... no van parts should be allowed to encroach on the common > living areas of the house, no motors under the bed, no smells of oil > in the house, and limit van artifacts in the regular part of the > household to no more than two toys. In other words, SHE needs to be > protected from your inner van person and YOU are the only one who can > really police this. > WTF is with this list anyway. Somebody posts that they would rather > shoot themselves than have put a Meyle fan blower motor in there, and > everybody is like, wa???????...... the only other choice at $150 for > AEG is 3X the price. > The list came back with NO advice or commentary upon this issue of > the purported horribleness of Meyle fans. > At 11:25 AM 12/29/2011, you wrote: > >Just the other day my 18 yr old daughter was pleading with me, > >"Don't sell the Vanagon, everyone thinks its so cool. You know > >you'll regret it." So, now my Vanagon sits in the garage with the > >dash completely ripped out and I'm trying to figure out how to pry > >this stinkin' case apart to access the locked up blower motor. Right > >now I hate this van more than anything on earth! I just watched > >Bryan's video, and he's right-it may just be better to sell the van! > >I wished I'd watched it before I began this job.... > > > > > > > > > >Jeff Stewart > _______________________________________________ > Derek Drew > Washington DC / New York > derekdrew@derekmail.com > Email is best normally but... > PHONE: 202-966-7907 (Call the number at left normally) > (alt/cell for diligent calling only): 703-408-1532


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