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Date:         Fri, 7 Dec 2012 16:27:22 -0800
Reply-To:     Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Friday musings on the pleasures of the "old car hobby"
Comments: To: killer.jupiter@gmail.com
In-Reply-To:  <CAFaJG5oFmz=xjeg_n8Rk9Z9P22oVoQzf4nDhzQsAhAEK9T5j+g@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

It's in the backyard!

Stuart

-----Original Message----- From: Aristotle Sagan [mailto:killer.jupiter@gmail.com] Sent: Friday, December 07, 2012 1:19 PM To: Stuart MacMillan Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com Subject: Re: Friday musings on the pleasures of the "old car hobby"

Big @ssed Christmas tree.

tim in san jose

On Fri, Dec 7, 2012 at 12:52 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com> wrote: > I'm fortunate to have chosen two vehicles, both of which were in production > when I bought them, that are now classics and are my "old car hobby." One, > of course, is my current '85 Westy, which replaced the '84 Westy I owned > from '86 to '06, as well as a '97 EVC I owned from '06 to '09. > > > > The other is a 1965 MGB which was actually a college graduation present for > my future wife from her father in 1969 (at my urging, and we chose it over a > '65 Mustang, being somewhat unusual people). The MGB has grown into a > collection. My daughter has a '70 MGB-GT and my son is working on a 1964 > roadster project. > > > > The point of my musings is that without vendors finding and producing parts > and accessories for these cars there would be no classic cars on the road. > > > > The range of accessories available for both is truly amazing. For my MGBs I > can now purchase a custom designed and manufactured supercharger (if I were > wealthy), a Ford 5 speed transmission, modern shock absorbers, air > conditioning, leather upholstery, etc., as well as a huge number of > replacement parts. > > > > The Vanagon also has benefitted from enthusiasts finding, importing, and > making parts and conversion kits, and I'm hopeful that Volkswagen's "Classic > Parts" effort will be robust. When the MGB went out of production in 1980 > British Leyland put all of their documentation and tooling in the public > domain (British Heritage Trust) to allow for unencumbered aftermarket parts > production. This has kept the hobby possible and affordable. Maybe VW will > do this too someday. > > > > I can readily build a $20,000+ MGB or Vanagon Westy that is every bit as > drivable and reliable as any modern car (well, almost), and would be a lot > more fun and much cheaper than anything available today, not to mention head > turning. > > > > Appreciate our vendors and celebrate the old car hobby, since you are all > hobbyists now by default. > > > > May you have lots of Vanagon parts under your Christmas tree! > > > > (I'll have a '93 Subaru donor car under mine.) ;-) > > > > Stuart > > '85 Westy, '65 MGB

-- Where ever you are, there you be. Unless you're driving my van, in which case, you ain't got there yet.


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