Date: Sun, 19 May 2013 10:16:43 -0400
Reply-To: Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Introduction and search for my next westfalia
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Hello listers,
I'm back on list after a small absence of about 2 decades. Despite being blind I purchased my first VW bug when I was 18 and in college. I fixed it up with help from family and friends. About two years later I purchased a 74 bus and toured the country with a friend, enjoying a memorable summer break. That bus had over 100,000 thousand miles on it when I levt and we had no mechanical problems other then operator error on the entire trip coast to coast! Yes, I have more then my share of good luck!
Thanks to this list I purchased my best westfailia on the recommendation of a list member. He spotted the 84 in his town in Georgia. I purchased it over the phone and through the mail. My girlfriend flew down with me and we drove it back to Central NY. I just about had that camper in mint condition when I needed to sell it to pay for my move to Vermont and our new home there.
Thanks to directions and help from this list I did many repairs over the years myself. I left only the big jobs to the mechanics. I now would like to own another Westfalia. I enjoy caring for the beast as much as camping in it. My hope is to find one in good condition that I can use while improving it.
I've learned over the years that because I need other people to drive I need to stick with a Vanagon rather then a Bus, though my heart is still captured by the air cooled busses. I also want the camper style that started at 1974 and later.
A few years before needing to sell my camper I went to a amazing gathering of VW campers that met in July in North Adams Mass. We had a great weekend there with amazing VW people and I remember some of the campers were forsale. Does this event still happen? And can someone tell me where I can learn more about it? I suspect it may be in different locations each year.
Also, do listers still post here about camper's they see forsale that are note worthy? I have a lot of catching up to do!
Eric Caron
Pownal VT
former owner of
1974 bus, 1974 conversion bus, 1976 Westfalia, and 1984 vanagon Wolfsburg Westfalia.