Date: Sun, 15 May 2016 23:34:00 -0400
Reply-To: Marc Perdue <mcperdue@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Marc Perdue <mcperdue@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Back in service, a real pleasure, the Vanagon (long)
In-Reply-To: <CAHTkEuLFNLorZHME4KP1f9TONqs=BQrJfUsiPyjZrZPvp2Lk7w@mail.gmail.com>
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I know what you mean, Don. For better or worse, when you're driving a
Vanagon, you are in touch with the road, usually for better. Today, we
drove to a folklife festival at James Monroe's Highland over
Monticello mountain, a steep, curvy road. A friend of ours, also a
Vanagon owner, was in the line of cars behind us and was also going to
the festival, unbeknownst to us. She met us at the festival and came
up to me and said, "You know, when I saw you in your van, I just knew
that there was going to be a long line of cars behind this slow-moving
van going up the mountain, but you took off and left everyone else in
the dust!" It's not the most powerful thing out there, but I do have a
brand new engine in it and the Vanagon actually does handle pretty
well if you know how to drive it and you are in touch with it. Even
needing upper control arm bushings and shocks, it takes corners pretty
well at the RIGHT speed. People get on those mountain roads and they
have no idea what they're doing and they're driving cars that have
absolutely no road feel and they probably have every right to be
scared out of their minds driving those curvy roads. Me, I grew up
driving roads like that and my van totally lets me know if I'm pushing
it too hard. I LOVE driving my van!!
And next weekend, I get to go camping for the first time since last year!!!
Marc Perdue
On Sun, May 15, 2016 at 9:47 AM, Don Hanson <dhanson928@gmail.com> wrote:
> After almost 8 months on the "injured reserve", my 84 vanagon is back in
> the 'rotation' again and I am quite happy. I kept it off the road most of
> that time to minimize possible damage to the transmission internals, and
> that seems to have been pretty smart. I just finished reinstalling the
> transmission after an AA Transaxle rebuild (5sp manual trans) and it is
> remarkably quiet and smooth, just like new (I imagine) The major
> components of my 5sp were OK, but the bearings were pretty far gone...all
> is good now.
>
> There's a real pleasure (I actually have fun driving good vehicles) in
> the experience of driving this pretty well-sorted Vanagon. I've recently
> been using a GM Safari AWD van for almost everything... I picked the
> Safari AWD automatic up as my winter-time worker vehicle and while it is a
> fine vehicle, especially given they are relatively inexpensive, it is
> nothing special to drive... Quiet, semi-powerful, luxurious with full
> leather and heated seats, etc etc......the conventional older (97) mini-van
> GM simply doesn't 'connect' to the roads....it sort of isolates you in the
> cabin...like you are watching a video or something. Everything in a
> normal mini-van seems to be designed to isolate you from the outside world
> as you motor along....not so the older vanagon with "power nothing"...You
> are right there, involved, and the Vanagon does it pretty well, given it's
> general configuration and versatility.
>
> Also noticeable is the "Vibe" one receives, normally, while driving a
> Vanagon.. Something about them seems to make people smile, They make ME
> smile..and probably YOU, too....unless your's is broken right now...
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