Date: Mon, 4 Jul 2016 15:13:32 -0700
Reply-To: David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: David McNeely <davmcneely40@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: why I discourage people from buying vanagons
In-Reply-To: <697f56b2-0efd-0b0a-79d1-9cb39051ceac@turbovans.com>
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I am not a gearhead, but just an ordinary person who likes to have a
vehicle for camping (and definitely not a motor home for staying in motor
home parks. I mean camping). I essentially knew nothing about what
owning one of these beasts would be like, except that it WAS old, and that
despite what people call "quality," Volkswagens generally require more
maintenance than most vehicles. But I wanted one for what it is.
I got it. I became disillusioned by the amount of work it required, but I
kept it. I am very glad I did so. It has taken Bonnie and me into many
places that we wanted to be. If we had our "druthers" we'd still be
backpacking and tent camping, but sleeping on the ground, and carrying gear
on our backs is now beyond our reasonable capabilities. The beast is a
good compromise between what we would prefer and not camping at all. We
are not going to turn into RV people, we like nature, not RV parks.
mcneely
On Mon, Jul 4, 2016 at 2:42 PM, Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
wrote:
> I just saw on Wet Westy's that a couple just got a 91 Syncro Tin Top and
> they're all excited of course ...camping and adventure etc.
>
> their last VW was a 67 Split Window Bus I think I read ..
> that sure is a Quantum Leap ..............and they'll probably do fine ...
> IF ever there was a Vanagon to warn people ..'be prepared for what
> you're getting into' ...or however you want to put it,
> it's a Syncro Vanagon. Not for the faint of heart or wallet, generally
> speaking.
>
> Reminds me, I have a stock Syncro Driveshaft I would sell.
> Nothing particularily wrong or worn on it. Located Southern Oregon.
>
> I 'may' be up to Portland OR around July 17...concerning any delivery.
>
> Scott
>
>
>
> On 7/4/2016 2:36 PM, Edward Maglott wrote:
>
>> To clarify, the folks I usually discourage are those who stop me in a
>> parking lot or at a campground really enthusiastic about wanting to get
>> "such a cool vehicle!" I tell them about the woes and high cost of
>> ownership if you can't do at least some of the work yourself. I think
>> gearheads like many of us get interested in them and do some research and
>> decide whether or not to jump into the adventure called Vanagon Ownership.
>> Edward
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 2, 2016 at 5:25 PM, Scott - IMAP <scottdaniel@turbovans.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>> I never discourage people from owning Vanagons ..
>>>
>>> I just tell them they take SPECIAL CARE AND UNDERSTANDING ..
>>> that they are not like a old, say, Toyota that will run forever with
>>> hardly any repairs..
>>>
>>> I also ask if they have ever owned a VW of any kind.
>>> Some VW background helps for sure.
>>>
>>> Fortunately older VW's are pretty conducive to owner-repair and
>>> maintenance.
>>>
>>> On 7/2/2016 6:59 AM, Edward Maglott wrote:
>>>
>>> Dennis says: "One thing you will find as a new Vanagon owner is that
>>> most
>>> regular shops are not equipped or willing to bother with vehicles of this
>>> vintage, never mind the Vanagon with its idiosyncrasies."
>>>
>>> worse yet are those shops that don't know what they are doing but try to
>>> work on the Vanagon anyway, causing much more damage than good.
>>>
>>> Edward
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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