Date: Sat, 15 Feb 2020 14:01:49 -0800
Reply-To: Rick Cooper <rickdcooper@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rick Cooper <rickdcooper@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Friday subject - are we on the list just old farts?
In-Reply-To: <CAK9Aa+mLGuscbLSD3K+FWA_OsHwF6aprFNo_YFUE2WA-xs=WQQ@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Definitely an old fart at 65, with no beard and not much left on top. 1987
2.1 WBX with 219,000km. Was my daily driver until last summer and looking
forward to driving it again this summer.
Back in '82, I had a 1962 splittie that I drove to LA (Disneyland) from
B.C. with my then young children. Only broke down twice and neither were
too difficult to repair, which I thought was pretty fine. Traded it for a
Fiat X19 (fun car!) after a few years. Those things would take an awful
lot of abuse and just keep on trucking.
On Sat, Feb 15, 2020 at 1:47 PM Bruce Todd <beeceetee@gmail.com> wrote:
> 53 - no beard or goatee at the moment -thinning grey hair weakening eye
> sight and questionable hearing at times.
>
> Owning buses for 24 years, and a syncro westy for the last 14 years. Once
> upon a time, I was the younger generation driving the rusty peace van that
> really had no business whatsoever to be rolling along - at times rolling
> behind a tow truck or on transport trailer.
>
> Read my John Muir. Set my points and valves, did my own timing, pulled the
> motor and tranny, Reinstalled it....that was the era of air cooled.
>
> Now I am finding I don’t like lying on my back with the cold damp concrete
> leaching through my coveralls so much anymore and tend to send bigger
> projects out for repair - being that I am busy working, it tends to be
> better for me. This is the first year in awhile that my van is no longer
> my daily driver and I am starting to get a little excited to get her back
> on the road once the weather warms.
>
> Bruce
>
> On Saturday, February 15, 2020, Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
> wrote:
>
> > Nope, You need to put in more time.
> >
> > Eric Caron
> >
> >
> >
> > > On Feb 15, 2020, at 8:45 AM, Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM
> >
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > Is 44 qualified for old fart status?
> > >
> > > On Sat, Feb 15, 2020, 12:59 AM Lloyd McClelland <
> lloydmac@suddenlink.net
> > >
> > > wrote:
> > >
> > >> I also retired 5 or so years ago and am now growing a small goatee
> > after
> > >> 35 years of staying air pack emergency qualified - what a change .
> Side
> > >> note I still have a Westfalia I bought locally (California) in 1999.
> > >>
> > >>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 8:48 PM, Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@yahoo.com>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>
> > >> I retired five years ago and for my last day of work shaved off my
> > beard
> > >> of 32 years. Been off ever since. I spent the last ten years of my
> > >> working life at that IT company in which I was the eldest employee.
> > Most
> > >> of the young guys drove Ford Fusions and voted Republican, making me
> > >> despair for the upcoming generation. One of them bought a motorcycle,
> > none
> > >> of them rode bicycles, none of them had "hobby vehicles." Fantasy
> > football
> > >> and Call of Duty reigned. I was glad to leave and haven't missed it a
> > bit.
> > >> Somewhere there must be young Vanagon drivers but I don't know them.
> > >> Stephen
> > >> On Friday, February 14, 2020, 10:31:47 PM EST, Alistair Bell <
> > >> albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> I go on and off with beard. Every time I go on it gets whiter...
> > >>
> > >> Alistair
> > >>
> > >>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 7:07 PM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> I remember a List entry years ago. The question was: Do most
> Vanagon
> > >> owners have beards? Seemed so to the inquirer. And....I think the
> > answer
> > >> is ... Yes. Only now...the color has changed from Salt and
> Pepper....to
> > >> mostly Salt. True for me! But I still change my oil and filter, and
> > I've
> > >> got a bitchen 2.2 Subaru motor in my backside. So...Take that you
> > >> youngsters! Ha-Ha!!!
> > >>>
> > >>> Rich
> > >>>
> > >>> San Diego
> > >>>
> > >>> On Friday, February 14, 2020, 6:56:36 PM PST, Alistair Bell <
> > >> albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> Eric,
> > >>>
> > >>> I can totally see and concur. I suppose my shorthand had made two
> > >> groups, the young and naive and the old and jaded :-)
> > >>>
> > >>> As with all things, it’s more nuanced.
> > >>>
> > >>> But the mailing list is old tech. Sheesh, us old guys still hang on
> to
> > >> listserv as cutting edge :-)
> > >>>
> > >>> Alistair
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 6:47 PM, Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
> > >> wrote:
> > >>>>
> > >>>> When I go to VW bus gatherings most of us are I believe 50 and
> older.
> > >> Still In my VW closest group there are folks in their 40s.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> At these same events there are always a few 30 somethings even
> > >> folks in their late twenties but not as many as the older groups.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> The younger groups seem to be a mix some working hard to keep a
> bus
> > >> nice and functional. An a few with busses that look like they were
> > already
> > >> parked in the weeds and could not possibly start up and move, yet they
> > do.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> A lot of the younger folks purchased vanagon or busses I would not
> > have
> > >> recommended. They are just learning about the care and don’t have
> this
> > >> list or someone to guide them. I’ve seen many yellow 1980 air cooled
> > buses
> > >> brought back from the dead by these younger folks. Then again, that
> may
> > >> have been the only starting van they could afford.
> > >>>> So, I’m guessing we are a older bunch but the younger folks are
> still
> > >> in the mix.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> As for this list I don’t think it is easy to find or know about.
> > >> And the younger group is all about facebook.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Eric
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 9:23 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t think I’m accusing anyone or if this
> > has
> > >> to do with any recent list subjects.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> It’s ti do with my own experience, day to day. I work where I’m the
> > >> oldest person. This is a first for me. The other guys are half my age
> > and
> > >> pretty well twice my smarts. And we do a lot of Toyota Tacoma and
> > >> forerunner accessories and mods. And some jeep stuff.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> These vehicles are all within 5 years old, many are brand new. The
> > >> purchase price of these toys is high, and what we put on them isn’t
> > cheap.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Customers all younger than me, all enthusiastic and energetic. And
> > all
> > >> want that off road ( overland) look for the trucks.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> As an owners group, they all are much younger and more willing to
> > >> spend money than what the average vanagon owner is. They vast majority
> > of
> > >> vanagon owners I meet are around my age(61). Yes, I know there are
> > younger
> > >> owners, some of the van life types, but majority are old farts. And we
> > old
> > >> farts are tight with our money. And often we have the btdt attitude
> that
> > >> I’m finding, in myself, to be a negative attitude.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> What do you folk think? I know there are younger list members, even
> > >> now with the list being much much much quieter than the hay days of
> the
> > 90s
> > >> and 00s.
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Just a Friday musing eh?
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> Alistair
> > >>>>
> > >>
> >
>
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