Date: 17 Jul 1995 08:33:24 -0700
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Harvey Chao" <Harvey_Chao@smtp.svl.trw.com>
Subject: Re: YOU MAY WANT TO DELETE T
RE>YOU MAY WANT TO DELETE THIS MESSAGE... 7/14/95
Or - "coming out of the closet"
At the risk of being condemned, ostracized, ridiculed, ruined, stoned (with
rocks) etc. I will reveal the following in relation tothe original reply by
derada@texas.nrlssc.navy.mil:
In '83 I changed jobs and got a pay raise and was able to finance a new '82
diesel Vanagon to replace the '73 hallucinogenic two tone green w/ bright blue
strip loaf. Now mind you that I have yet to find a vehicle as versatile as my
slow poke diesel van, it is economical to run, has been pretty reliable, is
one of the few vehicles capable of holding my huge immediate family (at a mpg
that I could afford), supports all kind of home owner activities like hauling
4X8 sheet rock, paneling, plywood, 12' wide rolls of carpet, 14' 2X6s, 14'
long swing sets for the kits, dishwasher with the rest of the family properly
seated and belted in, carrying 7 people to a vacation (with assundary food,
cloths, boom boxes, and including all manner of baby gates, porta-cribs and a
cryogenic oxygen tank), taking 7 people on a 700 mile ride to pick up a
"coming home" college student and all his stuff and bringing it and them all
home and on and on . . .
BUT
I had long stated to my wife that I "always wanted a fine German
automobile", and I have had to continue on to say that "a diesel VW van is not
QUITE what I had in mind!" I do have to modestly disagree with the text that
I left quoted below to the effect that ". . . van is the most beautiful
vehicle on the face of the earth...really...more beautiful than a F... OK I'll
say FERRARI" .
Five years ago I had the chance (and grabbed it) to buy a used 7 year old
5 series BMW with the small "6" and 5 speed. That's a whole bunch closer to
what I had in mind (-- Ferrari , new or used is out of the question). Maybe
not the MOST beautiful vehicle on the face of the earth, but much more fun to
drive, comfortable, and better handling (but not as versatile/pragmatic).
There - I have "confessed"
A "closet BIMMER fan" on the Vanagon list.
Harvey
'83 528e -136K miles 23 mpg town, 30 mpg highway and stable as a rock at all
speeds I have dared on all manner of road and a blast to drive.
'82 Diesel Vanagon - 150K miles, 2nd engine, a versitile work horse at 30 mpg
day-in and day-out gets the job done reliably(ususally).
--------------------------------------
>From: derada@texas.nrlssc.navy.mil
[major deletions]
."I myself (in contrary to your opinion) think my van is the most beautiful
vehicle on the face of the earth...really...more beatiful than a F... OK I'll
say FERRARI for a change. BUT the *&^%$R%^ engine sucks! By the way, can you
put a FO.. Ups, sorry ...another engine in it? Maybe Dr. Hutton and his wife
will design one some day.
[more deletions]
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