Owning VW Bus Can Be Way of Life

Sitting on the bleached concrete in front of the bookstore in Arlington, Texas, next to his 1975 white Volkswagen camper, Heath Ellis, 21,(ANY RELATION TO RUSTY VAN BONDO?? - rfg) with his dark, curly brown hair just long enough to get into a ponytail, his cut- off blue jeans, and his well-worn, white T-shirt, waxed philosophic about his vehicle.

"Its a bonding thing." he said. "Owning a bus puts you into this big club with all other owners. Everybody in that club is so cool."

Once a hallmark of the counter culture, the VW, especially the VW Type II (busses and campers), is making a comeback. Along with its Type I sisters, the bug and the Carmen (sic) Ghia, the Type II has found an erstwhile following in the next generation.

Not since writers Ken Kesey and Jack Kerouac roamed the land has there been such a contingency of young men wanting to be on the bus and on the road.

The North Texas Volkswagen Club counts around 100 members in the Metroplex, a third of whom are under 30, according to president David Shuford.

The vehicles are still popular, Mr. Shuford said, because of the availability of parts, and the low cost of obtaining them. "The old VW is a type of car that refuses to go away and die." he said.

>From 1950 to 1982, Volkswagen produced the cult classic, air-cooled Transporter bus in Germany.

Beginning with the Panelvan, seating only in the cab and no windows in the body, shrouding the work area, it was originally designed for payloads. Many of these were converted into campers by specialist companies or individuals.

The wave of interest in all that is VW has been sparked in part by Volkswagen's jump to re-introduce the new "retro Beetle," the Concept I, next year, according to Volkswagen dealers. An import from Mexico,its silhouette is similar to the classic Beetle, but the retro Beetle will sport a front-engine, front wheel drive, a CD player and airconditioning, and will list for around $12,000.

By comparison, a decent vintage bus that runs well can cost from $1,000 to $3,000, depending o the version.

Back at the bookstore, Mr. Ellis' philosophic meanderings take a political stance.

"It seems like everyone's got to be something...in some category. I get called a hippie sometimes, because of my bus." he said. "But when I show its practicality to people, they begin to understand. I've got a bed, a sink, an icebox, a closet; I can live in here when I have to.

"Buying this bus, man, I swear is the best thing that I've ever done in my whole life."

Mr. Ellis is not alone in his sentiments.

Cory Olswold, 21, a lanky, short haired San Diego transplant living in suburban DeSoto, wanted a split window bus (an early Type II), and waited until he found one.

With $2,200, Mr. Olswold has the ride he wants to have forever. A 1964 split-window passenger bus. Blue.

"I can't wait to get it restored to its original shape. I figure it will take about three years to make it my own," he said.

Isn't that a long commitment for a member of the "slacker generation:?

"Yeah, I really don't care for that whole Gen-X tag. I'm not lost," he said.

For Volks lovers, the craze never seems to stop. Just into his three-year trek through junk yards and classifieds, Mr. Olswold thinks of other acquisitions.

"I'll get more Volkswagens when I can," he said. "I really like Carmen (sic) Ghias."

"Its rare that you will find someone who has owned just one Volkswagen," said Stan Wohlfarth of LIMBO, The Late Model Bus Organization, which has nearly 650 members internationally, and draws over 75 busses to its best annual gathering. "Because of the busses' uniqueness, they have kind of carried on in the VW tradition that the Beetle had let up."

Mr. Olswold said: "It's like fine foods, or something. It takes a certain kind of taste. I'm not rich, so I can't afford to eat fine foods, but I can afford a cool VW bus. It's so unique...not like any other car on the road."

His voice started to rise with excitement.

"I can move myself to Austin in this thing, there's just so much room." he said.

NIGHT, the North East Association of Transporter Owners, claims over 1,000 members internationally and is growing at the rate of one new member per day.

Tom Brouillette, editor of that group's newsletter, "Old Bus Review," estimated that about 35 percent of the club is under 30, and predominately male. "There are quite a few guys younger than their busses," he said.

The ease of design enables a younger Dubber to work on his bus without needing years of experience or a degree in engineering.

Every VW owner has one of two kinds of stories. One is coming up with some shoelace and chewing gum to fix some mechanical problem on the road.

The other is an endless-journey story in search of some stock part.

The availability of stock parts is becoming somewhat easier, with outfits in California pressing out sheet metal for the Transporters. Accessories are available, although expensive when new, and mechanical parts are becoming more accessible with the growing web of VW clubs.

One of the more helpful perks of joining a club is the Transporter Tourist and Traveler Directory, a listing of over 400 members throughout North America who are ever-ready to lend a hand to a fallen fellow traveler, or just engage in some deep discourse.

Come minor safety concerns followed the VW Transporter into the States. THe auto proved to be most reliable, as long as the driver doesn't get drafted by crosswinds. A bit wobbling in high winds, the box-on-wheels design does take a while to get used to.

Americans have long been defined by their automobiles. Driving back to a time of practicality and understatement, the bus brigade is fighting the materialistic craze to trade up from a Volvo to a Lexus.

"It's all so basic and simple to work on, and functional. The process of getting the bus back together is as important as the end result," Mr. Ellis said.

Being elbows-deep into the back of a Volks bus is a rite of passage for these young drivers on their sojourns through North America.

"The fact that our folks raised us into this materialism is frustrating," Mr. Ellis said. "A bus is completely going against how everybody buys cars. No one buys cars to work on for the rest of their life. But, when you buy a bus, there's this mammoth machine in front of you, to mold however you like. You have the unique opportunity to build transportation around how YOU feel; I have a vehicle that I can be completely creative with. That's freedom."

Mr. Ellis now lives, off and on, within the confines of his bus behind a warehouse in Deep Ellum. He works in retail foods, and is planning for school in the fall.