Date:         Thu, 17 Oct 1996 08:20:51
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         expres@gnn.com (Ron Salmon)
Subject:      Re: Bus drivers and waving.

>I really like how type2 bus drivers wave to each other on the road,
>(well, the old shape bus...whatever...) but I noticed that the drivers of 
>buses in the shape like the '85 we have never wave at each other....not 
>even a second glance!
>
>I remember when we first bought the '85 (in '85 of course!) it was only 
>one of two or three (I believe) around town.  It was a bit of a novelty 
>then, until more of them showed up.  Now, with the even newer shape of 
>buses, I never see them waving! What's going on?
>
>On another topic, I am new to this group, and to American terminology for 
>the buses.  The '85 we have is a Caravelle and I think someone told me 
>you Americans call it a Eurovan.
>
>So, what is a westfalia?
>

There was a thread about waving on the list some time ago. Having driven 
Type 2's of many vintages, I, too, have noticed this.  I suspect that part 
of it simply relates to the novelty of the vehicle.  Around here it is far 
less common for two older buses to pass eachother, than it is for two 
Vanagons ('80-91) to pass eachother.  While in Santa Cruz, CA recently, 
where VW buses are much, much more common, I noticed that even bus owners 
do not seem to wave at eachother. 

Another hypothesis was that more Bus owners than Vanagon or Eurovan (new 
Caravelle) owners tend to be hobbyists; in other words to many Vanagon 
owners it is just a car, and they don't wave just as two Dodge minivan 
owners wouldn't wave as they passed eachother.  Although some on the 
Vanagon list disputed this, I think there is some truth to it. Vintage car 
owners as a whole tend to consist of more hobbyists than newer car owners, 
I think.

Then again, one list member suggested that considering the relative 
unreliability of older buses, when bus owners wave it is often 
"frantically and with vigor."  :) 

-Ron Salmon
'85 Vanagon
'63 Deluxe Microbus

p.s.  A Westfalia is a camper converted by the German firm of the same 
name, who has been converting VW vans into campers since the early 60's.
Since the 70's, most (but not all) Westfalias have pop-top roofs.