Date:         Thu, 5 Dec 1996 09:49:43 -0800
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         "Matthew L. Dekker" <mdekker@eskimo.com>
Subject:      EV CLs, GLs, and MVs, oh my!

Hello everyone,

Yes, I am STILL looking. Drove a relatively nice EV CL yesterday with only 
36,000 miles on it. It was rather a brief drive since the 18 month old was 
screaming the whole way. (As an afterthought, it was nice that he was since 
it kept the sales small talk to a minimum.)

Two things will keep me from considering this one (or other CLs). From the 
original VW EV brochure sent out with the video, two of the main 
differences between the CL and GL were the demisting vents for the side 
windows in front of the mirrors are absent on the CL, and would be very 
nice in perpetually damp Seattle, and very important for a road trip van, 
the lack of either a factory OR aftermarket cruise control. I might be able 
to live without the demisting but cruise control is a necessity. Has anyone 
out there ever done this for their CL?

And to add my 2 cents to the Chrysler innovations: at a vintage VW meet 
this summer, there was at least one very early bus with two side doors. 
Also, the BMC Mini was probably one of the first "cab forward" designs 
where the front engine, front drive, wheels at the corners layout allowed 
roughly 80% of the volume to be utilized for passengers and cargo. In fact, 
I have a postcard with an old Mini advertisement calling their wagon 
version a "Mini-Van!"

Best Regards,
Matt Dekker
mdekker@eskimo.com

Dekker Service Home Page
http://www.eskimo.com/~mdekker