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Date:         Sun, 10 Jan 1999 11:34:35 -0800
Reply-To:     YauMan Chan <YAUMAN@CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         YauMan Chan <YAUMAN@CCHEM.BERKELEY.EDU>
Subject:      Is it a Truck, an RV, a Car , a Station Wagon or just a Vanagon
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

I think the confusion is that the designation of a Truck differ for Tax and Emission/Safely purposes.

For tax and revenue collection purposes, any vehicle with an open bed and/or if the cargo carrying area exceeds certain size and is strictly designated for cargo only, it gets the truck designation for tax and revenue. The classic example was the Suburu Brat in the 80's. Those of you who remembered it will know it is really a Japanese (abeit miniaturized) version of the El Camino (aka Cowboy Cadillac) But in order to not be designated as a Truck and have to pay the high import duties levied on import truck, Suburu put two back facing plastic seats in the bed. For that it got *car* designation and avoided the import duty for trucks. VW was not so creative with the Rabbit Pickup. It got the truck designation for tax/revenue purpose but car status for emission/safety purpose.

Similarily for tax/revenue and licensing purpose, depending on equipment, the Vanagon may be designed a truck, a station wagon or even RV.

But for the Feds EPA & DOT/NTHSA, it gets a Truck designation. For emission/safety purpose, I don*t know how a vehicle get a car or truck designation but it is easy to tell if the feds consider something truck or car. Emission/Safety requirements for trucks are about 10 years behind cars. So the hi-mount center third brake light required on all cars in the US since 1985 was not required on trucks till 1995. So *trucks* like the Vanagon and SUV*s don*t have that. The same goes for height of headlights. (The 39" high Vanagon headlights far exceeds the 24" max for cars.) Same goes for emission equipment requirements.

This whole issue actually came up for me when I first bought my Vanagon in October 1987. I ask the dealer why it doesn*t have passive restrain in the front and shoulder straps for the rear passengers and why it doesn*t have the center brake light. The sales man just smile and said it is not required. What? Why not? *Well the government considers this a truck.. That*s why * was the gentle answer!

Yau-Man Chan 87 GL


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