Date: Wed, 5 May 1999 14:46:55 -0400
Reply-To: "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Joe L." <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Subject: Re: Do I forgive my VW?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Forgive? What was her crime? Being old and therefore needing more
maintaince than the spiffy new stuff thats around now? Grandma is also
getting a little long in the tooth. May we replace her with a younger model
that also requires less upkeep and perhaps has a better looking pair of
legs? If we do, can we also call the new model "Grandma" and thus somehow
transfer the SOUL of the old to the new? Did one of your children ever break
a leg? Did you then consider the possibilities of saving a few bucks by
putting the old broken child up for adoption and replacing him with a new
one?
I recall an old joke where a man tells his wife "When you reach 40 I am
going to trade you in for two 20 year olds." I believe the same spirit has
infected you. But if you are repelled by some of the above "practical"
suggestions for Grandma and your kids there is perhaps, hope for you yet.
Sometimes the cost of repairs hurt and it sometimes seems that it's one
thing after another that fails but if you keep at it there will come a point
where the failures slow down to a crawl. When I first got my Westy it seems
like it spent one day in my garage for every hour on the road but that time
passed and now it is just about the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned.
More than any other vehicle I have ever owned she is MY van. Mine in a sense
that goes way byond the mear possession of the pink-slip. True, she is a
little ragged around the edges and is not a pretty as some of the new stuff
out there but, like Grandma, she cannot be replaced without loosing
something VASTLY more important than what would be gained.
Care for your van and nurse her through these bad times. On the other
side I think you will see what I mean. And consider this. The part you just
replaced my be the final one that will need replacing for quite some time.
If you sell her now the new owner and NOT you will be the benefactor of all
the work you have put into her so far. You will have created a very reliable
vehicle and then given it away at precisely the point where the benefits
would have started coming your way. In any case you are now one repair
closer to VW Nirvana than you were before.
----- Original Message -----
From: Martin Laycock <m.laycock@STRATH.AC.UK>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 1999 10:55 AM
Subject: Do I forgive my VW?
> Dear listees...Please give me some reasons for going on living with my
> transporter/camper. The hydro clutch pipe gave up and I had to end up
goung
> to the VW truck dealer for new pipes front to back. No flaps had them. The
> best part of 100 quid has just gone from my life and I can't look her in
> the eye. Please help.
>
> Yours,
> Disillusioned VW owner
> Martin
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