Chris wrote:
Hello all,
When returning from our first weekend trip today, Two kids maybe 17-22 yrs = old, watched us pull out from a parking lot when one of them yelled at us fr= om a distance of maybe 15 yards,"It's a piece of sh**!"  I wa= s speechless as I am not used to having people yelling vehicular description= s at complete strangers.  My wife had the presence of mind to shoot the= m the finger but we all know what kind of altercations that can cause.
Stuff like this happen to anyone else out there?

A few years ago, after a particularly nasty exchange with an = irate driver, I vowed to not let the a**holes ever get me down again. Now wh= en confronted with the same as you I just wave and smile and pretend that th= e culprit is my best friend. it confuses them and defuses the situation.

 By the way, drove 130 miles this weekend in the van and not one bus/v= anagon to be seen.

When I drive my van to a nearby college town (Athens, Home of OhioU); we ar= e almost guaranteed to be stopped or at least waved at by admiring young peo= ple. Our vehicles are rare, at least in these parts, they are.

Several of our biking and kayaking  friends have become VW van fans th= rough using/observing the space and seating available in our vehicles.

When we go to the nearby Amish countryside for baked goods etc. we are tick= led by the reaction that the Amish nearly always display....the young kids c= hase along after us, the older ones follow us on their bikes and the ('Engli= sh' driving age} teens blink in obvious admiration of our PRACTICAL van. --
Stephen Steele
Chillicothe OH
'91 Caravelle  "Hans"
'84 Westfalia  "Fritz"
'81 Diesel Rabbit "Ol' Yeller" by PO
'90 Jetta GL  16 yo Sons' "together" car
'74 MGB  "Terrance" My first car...yep, I've kept it since '= 74
'93 Chevy S-10    I hate it ... but sometimes I need a truck=