Jay,

I own both a Vanagon and an Iltis VW type 183.
If you like Syncro Vanagons you will love the VW Iltis.
The Iltis replaced the Thing in military service (both vehicles were
originally built for the German Army).
The Thing is a type 181 and a type182 is a right hand drive Thing.
So the Iltis is the son of the Thing, and when you compare them you can
definitely see a large resemblance.
There is a huge improvement from the Thing to the Iltis.
Best of all they are 4 wheel drive with a diff lock and 16" off road tires
also a water cooled inline 4 cylinder engine.
The Iltis is amazing off road and will run circles around a Hummer.
The Iltis is also a full convertible , the same setup as the Thing.
Also for the money you would spend to buy and fix up a Thing  you could buy
an nice Iltis.
The Iltis is a far superior vehicle.
I can say this with out a doubt because I have owned both a Thing and a
Iltis.
I have also driven an Iltis for two tours of duty in Bosnia.
At that time I also worked closely with some U.S forces and  also had a
chance to drive there Hummer for a month.
The improvements are like comparing a Split window Bus to a Vanagon!( in
technological terms)
If you interested e-mail me and I will send you pictures and some more info.

Cheers
Glen

----- Original Message -----
From: jay m. <jayshark@ARACNET.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 9:31 AM
Subject: thinking about a (VW) Thing

> well, now that my plan to buy a Syncro Vanagon has fallen apart (I already
> have a 90GL) I'm feeling an urge to buy a Thing.  Does anybody have one?
> Comments?  Good web resources?  I'd appreciate anything, as I don't know
> much about these vehicles.
>
> --Jay
>