> He says, "Oh God, you mean it woud be like your old heap? F*ck that!
Your
> van is always needing one thing or another."
> I took this as an insult and wasn't able to readily explain the
benefits of

as, indeed, i would, too!! that sort of remark has been known to sour
'friendships' for a long, long time!!!!

> being closely connected to my "old heap." How does one explain the
intimacy
> of clogged fuel filters, vacuum leaks, propane smells, constantly
checking
> engine temperature gauges, etc.?

you cannot explain it. one has to experience it to understand it. it's
like the Zen philosophy ... ask your friend to "listen to the sound of
one hand clapping" ... they won't understand that, either. intimacy
with a vehicle builds confidence in not only the vehicle but in
yourself; it teaches you that you CAN fix things in your life ... and
this carries over to non-mechanical 'things'.  Life is a constant
repair job, both in personal relationships and mechanical devices. i
don't see how the friend can fail to see this, but there are many
blind and stupid people in the world. :)

> Why do we love our vans so much even though they require so much
work and go
> so slow?

"of what use is a newborn babe??"  why would parents lavish so much
love and attention on something that requires constant care and
feeding? because of the joy that will come later ... in the case of
our vans, because of the joy of driving and camping; and there is the
joy of working and fixing things. simple joys of life. and it's not
soooo much work. most of the time, anyway. :)

> What would you have said if you were in my shoes?

nothing. there's nothing you can say ... it's useless to try to teach
pigs to sing: it's a waste of your time and it annoys the pigs. ;)

> I'm now gonna pull out my old copy of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
> Maintenance"...

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. :)

good luck!
joel

p.s.
always remember that most Blessings ARE a Burden, of one sort or
another. money, fame, fortune, family ... all are blessings. and all
are burdens. we are very lucky in most civilized countries of the
world, in that we have the ability to CHOOSE at least some of our
burdens. :)