At 06:18 PM 9/09/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>From:    Rusty Zarse <rzarse@YAHOO.COM>
>
>We have three... ok four cars right now.  85 westy, 86 Honda CRX, 99 Acura
>TL, 03 Volvo V40.  The V40 has seats designed by an orthopedist.  They are
>extremely comfortable and provide the appropriate support for your back,
>legs, etc such that long trips are pure pleasure and after an 8 hour trip
>to the beach (and back when it was done) I had absolutely no stiffness and
>was ready to get back in and go some more.  I bought my Westy from a
>gentleman with a fused spine.  He had had to have his vertebrae fused as a
>child due to a bone disease (I believe that was the cause).  Our Volvo
>seats are incredibly comfortable but the PO will attest, nothing stands up
>to the Vanagon seats.  We brought the Westy home from AZ to GA in complete
>comfort.  My advice is to keep the wonderful vanagon seats stock, they are
>incredible.  Get them covered if you want a different look.

   I'd have to agree....the VW seats feel firm and somehow this gets
   equated with being bad seats.I have never been stiff after travelling
   all day or night in the stock seats in my T3.

   If you want to change out the seats,it's your choice but be aware
   that many other seats have a nice comfy lip on each side on the
   seat base to hold you snug in the seat in corners etc.
   This is fine,and indeed a great idea IF you sit in the seat by getting
   into your car and sitting down.
   We don't get into our vans like that...we climb up and in.Then you
   find what a nuisance that lip can be.That extra couple of inches
   you need to raise yourself to clear the seat can be a PITA...literally
   if you land on the raised seat edge... ;)

   On top of that,the material on the edge of the lip will wear in fairly
   quick fashion and the driver's seat outer edge looks like crap before
   too long.

   I once replaced the original seats in my (ex) '74 camper with some
   Recaro look-alikes...Looked cool,felt Ok to travel in but all of the
   above quickly became true...(esp the PITA bit ;)

   My two cents worth anyway...

   Steve O
   NSW Australia
   '92 Transporter WBX Kombi
   '00 Transporter Double Cab
   '03 Transporter Double Cab (work truck)