>  I have come too close to locking the
>keys in, and I still haven't got around to getting a spare key...

As a locksmith, I recommend getting a spare key made and put it between the
license place and the flip-down oil/water filler door, held in place by one
of the license plate fastening bolts through the hole in the key. Easy to
get to when you need it (undo the wingnut, pull the bolt out, down drops
the key), and it won't fall off or be found by thieves* like those crappy
magnetic hide-a-key boxes. I can't tell you how many times I've slammed the
locked slider door shut with my keys sitting on the back seat! P.S. this
trick also works for most non-Vanagon cars, but the Vanagon is well suited
to it because it's just a wingnut-- you don't need to find a screwdriver or
fiddle with a penny in a slotted bolt to get the key loose.

*Even though thieves don't usually spend any time feeling around looking
for spare keys (they usually just look for already unlocked cars, or just
break a window), we sometimes have to appeal to our customers' paranoia to
get them to make sensible choices. I'm frequently an idiot and lock my keys
in all my cars, but I have a well-placed hide-a-key, a key in my wallet,
AND a key behind the license plate on ALL my cars. There are time when I've
forgotten to put the hide a key back and locked my keys inside WITH my
wallet. License plate key very handy then.

John Bange
'90 Vanagon "Geldsauger"