I've stayed out of this discussion until now. Sigh. Probably should
stay out of this disussion...but...

I watched what Larry did. Decided I would go a similar but slightly
different route, trying to correct what I percieved to be his mistakes.
  I put an SVX subaru engine in my Westy Syncro. I'm very thrilled I
did. Along with the other upgrades and interior updating I've done, I
now feel my Vanagon is a daily, reliable, comfortable vehicle and more
practical than anything else available new in the US market.

It's shorter outside, bigger inside, has better visibility, good
handling, and well, I'm one of those who have always liked the looks
too.

I know that the money I put into it was as much as I would have spent
to get a Excursion, or Land Rover new. But the Excusion (which would
have the interior space my Vanagon has) is a huge vehicle with has
mileage only about the same as my SVX powered Syncro. The LandRover
wouldn't have the interior room, but would have better gas mileage.
Neither of those vehicles would have the sink/stove and beds that my
Westy has.

Safety? I always remember the video of that Tank in San Diego, driving
the streets crush car after car...until he hit a vanagon. He pushed
that vanagon down the street a long ways, until he back it into a RV.
THEN he crush it and the RV. But that incident gave me a much higher
regard for the Vanagon's impact capacity.

My upgraded brakes and the good all around visibility of a Vanagon
allow me to avoid accidents better than most other vehicles out there
(especially if their drivers are chatting away on the phone.) My added
height (Syncro, and larger wheels and tires) mean I can look over most
SUV's and Minivans, and again, anticipate problems rather than
participate in them.

On Mar 9, 2005, at 6:20 PM, Bernard wrote:

>> <<Check in with Larry Chase, I think he was pretty serious about
>> travel
>> and transportation too.
>> Two or three engines later, and he's still having it worked on.>>