Very interesting topic.
The thing I like most about vanagons is they seem to give permission to go
slow.
When you know you have little power you tend to drive accordingly and either
freak out or
just relax knowing you will eventually get there hopefuly in one peice.

It does seem to be that other drivers kind of know you have your hands full
just trying to maintain
forward motion. I try to keep a "yeah, I wish it was faster too" look on my
face when being passed.

A therory that was shared in one of my traffic school attendences (yup) was
that people do not like
to drive behind anything that blocks their forward view.. A large RV or
vanagon even if going fast enough
will not let them see around you well. I agree and notice that when in my
small sports car I am often permitted to
get in front of many other drivers compared to the vanagon.

A few of my favorite bumper stickers for the vanagon.

"What ever you do, DONT get behind a VW BUS!"

And,

"If you are gonna ride my ass, at least pull my hair!"

Cheers,

Doug

----- Original Message -----
From: "Adam H. Behle" <tikiman2@COX.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Thursday, September 22, 2005 6:08 PM
Subject: Re: Road rage cause--Diesel powered vanagons - Driving Slow

> I've been flipped off going 65 in the slow lane and 80 in the fast lane-it
does not seem to matter
> how fast you are actually going and what lane you are using.  My theory is
that my one fingered
> saluters have a preconcieved notion that Vanagons are slow, whether they
really are or zipping
> along just fine at 80 with other cars, and therefore feel compelled to
salute when they come
> across such beasts. At least in San Diego.
>
> As for my beast, I have since slowed to 65 tops and use the "drive it like
a diesel" method to help
> save gas.  Went from a supremely crappy 14.7 mpg with AC on to just under
17 mpg in the "slow"
> lane with a 2.1 WBX with 162,000 miles in mixed city/highway commute.  I'd
love to squeak out
> another MPG or two, but my carpooling friends might mutiny on the Westy.
>
> I love these things and the zen-like patience they teach, but I admit to
occaisional bouts of an
> irritable road rage-esque condition I get when I drive my wife's Volvo T5
and run into less than
> perfect drivers (not literally running into them though). But this feeling
never results in honking,
> gunfire, single digit gestures, brawling, knife fights, Greco-roman
wrestling, etc-and is never
> directed towards drivers of our loaf shaped beasts.
>
> Take it easy on the roads folks,
>
> Adam
>
> ps-I forgot...I did rage out a little bit once when a snooty couple in a
black V12 Mercedes
> sideswiped my white Westy with their black mirror which left a nasty
horozontial skid mark.  I
> buffed it out and considered reporting them as a hit and run, but decided
to let karma nail them in
> the ass instead. Whatever works...