>  My Vanagon, it's developed a strong "personality".  I have become
> quite fond of it, much like >my original '57 South African Split
> window.  The new one I checked out?  Don't see much >personality
> there.  Lots of vinyl, velour, plastic, flush fold away stuff and
> neat engineering >details..but...Plastic..
>
>  Just an observation on the theory of evolution..VW van style.  Or
> you suppose there is a case >for "Intelligent design" when we speak
> of the origin of the VW Van?

yes, i think so ... it was called "leaving the designing to the
engineers, not the bean-counters!!!". :(  and that's the problem these
days ... the engineers are required to design to the bean-counter
specs, instead of the bean-counters having to figure out how to sell
the engineers' design; in other words, vw used to be different from
Chevrolet, but now they are the same: here's what we make, buy it and
live with it.

which is why i plan on keeping a vanagon for the rest of my life ...
it fits me and i like it. i don't like the new stuff. :(

... but it is a good example of Darwinism or Survival of the Fittest;
only trouble is, the definition of "Fittest" has changed (for the
manufacturer) ... it used to mean 'strongest, most reliable, most
long-lived" but now it means "most profitable".

joel