I guess I've slowly become a "belt and suspenders" guy.

When I began Vanagoning in '89 I carried tools, spare parts, Bentley manual
and a Visa card.  I drove all over the US at least twice and never needed a
tow.  I had plenty of mechanical issues along the way but I never even
considering calling a tow truck.  I simply wanted to fix it myself and in
most cases there wasn't anywhere better to have it towed to.

I held off carrying the cell phone until '99 when I decided it was a
necessary tool for my work.  Now I feel naked without it.

Before driving solo to Alaska in 2006 I joined AAA Plus thinking that if
there was ever going to be a time that I might need to be towed it would in
The Last Frontier and it would be expensive.  Nope.  I fixed a dripping
heater hose in a campground, swapped o2 sensors on an abandoned piece of the
original Al-Can, and replaced a water pump belt on the side of the Top of
The World Highway.

However...  In the last year and half I've used my AAA towing 3 times within
7 miles of my work shop.  First a non-Vanagon vehicle I bought died 5
minutes away from the seller's driveway and all I had was a Swiss army
knife, next my Westy's fuel pump quit on a rain soaked, narrow and
dangerously busy section of highway and lastly, the turbocharger in my truck
quit between my house and workshop.

In all cases the AAA tow truck arrived within 45 minutes, the drivers were
very courteous and careful with my vehicles and it was a huge time saver to
have "us" delivered to my workshop where I could get my spare vehicle and
fix the problem vehicle on my schedule.

Oh, and Angus....  I have your cell number so I'm not going to renew my AAA
membership....  I have a tow strap and we'll buy some tasty Canadian
beverage for triage.

Andrew
Bainbridge Island WA

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Angus Gordon
Sent: Wednesday, April 29, 2009 8:41 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Good Sam Club Road Assist

I've been a member of the Vanagon mailing list for a lot of years, so I'm
well acquainted with the love affair most profess for AAA's "free" towing.
Just to provide the flip side, I'm too cheap to pay for AAA (CAA) and in 38
years of driving I've paid for a tow truck once.

If needed, I can get the same prompt, courteous towing service by utilizing
my cell phone and Visa card, and I suspect I've come out a little ahead
financially.

Just my 2 cents worth.

Hunkered down, ready for the heat,

Angus

Angus Gordon
Bainbridge Island WA

birdworks@gmail.com