aye, aye. aye second that. and I don't have a Westy. But a pop top would be
cool
Michael in San Antonio
91GL Weekender AT 2.1L 'Gringo'
73 Beetle

On Mon, May 10, 2010 at 8:02 PM, Bill Shawley <easywind1975@hotmail.com>wrote:

> Peter,
>
>
>
> I'll let others go on about the technical aspects of your van venture but I
> suggest you ask yourself if you need a full westy, weekender, or just a van
> with a bed.  When I jumped in 4 years ago I was convinced (and naieve) that
> it was a full westy I needed.  Now that I've had a few years to consider, a
> poptop weekender would've been perfect for me.  I use the van for hauling
> and local stuff as much or more than I do camping and the cabinet and
> kitchenette take up a lot of space.  If it were just me and my wife I think
> a just a van with the fold out bed would work and I could easily get 4x8
> sheets of plywood when needed.  The price difference between a nice van and
> westy is night and day, the savings could be sunk into camper upgrades
> (swivel seats, curtains, stereo upgrade, magic fingers, etc....)   I don't
> cook in the van (except heat water), I rarely use the fridge, the sink is
> pretty cool though...  Just some thoughts that's all here everyone has
> different needs and the right van for you may not be the right van for
> another.  For God's sake though man, make sure the van is dry and rust free!
>
>
>
> Ryan
>
> > Date: Mon, 10 May 2010 19:15:21 -0400
> > From: bybike@GMAIL.COM
> > Subject: any words of wisdom for a virgin to the world of westy's?
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>  >
> > I am looking at getting my first westy, and have spent the past couple of
> > weeks looking through gowesty and thesamba to see what knowledge i can
> > glean... along with reading all the the info here for the past week or
> so.
> >
> > i'm not a mechanic, although i'm good with simple machines (i love
> bicycles,
> > and am looking for a westy to keep my bikes company : ) I work with
> > computers, and don't love them... 'nuf said. So after a couple of weeks
> of
> > reading, I think I'm on that page "are you a eurovan guy or is a vanagon
> in
> > your future"... and as much as I appreciate the creature comforts of the
> > eurovan, I think it's a vanagon. So... now what?
> > I'm up in Canada (Toronto), and importing one from the States seems like
> a
> > lot of added effort. Most of the ones I see up here are out on the west
> > coast, which means I need to ask and assess remotely or spend a lot on
> > airfare to visit. I do get the "avoid round headlights" level of info I
> have
> > (so '86 or later), I don't know enough to be able to assess what leaks or
> > malfunctioning parts are the ones that will have big $$$ signs attached.
> And
> > rust... well, where is it really bad and if I see it I should stop
> dreaming
> > vs just an indicator of some body work and paint?
> >
> > I'm sure everyone here has gone through the newbie thoughts when they
> first
> > got the westy bug... help?
> >
> > --
> > /Peter K
> > > You can find me at http://studiofstop.com
>
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