I used to drive my Van in ND and get pulled over all the time and harassed because my "Van" was associated with Pot smoking and hippies.  Now maybe when I was young I was doing somethings on the grey scale.  
 
In Montana, I have been pulled over multiple times and my vehicle searched once without cause.  
 
I will say it has been a long while since I have been followed and pulled over.  I di also make it through a DUI checkpoint being waved through (which really surprised me), but was bummed because I do not drink and love to have fun with them.  
 
Small price to pay for driving these awesome Rigs.  
 
> Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2011 12:16:23 -0500
> From: jfpoolio@GMAIL.COM
> Subject: VW Van Profiling
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> 
> Warning: Long email/rant following....
> 
> It's happened again, the experience that starts as no surprise and then
> becomes frustrating as I wait to get my drivers license back. By the time
> the cop is back to my van to apologize for the inconvenience I'm a mixture
> of understanding, pissed, and frustrated. Today the cop confessed the the
> vehicle that I drive is a big part of why he tail-gated me for a few miles
> and then pulled me over. "It had a lot to do with it" was his answer when I
> asked if my vehicle was why I got special attention from him today.
> 
> A few ways that I've modified my behavior at least partially because of this
> re-currance:
> - Wearing a collared shirt, which I have done exclusively for years now.
> - Keeping my hair short, which I started doing after picking up 3 seat belt
> violations in a short period, I know I should always wear my seatbelt but
> the second and third were in situations where I still would likely neglect
> to do so (parking lot hopping essentially))
> -Keeping my van in great condition (recently waxed, was washed yesterday,
> shiny/clean/straight etc.)
> -Keeping all registration/insurance current, my record clean, getting no
> tickets (except for the seatbelt violations) etc.
> 
> None of these appear to have made the difference. I did notice an
> improvement in how things go after getting rid of long hair and moving to
> collared shirts only. They may still pull me over but I haven't gotten a
> ticket of any type since making these changes.
> 
> I've been driving VW vans almost exclusively since the early/mid 90's and
> none of this started until 5 or 6 years ago with my Vanagon Westies. In my
> younger years, while driving smoking/rattling/leaking bays and splits there
> may have been a few laws broken, or at least bent, and I didn't worry about
> the appearance of my van or myself yet I don't recall being pulled over and
> know that I didn't get any tickets. There were a few road-block close calls
> but they all worked out fine (miraculously). One funny one included my van
> overheating and dying in a cloud of smoke while I was in a late-night, party
> targeting, road-block. My van wouldn't restart and we had been cleared to
> go so everyone stumbled out of the van to push us off the road. I wasn't
> intoxicated but when my friends stumbled out of the back of the Westy to
> push one of them fell over and had to be helped back into the van. It was
> an odd scene, pushing my smoking van off the highway amid the flashing
> lights and then sobering up as the van cooled and we watched lots of our
> friends go through the road-block with some being ticketed etc.
> 
> Does anyone else get extra attention from the police? I'm doubting that I'm
> the only one but it could be the part of the country that I spend most of my
> time in? Most or all of these incidents where I've been pulled over for
> little/nothing have occurred in North Carolina or Tennessee as I recall. I
> rarely see VW vans on the road in this area so maybe it is a factor of my
> standing out more coupled with a vigilant police force? I'm actually glad
> to know (with confidence) that they are out there keeping an eye on things
> (VW vans at least, ha ha). My biggest complaint is how long it takes for
> them to run my background check (or whatever they do back there while I
> wait). Maybe technology will improve and this will become a faster process
> in the future. For the record North Carolina and Tennessee are good states
> and good places to spend time. The cops are usually friendly as they
> interrupt my travels and I don't ever worry about needing to pay bribes or
> other things that may happen in other parts of the world.
> 
> O.K.,, thanks for the list therapy. I started typing this a few minutes
> after being pulled over and am no longer pissed or frustrated. I'm glad it
> was a Friday and I could share this with the list and move on (until it
> happens again).
> 
> Jonathan Poole
> '83 AC Westy