My wife always has to make some comment when we are out in the Vanagon, and I tell her to lock her door when we park somewhere. "Who would want to steal this thing" or "You've got to be kidding". Now, mine is a very nice 1985 Weekender, no rust, dents, etc. Just finished a complete repaint. Just like the recent thread, everywhere we go the Vanagon gets attention/comments. Believe it or not, she thinks her 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer is worth more than my Vanagon! I'm pretty sure no one has ever approached her in a parking lot and said "Nice Lancer, what year is it?" Jeff Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> So this thread got me thinking to remind all of you out there in
> Vanagon land to lock your doors as the hoods are out in earnest. Just
> witnessed thieves driving from mailbox to mail box stealing mail in my
> neighborhood.Might be my Vanagons next. Or yours.
> Robert1982 Westfalia
> --- On Thu, 10/20/11, Kevin ... <artbear26@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
> From: Kevin ... <artbear26@HOTMAIL.COM>
> Subject: Re: Vans in the hood
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Date: Thursday, October 20, 2011, 2:26 PM
> Ahhhh.....Stealth Vanagons! Since it's close to Halloween maybe they
> are ghost vans.
> > Date: Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:15:33 +0000
> > From: fonman4277@COMCAST.NET
> > Subject: Re: Vans in the hood
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> >
> > As I have mentioned before, even in the tiny town of Round Hill,
> > Virginia, there is one other Vanagon owner besides me. Even though I
> > parked next to him one day at the grocery store, he wasn't very
> > talkative when he came out. As to where all these cars are, I;m
> > always amazed when I go to local car shows and look at the
> > registration cards on a lot of the show cars-they are local, even a
> > lot that list "Round Hill Virginia" yet I never see them out on the
> > road, just at shows. Jeff Jeff Stewart ----- Original Message -----
> > > Here on the East Coast in Virginia I have seen a few vanagons, but
> > > they are
> > > still
> > > not that frequent. When you see them out here they usually stick
> > > out
> > > even
> > > with soo
> > > many people driving suvs out here. I have been working on mine off
> > > and
> > > on
> > > and have
> > > driven it a total of about a year out of the about four years I
> > > have
> > > had
> > > it. The guy I bought
> > > it from was towing it around every time he moved(3 times) and
> > > wanted
> > > to fix
> > > it up but
> > > never got around to it. I was able to get it for 500$. He worked
> > > where
> > > I
> > > worked and when
> > > I got it running and drove it to work he saw it and said he felt
> > > sick
> > > to
> > > his stomach. All
> > > I could do was smile as I walked away after we talked for a
> > > minute. It
> > > is
> > > definitely a unique
> > > vehicle and I have learned a lot working on it without any kind of
> > > repair
> > > manual. Once on
> > > the road as a daily driver I look forward to the cheaper fuel fill
> > > ups
> > > comapared to fueling my
> > > 1970 Mercury Monterey. Thanks to everyone for all of the stories
> > > and
> > > tips!!
> > > I am glad I found
> > > Vanagon.com while searching for information, this has been a great
> > > experience!!
> > > Jason Orr
> > > Victor 1.9 hardtop waterboxer 4spd
> > > At 10:29 PM 10/19/2011 -0700, you wrote:
> > > > I think the reason there are more Vanagons out and about lately
> > > > can be
> > > >traced to gas and diesel costs. I know that is why I found mine
> > > >and
> > > >began
> > > >driving it around...and now I actually prefer it to my still very
> > > >fine Ford
> > > >4X4 with Alaskan camper...It's more fun to drive, usually, and
> > > >easier
> > > >to
> > > >use....and most certainly easier on the wallet at the filling
> > > >stations.
> > > > An American Van, vanagon-sized, or a pickup truck or a full
> > > > sized
> > > >SUV.....now a days you will spend $100-$150 on each fill up. My
> > > >Ford gives
> > > >me about 400 (+/-) miles of travel for that. Most other full
> > > >sized
> > > >vehicles, until these last few years when the Sprinters, etc came
> > > >onto the
> > > >scene, they give about the same dollar/per mile ratio.
> > > > So people went to vanagons, which were cheap. Or if 'cheap' was
> > > > of no
> > > >concern, they were still relatively fuel-efficient, compared to
> > > >full
> > > >sized
> > > >vehicles. Richy-rich folks felt "good" about buying a cute little
> > > >Vanagon
> > > >from one of the premium vendors and driving around righteously
> > > >'saving the
> > > >planet' in that rather than driving a Prevost diesel pusher bus
> > > >with
> > > >pop-out rooms, or an Adventure Wagon giant Van....
> > > > Worker-bees like me, we have to make ends meet...which got me
> > > > into
> > > > another
> > > >VW Van again.(Who'd a-thunk it--30yrs later, again driving a VW
> > > >van
> > > >to work,
> > > >pounding nails at the same wage?)....and now I really wouldn't go
> > > >back to a
> > > >full size truck again (except when I have to tow something
> > > >heavy).
> > > > If someone gave me a Mercedes sprinter van, I might use it as my
> > > > work
> > > >vehicle but I wouldn't try to camp in it....too tall, most of
> > > >them.
> > > > My work
> > > >clients would be more impressed with a carpenter who shows up in
> > > >a
> > > >fancy
> > > >modern vehicle, probably...but those vans, the new modern
> > > >equivalent
> > > >of the
> > > >VW van, they are too expensive for me...and I don't care to learn
> > > >to
> > > >work on
> > > >something that 'modular'...or pay for an extended service
> > > >warranty to
> > > >let me
> > > >take it to the dealer, should it break....
> > > > Bazillions of Vanagons in the Pacific Northwest....
> > > > Don Hanson