I've been a lurker for last couple months after we finally bought our first
Vanagon, so I figure it might be time to say hi (particularly with the
current discussion!). My wife Allison and I are the proud owners of a '82
1.6na diesel westy that had been lovingly cared for by two previous owners.
In the 2 months since we bought it, we've camped about 2 weeks (every
Friday and Saturday nights) and put 2k+ miles on it. I've owned a whole
bunch of vehicles over the years, but this has certainly been my favorite
so far.

We live in Chicago, and our prime reason for getting a van is heading to MI
and WI to explore, fish, surf, etc. Most of that happens on little state
roads with 55mph speed limits, and of course it's pretty flat around here.
So I think less about the 1.6 being underpowered and more about it being so
awesomely simple and fuel efficient. I am quite sure I'd have a different
opinion if my stomping grounds were the rockies.

I was super excited to find the Vanagon listserv. I was active on the bmw
2002 list waaay back in the mid 90s, and I've always found the listservs
preferable to message boards etc. I've been enjoying the discussions here,
and I look forward to chatting with you all in the future.

Best,
Joe