75 is just 4Days away for Me ~ Have had Beard for last 35 or so of those ~

Still doing 99% of the Wrenching on it & on a Large Handful of Friends Van's, on

My back but usually on a creeper ~ Have had a Vanagon in My life since '83 when

I was responsible for bringing New Mexico It's 1st H2OBoxer ~ '76 Westy prior to

that with initial VW life provided by a '73 Super Beetle via Marriage in '76 & still

have the Better Part of that deal (Beetle gone a long time ago) ~

        VDubaru, a '90 2WD Westy with Subi EJ25 below deck is My current Daily

Driver, acquired in '06 & Subied in '09 ~ Hope to be driving it as long as the Eyes

& Bank Account will allow, preferably with a Canoe on top to some Camp Spot by

River Somewhere ~ Sure Hoping that All of You will still be Here @ least 'til then ~

                                                        ORR ~ DeanB

        FaceBook Sucks ~~~~~

On 15 Feb , 2020, at 3:01 PM, Rick Cooper wrote:

> Definitely an old fart at 65, with no beard and not much left on top.  1987
> 2.1 WBX with 219,000km.  Was my daily driver until last summer and looking
> forward to driving it again this summer.
> 
> Back in '82, I had a 1962 splittie that I drove to LA (Disneyland) from
> B.C. with my then young children.  Only broke down twice and neither were
> too difficult to repair, which I thought was pretty fine.  Traded it for a
> Fiat X19 (fun car!) after a few years.   Those things would take an awful
> lot of abuse and just keep on trucking.
> 
> 
> On Sat, Feb 15, 2020 at 1:47 PM Bruce Todd <beeceetee@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> 53 - no beard or goatee at the moment -thinning grey hair weakening eye
>> sight and questionable hearing at times.
>> 
>> Owning buses for 24 years, and a syncro westy for the last 14 years.  Once
>> upon a time, I was the younger generation driving the rusty peace van that
>> really had no business whatsoever to be rolling along - at times rolling
>> behind a tow truck or on transport trailer.
>> 
>> Read my John Muir.  Set my points and valves, did my own timing, pulled the
>> motor and tranny,  Reinstalled it....that was the era of air cooled.
>> 
>> Now I am finding I don’t like lying on my back with the cold damp concrete
>> leaching through my coveralls so much anymore and tend to send bigger
>> projects out for repair - being that I am busy working, it tends to be
>> better for me.  This is the first year in awhile that my van is no longer
>> my daily driver and I am starting to get a little excited to get her back
>> on the road once the weather warms.
>> 
>> Bruce
>> 
>> On Saturday, February 15, 2020, Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Nope,  You need to put in more time.
>>> 
>>> Eric Caron
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 15, 2020, at 8:45 AM, Ralph Meyermann <ralphmeyermann@GMAIL.COM
>>> 
>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Is 44 qualified for old fart status?
>>>> 
>>>> On Sat, Feb 15, 2020, 12:59 AM Lloyd McClelland <
>> lloydmac@suddenlink.net
>>>> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> I also retired 5 or so years  ago and am now growing a small goatee
>>> after
>>>>> 35 years of staying air pack emergency qualified - what a change .
>> Side
>>>>> note I still  have a Westfalia  I bought locally (California) in 1999.
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 8:48 PM, Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@yahoo.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>>  I retired five years ago and for my last day of work shaved off my
>>> beard
>>>>> of 32 years.  Been off ever since.  I spent the last ten years of my
>>>>> working life at that IT company in which I was the eldest employee.
>>> Most
>>>>> of the young guys drove Ford Fusions and voted Republican, making me
>>>>> despair for the upcoming generation. One of them bought a motorcycle,
>>> none
>>>>> of them rode bicycles, none of them had "hobby vehicles."  Fantasy
>>> football
>>>>> and Call of Duty reigned. I was glad to leave and haven't missed it a
>>> bit.
>>>>> Somewhere there must be young Vanagon drivers but I don't know them.
>>>>> Stephen
>>>>>  On Friday, February 14, 2020, 10:31:47 PM EST, Alistair Bell <
>>>>> albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> I go on and off with beard. Every time I go on it gets whiter...
>>>>> 
>>>>> Alistair
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 7:07 PM, Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I remember a List entry years ago.  The question was:  Do most
>> Vanagon
>>>>> owners have beards?  Seemed so to the inquirer.  And....I think the
>>> answer
>>>>> is ... Yes. Only now...the color has changed from Salt and
>> Pepper....to
>>>>> mostly Salt.  True for me!  But I still change my oil and filter, and
>>> I've
>>>>> got a bitchen 2.2 Subaru motor in my backside.  So...Take that you
>>>>> youngsters!  Ha-Ha!!!
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Rich
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> San Diego
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Friday, February 14, 2020, 6:56:36 PM PST, Alistair Bell <
>>>>> albell@shaw.ca> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Eric,
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I can totally see and concur. I suppose my shorthand had made two
>>>>> groups, the young and naive and the old and jaded :-)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> As with all things, it’s more nuanced.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> But the mailing list is old tech. Sheesh, us old guys still hang on
>> to
>>>>> listserv as cutting edge :-)
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> Alistair
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 6:47 PM, Eric Caron <ericcaron96@comcast.net>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> When I go to VW bus gatherings most of us are I believe 50 and
>> older.
>>>>> Still In my VW closest group there are folks in their 40s.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>   At these same events there are always a few 30 somethings even
>>>>> folks in their late twenties but not as many as the older groups.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>   The younger groups seem to be a mix some working hard to keep a
>> bus
>>>>> nice and functional.  An a few with busses that look like they were
>>> already
>>>>> parked in the weeds and could not possibly start up and move, yet they
>>> do.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> A lot of the younger folks purchased vanagon or busses I would not
>>> have
>>>>> recommended.  They are just learning about the care and don’t have
>> this
>>>>> list or someone to guide them.  I’ve seen many yellow 1980 air cooled
>>> buses
>>>>> brought back from the dead by these younger folks.  Then again, that
>> may
>>>>> have been the only starting van they could afford.
>>>>>>> So, I’m guessing we are a older bunch but the younger folks are
>> still
>>>>> in the mix.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>   As for this list I don’t think it is easy to find or know about.
>>>>> And the younger group is all about facebook.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Eric
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> On Feb 14, 2020, at 9:23 PM, Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Now don’t get me wrong. Don’t think I’m accusing anyone or if this
>>> has
>>>>> to do with any recent list subjects.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> It’s ti do with my own experience, day to day. I work where I’m the
>>>>> oldest person. This is a first for me. The other guys are half my age
>>> and
>>>>> pretty well twice my smarts. And we do a lot of Toyota Tacoma and
>>>>> forerunner accessories and mods. And some jeep stuff.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> These vehicles are all within 5 years old, many are brand new. The
>>>>> purchase price of these toys is high, and what we put on them isn’t
>>> cheap.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Customers all younger than me, all enthusiastic and energetic. And
>>> all
>>>>> want that off road ( overland) look for the trucks.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> As an owners group, they all are much younger and more willing to
>>>>> spend money than what the average vanagon owner is. They vast majority
>>> of
>>>>> vanagon owners I meet are around my age(61). Yes, I know there are
>>> younger
>>>>> owners, some of the van life types, but majority are old farts. And we
>>> old
>>>>> farts are tight with our money. And often we have the btdt attitude
>> that
>>>>> I’m finding, in myself, to be a negative attitude.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> What do you folk think? I know there are younger list members, even
>>>>> now with the list being much much much quieter than the hay days of
>> the
>>> 90s
>>>>> and 00s.
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Just a Friday musing eh?
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> Alistair
>>>>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>> 
>>