It probably has something to do with the way VW marketed the Bus back in
the '50s and '60s.  They did not market it as a van nor a mini-van, but as
a station wagon.  

I would have to agree though, that in concept, the VW Bus was one of the
first "mini-vans."

Sean

----------
> From: John Gladu <jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <vanagon@lenti.med.umn.edu>
> Subject: DEF: Mini-Van?
> Date: Tuesday, May 20, 1997 12:12 AM
> 
> Can someone tell me what the definition of a "Mini-Van" is?
> 
> A week ago, a headline on 5/12/97 "The New York Times" caught my eye and
I
> fed a dollar to the machine to snag a copy.
> 
> It read: "For Mini-Vans, a Mid-Life Crisis at Age of 14".
> 
> "Hmmm..." I thought, "The Bozobus is 36..."
> 
> Why is it that the now-fifty-year-old product of Volkswagen is not
> considered a 'Mini-Van'?  Is the Microbus too small?  Is the Vanagon too
> large?  Every Type II (except for the Eurovan) is older than the vehicle
> that one of the "Big Three" pretentiously calls "the first Mini-Van".
> 
> I'm surprised that VW let this ridiculous claim slide by.
> But, then again, I'm not...
> 
> bcnu - Grungy (John Gladu)     (Houston, TX)    Opinions are just that
> INTERNET: jgladu@bcm.tmc.edu			   VOICE: 713-997-1117
> '60 dddPanel walk-thru  (The Bozobus)-----resting - melting 1600dp----
> '89 Vanagon GL----------------------------good!-----------------------
> '90 Vanagon GL----------------------------good!-----------------------
> '68 & '69 Bugs--(Frunobulax & Bertha)-----on vacation (engineless)----
>