In a message dated 98-05-10 00:01:49 EDT, pdooley@GTE.NET writes:

<< Chris, looks like you did write the above, unless your mail was tampered
 with in transit.  I doubt it.  I feel I can speak for the majority by saying
 these comments should sent privately, or better yet, left unsaid.
  >>

I see and yet you send this to the list and not me personally.  Excuse me but
I did not write that letter.  I do not do drugs and do not wish to be thought
of as the author of that letter on this list.  Still it is my fault for even
making a comment on it.  However for the record here below is the original
letter, written by one "thetrans@INAME.COM"   [NOTICE NOT
Chrisw7971@aol.com!!!]

<< Subj:              Re: for sale;     1987 syncro vanagon!!!!!!!!!!
 Date:  98-05-09 08:05:06 EDT
 From:  thetrans@INAME.COM (thetrans)
 Sender:        Vanagon@VANAGON.COM (Vanagon Mailing List)
 Reply-to:      thetrans@INAME.COM (thetrans)
 To:    Vanagon@VANAGON.COM

 At 06:19 AM 5/9/98 -0400, Modl6971 wrote:
 >In a message dated 98-05-09 03:41:20 EDT, dearbo@EROLS.COM writes:

 [el snipieo]

 >
 > East coast car, huh,   must be a rust bucket.
 >
 Wow! Such venom.. most unlike what one expects here. Well here's my non
 mechanical $.02:

 1) VW's, and especially the van/westies have special places in people's
 hearts, which often result in people doing irrational things.. paying more
 than maybe an objective buyer would for a used vehicle, putting more money
 into one to keep it going, etc.

 Thats the nature of this beast. Kinda like beanie babies. I bet there are
 some wonderful geographic stats on who'se paying big muchacha $$ for a
 thing that literally cost $.25 to make!! But another case of emotion
 overruling logic.. society is full of such examples... and a footnote.. in
 MOST cases it makes people happy!!

 2) I think I know why syncros (and VW vans in general) cost more on the
 west coast vs. the East and Mid West. You guys got the good dope first.
 Thirty years ago, the west coast had the best drugs. So a huge emotional
 bond took place when the good ganj was passed in the ol VW vans (westies,
 splitties and regular passenger vans). At that time there were fewer vans
 in the East and Mid West, and the dope wasn't as good, so fewer emotional
 bonding experiences. West Coasters are always seeking to maintain that
 wonderful coolness from the sixties (which gets harder and harder every
 year.. first Nixon, then Reagan, then Bush, then El Nino and Gingrich... I
 digress), and this is just one of those manifestations.

 But lets not forget, this is the ... nineties...! We all pay exhoribitant
 amounts for sinse (gold is literally cheaper), and hell our Mid West
 bretheren grow as much or more than our friends up in Humbolt! And at least
 it is, for the most part, all really good, everywhere!! Folks in the East
 and Mid West smoke the same quality stuff as the gang on the West Coast,
 its just that the retro emotional bonding drive isn't as strong, and
 consequently a reverse regressive economic pattern is observed relative to
 van pricing.

 Brothers and sisters!! Can't we all just get along regardless of what van
 we drive, what engine replacement we've installed, and most of all, what we
 paid for our syncros?

 Reminds me of a story, once I was in the middle of nowhere, well actually
 it was Lodi New Jersey [lets not go there]........

 signed,

 A proud owner of a 1987 westy syncro obtained in a moderately priced deal,
 and subject to all of the heartache of inflated parts prices, breakdowns,
 etc, as everyone else (West Coasters too) and willing to come back for more
 because I love this vehicle, man.....sniff sniff.. and based in the East!

 "Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you
 look at it right"

 Hunter/Garcia

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 From: thetrans <thetrans@INAME.COM>
 Subject:      Re: for sale;     1987 syncro vanagon!!!!!!!!!!
 Comments: To: Modl6971 <Modl6971@AOL.COM>, Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
 To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
 In-Reply-To:  <78577ef2.35542dac@aol.com>

  >>