David you speak of differences of opinions, yet you parade your opinions
around as if they were facts. You are trying to force other people's ideas
into your definition of "personality" or "karma".

If you want to everyone on this list to give you the answer you expect and
desire regarding Vanagon's reliability then I think you are going to be
disappointed.

Tell me, can no objects have spirit or personality? Is Michaelangelo's David a
piece of stone? The Mona Lisa just some pigment on a canvas? Objects can and
do have a force or energy contained within them. This is a product of the
design and craft that went into its creation.

Why are cars described and "lively", "aggressive", "dull"? Because their whole
is more than their sum and this is a fundamental characteristic things that
are "alive".

Machines can a have a "life" which is imparted to them by their designers and
creators. Go talk to some archtiects, engineers, craftsmen, or artists and I'm
sure that they will give testimony to the life and personality of their
creations.

I feel sorry for you if you cannot sense this: the "rightness" in something
well crafted or innovative.

On the other hand I suspect you are just trolling.

Paul

89 Carat 145K (Currently waiting to tell me its name)

In a message dated 98-07-16 15:30:41 EDT, DavidM wrote:

<< No they don't. Only the owner has feelings which may be projected
 (irrationally) onto the vehicle. For instance, if you complete a long
 journey without problems, you may think "that van has been good to me",
 or when it breaks down a few times in succession, you may think "its got
 it in for me". All of this is of course nonsense. As many people have
 said here, if it is maintained well it is more likely to be 'good' and
 if not, more likely to 'misbehave'.
 I suppose you can think of different vehicles as having different
 'personalities' but it is really just their mechanical reactions to the
 way they are built, driven and maintained.
  >>