re: "As long as you use them to move people around in you
are OK."

Well, I don't know the first thing about towing with
Vanagons but can recall the first time I landed in Germany
(Frankfurt, 1992) and looked out the plane window to the
tarmac as we taxied to the gate--it seemed every service
vehicle I saw was a Vanagon.  Then, when I was at my
assignment at Patch Barracks, it seemed all the
craftspersons on base doing plumbing or carpentry or such
used Vanagons.  It looked like the great majority of
Vanagons I saw there were being used in a commercial
capacity and most of them being used as people carriers were
run by American GIs and were US spec.  The only pickup I saw
the whole time there was a made-in-the USA Rabbit.  From
this experience, I think the Vanagon (now the Caravelle) is
much more the light truck of Germany than the minivan of
Germany.  BTW, I did get to see lots of Vanagons used as
people carriers one time--this was during the transfer
ceremony from Colin Powell to (the guy whose name no one
could spell--like Shelly-something) when the entire fleet of
"dignitary" vehicles were (apparently rented) Vanagons.