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Mon Mar 29, 2010 10:25 am

hugheseum wrote: parents are doing you a favor by not buying you a new car or making you earn your own,buying a kid a car will certainly leave a lasting impression......and by lasting i mean that will be one of the reasons the kid cant ever stand on his/her own 2 feet and be living with mommy well after the age of 18
Ya, I totally agree with you.
I wasn't bitchin about being not being bought a new car when I was 16, just describing the situation, and laughing about how parents attitudes change.
And I learned to fix the damn thing. :D While bicycling uphill, both way, ten miles, through the redwoods and mountains, to school, while holding down a part time job. And I liked it.

Actually I think split buses tend to self select for people who can take care of shit, rather than get stuff taken care of for them.
Which is not the stereotype people have of the flakey hippy with a old bus. Flakey people can't keep the buses on the road.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:07 am

hugheseum wrote: parents are doing you a favor by not buying you a new car or making you earn your own,buying a kid a car will certainly leave a lasting impression......and by lasting i mean that will be one of the reasons the kid cant ever stand on his/her own 2 feet and be living with mommy well after the age of 18

Depends. My kid is almost 13 and he already has a bus, a '65 sunroof standard that we worked on together to restore when he was 11. Since he was 12 he has been doing all the maintenance on it including adjusting the valves and changing the muffler. When he turns 18 he gets the keys, but he will have earned it through sweat equity. I agree with the earlier poster that a bus sets a kid apart, given him/her something to identify with an might just keep them away from other more pernicious forms of self-expression, such as drugs, booze, piercings and tatoos. To me, it is a good investment on many levels.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:16 am

Braukuche wrote: hugheseum wrote: parents are doing you a favor by not buying you a new car or making you earn your own,buying a kid a car will certainly leave a lasting impression......and by lasting i mean that will be one of the reasons the kid cant ever stand on his/her own 2 feet and be living with mommy well after the age of 18

Depends. My kid is almost 13 and he already has a bus, a '65 sunroof standard that we worked on together to restore when he was 11. Since he was 12 he has been doing all the maintenance on it including adjusting the valves and changing the muffler. When he turns 18 he gets the keys, but he will have earned it through sweat equity. I agree with the earlier poster that a bus sets a kid apart, given him/her something to identify with an might just keep them away from other more pernicious forms of self-expression, such as drugs, booze, piercings and tatoos. To me, it is a good investment on many levels.

I like the idea of sweat equity....it teaches responsibility but also not to just look for instant gratification. IMO, if America returned to that philosophy, we would be in better shape (pun intended)

I also agree that it is import for parents to find a healthy way for kids to express themselves. What better way than a vintage car...

Mon Mar 29, 2010 12:43 pm

Busryder wrote: :? Ever try to "get busy" in the back of a bug? :roll:

Yep... although at 16, I don't think I cared that much :wink:

Mon Mar 29, 2010 12:48 pm

Clara wrote:

Actually I think split buses tend to self select for people who can take care of shit, rather than get stuff taken care of for them.
Which is not the stereotype people have of the flakey hippy with a old bus. Flakey people can't keep the buses on the road.

I know a lot of bus folks that the only work they do on their bus(es) is write a check to have someone else fix it for them.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:48 pm

My wife drives a brand new car and we buy her a brand new car every 2 years beacause I want here and my family to be as safe as possible. she is not that great of driver in my opinion and Id rather be safe than sorry . me on the otherhand. I have a old rusty single cab that i drive on a regular basis. because I love driving a bus!! :wink:

Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:32 pm

crofty wrote: Clara wrote:

Actually I think split buses tend to self select for people who can take care of shit, rather than get stuff taken care of for them.
Which is not the stereotype people have of the flakey hippy with a old bus. Flakey people can't keep the buses on the road.

I know a lot of bus folks that the only work they do on their bus(es) is write a check to have someone else fix it for them.

I bet they get new cars for their wives every two years too. :P :P Well... "better safe than sorry" I always say.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:48 pm

Clara wrote:

Actually I think split buses tend to self select for people who can take care of shit, rather than get stuff taken care of for them.
Which is not the stereotype people have of the flakey hippy with a old bus. Flakey people can't keep the buses on the road. I think most of the buses found nowdays were left in the woods, fields, barns,etc. were left there for dead by some flakey hippie. Also, i think most of these buses were abandoned because they "broke", and needed some minor repair(s). I cringe when I think of all the buses that were abandoned, towed and crushed (or left to rot slowly in the woods) because they lost brakes, 3rd gear, or some tiny prob. that a few $ and basic maintenance would have fixed/prevented.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:56 pm

C'mon now Dave, you know that you don't have to be a flakey hippie to not know how to keep a bus alive... John Muir helped millions of idiots too. :lol:

Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:05 pm

Braukuche wrote: hugheseum wrote: parents are doing you a favor by not buying you a new car or making you earn your own,buying a kid a car will certainly leave a lasting impression......and by lasting i mean that will be one of the reasons the kid cant ever stand on his/her own 2 feet and be living with mommy well after the age of 18

Depends. My kid is almost 13 and he already has a bus, a '65 sunroof standard that we worked on together to restore when he was 11. Since he was 12 he has been doing all the maintenance on it including adjusting the valves and changing the muffler. When he turns 18 he gets the keys, but he will have earned it through sweat equity. I agree with the earlier poster that a bus sets a kid apart, given him/her something to identify with an might just keep them away from other more pernicious forms of self-expression, such as drugs, booze, piercings and tatoos. To me, it is a good investment on many levels.

Agreed 100%.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:41 pm

Busryder wrote: C'mon now Dave, you know that you don't have to be a flakey hippie to not know how to keep a bus alive... John Muir helped millions of idiots too. :lol: :lol: ...Alive until it was ditched in the woods maybe. :) :?

Mon Mar 29, 2010 7:57 pm

Speaking of parents and kids and stuff, I just turned 17 and I have been saving my money for many years so that I could buy a car when
I was old enough. Now that time has come and I decided I want a project and I always wanted a bus. The only problem is my parents think its a bad idea because they are unsafe and unreliable :roll: . But im not going to let that affect my dreams. Its my money and im going to buy what I want, and I want a bus. Thats the way I look at it.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:18 pm

Let them buy the "safe" '90 tercel for you... then YOU buy your dream... I am a parent as well. You Gotta' live!. :wink:

Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:20 pm

Dave24 wrote: Let them buy the "safe" '90 tercel for you... then YOU buy your dream... I am a parent as well. You Gotta' live!. :wink:

They agreed to let me buy a bus, but I have to drive my dads truck to school/work. I think thats a fair deal :wink:

Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:23 pm

volkswagenut wrote: Its funny to watch people to when driving , about every 5th car around here you see people pointing and smiling whole bunch of waves , and stares . 8)

oh .. you too huh? 8)

couple of days ago i got a sidways stare from an old granny i was passin' by in the westy ... she kinda looked surprised and scared at the same time.

maybe she had a freaky flashback :lol: :lol: ... i just laughed and kept on going

Mon Mar 29, 2010 8:41 pm

I'll pass on the "busses are unsafe and unreliable" flamebait.

I bought my first bus due to utility- it was cheap and I could haul my RZ350 to the track to race and sleep in it. I wasn't into buses or VWs then. When I got married the motorcycles got sold to pay for the wedding and honeymoon but the bus stayed. Later my wife and I put all our stuff into a 10x10 storage unit and drove around the country, 38 states and 3 months in that '62 11 window walk through. Greatest time of our life.
Here and there people have thought we were crazy, one of them called in a panic one night as flood waters moved up to her riverside home. She couldn't believe that we saved all her most precious posessions including her grandfather clock in that one trip.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:22 pm

doppelkabine265 wrote: I'll pass on the "busses are unsafe and unreliable" flamebait.

I bought my first bus due to utility- it was cheap and I could haul my RZ350 to the track to race and sleep in it. I wasn't into buses or VWs then. When I got married the motorcycles got sold to pay for the wedding and honeymoon but the bus stayed. Later my wife and I put all our stuff into a 10x10 storage unit and drove around the country, 38 states and 3 months in that '62 11 window walk through. Greatest time of our life.
Here and there people have thought we were crazy, one of them called in a panic one night as flood waters moved up to her riverside home. She couldn't believe that we saved all her most precious posessions including her grandfather clock in that one trip.

That's the kind of stuff I dream about. In 2000 my late wife and I went on a road trip in a rented 2000 mustang convertible (I know not a vw) from palm springs to the peace arch at the Washington/Canada border (family) then to Baudette Minnesota (family) then diagonally home. We put 6000 miles on that car in two weeks. most of the roads we were on were 55 or lower so it would be so awesome in a bus. Someday again

Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:34 pm

i can't explain it, i bought one many moons ago, and it was like i was borned again.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:44 pm

Clara wrote:
Later, my Dad bought my 12 years younger step-sister a brand new car.
:roll:

This explains alot Clara :lol:

For me it was a no brainer ...my first car was a" 61 kombi in 1969 " Cost me $300 bucks with a bad tranny.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 9:48 pm

Apd wrote: Speaking of parents and kids and stuff, [...] The only problem is my parents think its a bad idea because they are unsafe and unreliable :roll: . But im not going to let that affect my dreams.

It's true, compared to almost anything else, they are unsafe and unreliable (or at least, they demand more attention so they stay reliable...). But they also build character and return a lot of fun for the invested time. :) The driver is a big part of the equation anyway; a good driver can make up for many of the deficiencies of a bad car, while a bad one is dangerous in the "safest" car. John Muir thought everyone might learn to be better drivers if they were strapped to the front of their cars, but the driver's seat of a bus isn't much different from that, so keep that in mind.

Your parents' compromise seems reasonable. You can calm their nerves (a little :P ) by driving something a little more practical for your "daily commute", but you'll still get to have some fun with the bus, too. As you gain experience, they'll gain more confidence in you. Don't sweat it, it's just part of life, and patience will pay off. It already has .. you convinced them to let you get a bus, right? :D
So go find one and enjoy!