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Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:22 am

My wife and I were talking this morning after reading “3 hippy dudes and a green bus” she said “that there must be a Volkswagen Valkyrie, who upon seeing an ACVW stranded and unmoving blows her horn to call forth all of her VW minions to add the fallen comrade. She who decides who lives and who dies on the road way. A being of resurrection, of glory and of assistance, a being to either bring them to the hallow halls of a garage or to shoulder on through the highways and by-ways. “

I asked “why is that?”

Her reply “well let’s see. The first time we drove your car to a show we broke down 3 miles from the house on the interstate. You had the hood up for 1 min and ppl started pulling over to help…… some even turned around to help. The next time was when we pulled over to check your car on the way to bug out last year because of an oil leak. we were parked 1 min again and another 65 beetle pulled up and asked what was going on. He helped with the leak you help him with his leak (you had tools, he had knowledge). Then at the show (bugout 68 ) , you where fixing the bad leaky oil pressure thing and 34 ppl stopped to help while you were working and you all fixed tons of stuff on your car.”
I said “ok anything else to back it up?”

She said “do I have to remind you about jumping out of a moving truck to help push start a vw bus? Like a 4yo at a birthday party? While I was in it?” I was getting the “I will remember that shit for eternity” look.

So maybe she’s right or maybe it’s a nice metaphorical way to say we look out for our own. But next time I’m driving my car or cruising if I hear a war horn call I will start looking at my gages and on the side of the road.

-The_Whingnut

Sun Mar 27, 2011 9:27 am

It seems to me that a lot of VW people are assholes. I was broken down for 3 hours on the 91 freeway on a Saturday. At least 8 VWs passed me. Every one eyeballed me. Not one stopped. After 3 hours a CHP officer pushed me to the next exit.

Sun Mar 27, 2011 11:45 am

i have never had that experience and i hope that you never have it again. i have heard a lot from the Cali guys that it happens to them. but I have never had that. in fact half the ppl that stop aren't in VWs they just are looking out for their fellow man.

Sun Mar 27, 2011 8:00 pm

i was on my way to Deutch Fest '08 in a '75 bug me and my dad finished restoring a few months prior. it was a FI bug and had a bad alternator which i wasnt aware of since the light never came on even though it lit up then cranking and went off when i started the car. anyway, i was with my cousin and the battery gave out. i pulled over on the freeway. just as we were about to get out to try and push start it (up hill, and i was gonna try to jump back in to pop the clutch) a guy in a black and yellow 65 bus pulled in behind me with his girlfriend. the guy and my cousin push the bug and i got it to start. turns out the guy owned a VW shop about 15 miles from my house which i never heard about, and my friend helped his girlfriend (in the bus at this point) with her 68 Ghia when she was having trouble.

anyway. last August the guys shop went out if business and they had to auction off all the stuff they had left. i spent some money there and as a second thank you to him. as it happened the black/yellow bus was there to be auctioned as well. he got $9800 for it which was a lot more than i thought it was worth so that was good for him. but i was glad to give back to him unknowingly until i saw that bus, then i started buying things i didnt need :D

Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:34 pm

I've had both experiences. I've been helped by other VW owners within literal seconds from breaking down. (made some good friends that way)

I've also had them drive right past me without hesitation.

For the record though, All the people who stopped for me were in Arizona, the two times that people didn't stop I was in California.

I myself have stopped for other VWs in distress on more then one occasion.

Fri Apr 01, 2011 1:31 am

I had a fuel pump go out once. I didn't get volkswagen people to help but I did get two cute girls to help push the car into a parking lot 8) . I've been there for VW people too, I gave a spare rear brake cylinder I had to a guy who needed one. It was a perfectly working part. Free! Also I had someone give me an 009 with pertronix, not to special, but it was free and got me running better than a leaky vacuum can.

Sun May 29, 2011 7:45 pm

thats what i mean its seems to me there is always someone willing to help every time i've been stuck or broken down. just today on the way back from Bugout 69 i saw the guy that helped me at bugout68 on the side of the road. i stopped and asked if he needed any help. i was in my Saturn (see the reader's ride page) and had no tools or parts but i still stopped and checked on him. plus i shared some info on A.I.R.S. and insurance companies that do good for towing for future reference. his new alternator eat itself and took the belt, and distributor wiring with it. it wasn't going anywhere under its own power. its Karma. you get helped , you help or the other way around. its just a good scene. i hope everything went ok for the guy, he was calling a tow when i left. he still had 70miles to go to the house.

just good Karma.

Sun Jun 05, 2011 1:14 pm

The California experience is probably due to them NOT being "rare" out there. Old cars still roll the highways every day. Here on the Eastern Seaboard old cars of any make are unusual to see and you notice them. There is more of a kindred spirit with those who drive them to help out each other.

I could make some derogatory statements about Californians gleaned from my years as an Oregonian...... but I won't.

While I've never broken down in my ACVW, I most certainly will help someone who has done so if I came upon the stranded motorist.

Dave

Sun Jun 05, 2011 5:59 pm

thats what i mean people with similar interests helping each other out. whats so bad about that?

Fri Jun 10, 2011 1:27 pm

In 1981, on Memorial Day, driving on I-10 from AZ to California in 1970 VW to go on a cruise (with Mrs. Cusser #1), a shirtless, shoeless hippie-type flagged me down in 110F temperature west of Desert Center (middle of nowhere). His rear drum (maybe 1966) had worked its way off, and he didn't have a jack, so he flagged down my VW. Well, lucky for him, not only did I have a jack, but a 36mm socket with me and a breaker bar, AND the correct type cotter pin for the rear axle nut. As I put it together, all the guy could do was be amazed at his rare good fortune, maybe I was the only person within 100 miles who could've really helped him.

Fri Jun 10, 2011 4:21 pm

once again another person willing to help out it just keeps going. thats why i love my Car and the ACVW hobby. good ppl are out there everyday helping other ppl. :D

Wed Jun 29, 2011 1:18 pm

It's unfortunate that we get that reputation. You'd think Californians would be nicer. Maybe it's all the boogeyman stories we see everyday.

When we moved to Portland for a short time, I was pleasantly surprised at how nice everyone was.

Fri Jul 15, 2011 8:06 pm

Hey man when is comes to people.........."people are people" . Some will stop some will not. its not that regional as you would think. but with what i have seen and read any place that has large numbers of ppl are less likely to stop because most ppl think that some else will help instead. its just the way of the world. almost everytime i have been sitting curb or ditch in the car i was in rural areas or near small towns except once in Norfolk VA but they have quite a few ACVWs riding around. who knows its just good to know that help can be out there. i for one will stop every time i safely can and sometimes when i shouldn't.

and for ppl who want to say what if...............

well thats life too.

Thu Aug 18, 2011 1:37 am

maximan1 wrote: It seems to me that a lot of VW people are assholes. I was broken down for 3 hours on the 91 freeway on a Saturday. At least 8 VWs passed me. Every one eyeballed me. Not one stopped. After 3 hours a CHP officer pushed me to the next exit.
i guess you weren't aware that everyone on the 91 fwy is an asshole :roll:

Sat Sep 03, 2011 6:45 pm

well it happened again. last night i got a phone call from a friend saying he needed help pulling an engine. so this morning i headed out of the house and got another phone call from my friend asking if i had the cv axle socket. i grabbed the tool, hit the highway on the radio was ride of the valkryie so i cranked it up and sailed into the junk yard they where at and help strip down a 69 campervan with a rotted body (they wouldn't sell us the whole thing). one of the guys was on his way to atlanta and turned around to help. interior parts went to me, engine, trans camper top to my friend, and suspension to another friend. it sucks when you have to do that to a car but its awesome that with a phone call 4 of us from different clubs and a few loners just showed up and worked towards a purpose.