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IdahoDoug
Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10251
Location: N. Idaho
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 Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:59 am Post subject: |
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Wow, sure enough - some cross pollinization in this group from the other brands of off beat import vans. Neat that some of you lived and slept in vans over the years. I actually lived in a van for an entire summer in NJ/NY/VA during a summer job in college. I wonder if that act - sleeping in a vehicle - somehow attached us to the van as a form factor? Speaking for myself, it made me think of vans as a little ship that changed motoring fundamentally by expanding the concept of transportation to include protection, sleeping facilities, a place to hang out, etc. To this day, I sleep really well in a mobile vehicle such as a boat, van, etc.
Thanks for the morning coffee story. More details when you can - good stuff.
So, one of the ways I am going to skirt trouble here with my wonderful wifey is this. Her aunt is coming over from Denmark at the end of May. They will be flying into Seattle, heading to Vancouver for vacation, then Banff for a couple weeks, then down here to our place in Idaho. For some reason, renting cars to Europeans has become outrageously expensive. So, I suggested to my wife we find a way to get one of our vehicles over there for them to use for a month. This will be the perfect vehicle, and it lets me keep the Vanagon (the potential loaner though we did not discuss it) here for the fabulous early summer roadtrips.
So, I'll go through its maintenance and we will find someone near the Sea-Tac airport who is OK with me leaving the Mitsu for a couple days and we'll drive it over and have a little vacation there ourselves. The cool part for them is they also love sleeping in cars like many Europeans. They have reservations at some tony places for their vacation, but I guarantee they will not be able to resist sleeping in this little capsule somewhere in Canada just for fun. So, I will pull all the seats out of it, and put an air mattress, sleeping bags, pillows and a small cooler back there. They will be thrilled just like any of us would be!
When they are done with their vacation, the Mitsu will be arriving back here at our house. So it's a perfect little vignette of life. I may make a bit of a fun show of it by equipping the Mitsu with a nice map set, a few magazines to read, flashlight, and one of those artificial vanilla smelling LED candles. Have you seen the latter? We have a couple of these candles in our Vanagon. They fit perfectly in the cup holders back there. They have a setting where you turn them on and they stay on for 5 hours every day at the same time. Genious. Every day, ours turn on at about 7pm and off at midnight. So when traveling, you come back to the vanagon from a restaurant and the back sleeping area is gently illuminated with the flickering of a couple candles. It's cool - highly recommended.
Ah, coffee just arrived...
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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jackbombay
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007
Posts: 2723
Location: Eastern Idaho
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:50 am Post subject: |
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| IdahoDoug wrote: |
I'll make a blanket psychiatric statement I'd be interested to know how accurately it paints us. By being interested in a vehicle that is not fast, not aggressively styled, and that requires a higher level of care than most hobby/interest types, I suspect we have risen above the vehicle feeding our ego stage. Somehow, I feel that people driving an automotive slug like ours have risen above the insecurity of needing to have a fast/cool sporty car and arrived at a place where we choose our special automotive transport based on our personal version of "cool", not society's. It's just a bonus that these Vanagons are in fact very cool.
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| IdahoDoug wrote: |
| in college. I wonder if that act - sleeping in a vehicle - somehow attached us to the van as a form factor? Speaking for myself, it made me think of vans as a little ship that changed motoring fundamentally by expanding the concept of transportation to include protection, sleeping facilities, a place to hang out, etc. |
Great thoughts, well written too!
I'm always amazed at how much of most people's automotive buying decisions are based on image. I've had many people ask me over the years for help selecting a vehicle, I often suggest vans/minivans of some sort as they are extremely useful in this part of the country, changing boots/clothes at the ski resort, camping, hauling stuff etc... So often the people react almost in horror at the thought of a mini van.
My buddies wife was wanting something different to drive around, I suggested a Toyota Sienna, available with 4wd, plenty of room for their kids, etc... and she was pretty much offended by the thought of a mini van, "I'm a 4 runner girl!" Uhhh, sure, you have fun with that bad gas mileage minimal interior space gas hog... The sienna isn't too good on gas either, but its better than a 4 runner on gas, and has more power, and has plenty of room to sleep inside it, I hope to end up with one myself before too long. I know many guys are scared that a mini van will somehow emasculate them, me? Hell no, if my manliness teetered on something as insignificant as the car I drove I wouldn't be much more than a shadow of man to begin with 
And now I have to prepare to get towed by a horse on my snowboard through a race course, not sure if I have time to paint my nails though....
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Gas struts to pop your top easily!
Pop Top strut kits now available for late Bay window Westies 
Samba ad here.
DIY artificial rain gutters (ARGs)
Last edited by jackbombay on Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Jon_slider
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2007
Posts: 5091
Location: Santa Cruz, Crowdifornia
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:51 am Post subject: |
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| IdahoDoug wrote: |
| come back to the vanagon from a restaurant and the back sleeping area is gently illuminated with the flickering of a couple candles |
OK, now youre really over the limit. Not only is there not ONE single Vanagon photo in this entire thread, you have not posted a single link or pic of those candles.
Come on man! Pics! before this thread gets locked for lack of Light content
Here is the Light I just ordered:
Link
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco
Last edited by Jon_slider on Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:57 am; edited 2 times in total |
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jackbombay
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007
Posts: 2723
Location: Eastern Idaho
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Jon_slider
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2007
Posts: 5091
Location: Santa Cruz, Crowdifornia
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:02 am Post subject: |
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| jackbombay wrote: |
| We have the candles in our house |
thanks for the link
theres a colored version.. too bad its not solar, LOL
Link
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My Soapboxes: Inflation; Handling; Gearing; Decoupling; Swepco |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4492
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| jackbombay wrote: |
| I'm always amazed at how much of most people's automotive buying decisions are based on image. I've had many people ask me over the years for help selecting a vehicle, I often suggest vans/minivans of some sort as they are extremely useful in this part of the country, changing boots/clothes at the ski resort, camping, hauling stuff etc... So often the people react almost in horror at the thought of a mini van..... |
What he said. In addition to the Westy we have a Mopar minivan and have two others before it and an Aerostar before that. Looooove minivans, but cannot convince other friends of the utility. One friend with aging vehicles will rent for long road trips and always gets an SUV. Imagine four very large, loud people and all their luggage and more in that. Simply cannot be convinced otherwise because of the perceived coolness factor. Oh, well, their loss.
Doug, enjoy the Mitsu. One of my co-workers bought one new and drove it for years and loved it. It's a rare beast.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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teej
Samba Member
Joined: November 26, 2010
Posts: 897
Location: Seattle
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| Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2015 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Jon_slider wrote: |
| jackbombay wrote: |
| We have the candles in our house |
thanks for the link
theres a colored version.. too bad its not solar, LOL
Link
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Cool lights.
Re: battery powered--I finally started switching to rechargeable batteries with solar charging for some battery powered LED fixtures, camp headlamps, etc. Here is the brand I am trying, in the AA and AAA size.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aeneloop
I have not tested them extensively yet, just the little LEDs, nothing with moving parts.
The charger though runs off 110v ac hence thru an inverter so inefficient, but still avoids grid power and fewer batteries enter the waste stream.
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1986+ Wolfsburg Weekender Pop-Top 2.3 WBX Manual Trans |
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jackbombay
Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007
Posts: 2723
Location: Eastern Idaho
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32632
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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Zeitgeist 13
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2009
Posts: 12115
Location: Port Manteau
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 8:24 am Post subject: |
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| It's perfectly on par with the endless off brand engine threads that clutter the joint on any given day, but who's counting anymore |
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IdahoDoug
Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10251
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 11:00 am Post subject: |
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Heh, I'm OK with it. I've certainly blown up my share of threads asking divergent questions. It's all good and has a nice conversational feel to it.
Still have not told my family yet....
| djkeev wrote: |
Holy Off Topic Batman!!! 
I'm trying to figure out how we went from Doug getting a Non VW minivan to solar lights to rechargeable batteries?!?!?
Dave |
_________________
1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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campism
Samba Member
Joined: September 07, 2007
Posts: 4492
Location: Richmond VA
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:17 pm Post subject: |
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| IdahoDoug wrote: |
Still have not told my family yet....]
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Depending on how you handle this you might not need to. First, paint it to match the Vanagon. I know a guy who sold motorcycles and one customer always (and only) bought blue motorcycles. He told my buddy, "I've had six different motorcycles since I got married and my wife never noticed." She might actually have been letting the guy hang himself, but you never know...
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic |
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syncro2x
Samba Member
Joined: April 16, 2009
Posts: 110
Location: Calgary
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| Posted: Sun Feb 08, 2015 2:58 pm Post subject: |
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A buddy I used to work with loved restoring old motorcycles. His wife thought he was selling them after he finished. Actually he rented a garage and stuffed it full over the years.
Myself, have 2 vanagons (Syncro tintop and 2wd Westy), 2 collector cars, and a driver for winter. Have been salivating over a syncro Westy I know I can get my hands on. Explain that to the wife would be hard as she already thinks I have to many rigs. Garage rental?? |
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IdahoDoug
Samba Member
Joined: June 12, 2010
Posts: 10251
Location: N. Idaho
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| Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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Heh it would not look as good as the Vanagon in that yellow, I can assure you. But it's a lot better idea than the surprise I am cooking up. Still a secret.
In fact, I'm not sure there is a color this Mitsu will look good in. It has to be among the "only a mother could love" finalists!! Heh...
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1987 2WD Wolfsburg Vanagon Weekender "Mango", two fully locked 80 Series LandCruisers. 2017 Subaru Outback boxer. 1990 Audi 90 Quattro 20V with rear locking differential, 1990 burgundy parts Vanagon. 1984 Porsche 944, 1988 Toyota Supra 5 speed targa, 2002 BMW 325iX, 1982 Toyota Sunrader |
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