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Bob D. Samba Member
Joined: September 11, 2003 Posts: 613 Location: Chicago, IL
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 12:47 pm Post subject: OT: Other People Driving Your Bus? |
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Does anybody else get hinky about letting other people drive their bus?
My leg is in a cast right now, no driving for at least a couple of months, so I have no choice but to let my wife drive my bus. She is a new stick shift driver and a couple of times has crunched a gear or killed the engine, and once she hit second when looking for fourth.
The bus pulled through these incidents OK and she has logged many incident-free miles, but nobody else shifts and drives your vehicle quite the way "you' do, so I have to admit the whole concept bothers me. I know bays are not priceless Ferraris or anything, but I am definitely attached to this beast.
Anybody else get the same way when a spouse or friend is behind the wheel of your bus, or am I just being a nut (a substantially milder term than my wife used)? _________________ 1978 7-Passenger, 37K miles
Proud Member #1, SBS (Stock Bus Society)
*Enjoy and appreciate your good health*
We used to play for silver
Now we play for life |
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keifernet Samba Search & Rescue
Joined: May 11, 2002 Posts: 19395 Location: Samba Center for Behavioral Science
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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they are pretty hardy beasts... I would be patient with the wife/gal in my life and or the kids if anyone is teaching them. it should stand up to a few missed shifts/stalls
However I draw the line on lending or leaving the driving to anyone else save my most trusted buds who have proven themselves either by owning other VW's and stick shift model cars...
I've seen first hand many a time the kinda damage that an idiot can do to a car in between 15 min- 24 hour period...
I would say your like most of us... lovingly cautious... great way to be!
Oh Yeah.... wishing you a speedy recovery! |
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Randy in Maine Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2003 Posts: 34890 Location: The Beach
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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When I first met my (now wife), she couldn't drive a stick. In the days of the 6 volts she became the dedicated "pusher" while I popped the clutch.
Now she likes to drive the bus. She says she feel like "Ralph Cramden" while driving it. Aside from a strong cross wind, it is pretty stable on the road, decent visability, and good control. Driving the bus, however does keep even me busy. Watching the gauges, listening to the motor, contemplating the worst that could happen and defensive driving all of the time.
Since she isn't reading this I can say that I think she shifts at too low of an RPM even with the tach. She drives it like it was a Subaru (which I also think she shifts at too low RPMs). I keep telling her that you have to let them ponies run.
I keep telling myself that it is just a car and I need not worry too much about it.
But she is right, I am a fussy when it comes to my (our?) toy.
However, she keeps me warmer than the bus does. Keep that in mind. |
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earthmuffin Samba Worm Farmer
Joined: September 24, 2003 Posts: 1542 Location: In the shower..........peeing!
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 4:23 pm Post subject: |
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I don't like to let anyone drive my stuff. Not only can bad stuff happen to it, it can cause good friendships to go bad if there is an incident. My father-in-law drove my subaru for about an hour a couple months ago and the clutch decided to go while he was at the helm. I didn't really care cause it was on its way out anyway, but he felt bad and blah, blah, blah you know the story. I'd rather just give someone a ride or haul something for someone than let them take my wheels. Of course my wife is excluded from that, but she can be a little hard on things too. _________________ This thread SUCKS!!! |
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earthmuffin Samba Worm Farmer
Joined: September 24, 2003 Posts: 1542 Location: In the shower..........peeing!
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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Randy in Maine wrote: |
I keep telling myself that it is just a car and I need not worry too much about it.
However, she keeps me warmer than the bus does. Keep that in mind. |
The problem with the "its just a car theory" is that I'm always the one laying underneath it getting grease on my hands. I guess I can deal with a little maintenance if my return is the warmth of a good woman! _________________ This thread SUCKS!!! |
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busrocker71 Samba Member
Joined: September 30, 2003 Posts: 333 Location: Welcome to the OC
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 5:11 pm Post subject: |
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my girl likes to drive my bus every so often. and she gets so happy when shes done and asks me "did i do good?!" i just get so paranoid when she's behind the wheel just because we live on a narrow street and it feels like she gets way too close to the cars parked on the side. it freaks me out. then i'll bark at her...and she gets upset...blah blah...it never ends. so now...she just doesn't drive my "other baby" anymore. _________________ 1971 BayWindow Deluxe+SoCal=Good Times
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BryanM Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2002 Posts: 4212 Location: Concord/Charlotte NC
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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My wife is the ONLY person who is allowed to drive my VWs on a regular basis. My brother and I share cars every so often but he doesnt drive my truck. _________________ -Bryan
Motorwagen LLC
Concord NC |
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Amskeptic Samba Member
Joined: October 18, 2002 Posts: 8568 Location: All Across The Country
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:46 pm Post subject: |
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Everybody drives my bus. I have taught countless teenagers how to drive stickshift on it, had children from the ages of four through eight steer it down in the holler in West Virginia, and all of my girlfriends through the years have driven it, loved it, and loved in it, all of my friends have driven it, and the hitch-hikers I used to pick up were required to drive it.
I have a simple protocol to ensure that they do not beat the clutch or transmission, it takes about ten minutes and no one has ever crunched the trans or stalled it more than once or twice. That said, only three people have driven it with enough competence to allow me to fall asleep while riding in it. And. . . no one has ever driven it alone. . . EVER.
Colin |
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chabanais Samba Member
Joined: July 27, 2002 Posts: 4866
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 10:28 pm Post subject: |
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Some dumb ass valet parker moron popped my shifter out of its coupling. NEVER let anyone drive it now... even valets. _________________ "I spud therefore I yam." |
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Island Bwoy 420 Samba Member
Joined: September 22, 2003 Posts: 108 Location: Palm Beach Gardens, Fl
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Posted: Sun Nov 23, 2003 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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I know what you guys mean. I let my girlfriend drive my auto 78 but she claims that if she doesnt speed all the way to 20 ft before a red light that I am slow and like to crawl along at 5 mph. I just cringe thinking about my new brakes being overly worn away for no reason and the fact that if it doesnt stop my girl, my bus and myself are all dead if it doesnt stop! Too scary for me. She can drive her Lumina! ha! I let my neighbor sit behind the wheel one time and he asked if he could drive it around the hood and I hated to break his heart but I couldnt bear to let him do it. After all my baby is my baby! _________________ 4-2-0 Theres no time to be taking your time so spark it up! |
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moxnix Samba Member
Joined: September 11, 2003 Posts: 667 Location: Mpls Minn.
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Posted: Mon Nov 24, 2003 8:37 am Post subject: |
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Out of sheer exhaustion I've let friends drive my bus on roadtrips- but without fail no matter how many times I say not to I wake up to see the pedal to the floor as we scream along at 80Mph...at which point I'm too mad to be tired...
My girlfriend has driven the bus a couple times fairly competently- but the manual drum brakes scare her too much.
On the valet issue... I got stuck going with her and her girlfriends to the "Vagina Monolouges"- they wanted to valet park my bus instead of street parking...
I came real close to doing it; but I freaked out at the last second when I saw the kid give me a peace sign when we pulled up and I took off as they were opening the slider... _________________ Ritterlich im Kriege, wachsam für den Frieden |
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