I think I need therapy...

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Well, I graduate from Cal State Fullerton in May. I will be 31 years old. I will have been married for four years, have a three year old daughter and another baby due in July. My practical side says "keep driving your reliable '92 Isuzu Rodeo, it is dependable, safe and you know it." My not so practical side says "if you don't buy a VW Camper Van NOW you are going to regret it the rest of your job-drudgin' life!"

So, I can't stop thinking about 'em. I had a '72 VW Convertible. Had a '77 VW Van. All in the days before marriage and kids. Don't get me wrong. Love the family but I am trying to find a way to meld the two. You see, my wife's first husband had a 1971 VW Van. (not a camper) And she has pretty much put the lights out on that entire market. Says everytime she sees one she almost convulses and has seizures. Crap, right? 1971 was THE only year to have one, so I read in the posting before this one.

My question is thusly: am I screwed? Is there a good year post-1980 that ANYONE likes? (the look is satifactorily UN-1971-ish to my wife) The guy at the local VW Parts store just laughed at me and walked away. I would need to put in two car seats into this van as well as be able to depend on it from time to time. I WOULD LOVE TO GET A 1971 RIVIERA but hey, if you can't be with the one you love... Thank you all for the marriage/VW Therapeutic Counseling Service (AKA this site)

[vwsrus]

Seeing how you want a dependable ride and you have a family, go with a Vanagon Camper. They are a lot more comfortable, safer, and the water cooled ones have heat. You'll have more fun in it as a family. Then, after a few years of going to VW camp outs, shows, etc., your wife migh warm up to the fact that you desire a 71. And paint it another color than her ex-husband's van. It might help.

[TimGud]

Try a split screen camper. It's alot more money but a completely different look.

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Yea, we all need therapy...

Dr. Paul sez...Her ex's camper issue doesnt need to get in the way of your VW enjoyment. You had a 77 van, so you know how they drive, have you ever driven a pre 67 bus ? Have you ever driven a Vanagon ? Is this going to be your main set of wheels, or a weekend toy ? What does the mother of your kids think? I've put lots of miles on all of them, got kids, had wives, maybe I can help...

[chabanais]

Have your cake and eat it too! Tell her it's a rare Brazillian model... only one in the US!

http://www.baysplits.com/

[NeverHadaBeetle]

Lots of women convulse at the mere sight of a VW van. That's why the camper model is so popular.

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THANK YOU to you all for replying and talking me down... the situation seems so much more desperate after scrolling through the classifieds for two hours at midnight...
(can you say obsessive/compulsive?)

In reference to some of the questions posed by Dr. Paul, I would like for this to be a daily driver to school and such (average 150 miles per week) and after school I would need it to get me to work and probably to soccer games and ballet practice. (my daughter, not me) I have not driven a Vanagon but feel that argument would go down easier than fighting the wife for a pre-67. In fact, there is a 1980 model that looks fantastic here in Southern Cal but I know nothing about the Vanagons or what years to look out for... (and I think he wants my two children for a down payment)

Again, I am getting short of breath just typing about it... I dream of camper vans... do you realize the torment? Of course you do. Thanks for the baysplits site. You know I love you all and want to be you when I grow up, right?

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This may take more than a few sessions...

Dr Paul's RX:

If you are jonesn' for a bus, nothing will replace the need. But there aren't many of them out there that don't require more than the occasional tweek. So as a family daily driver you may have to wait and get lucky, or shell out a lot of cash.

You can pay too much for a POS, but it is rare to get a great bus cheap. Most of the busses out there are older than you.

Your options are endless, so I'll offer a few :

Keep the Rodeo, and expose your honey to busses ( of all kinds ) and gauge her reactions. Maybe you can learn if it is all Baywindow busses that she hates, or is 71 special?

Drive some Vanagons and see if they suit you at all. For me they are the best drivers, and still have the same vibe, but they seriously lack cool.

The Westfalia camper package was vitrually the same from 76 to 92, so you could do Bay, Air Vanagon, Diesel Vanagon, or Wasserboxer, and Yosemite would feel the same.

Your hour is up...Let me know what you think and I can schedule another session...

PS: sorry I missed that her ex's 71 wasn't a camper.....I've been dipping into the pharmacy...it will happen again...but hey...you'll forgive..right?

[DB]

Joe,

My free advice. First, I currently own several splits a 23 and 21, an early '72 bay westy, and two '84 vanagons (one camper / one passenger). As mentioned above, the splits are the coolest, then bays, and last vanagons -- although a nice VR6 camper would be nice so I could tow my boat.

My suggestion is to go for a wasserboxer Vanagon camper 83.5 up, or at least a 74 up bay window so you have enough room for your family to sleep comfortably, heat, reasonable power, and safety.

Then start going on all the bus campouts -- good family fun for all, and a lot of cool VW people. Eventually your wife will love busses again, and equate vw busses with good family times - and kids love camping. Then you can later buy any bus you want with easy approval of the spouse.

I would stay away from air cooled and diesel vanagons - kind of slow....

Regards, DB

[crukab]

Having experiance with all 3 generations of campers, I really suggest getting into a vanagon, you can still get a 1st or 2nd owner rig in good shape, We have a 91 vanagon ,not a camper, but does have the big bed/rear seat combo, since its a carat/ wolfsburg, it has ac,mags,trim ect.
With 2 jump seats ,we can take out the one by the door, giving us lots of room for cooler, stove ect,plus without the poptop & all the other gear, it makes a good daily driver rig.
Our kids were older when we got the vanagon(10&11), their early days of camping were in a 71 non pop westy, they got into sleeping in a tent w/out us when they were 4-5 ,so moving to a non pop vanagon that just my wife & I slept in was e-z,
The 86 & newer Vanagons have a bigger engine,we took ours to Colorado w/our kids the last 2 summers, had a blast,only minor problems, we cruised at 70mph, kids were content, and theses are now big teenagers.
Plus the wife likes it because its more of a Van than a camper!
I still have a splitty camper , but its not what I'll take to Colorado this summer, not in 2.5 day zip accross the U.S.! Tom in Vt.

[billyisme]

#1 I completely understand your need for a bus, and I suggest you get right to buying one. Get a splittie that you're into--double cabs are great, deluxes are cool, whatever. Just get a split bus you can fix up and drive your family around in and love. Do not get a splittie camper and expect to charge up and down the Rockies with your family. That will not be fun for you or your family.

#2 Sit down and figure out what you can afford, and then buy the nicest/newest camper you can. We "bit the bullet" a few years back and bought a Eurovan Camper. NO van VW ever made compares to the power and road holding of our camper. I have driven Vanagon campers (a lot) ane we had a 71 Westy for a long time, and they don't hold a candle to our Eurovan. 80mph with A/C blasting in the desert with the roof loaded and all water tanks full--NO PROBLEM. We tow our motorcycles to the desert with NO PROBLEM. I tow my 59 Single Cab and beetle without thinking twice about it. Huge side tent, rear tent, shower nozzle off the back, propane stove, 3-way fridge, furnace, LOTS of storage... we have never looked back! It doesn't "feel" like an acVW, but you'll get plenty of attention in the campgrounds, and you'll cover a LOT more territory in a Eurovan or big engine Vanagon than you will an acVW! We're at 98,000 miles and not ONE mechanical issue (outside the regular maintenance regime and a precautionary water pump change last summer).

[Zander68]

I own a '68 that my wife won't even sit in.
Tell your old lady, "Hanging on to the past only makes you old and bitter". Her ex might have been a total jerk nuts, but she married YOU. I'm sure she cooked chicken, pasta, or steak for the guy. Does that mean you don't get to eat it? I'm not judging, but if she has such bad memories of her ex-husband and the car that he used to drive, maybe a little therapy could help. (Helped me with some isues, now life is rockin!)
Hope it works out for you..
Ps. The wife still won't sit in my bus, but at least I have one.

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WOW!! I am overwhelmed and a little "veklempt" by your help my friends. You know, when you hear you're gonna have another baby you go a little crazy. Start thinking about bigger yards, more rooms, campouts and campin' vans...

Today my wife had an ultrasound. Looks like our baby, due in July, could have Downs Syndrome. It's still kinda hittin' us and of course we are praying and crying but overall we are still thrilled about our expanding family and I am STILL thinking about gettin' that VW Van! I know this is not the forum for such things but I just thought I would let you all know the reason why I may not be checking in on here for a while.

Thank you all again for everything. Life is soo cool, huh? Never ceases to surprise us. Looking at my entry from just a few days ago I already feel a little detached from that "mania" and a little more focused on WHY I want a van. Family. Good Times. Memories. I am gonna look for maybe an '87 Vanagon or newer... I have time. God Bless you guys. For real.