Hello! Log in or Register   |  Help  |  Donate  |  Buy Shirts See all banner ads | Advertise on TheSamba.com  
TheSamba.com
 
Curmudgeon
Page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Forum Index -> Vanagon Share: Facebook Twitter
Reply to topic
Print View
Quick sort: Show newest posts on top | Show oldest posts on top View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
r39o
Samba Polizei


Joined: May 18, 2005
Posts: 9800
Location: San Diego
r39o is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:40 pm    Post subject: Curmudgeon Reply with quote

It finally happened. I have over the years never met an unfriendly Westy owner until today. Sometimes I stop and talk to other Vanagon owners. I kinda know where lots of them are around town. They are hard to miss as you drive by. I have been driving past this particular one for about 4 years.

Today I made a quick stop at a house that had the garage door open and a (beat) Vanagon Westfalia camper in the driveway, sideways.

Long story short, this person would only answer in single syllable replies, so it seemed and I left after a minute of his terseness.

Waz up that? Anybody else ever had such an experience?
_________________
"Use the SEARCH, Luke" But first visit the Vanagon FAQ!

1990 Multivan EJ 22, Rancho trans 0.82 4th, Small Car front AC, CLKs w/ 215/65-16, homemade big brakes 303mm, Konis, Recaros, etc....

Click to see my ads for Cup holders, Subaru clutch fix and CLK wheels (no wheels currently)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Ahwahnee
Samba Member


Joined: June 05, 2010
Posts: 9775
Location: Mt Lemmon, AZ
Ahwahnee is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Never had that experience.

He might as well get a Porsche.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
PDXWesty
Samba Member


Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6235
Location: Portland OR
PDXWesty is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Why are you bugging the guy at home? Maybe he was in the middle of Peoples Court and didn't want to talk to you...
_________________
89 Westy 2.1 Auto
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Glenn Premium Member
Mr. 010


Joined: December 25, 2001
Posts: 76760
Location: Sneaking up behind you
Glenn is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 2:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Are we talking any westy or just vanagon westys?
_________________
Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
"You may not get what you pay for, but you always pay for what you get"

Member #1009

#BlueSquare
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website Gallery Classifieds Feedback
DAIZEE
Samba Member


Joined: January 26, 2010
Posts: 7552
Location: Greater Toronto Area Ontario West Side
DAIZEE is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some people are really shy and awkward or the person may have had his mind on something else or he was just not a good communicator. Some people just aren't communicative and who knows, maybe he stole it and was uncomfortable with your presence. Latter just kidding but lots of reasons not friendly. But I hope you don't find another such person. You know I'd talk to you! Wink Cool
_________________
'09 2.5L Jetta 5 cylinder, 5 spd, super turbo, see thread in H2O Cooled Jetta, etc...
83.5 Vanagon L Riviera Model with 98 1.9L TD AAZ 4 speed Daily Driver 3 out of 4 seasons (sold)
84 Vanagon GL Wolfsburg Westy WBX 4 speed (sold)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Facebook Gallery Classifieds Feedback
HeftySmurf
Samba Member


Joined: June 15, 2008
Posts: 879
Location: Washington, USA
HeftySmurf is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

to be honest I have met some smug vanagon owners since I moved to the PNW. I have met many more good than bad, but it is not universal that all VW owners are care free and friendly.
The bad ones I have run into have just seemed really arrogant, especially the ones I talk to when I am not around my van.
When I am in my Syncro it is a diffrent story Laughing
_________________
-Lorenzo
90 GL w/ Bostig
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
pioneer1
Samba Member


Joined: February 11, 2008
Posts: 2068
Location: Ontario Canada
pioneer1 is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ahwahnee wrote:
Never had that experience.

He might as well get a Porsche.


Rolling Eyes
_________________
"Always waiting for tomorrow ruined everything"

'85 Porsche 911 Targa

'76 Westfalia project
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
HeftySmurf
Samba Member


Joined: June 15, 2008
Posts: 879
Location: Washington, USA
HeftySmurf is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 3:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

LOL
Very true about Porsche guys......
_________________
-Lorenzo
90 GL w/ Bostig
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
purplepeopleeater
Samba Member


Joined: July 23, 2005
Posts: 3117
Location: E. Washington
purplepeopleeater is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've met quite a few that where kinda jackass to me, mainly its because I scaled the gated driveway and i'm asking if they'll sell the syncro on the side of the house.


but yeah, eurovans are dicks.


Laughing
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
thummmper
Samba Member


Joined: November 25, 2009
Posts: 2015
Location: Meadow Valley, California Republic
thummmper is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

all the time-- borrow a tin top and see what doesnt happen
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website Gallery Classifieds Feedback
JPrato
Samba Member


Joined: December 15, 2006
Posts: 788
Location: Livonia, NY
JPrato is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Maybe the guy didn't eat his prunes that morning.

What ever.... My friend and I went to the Adirondack National car show last weekend in Lake George, NY. His company assembles the big block GM create motors which we saw a bunch of there. He would talk to the owners about there engines. A few were like the guy you ran into, but most liked to talk about their cars. One or two expressed some issues with getting the motor dialed in exactly to their liking. My friend took out his black berry and gave them the phone number of a GM engineer that could answer any question they may have. Told them to call him, he would love to talk to them.

So you never know who you are talking to and what may become of it, I'm sure those guys are just loving they have a direct line to the source now!
_________________
Joe

87 Syncro Tin Top project
84 Westy, 2.5L Subaru power
06 Subaru 2.5 turbo in waiting
46 Cessna 140
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
bosruten
Samba Member


Joined: February 11, 2011
Posts: 544

bosruten is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 4:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We went here this past weekend http://explorejasper.com/sights/miettehotsprings.htm . Had a great time, I strolled past a '95 eurovan(lots around here) and tried to strike up a conversation. He proceeded to lecture me on how ALL vehicles needed regular maintainance, not just VW's! and then blew me off! Oh well, we waved to them on the way out.
_________________
'87 Syncro Weekender


Last edited by bosruten on Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
Captain Pike
Samba Member


Joined: December 30, 2003
Posts: 3327
Location: Talos IV, Piedmont Arizona
Captain Pike is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We are not "OLD" enough.
AND
We have heat.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
j8
Samba Member


Joined: August 13, 2003
Posts: 575
Location: Minneapolis, MN
j8 is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:46 pm    Post subject: Re: Curmudgeon Reply with quote

*Channeling Charlton Heston in Soylent Green*

Vanagon owners are made of PEOPLE!

In my various enlightening, enjoyable, slightly awkward, or straight-up eyebrow-raising discussions with fellow VW owners, I've discovered that many of them tend to be human and all the fun or foibles that entails.

Sorry it was a bummer, though.
_________________
Julia
'89 2WD Westy (No end to names...)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Facebook Twitter Gallery Classifieds Feedback
psych-illogical
Samba Member


Joined: October 14, 2004
Posts: 1181
Location: AZ
psych-illogical is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ahwahnee wrote:
Never had that experience.

He might as well get a Porsche.


Do you know what the difference is between a porcupine and a porsche?

The porcupine has it's pricks on the outside.
_________________
83 1/2 Westy waterboxer
'57 Beetle-sold Sad
Coupla '81 BMW motorcycles (R80G/S; R100RS)
'96 BMW R1100GS
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
jbart
Samba Member


Joined: February 17, 2011
Posts: 76
Location: sunny Eugene, Oregon
jbart is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

maybe he was having a bad day. happens to everyone.

when I had my baywindow, other air-cooled VW owners always waved (90%+). in the vanagon, maybe 30% of the other vanagon owners wave or wave back. changing times I guess.

but on my vespa, if you ain't riding vintage, I ain't waving back. yes, I am a snob.
_________________
86 Vanagon L (present)
04 Golf TDI
98 Beetle (pile of crap)
96 Jetta
88 Jetta
87 Cabriolet (Karman, best vw I owned)
69 Bus (pile of rust)
68 Squareback (loaned to a buddy in college, never saw it again)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
carterzest
Samba Member


Joined: January 22, 2008
Posts: 3842
Location: Eagle, ID/Sun Valley, ID
carterzest is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ioweigan, the Samba Cirmudgeon, owns a vanagon Shocked

I have only met 3 such people in with such chips on their shoulder. One was a Eurovan owner who I tried to make nice with, the other two were other Vanagon Camper conversion owners who were somehow above us.
Side note, all had porta potties inside their vans if that makes a difference Laughing
_________________
Happiness=Portland, Oregon in the rearview mirror!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Gallery Classifieds Feedback
curator
Samba Member


Joined: October 02, 2005
Posts: 89
Location: Midwest
curator is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 6:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

psych-illogical wrote:
Ahwahnee wrote:
Never had that experience.

He might as well get a Porsche.


Do you know what the difference is between a porcupine and a porsche?

The porcupine has it's pricks on the outside.


why all the porsche hate? they are german and break down often, so not really that different...
_________________
91 westy
87 924s
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
FNGRUVN
Samba Member


Joined: October 27, 2007
Posts: 2237
Location: Fort Collins, CO
FNGRUVN is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 7:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don't let this one guy change the way you interact with fellow van owners. I'd be flattered if you stopped off at my house for a chat. Just the way I roll, dog.
_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Gallery Classifieds Feedback
WestyBob
Samba Member


Joined: June 11, 2004
Posts: 2346
Location: Portland, Oregon
WestyBob is offline 

PostPosted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 9:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

In Pdx we can usually get a pretty good vanagon turnout for camping and day trips but the percentage of all vanagon owners in town that join in is very small. Ditto for the PNW ... we can get large numbers but still peanuts compared to the total still on the regional road.

I concluded a long time ago most just like driving them (or don't have any coin to get anything else) but just weren't into group activities, talk, and vanagon celebrations (worshipping ?).

There are two vanagon westies on the next block in the 'hood, each owned by a young woman. They love their westies but don't care to talk about them. I frequently mention vanagon-type regional events and they nod their heads politely and say, "cool" but never come.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Classifieds Feedback
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Forum Index -> Vanagon All times are Mountain Standard Time/Pacific Daylight Savings Time
Page: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5  Next
Page 1 of 5

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

About | Help! | Advertise | Donate | Premium Membership | Privacy/Terms of Use | Contact Us | Site Map
Copyright © 1996-2023, Everett Barnes. All Rights Reserved.
Not affiliated with or sponsored by Volkswagen of America | Forum powered by phpBB
Links to eBay or other vendor sites may be affiliate links where the site receives compensation.