Poll: Long drive, did you make it? 1,000+ miles

[steve244]

[brickster]

[steve244]

I didn't even touch it. There might have been a treasure map on the back.

I remember Salida! We were originally going to take I70 over the mountains, but it was chains or 4WD that day. Monarch Pass was much nicer (and dry road by the time we got there).

Breakfast that day was in Delta.
_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[t3 kopf]

Norfolk, VA to Jacksonville, FL and back-1200 miles, no issues
Norfolk, VA to Kansas City, KS and back 2318 miles, no issues

Those are my longest trips. I have regularly done preventive maintenance since owning the van. The appalachians in west virginia were part of trip 2.

1990 Carat
2.2 Subaru, stock manual
_________________
'90 Carat w/ '95 phase 1 EJ22 OBD2 conversion

[Californio]

When you think about it, the answer to the poll question has to be yes, right? I mean if you didn't make it you wouldn't be answering the poll.

I've done Oakland to Ohio several times, and Oakland to Washington DC. Stuck a few times but nothing major.

Biggest obstacle now is expensive gas, for me anyway.

[Jean-Guy Bernier]

Westfalia 1982, Diesel AAZ

- Departure from St-Roch-des-Aulnaies (Quebec Canada) to Vancouver BC
- Vancouver to San-Francisco Ca.
- San-Francisco to Lake Ontario, and return to St-Roch-des-Aulnaies.
- Total 14 760 km, (approximately 9200 miles)

Two little glitch repaired by myself. The plastic shift rod guide ring broking. I made one from a piece of abs pipe that I use for my shower... and a lack of air that caused engine shutdowns at stops. I removed the channel that starts from air intake duct that arrives at the air filter to solve the problem. The pipe contracted and the engine lacked air.

Jguy

[djkeev]

Hey!
I’m up to 17,000 miles with no issues……
_________________
Stop Dead Photo Links how to post photos

Ghia
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392473

Vanagon
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6315537#6315537

Beetle
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482968&highlight=74+super+vert

[Jean-Guy Bernier]

Westfalia 1982, Diesel AAZ

- Departure from St-Roch-des-Aulnaies (Quebec Canada) to Vancouver BC
- Vancouver to San-Francisco Ca.
- San-Francisco to Lake Ontario, and return to St-Roch-des-Aulnaies.
- Total 14 760 km, (approximately 9200 miles)

Two little glitch repaired by myself. The plastic shift rod guide ring broking. I made one from a piece of abs pipe that I use for my shower... and a lack of air that caused engine shutdowns at stops. I removed the channel that starts from air intake duct that arrives at the air filter to solve the problem. The pipe contracted and the engine lacked air.

Jguy

[Vanuber]

Just got back from our trip to Maine. Right over 2,000 miles round trip from Virginia. We did a similar trip last year, though this time with my step-son. Saw at least 20 Vanagons, most of them in Maine. No van troubles!

A couple photos from Acadia NP:

_________________
'85 Westfalia 1.9L
'72 BMW R75/5
'71 BMW R75/5
'02 Subaru Forester 2.5L

[steve244]

Gotta do Maine one of these days. Thanks for posting!
_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[kourt]

I also just came back from Maine.

We've sold our van, but one of the terms of the sale was that we take one last trip. So we drove from Austin to the high points of Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and then visited friends in New Hampshire and Maine, and then went to Acadia National Park, and then drove home over four days.

We are going to try a Eurovan for a few years, so I'll still be on The Samba (and I'll still haunt the Vanagon forum).

The van performed admirably and we camped comfortably on all nights except the last night in Texas, when it was just too hot to be comfortable.

In all, about 5,000 miles over 16 days.

We had many great moments. As usual, we were the hot topic at any fuel stop. People would come up and want to see the van, or talk to folks from Texas who were crazy enough to drive one up to New England.

On one of the toll roads going home, we pulled into the toll booth with cash in hand. The toll booth clerk laughed, "keep it," she said, "the guy in front of you paid your toll because of your van!" We laughed and pulled away, and waved at him (older man with Quebec plates) as we passed him on the road.

kourt

The map of the route:

Last night in Acadia:

Waking up in the last morning of camping, Cumberland Mountain State Park west of Knoxville, TN:

The last tank of gas, on the last day, of our last trip. It had to be Czech Stop in West, TX:

[steve244]

You sold the van!!!!!!?????

why?????????
_________________
82 AC vanagon approx 200K miles (3K are mine).
DD is a 2015 Leaf
Road Trip to Hell (FL 2023)
The Vanagon's drivetrain and chassis restomod thread. Best sung to the tune of I Did It My Way...

[djkeev]

[jlrftype7]

Czech Stop!!!! Been there with our Vanagon in 2020 as well, and with other vehicles in years past when visiting relatives in Texas. Can’t believe you got up front parking. It’s always a mad house when we stop there, cars all over the place….
_________________
'68 Westy- my first VW and vehicle/Bus- long gone.- sold it to a traveling Swiss couple....
'67 Type 3 Fastback, my 2nd car- gone
'69 Semi-Auto Stick Shift Beetle-gone
2017 MINI Coopers, our current DDs
‘84 Tin Top - Hilga....Auto

[kourt]

The crazy thing about that photo: the front of the store cleared and I backed in from the gas pump. I got out and took the photo. Ten seconds later every spot was full and there were people all over the place, and I would have been honked at and run over. I got a sausage and kraut klobasnik and an apricot kolache. The last two hours going into Austin were wonderful.

This thread should not become a thread about selling the van... but we've enjoyed the Vanagon for nine years, and want something with better driveability, airbags, antilock brakes, more power, and better air conditioning. Our Vanagon has the best of all those things and the van is still sometimes challenging to travel with. It requires the attention of an airplane to properly and safely drive it. It requires ambient temperatures under 95 degrees to come close to keeping the passengers comfortable, even with its excellent front AC system. We have enjoyed the special cool status of the Vanagon and now we want something less conspicuous, and less old, and with modern engine management and diagnostic tools. I've been driving a friend's Eurovan for two years and am convinced to give the Eurovan Winnebago camper a try. The Winnie will still require a lot of modification for my tastes, but it will be a great project.

kourt

[Abscate]

You drove right by us,,,,you are dead to us....until nextbtrip


_________________
.ssS!

[kourt]

We will be bringing the Eurovan up there in the next two years. We are definitely going back to New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

In all, I think we put about 110,000 miles on our Vanagon in nine years. There were just two tows in that period--one for a bad torque converter seal in the beginning of ownership, and another for failed transaxle/engine mating bolts this past January. Not too bad. Both tows were made by AAA and both were about 150 miles from the breakdown point to my driveway.

kourt

[coqcitywesty]

Coquitlam, BC to Crescent City, California via the Oregon Coast with stops at Fort Stevens SP, Beverly Beach, Sunset Bay, Harris Beach and Beachside SP with a daytrip to the Redwoods (Stout Grove) 2435 KM's = 1515 miles on a new EJ25 . A completely different driving experience with the extra power. Hats off to Oregon State Parks - their parks and sites were clean and well managed and the beaches pristine.

Heceta Lighthouse Overlook

Harris Beach with whales spouting in the distance

Howland Hill Road - Redwoods

_________________
1991 Westfalia EJ251, 1972 Volvo 1800 ES

[djkeev]

[kourt]

The best park we stayed in was Tobyhanna State Park, south of Scranton. Pretty nice park, lots of amenities, and since it was next to an army depot we had Taps at 10PM and Reveille at 6AM.

kourt