Conundrum.....new van vs old van

[bobbyblack]

[Tom Powell]

In USAF pilot training we were instructed to, "Keep your head on a swivel." It is called "situational awareness".

You should be using your mirrors constantly to monitor the traffic around and behind you and use your head, neck, and eyes for lane changes. The mirrors will give you the information whether it is worthwhile to expend that energy.

My OG Vanagon mirrors are large enough to see both a bit of my car and the traffic lanes beside me, but they are not the primary method of determining if it is safe to change lanes.

I can remember when cars did not have outside rear view mirrors and drivers had good habits and were courteous.

Aloha
tp

[MsTaboo]

[Tom Powell]

VW says it looks like a minivan, drives like a minivan, does what a minivan does, but they call it a camper. They suggest that when you want a minivan, you should buy a VW Camper.

If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, would you call it a swan because you think it is beautiful and graceful?

Aloha
tp

[Zeitgeist 13]

That's just marketing bumfuquery using the pop culture nomenclatures Merkins can wrap their strangled minds around.

When I visit the inlaws for Thanksgiving in a few weeks, the T4 will invariably be parked next to BIL #1's 15 passenger Ford van and BIL #2's Honda Odyssey. The T4 will be a little bigger than the latter and a little smaller than the former; a midsized van. This really ain't rocket surgery.

The Transporters are all midsized vans from the T1 through the T6. The VW Sharan is a minivan and the Crafter is a large van.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Abscate]

Threads where the words ‘conundrum’ and ‘ merkin’ are contained should be labeled”awesome”
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.ssS!

[Simpdog5]

[danfromsyr]

seats 7 fits inside my 1 car garage it's a minivan.
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[Simpdog5]

OK for once and for all, to appease the purists: yes they are mini-vans. If you still insist on discussing whether or not The Vanagon or The Eurovan is a mini-van please respectfully start your own thread regarding such.

Please and thank you!

Maybe a thread about "cool mini-vans" and "uncool- minivans?"

[Zeitgeist 13]

As someone earlier mentioned, you really should drive a Vanagon before getting your heart set on buying one. It's really hard to imagine being happy going backwards in design and driveability after having spent any time in a more modern set of vehicles. Since you obviously hit the open road, you'll want to drive a Vanagon at freeway speeds. They are geared ridiculously low relative to the T4 or Sprinter, so the engine is screaming at 4000 rpms when you're cruising along at 70 mph. They're fine if you just want to putter around town, but are downright unpleasant on the freeway.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[Abscate]

The fit and finish on the T4 makes a T3 look like a Trabant. Sorry, it's not even close.
Lets call them both merkin-vans to ease conflict
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.ssS!

[T3 Pilot]

My first car was a citröen mehari; so my Vanagon is pretty much a Cadillac compared to that...
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1988 Vanagon

The most important part in every vehicle is the nut behind the wheel......

[sped372]

[Zeitgeist 13]

Yep, I've owned seven Transporters with at least one of each series iteration available in NA, and without a doubt the subsequent series is superior to its predecessor. As much as I love my T4 I know it pales in comparison to the
T5 and T6.
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Casey--

'89 Bluestar ALH w/12mm Waldo pump, PP764 and GT2052
'01 Weekender --> full camper
y u rune klassik?

[campism]

I was a rep in the bicycle business for years and drove minivans, an Aerostar and various Mopars, and still have an '05 Grand Caravan. Greatest vehicle ever for that job. We bought our Westy 11 years ago and use it strictly for camping. While there is much to recommend the Vanagon without the camping interior for utility work (and I know some folks do subject Westies to drayage) I'd rather keep the Mopar for lumber hauling and dog jaunts to the river and the Westy for camping. The dog likes both.

We're now considering upsizing since we've always found the Westy a little cramped, especially for long trips when you break camp daily to move on. Too much repetitive shifting of gear in the Westy. We need something that permits us to get up and go, not first have to reverse the steps of the previous evening in order to make the vehicle a driver again.

Our best prospects are Sprinter, of course, Transit and Promaster. Time spent on Sprinter forums has me worried about the later NCV3 Sprinter and most of the original T1N Sprinters have 300,000+ miles and rust, so it is probably Transit or Promaster for us, to be built out with a modular removable interor that will enable us to camp or perform hauling chores as the schedule demands. However, if I needed another minivan (by which I mean a FWD/AWD American or Japanese production MPV) I would not hesitate to get one. Love the things.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic

[Jon_slider]

[Abscate]

[shagginwagon83]

wrong thread my bad
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[Simpdog5]

Humor me please ...when I look at an add like this, what are the things to really look out for? I kind of want to go see and drive this thing so I have a baseline of what to look for.

https://orangecounty.craigslist.org/cto/d/1985-volkswagon-westfalia/6375245745.html

[espo]

I'm not expert, but I would be wary about that van. Firstly, the motor, I don't think a 2.0 water exists, it would either be a 1.9 or a 2.1. Secondly, the rust. He says he cut out all the panels and welded them in place, which is fine, but I'd want some documentation of his work, especially since it has been hidden beneath a $1500 paint job, which doesn't give me confidence in a high quality job. Finally, the pictures, they are a little weird and usually the van is too dark to make out any sort of detail on it. Looking at it wouldn't hurt, but 17k seems like a stretch to me...