Anxiety as a passenger

[Vanagon Nut]

[tbd]

I carry a tool bag in the van, if I can fix it I will, if not I have road side assistance. I also have a habit that annoys the spouse, I fall asleep when I'm a passenger.

As for the age of the vehicle, we just turned in a 2018 Pacifica minivan after leasing it to find out if it would work for us. The power train was already failing at 34,000 miles, warranty would over at 36,000 miles. The vanagon may not be as pretty but even at 30 years old it is the more useful vehicle.
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1989 Wolfsburg Weekender (Holda) 2.1 WBX

[jimf909]

[Abscate]

You are already in Hell with an Equinox.
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.ssS!

[bryanarchy]

This experience is less with my Vanagon, but more from when I was in bands and touring in 20 year old vans. I had a real hard time letting other bandmates drive because of this very thing. I think I had the feeling that if I was driving, i had some control over the anything that might go wrong with the van (or if we came face-to-face with a late-night moose). For me, it stemmed from my lack of confidence to let the others drive because they might push the van past its limits or they just didn't have the skills to manage a blown tire or something catastrophic (as if I did at that age, either!).

It's not the most healthy feeling, nor is it really the most practical either. And to be honest, my stress wasn't much less when I'd be driving and we'd be rough idling in bumper to bumper traffic on a Chicago freeway.

I did start to learn, in life, that I'm not always gonna be in control of things and on top of that, when something goes wrong, it could just as well have been me in the drivers seat than anyone else.

Good luck!
B

[Irishcalifornian]

I'm really worried how this thread is going to end up.
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One Life, Live It

[clift_d]

I can only suggest you get the van into decent running order, and then take lots of trips. The more you use it the more you will get used to the sounds it makes, and the more you will get to understand it's level of reliability.
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1988 LHD T25 1.6TD Westfalia Club Joker syncro

[sanchius]

The best day for me was when the kids could finally drive and chauffeur me around, lounging around in luxury in the back seat.

The basic rules were:
- no speeding and a 5-second rule when behind other vehicles
- focus on the driving: no phones, no touching the stereo
- If you scare me, you don't drive for a week

Also, for longer trips, knowing the u-haul tow option was there for a backup, gave peace of mind.

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The Syncro years (2005-16) - The 2WD years (2017-23) - Westy & WBX rebuild spreadsheet - Sanchius & Tuna: The Video
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[Blakesinclair]

Funny how this one came up today. Planning a quick night away in the mountains with a couple friends and their kids. I mentioned to my wife that I'd like to take the boy child (almost 8 years old) and it was met with some hesitancy.

She's not so much worried about the adventure part. The two guys I'm going with have more than capable 4wd Toyotas and know the area well. She's more concerned with me driving 70 miles in "that tin can".

I understand her worry, but considering I didn't own a car that could comfortably drive more than 5 miles at highway speed until I was in my 20's, I have a higher level of comfort with "that tin can".

My anxiety driving the van manifests itself as excitement. Excitement that it even started in the morning. Excitement that whatever work I did to it recently is responsible for whatever spring it has left in it's step.
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1985 Weekender Vanagon 1.9L - Manual

[Igeo]

You could show her the photo from when I took both kids, 7 and 3 through Saline Valley in a 56 F 100. We survived nicely.

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1987 Westfalia 2.1 WBX Manual

[Christopholi]

Of course there's a German word for it! Vorsichtigefreude - Cautious Joy. Feeling great driving around in your van, but always worried about what is going to break next
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1988 Tintop Wolfsburg Special Edition - "Meatloaf"
RMW 2.5 Subaru, SubaruGears 5MT 4.44 w/LSD, Coast Mountain Hightop

[cmayna]

One of the main reasons we got a Westy with an automatic was to allow my wife to drive it, often. She does and I enjoy being a passenger. Total confidence in her....

Even when she has driven my '50 Chebbie truck, well, sort of......
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'90 Westy / automatic.
If I'm not working on the camper or my '50 Chebbie truck, I'm either fishing with the wife or smoking Salmon.


Craig

[jimf909]

[skills@eurocarsplus]

i literally daily drive* a 82 rabbit truck. just go. if it goes tits up on a trip that's what wreckers are for.

can't tell you how many 'just delivered' new cars left the dealer i was at only to come back in on the hook.

would i buy some random car and just drive? no...i don't trust anyone's old junk till i have gone thru it

as long as you have done every single maintenance item....you'll be fine. i mean your fuel pump could crap mid flight in your 2018...anything mechanical can and will break at some point.


*don't drive it in the snow
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[floodwood]

The lack of a hood tends to freak out my first time passengers. It is especially satisfying to watch their faces when I parallel park...

[Abscate]

[MarkWard]

Driving a vanagon at highway speeds requires all your concentration. When your not behind the wheel, your mind can wander wherever it chooses. Sounds perfectly normal. My wife can drive the van, but she prefers navigating and planning. I enjoy driving. We aren’t pulling all nighters, so we don’t require shifts. 600- 800 a day is max.
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☮️

[joetiger]

Woodshopbrewer,

I'd rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

Quoting myself from a 2013 trip report to the Grand Canyon:

[shadetreemech]

My SO has a Beemer and knows how to drive it. She's a better driver than I am; I've still managed to make it home every time, so far.

I'm retired. For me, the maturation process has been a series of conundrums requiring a solution before you get the next one or you get a repeat. We each develop a process for reacting to each new challenge. I used to grind my guts over work, home life, fatherhood. I developed an attitude and a proverb: "It's not what happens, it's what you do in response to what happens that makes you who you are". I thought I'd innovated a maxim. Turns out, Epictetus beat me to it by about 2,000 years. He said, "It's not what occurs but how you respond that makes the difference".

Seen from that point of view, Life's a series of tests and you do your best, all the while open to learning something. The Van breaks down, you fix it or tow it home. If you want to document the process in a public forum, be prepared for reactions from people at varying levels of maturity.

My best advice is:

Don't worry. Stuff's gonna happen. Take charge of how you're gonna react.

Happy Trails & Be Safe

Dan
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'84 GL 1.9
'01 Volvo V70 T5
'88 Westy - "MZDRTHY"

[joetiger]