Dear old fart

Indeed -

On Fri, Feb 14, 2020 at 7:24 PM Richard Smith <smirby@gmail.com> wrote:

> Being an old fart myself (60), I feel like I can weigh in. My vanagon
> experience dates back only to 2013. Back in the 80s I had a bus (a '73) but
> I was ignorant of it being a community or cultural object (we didn't have
> the internet to give us hashtags), and other than giving the peace sign to
> other VW drivers, I just drove it. Across Canada. Twice. In the winter, in
> Manitoba. Oh my god, it was cold.
>
> When it broke, I borrowed the John Muir book, complete with hand-drawn
> instructions, and pulled the engine to fix the transmission. I had NO CLUE
> what I was doing, no advice from anyone, other than one very unreliable
> buddy. I would have loved to have had a community of people to help. Even
> stranger, this was in Vancouver. The place was thick with (weed smoking)
> bus drivers... how did I not find them. Again, pre-internet it was harder
> to do...
>
> Anyway, nowadays I fix what I can and get a mechanic to do the more
> complicated stuff. I love the list (and the facebook groups) and have gone
> to a few PNW meet ups in Washington State and British Colombia. Most of the
> people at those events are 50+, with some exceptions. Some young families,
> the occasional single guy or gal. None are what you'd call #hashtag people.
> Perhaps those people don't go to meetups?
>
> I am really glad to have the list, and the facebook groups, even if it
> sometimes makes me paranoid (what with regularly posting their flatbed
> photos). Lately I've added another layer of paranoia: the postings about
> stolen vans.
>
> To Alistair's original point, that old farts are less likely to buy
> (expensive) add-ons, I have to semi-agree. I try to keep my van (more or
> less) original, and I hesitate to add too much extra stuff. But when
> something really good comes along (like those pop-top lift assist struts!),
> then I am willing to make the investment. A couple of years ago, after a
> tire store guy backed the van into a bollard I added some nice tough
> bumpers. In those situations I am inclined to go for quality, and I'm
> willing to pay what it costs to get that quality.
>
> My two cents (even though we don't have pennies in Canada any more).
>
> ...r
>
--
roger whittaker 604.414.6266

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