Date:         Sun, 25 Feb 2007 10:26:14 -0500
Reply-To:     Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Steele <steeles@HORIZONVIEW.NET>
Subject:      Which Type 2 to recommend?
Content-type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"

Friday,  while I was at my buddies' shop prepping for my dive into my parts
Vanagon for removing the cruise control in order to switch it over to my '89
Westy (unnamed, as of yet), a fellow boomer appeared on the scene. He was
ingenuous and inquisitive; obviously attracted by my '91 Caravelle, my son's
'84 Westy and my '73 Sportsmobile, all of which are sitting outside,
awaiting various work when my time permits.
There were lots of questions about Type2 and T1, T2 and T3.
Seems his raison d'être of his curiosity is a step son who has 'lots of
money' and wanted to do a post high school, pre-college trip "West" in a
Westy. Having never owned a VW, he had lots of concerns.  What was the best
purchase for this novice teen with no mechanical ability? What should he
buy?  What to look for? Where to find the best deals? etc...etc.

Like Westy sightings, this may be a daily occurrence to you folks in the
"more advanced" States of these United,  but out here in the hinterlands of
Southern Ohio  (where it is NOT so flat that you can watch your dog run way
for two weeks) we seldom get these kind of encounters of the Type 2 kind.
Following a quick recitation on the VW Type2 Splittie to Eurovan pedigree, I
mentioned thesamba classifieds and forums, and this List regarding working
resources within the Type 2 community.  I headed him toward the VList's
buying guide should he decide on a T3.

The dad is a tent camper, somewhat mechanically adept, and is trying to
insure his step-son a "summer of discovery" and I applaud him for that.  He
is concerned that the purchased vehicle be safe and sound and not be a money
pit for a short term owner. I explained my personal bias toward the later
model w/c vans. Even though the entry price will be higher, the overall
costs might be lower, especially considering resale values.
I also invited him to attend one of our scheduled camping events that will
be fairly near his hometown of Fairfield (OH). By doing that he could better
evaluate the various Type 2's and talk to their owners about their
experiences.  He had lots of questions about the VW community and I ensured
him that there are as many different types of people driving and camping in
these VWs as there are in any given group... even if we do tend to be a
little out of the mainstream when it comes to our vehicular proclivities.

Anyway, I was just wondering about the List's input on this subject and how
some of you would answer his questions and address his concerns... any
ideas?
-- 
Stephen
Chillicothe OH