Date:         Wed, 20 Sep 1995 09:39:35 -0400 (EDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         RGOLEN@umassd.edu
Subject:      VW Van Newspaper Article - LONG

                Owning VW Bus Can Be Way of Life


Sitting on the bleached concrete in front of the bookstore in
Arlington, Texas, next to his 1975 white Volkswagen camper, Heath
Ellis, 21,(ANY RELATION TO RUSTY VAN BONDO?? - rfg) with his dark,
curly brown hair just long enough to get into a ponytail, his cut-
off blue jeans, and his well-worn, white T-shirt, waxed philosophic
about his vehicle.

"Its a bonding thing." he said. "Owning a bus puts you into this
big club with all other owners. Everybody in that club is so cool."

Once a hallmark of the counter culture, the VW, especially the VW
Type II (busses and campers), is making a comeback. Along with its
Type I sisters, the bug and the Carmen (sic) Ghia, the Type II has
found an erstwhile following in the next generation.

Not since writers Ken Kesey and Jack Kerouac roamed the land has
there been such a contingency of young men wanting to be on the bus
and on the road.

The North Texas Volkswagen Club counts around 100 members in the
Metroplex, a third of whom are under 30, according to president
David Shuford.

The vehicles are still popular, Mr. Shuford said, because of the
availability of parts, and the low cost of obtaining them. "The old
VW is a type of car that refuses to go away and die." he said.

>From 1950 to 1982, Volkswagen produced the cult classic, air-cooled
Transporter bus in Germany.

Beginning with the Panelvan, seating only in the cab and no windows
in the body, shrouding the work area, it was originally designed
for payloads. Many of these were converted into campers by
specialist companies or individuals.

The wave of interest in all that is VW has been sparked in part by
Volkswagen's jump to re-introduce the new "retro Beetle," the
Concept I, next year, according to Volkswagen dealers. An import
from Mexico,its silhouette is similar to the classic Beetle, but
the retro Beetle will sport a front-engine, front wheel drive, a
CD player and airconditioning, and will list for around $12,000.

By comparison, a decent vintage bus that runs well can cost from
$1,000 to $3,000, depending o the version.

Back at the bookstore, Mr. Ellis' philosophic meanderings take a
political stance.

"It seems like everyone's got to be something...in some category.
I get called a hippie sometimes, because of my bus." he said. "But
when I show its practicality to people, they begin to understand.
I've got a bed, a sink, an icebox, a closet; I can live in here
when I have to.

"Buying this bus, man, I swear is the best thing that I've ever
done in my whole life."

Mr. Ellis is not alone in his sentiments.

Cory Olswold, 21, a lanky, short haired San Diego transplant living
in suburban DeSoto, wanted a split window bus (an early Type II),
and waited until he found one.

With $2,200, Mr. Olswold has the ride he wants to have forever. A
1964 split-window passenger bus. Blue.

"I can't wait to get it restored to its original shape. I figure
it will take about three years to make it my own," he said.

Isn't that a long commitment for a member of the "slacker
generation:?

"Yeah, I really don't care for that whole Gen-X tag. I'm not lost,"
he said.

For Volks lovers, the craze never seems to stop. Just into his
three-year trek through junk yards and classifieds, Mr. Olswold
thinks of other acquisitions.

"I'll get more Volkswagens when I can," he said. "I really like
Carmen (sic) Ghias."

"Its rare that you will find someone who has owned just one
Volkswagen," said Stan Wohlfarth of LIMBO, The Late Model Bus
Organization, which has nearly 650 members internationally, and
draws over 75 busses to its best annual gathering. "Because of the
busses' uniqueness, they have kind of carried on in the VW
tradition that the Beetle had let up."

Mr. Olswold said: "It's like fine foods, or something. It takes a
certain kind of taste. I'm not rich, so I can't afford to eat fine
foods, but I can afford a cool VW bus. It's so unique...not like
any other car on the road."

His voice started to rise with excitement.

"I can move myself to Austin in this thing, there's just so much
room." he said.

NIGHT, the North East Association of Transporter Owners, claims
over 1,000 members internationally and is growing at the rate of
one new member per day.

Tom Brouillette, editor of that group's newsletter, "Old Bus
Review," estimated that about 35 percent of the club is under 30,
and predominately male. "There are quite a few guys younger than
their busses," he said.

The ease of design enables a younger Dubber to work on his bus
without needing years of experience or a degree in engineering.

Every VW owner has one of two kinds of stories. One is coming up
with some shoelace and chewing gum to fix some mechanical problem
on the road.

The other is an endless-journey story in search of some stock part.

The availability of stock parts is becoming somewhat easier, with
outfits in California pressing out sheet metal for the
Transporters. Accessories are available, although expensive when
new, and mechanical parts are becoming more accessible with the
growing web of VW clubs.

One of the more helpful perks of joining a club is the Transporter
Tourist and Traveler Directory, a listing of over 400 members
throughout North America who are ever-ready to lend a hand to a
fallen fellow traveler, or just engage in some deep discourse.

Come minor safety concerns followed the VW Transporter into the
States. THe auto proved to be most reliable, as long as the driver
doesn't get drafted by crosswinds. A bit wobbling in high winds,
the box-on-wheels design does take a while to get used to.

Americans have long been defined by their automobiles. Driving back
to a time of practicality and understatement, the bus brigade is
fighting the materialistic craze to trade up from a Volvo to a
Lexus.

"It's all so basic and simple to work on, and functional. The
process of getting the bus back together is as important as the end
result," Mr. Ellis said.

Being elbows-deep into the back of a Volks bus is a rite of passage
for these young drivers on their sojourns through North America.

"The fact that our folks raised us into this materialism is
frustrating," Mr. Ellis said. "A bus is completely going against
how everybody buys cars. No one buys cars to work on for the rest
of their life. But, when you buy a bus, there's this mammoth
machine in front of you, to mold however you like. You have the
unique opportunity to build transportation around how YOU feel; I
have a vehicle that I can be completely creative with. That's
freedom."

Mr. Ellis now lives, off and on, within the confines of his bus
behind a warehouse in Deep Ellum. He works in retail foods, and is
planning for school in the fall.