My only experience with a VW van was back in 1972. I bought a 67 split
window with a camper conversion in it for $700. A bed, a sink and a
refer! Well, all that comfort came at a cost. That bus did not have
enough power to get out of it's own way. ANY grade and the bus slowed.
The one time I took it on the road was from Los Angeles to the Colorado
River on the Arizona side. Every time the road started to incline up, I
had to pull over the side of the road to let all other traffic pass by. I
could not get it to go over 60-65 MPH. That would be downhill with a
tailwind. You just could not be in a hurry and drive one of these
somewhere. I sold it after only six months of ownership and bought a 1959
TR3 for $350. Another mistake, I got broadsided in the TR by a 57
Oldsmobile while I was making a left turn. Spun me around 3 times and
bent the car beyond my limited skills to repair. I felt safer in the TR.
The TR had just been painted and the motor rebuilt. I still owned my
original 59 Bugeye during all of this, it just wasn't running.
Mike MacLean
60 Sprite
56 BN2
02 FLST
04 Honda Accord Coupe
94 Honda Civic EX
chuck
> I jes' gotta say this: After owning and loving a '72 and a '77 VW bus, we
> bought an 81 Vanagon. I have NEVER HATED a vehicle more. The build
> quality wasn't. Gawd, in less than 30k miles the air flow flap on the
> injection broke.
> I mean .. this does not support anything..does not bear any load. Yet it
> broke.
> Had to run a wire cable from the carb air flow unit up thru the tunnel and
> into the cab to "simulate" air flow whilst driving the beast to VW to pay
> a
> really exorbitant fee to replace the "replaceable unit." I bought the
> unit and
> lay on my back, under the car, in their sales lot, bolting the damned
> thing
> in. Guess I was not a really big sales item for VW.
>
> Bud Osbourne wrote:
>> I'm not at all surprised. Those Type 2s ("buses") are rated at slightly
>> more than a 1 ton load capacity; depending on what equipment it carries
>> (seats, camper or cargo van). They really are built stoutly.
>> Too bad VW of America had it's corporate head stuck deep up it's rectum,
>> by 1980, or they could have OWNED the "mini-van" boom of the 80s & 90s.
>> They had far, far more useable space than any of the domestics, and were
>> way more comfortable and reliable. Unfortunately, VWofA chose to price
>> them uncompetitively and not offer more power, such as VW of South
>> Africa's Vanagon's 2.25 liter 5 cyl). To make matters worse,
>> replacement parts were priced far above ridiculous levels (typical VW
>> forced obsolescence).
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