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OldNeumanntapr
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Joined: 23 May 2018
Location: CA
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Posts: 204
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Topic: 1st road trip with the new 180 Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 1:28pm |
Originally posted by offgrid
I drove a 1960 VW camper cross country in the early 70's. You haven't lived till you drive a 40hp bus eastbound on the trans Canada into a freezing 30 mph north wind at 50 mph pedal flat on the floor. Like a 4 day continuous sharp left turn . I've never been in a hurry driving either. If you want to go somewhere fast, get an airplane. |
Exactly! (Mine was a '67 EZ-Camper with 53 horses but it was still slow. The pre '68s had the reduction boxes on the rear wheels and could climb better but didn't have the top speed that the non-split window busses had. Like you really needed to go over 55 mph in a bus!)
I always laughed when I would look into my side mirror and watch the panicked drivers behind me as they serpentined back and forth trying desperately to get around me! They ALL had the same look on their faces!
I've always disliked impatient people.
I learned a lot from driving the VW bus. It's almost like a Zen thing! (Also it helped to think about the quote in the John Muir 'Idiots Guide to VW Repair' that said, 'If everyone drove like they were strapped to the front of their vehicle like an Aztec sacrifice and would be the first thing hit in an accident, then people would be a lot slower and safer!)
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offgrid
Senior Member
Joined: 23 Jul 2018
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Posts: 5290
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Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 3:09pm |
I do recall that John Muir quote. And you used to feel exactly like you were strapped to the front of your vehicle driving a bus.
Those reduction boxes really meant you were stirring that long gearshift a lot getting going, but they gave you great ground clearance. I eventually got a 56 bug with a bad 36hp and swapped the 40 horse from the bus into it, then got a 1600 dual port for the bus. Then I actually could go 55 mph in it and climb hills at more than 10 mph. Then later I had a 72 Westy, that was really a step up...
There are places you can rent old Westy campmobiles now if you want to recreate that zen feeling. Check out thesamba.com if you haven't to see what those things go for these day...
And we're way way off topic now...
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1994 Chinook Concourse
1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft
2015 Rpod 179 - sold
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DavMar
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Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
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Posts: 592
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Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 3:14pm |
Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr
I learned a lot from driving the VW bus. It's almost like a Zen thing! (Also it helped to think about the quote in the John Muir 'Idiots Guide to VW Repair' that said, 'If everyone drove like they were strapped to the front of their vehicle like an Aztec sacrifice and would be the first thing hit in an accident, then people would be a lot slower and safer!) |
Now with that sentence your giving me flashbacks and they are not good! Between all my VW's bugs and van, I wore out my copy of the Idiots Guide to VW Repair. One of my fondest days was the one I sold my rid of my 66 Micro-Bus, that seemed to spend more time broke down then running. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that today one in good condition is worth mucho-denaro!
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Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
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OldNeumanntapr
Senior Member
Joined: 23 May 2018
Location: CA
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Posts: 204
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Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 6:05pm |
Yeah, the 21 window Deluxe Micro Busses are worth bank! I know someone who has a '66 Deluxe. It's blue and white.
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Pod People
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Joined: 22 Sep 2011
Location: Chapel Hill,NC
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Posts: 1065
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Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 6:46pm |
A friend just sold her ‘86 westy with over 300,000 miles on original engine for $27,000. She bought it for $12,500 , put $8000 into it and drove it for 6 years. Westies have a cult following now We always had vans,but they were the old Ford econolines Vann
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Vann & Laura 2015 RPod 179
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OldNeumanntapr
Senior Member
Joined: 23 May 2018
Location: CA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 204
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Posted: 29 Sep 2018 at 6:51pm |
The Vanagons are really expensive and had a lot of mechanical problems, even when they were new. My ex wife had a co worker that had nothing but problems with (at that time fairly new) an '88 Vanagon with the watercooled motor. The engine was in the back and the radiator was in the front and it had constant cooling system troubles.
There is a huge VW place here locally in Los Osos called 'Go Westy' that does repair and sales. The used ones on their lot are astronomically priced! For the money I'd rather have my new rPod!
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DavMar
Senior Member
Joined: 04 Aug 2017
Location: Lexington, NC
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Posts: 592
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Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 2:07pm |
Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr
The Vanagons are really expensive and had a lot of mechanical problems, even when they were new. My ex wife had a co worker that had nothing but problems with (at that time fairly new) an '88 Vanagon with the watercooled motor. The engine was in the back and the radiator was in the front and it had constant cooling system troubles.
There is a huge VW place here locally in Los Osos called 'Go Westy' that does repair and sales. The used ones on their lot are astronomically priced! For the money I'd rather have my new rPod! |
Maybe your friend bought my old blue and white 66! .... People pay crazy prices for Vanagon's and the old Micro Buss'es. Both of them had junk motors IMHO, the air-cooled motors they put in the Bugs and Vans where way to under-powered in Vans and not much better in the Bugs! The later water cooled Van motors were also a disaster in the making. Though what I do find very cool is that there are a few companies beefing up old Westy Van's suspensions, ripping out Volkswagen motors and putting in place Subaru motors. Now that is something if I was single I'd definitely be interested in but since I'm not the R-pod fit the boss and I perfect.
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Dave & Marlene J with Zoey the
wonder dog.
2017 Rpod 180
2016 Toyota Tacoma SR5 4x4
Lexington, NC
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OldNeumanntapr
Senior Member
Joined: 23 May 2018
Location: CA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 204
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Posted: 30 Sep 2018 at 3:20pm |
My friend Rudy has had his blue and white 21 window deluxe for more than 30 years. It has been restored twice. He's put thousands of dollars into that bus. I wish I still had my '67 camper bus. It was not an original Westphalia, but was converted to a camper when it was new by EZ Camper of America. It had the wood headliner and bed, table, and icebox. Primitive, underpowered, cold, noisy, but fun when I was in my 20s. My grandfather restored Model A Fords and he did the paint and body work on my bus. We painted it Pearl White, the original color, and it looked new.
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