Never had any issues with snobbery with any of my vehicles even my Datsun 100a puts a smile on peoples faces! I dont think we can start pointing fingers and generalising. Not everyone is into 'The so called scene' , some of us including me have a Bay because I use it as a normal daily commuting vehicle, nothing special in my eyes just something I purchased because I wanted cheaper holidays when my daughter was born. I can save on servicing costs by doing it all myself being familiar with aircooled cars. Brazi bays always wave back, I think you just happen to come across a family that purchased their £30K+ Bay for the same reason they no doubt drive an Audi/BMW/Mercedes estate 'lifestyle statement'! (sorry generalising myself there) , or they just had a bad day with screaming kids? In 26 years of Beetling I have always waved to all aircooled VW's and classic cars also these days (they always wave back). Some dont but if you see them on a regular basis they will wave back to you eventually smile and wave, remember why this is done in the first instance? If you break down, the whole point is you stop and help? Happy motoring.
I've met some very nice splitty owners too. A lot of this snobbery stuff is imaginary, and another chunk is tongue in cheek.
At last years CJ before most got in and muddy I spoke with as couple of new bay people at their club area and was told the snobbery going the other way is far worst to the point of verbal abuse. I had a good and friendly chat with them. Iceplug you say they were in their 50's with kids maybe they had hired the outfit and they were just nobs not vw people.
As a former Splittie owner, the genuine bods are nice but since prices have gone sky high and the only people who can afford them are footballers these days you never know , mind you I think even they will be cool about it. You only buy a Split at those prices if you want to get into the VW life anyway, otherwise I would buy a Nissan GTR instead for that money!
My waving rule is if its a vw with a engine in the back wave, if the engine is in the front dont wave.
Never really had a problem with "camper" snobbery, sure I've met Bay owners who have thrown buckets of money at some one else to rebuild their vans and won't even give you the time of day thereagain same thing with some splittie owners. A tiny minority! As for the Brazilian Bays, of the people I've met they appear to fall into two categories a) I know nothing I've only hired this thing. b) Owners who are quite friendly especially once they realise that they are not going to be on the receiving end of some sort of "mines an original yours is just a replica" snobbery. I'm inclined to agree with TW that the couple were probably just hiring it. My perspective is perhaps a little biased as not being a youngster I more often than not get asked does the van belong to my kids or am I thinking of selling it! Neither of which is a good starter for a conversation.
I was looking at a purple airbrushed bay at a show once (this is one if the reasons I believe shows are Marmite) when the owner came back. It was a show bus and he'd obviously spent mega bucks on it. I mistakenly asked him where he got his window blinds from. Christ alive; you'd have thought I'd asked if I could have a go on his mum! He went off on one about me "copying" his idea! What a prize *****. I just asked him why he hadn't mounted his exhaust level. He looked well *******ed off as we wandered off laughing at him..
i think you get snobbery in any kind of vehicle type from VWs to minis.........you have to remember alot of peps arent really that fussed about the whole respect thing, i have had a T4 for 2.5 years and get alot of waves from other T4s, i wave to any camper whether its a T5 or split...some wave back some dont.......each to their own i guess....spread the love
I don't even believe its a respect thing. Hard as it is to believe, for some people they're just tools for camping in, nothing to do with a "lifestyle choice" and therefore they have no interest in waving at or respecting others. For them it would be no different than a bunch of Focus drivers waving to one another.
i was in ikea a few months ago and while i was at the collection point i had a few nice comments ,then this old boy and his wife come up to me and tell me about there camper they bought... and right at the end of his little chat i ask him would he have another one and quick as a flash he tells me it was f**king load rubbish and the worst buy he ever made and now got a caravan !!!! then just walk off lol
I met a load of caravan folk at a very bizzare "Plenty" kitchen roll advert filming shoot and they loved seeing "Belinda" our pale blue bay. We swapped loads of camping stories and got on really well. Whenever I'm driving a camper (especially with ribbons on!) I get a real buzz from the friendly waves and conversations we get with people.
