The people in it !. i know , you think i've flippped , well the thing is see , we are van owners and we love our vans , some people love their vans more than other things in life , more important things but not me . Nahh , i like me van and i like rebuilding her so as i can go to a meet and mingle with other like minded vw types but i aint gonna get all anal about her , "should that spot weld be 8mm not 10 etc ?" eff right off and get a life Nobby !!. You see , i love vw campers all of em , not too keen on splittys , err i digress, more importantly i like the people in em i like sickyrooo cos i like sickyrooo , the [glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300]FACT[/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow] he has a great van makes no odds , same with woody lubber , magical trevor and shell , sandy bay , the wilmas , paradox , joker ,baybirmingham , aussiedog , pmacs , alanred7 , jivedubbin, the beckyips , lmpd and all the other dubbers i know , i don't wonder over to them and mid conversation suddenly say " oh by the way thats not welded correctly or you have the wrong tyre ratings " , no cos i don't really care - cos they are happy with their van and thats whats important not what i think of their van but what they think of it if they are happy i'm happy . To me it matters what i think of the owners . Luckily , they/we are all the same , no one seems to judge anyone elses van or regard it in a bad light , they just enjoy the company it brings ,in [glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300][glow=red,2,300]FACT[/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow][/glow] one of the things that drew me to tlb and its members is the laid back approach to other peoples vans , long may that attitude stand and keep that anal mentality at bay folks , or we will all be getting pipes and slippers for chrimbo . it'd be like a nursin home here then -- NURSE !!.
I have to say I agree with your statement Malc. Not once have I spent any time at any of the various meet up going round inspecting everybody else's van, I may have taken some pictures sure but it wasn't to point out any defects or tatty repairs it was all about recording who was there and not which vans were there. The best part of any meet up is the sitting round the fire pit and general tomfoolery that goes on during the day. I don't get offended when I am ridiculed for being posh (not that I am its just you lot are common) but I will get my dander up when someone tells me that my wing mirror is a cheap replica and not an original - I know because I took the original one off as the mirror was cracked. I know it will probably rust but at least I can see other traffic in it so go bother someone else who does give a poop. My van will never be a trailer queen, it is there to be enjoyed and I do not want to keep reprimanding the kids every time they jump in it with muddy shoes etc. It is their van too and I want them to have happy memories just like I do when we go to shows and trips to the beach.
I can spot faults with most vans as i can spot faults with most things in life Im not an ass its just the way i am and it drives me mad sometimes One of the things i love about the vw community is the [glow=red,2,300]FACT[/glow] it doesent matter what your van looks like If it gets you there and hopefully home thats all that matters I do look over and under other peoples vans at shows but thats just because im inquisitive as to how different each one can be I wouldent dream of going round telling people about faults with the vans/bus but i will pipe up if i see somthing that may cause them a brake down or worse in the future Ill also happily spend a few hours at a show trying to fix it for them if they wish I think terrordales summed it up well My van wont be perfect and it most likely not follow any of the scene in terms of looks But it will get me to a muddy field and house my drunken body for a weekend of laughs and smiles with like minded company
i agree totally a bloke i work with has a capri and he says there like that at the capri club with oh should nt use that bolt there it to shinney blah blah i ve told to get a dub get a life lol
mmm...maybe TLB is unique in it's friendliness? My only other experience of a car club is with our new beetle that we displayed at Stanford Hall 3 years ago... very picky/rude people walking around criticising cars, even when we were sitting inside! Oh well...my gearstick may not be original but I like it! hahahaha With obsessiveness comes a criticism of others, to make your own seem better. I like what I like and love the fact that others love their vans too. End of. raise:
I was just thinking about a similar thing when walking to work this morning. For me it's the pleasure factor. I also asked myself why I bother to post on TLB and why I bother to read all the other members' posts. Again, it's the pleasure factor. Pleasure = happiness. I'm happy and am glad you are too.
I thought I just bought an old car, but I got a lot of new friends. Quote from a m8 of mine when he bought his 1. vw
I'm sure all couples have trigger words in their relationships - where the mention of a word or sentence will trigger an automated reply :- For us it's when we're at a show and one of us spots a particularly nice van and says 'that's a nice one', triggers (adopts yokel accent) "they're all lovely'!!! :tischtennis:
Firstly thanks Malc for another new name....i love you too bud, it is true that the site itself makes owning the van a bonus, i joined originally to just get help finding a van with the aim of maybe doing 1 or 2 shows a year just as i did in my Landrover, the van was going to replace the "scene" i got with the Landy but also it was going to replace the caravan weekends away, these were usually just solo affairs and nobody else came and if we met people parked next to us it was a bonus, i've always been on internet forums so it has been easy to stay and make friends on here, when i first started looking for a van i joined vzi and type 2 owners and got 1 or 2 responses, none of which were helpful, i joined here and within a week i'd found and paid for the van thanks to member help, i've never been back on the other forums......this forum has now changed my outlook of owning the van, it's helped me make friends and realise a weekend away chatting and admiring other peoples vans is what it's all about, some makes of van are a bit anal and insult each other but the late bayers seem to just let it slide and say what will be will be, it's all about what you want to do with your van and if it doesn't appeal to them then they don't slate you. That's what makes me stay - even though i'm the butt of many poo jokes.......(pun intended). The van has changed me and my outlook on things, it's helped me see that things just happen and deal with them when they do, don't stress about things because when the chips are down there is always someone who wants to help you out. Welcome to the family.
I just wish I could have bought my bay when I was 17. It would have some serious miles on it by now. I worry about it getting to the point where I cant afford to fix it and I know its going down hill pretty fast. Thats why Ive been trying to get to the knuwb of the resto thing. I will probably have to go for it in the near future! As for the people. I miss my friends who used to have vans who do something different now that, although we do meet up and camp from time to time there was more of a shared experience - even breaking down was part of it (the fun that is). It might seem a bit sad but we do use the bus - I'm not big on the "scene" but love to go and look at oither folks buses whether original, resto, custom or my favourite - modified and used. I live looking at whaty othere peeps have done to their bus. A mint original is very nice (apart from imported westies that hold little charm for me) particularly the rarer or more unusual and I'm becoming a fan of "custom" buses. Some completely off the wall stuff but different. Anyways Ive had some excellent responses and chats with folk on here and think its a cracking site only made so by the people on here. There will always be a little friction but it doesnt seem to boil over that much.
We were taking about a very similar thing last night - we have all these great new friends (Horts included) now. And they aren't people we are friends with just because they have vans, but it's how we all met if you see what I mean Anyway - yes - much love :hippy:
I do agree with that - TLB is responsible for some great friendships .... I am going to put a bet on the 1st TLB wedding happening in 2014 ...
