On 04 Feb 2004 03:17:36 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@aol.comnojunk (Braukuche) wrote:
I have been following the trails on this thread, watching the path lead to the swamp of "freedom of self-expression" and wondering what happened to the appreciation of the phenomenal engineering that made these cars great in the first place. Most of the modifications spoken of here seem to compromise that engineering. I am not stock purist for the sake of purity. I am a stock purist because the bus I have : traversed the Mass Pike ahead of the snow plow in the Blizzard of '77, make it through the Elk River in W.VA and up a riculous rock strewn path with seven friends and the dog, has crossed the country sixteen times in dead of winter/summer, has swallowed antique hutches pianos sofas cats geraniums lumber, has 439,000 miles and only stranded me once, Texas 8/15/2003, has the best braking performance of any car I have ever owned, has original ball joints, calipers, headliner, seats, drums, carburetors, heads(!), brake booster, glass, wiper motor, heater blower, alternator, flywheel, drive axles, torsion bars, etc., and still is tight, rattle-free, reliable, good in deep snow, and Fun To Drive, keeps up with Interstate traffic, and I just can't see doing anything to ruin the ground clearance that allows me to adjust valves and the clutch and the brakes by scooting under it. My appreciation of VWs is a functional appreciation and it is also a testimony to values that seemingly no longer exist, values that start with honest quality at a reasonable price. Volkswagens and poseurs are an oxymoronic juxtaposition of incompatable confabulation jeez what'd you put in my coffee? Colin : ] ]