how many made the switch from vw's to delica's

[northvanmatt]

Just wondering how many people made the change over from VW's to delica's. It seems there is quite a few folks here who have and I thought it would be kinda a fun post. I had two A 72 type 2 with the big dome on top and my baby a 77 westi, I made sooo many trips in that. lived it for 3 seasons of tree planting, slepted in her freezing my ass off in many a ski hill parking lot and toured all around western canada and the US. After years of driving my vw I had to sell needed a 4x4 and a ride that wasn't a 1000$ everytime something went wrong. Bought a jeep cherokee still have it but wanted a van again looked at converting a ford econcoline to a 4x4 but then found the delica and the rest is history.Any how just wnated to see how many others have made the switch from VW's to delica's

cheers
matthew

[Delicanagan]

Not really a switch...but I used to drive a 72 VW Campmobile.

Two different leagues IMO...I still want another VW...but the Deli fills the real need moreso than the want.

[delicat]

I can't hide from this one!

I still have my 2 vw bus but probably not for too long. The '65 split window has just been bought by a US advertisement company to be used along with 18 other VW splits for Pacifica Beer. They'll repaint all the buses with different Pacifica beer paint scheme and send them to various Pacifica distributors across the continent. My bus is gonna be famous!

The '78 Westy is a big wonder now. I bought it as a more practical road trip vehicle as l now have a little 1yr old boy and it was great to cross the country last year but now that I have the Delica (with bonus heat!) I'm not sure I'll drive the Westy too often, probably not enough to justify keeping it (practically parked) for the next 5 yrs when I can see it being used again for camping with the little one... My guess is l'll sell it and might buy another one in 5 yrs to go camping with my boy. The Delica are great but you can't climb up in the roof to sleep like in the VW... Being a 5 yrs old, what could be cooler than that! and cabinets all around, and running water and an engine in the trunk... Time will tell!

But for me the Delica was a natural evolution. You get to sit on the front wheel, you're not very fast at all, you have seats that swivel, you are different than anything else on the road, you wave when you cross path, you chat at gas stop, you drive a toaster!

But how about a flying toaster? (I posted this video somewhere else but here is more appropriate)

[mararmeisto]

Always WANTED a VW van, but never did get around to buying one. Here on the Island they tend to be a bit ridiculously priced. Also wanted a Transporter for usefulness, but again, price is the issue here where they tend to last much longer than elsewhere in the country.

Do I get half marks for owning a Cabriolet?

[Mikadog]

Count me in! Had a rusty old 79 VW van, restored it, put in a new engine...then sold it. Cried and cried. Now I've learned from my mistake and have got myself in a 91 Deli. Now I only have tears of joy. We love it so much that my boyfriend is selling his Land Rover to buy one too! Anyone know of a SOLID, MINT, crystal light white or silver Deli for sale? Anyone interersted in a 1991 Land Rover 110 Defender Diesel?

[Schwa]

We had a 1980 Ford Econoline-100 that we camped in and used as a daily driver, and my parents planned on getting a VW for camping in once retired, but then a friend of mine did a little body work on his friend's Delica, I got to experience it, visited this site and well... like they say the rest is history. We figured the Delica would be much more capable at pulling a 17' fiberglass boat which will be used to get to a cabin on Pitt Lake.

[39Ronin]

I owned one VW GTI in my life.... only one.

VW's cult following has surpassed common sense, worst vehicles on the planet... well maybe some third world automakers have worse but they are close.

I am still very bitter about the $2 ground wire fault that took over $2000 in diagnostics to never be found by me but by the guy who bought it from me for $500... oh yeah, he found it by accident and it didn't cost him a penny.

VW = electronic nightmare

Sorry to rant but I did qualify for this thread as a switch over from a VW.

[MJB]

this is a funny thread my wife and I while driving just mentioned this
I owned a 78 yellow rabbit fantastic car
an 84 rabbit utter junk
and 84 automatic jetta diesel very loud and gave you a full body shake while driving
69 westy my little girl called it the rusty van
88 vanagon and a 91 vangon both were great little hard on fuel and check out the crash test on youtube with a transporter.
I was just a little in to volkwagens but now I could never go back

[Sailing Deli]

Had a few bugs and a 75 westie that i still see from time to time

[konadog]

71 bus - moved to 4x4 truck. Japanese quality and durability and 4x4 traction winning out over the comforts of the bus interior. And now the Deli combines the two. Awesome. Today I had a vision of a storage / bed system for the Deli (Hazel). pictures in a later post upon completion...

[psilosin]

I had an '88 Vanagon Syncro 4WD for 6 years (rare Olympic Edition used by the Germans at the 88 Calgary Games and then sold off at dealerships afterward). When it ran it was awesome both on and off-road, summer or winter. Alas I probably could have bought 2 replacement Delicas for the amount it cost me to keep it running. Sold it after I bought my first Hilux Surf and my wallet has been cheering ever since haha. I haven't got a Delica yet but its only a matter of time as I miss having a van. I would still like to get a 70's style Westfalia someday but prices are moving upward very fast on all Westfalias. If you have the space Delicat I would keep yours!

[windsnob54]

me, i made the switch or i'm in the process. germans have good ideas, japanese are good at executing them!

still love vw's and will probably continue owning them but the sacrifices in camping comfort of the deli are small compared when measured against the constant time and effort dealing with little problems that vw's have!

i'll always love vw's, i've had many and may well have more... then again maybe not.

anyone want a super sweet td westy? :) so comfy when it's parked!

[SquamptonRyan]

86 vw transporter panal van. it was missing the driverside floor and apparently the tranny blew right after i sold it. left me and my lady stranded in a snowstorm at the tollbooth on the cocahalla with a blown everything. something i don't worry about so much now that i'm driving the 91 exceed wonder mobile, also known as Ho-ju!!

[BCDelica]

Don't know if I belong is this club; we've had 69 and 72 Bugs with shiny shells with lousy heaters, and two westies at opposite states of disrepair. The first was the 78 with great bod but mileage equal to ump-teen times around the world (never could get that grow-op smell out of it) but our last (sold 7 years ago) a 74 with all new running gear, flawless interior (factory stickers still in place), low mileage, and a rusty underside that I always had good intentions of getting done (realized we'd left it to long when the reason we couldn't start was the battery had 'fallen'). It was a babied westie that sat most of it's life behind someones house for over 20 plus years (on a gulf island of all places - saltie) before she'd (the sweet older lady with dreams of driving around the NA) part with it, so don't let them sit and rust please! I don't belong in this club cause the love of my life is the one that loves old VW's, and how can you hold that against someone?

I think there's many van people here in general, we've also had Toyota, Chev Astro, plus Dodge and Chev work vans.

[marsgal42]

I still have my 1986 VW Jetta, though she will be going to a new home in the spring. She's still mechanically sound after 320,000 km, but getting a little tired. My nieces will be learning to drive on her, and I can't think of a better car to learn on. They insist on a iPod-compatible stereo, and soft-hearted Auntie Laura will be obliging them. Kids...

My primary reason for getting a Delica was something that could carry more radios, cameras and telescopes than the Jetta, and not be pounded to pieces by the dubious roads that one sometimes encounters while doing such things. The road up to the Mount Kobau star party is a case in point.

...laura