The problem with traveling to Europe is that it’s expensive. Ever since that splendid green ’72 LTD from Eugene got sold off to Germany for big bucks, I’ve been thinking that the way to finance this trip is to profit from the insatiable demand the Europeans have for our CCs. So I’ve been looking to find just the right vehicle to take with us, to use there for our travels as well as to live in, saving the ridiculous amounts that hotels and rental cars go, never mind the tourist-trap restaurants that serve micro-waved frozen meals.
I almost gave up; then at the Whitaker Block Party this past Saturday, I ran into this van and had an Eureka! moment. This is what those Krauts really want, and will gladly pay big bucks for: a genuine vintage Eugene-mobile! And it’s perfect for our travels and lodgings, although we may want to skip the Stelvio Pass.
And I may want to keep my speed down a bit on the autobahn, considering that overhanging corrugated steel roofing. I was able to talk the less-than-sober owner out of it for $900, and found a hell of a deal on a fast express freighter out of Seattle that’s taking the polar route now that the ice cap is history.
I had been thinking of buying one of the many hippie buses around, but then I realized that in Europe a regular driver’s license won’t let one drive a 40′ bus. Too bad, because I was really looking forward to the fresh eggs from the chicken coop on the roof. And I’m not so sure how well the chickens would have fared on the arctic ocean voyage. So this is the next best thing, and it’ll be much easier on gas too. Unfortunately it’s not a 6.2 GM diesel V8, otherwise we’d be running it on old cooking oil. I’m sure there’s plenty to be had over there for the asking.
The Germans discovered Oregon some years back, and it’s become a hot destination, especially the coast. They like to rent big motorcycles and ride down the coast on 101. Where in Europe can you find virgin old-growth forests, mountain trails with no one on them, deserted beaches and a coastline that is so pristine and undeveloped? And is so uncrowded? Gee; do I really want to even go? Well, they’re going to go bonkers over this Oregon-themed van.
And we’ll enjoy the view of the Alps through its ample front windshield, although that overhang is going to cut off the view of the mountain tops some.
And Stephanie is so excited about the cooking facilities, which includes a tiny wood-burning stove for cooking homemade meals and heating our bath water. We’re going to stock it up with grains, brown rice, dried beans and other staples, so we won’t have to buy hardly any food in those overpriced little shops over there.
So how much can we get for this rig in Germany after our trip is over? $15,000? Why not? Someone over there probably paid close to that for that ’72 LTD . This handcrafted-in-Oregon van is a one-of a kind, a slice of hippie-Americana much rarer than that Ford brougham. The way I see it, we’re not just going to cover our airfare with this; we’re going to come home with suitcases full of cash. What could go wrong?
Cute but seriously, it wouldn’t pass border vehicle inspections, especially from Germans who can’t be bribed. And Italian Carabinieri would impound it.
Ref: http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/traveling-from-romania-to-portugal-in-an-illicit-van-a-1043797.html
Travel in America seems cheap for Germans, I encounter them often whenever I visit National Parks. Maybe my H.S. German was worth it after all.
And I’m starting to see more Chinese tourists, perhaps more disposable income?
I met a woman from Russia in Portland the other day.
Clackamas/Happy Valley area is now like 35 percent Russian. All the new big houses sprawling eastward. They’re apparently doing pretty well here.
TV & movies used to have it that gangsters are southern Italians. Now that’s old hat; Russians have taken their place. This from an industry whose leading figures decry stereotypes & discrimination.
Good grief! I once went with my dad to test drive a used GMC “conversion van” powered by their 6.2L diesel. It sported a raised fiberglass roof. He was all gung-ho for it, but I pointed out that the thing wallowed something terrible due to the raised center of gravity, and he would be unhappy with it as a DD. (We already had a regular van with the 6.2L diesel, so knew what they normally rode like.) I imagine it wouldn’t take much steering input for this rig to keel right over on its side.
The Euro is quite cheap, a few years ago it was more than $1.50 per Euro.
Would they find my ’93 E-350 ambulance with 7.3 diesel too tame?
What do you use it for?
Looks like an old Western chuck wagon combined with a railroad caboose and a Gypsy wagon. Unusual,to say the least.
It’s funny, the add at the bottom of the post on my screen is for “A Taste of Austria”. How coincidental.
And at the bottom of mine an ad for a roofer
Mine had an ad for a t-shirt that reads “I love the smell of sawdust in the morning” with a flame-spewing skilsaw graphic.
I got a Dodge Journey. Very close, as Paul is describing a dodgy journey.
Mine is “fix your flat roof in 48h”! 😉
Heating service and repair.
Allen roofing and gutters. Some kind of CC effect, amusing.
Mine is “Sweet Chinese Ladies Are Ready to Date U! Check’em out!” (sic)
And on the right side of my screen, it’s “Russian Senior Dating for Men.” Presumably it’s the men who are the seniors in this equation, as the women shown are not senior at all.
But then, that’s usually what’s being pitched at me online, no matter where I go. The Internet apparently has me filed under “Dirty old man who pays for sex with younger women from foreign lands.”
I get those plus the bloated belly ads.
I can’t decide which comment I like better…… 1- With outriggers and a drag chute you should be able to do Stelvio Pass. or 2- This would redefine “Ugly American” in a BIG way!!
It is just begging for a couple of hand made coo coo clocks to be tacked on.
It’s just begging for a galley fire to put it out of its misery.
+1
Holy shit, that Vandura is quite atypical! I admire creativity and using what you have available, but I would be worried about driving this due to its slab sided nature and lack of hurricane clips on the roof beams. Thanks for the block party info, I know where I want to visit next year.
When I was in the Republic of Ireland in 2011 I tried to eat mostly Pub food with the locals except for some Dominoes Pizza, Burgers, and home made sandwiches to save money. Behind the bar in several Dublin Pubs were Keystone, Coors Light and other crappy Beers for the tourists which was funny in a sad way.
Believe it or not, that stuff has the kind of cachet that Guiness or Newcastle has over here. Twenty years ago, I walked into the Gold Lion Pub off of Buckingham Palace to discover displays of Budweiser and Rolling Rock. When I mentioned that I lived something like thirty miles from the Rolling Rock brewery (this was back before Anhauser Busch bought the brand, laid off all the staff, and moved production to New Jersey) I had my entire bar tab covered for the rest of the day and took the barmaid out after closing time.
Go figure. It’s just another version of “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”. To think that Budweiser would be a desirable brew. And the patrons couldn’t understand why I wanted the local swill instead.
Well that sure caught me by surprise. I like the Guiness in the Republic of Ireland better than what is available in the states, but even then I can only stand 1/2 a Pint before the flavor gets to be too much.
Better be no more than 4 metres high for all those bridges.
So, how do you say “your %&*@# shingles are flying all over !^*#^!” in German? You will probably hear quite a lot of that.
You know that these rate as highly in my book as a 72 LTD rates in yours, so I say Abso-Friggin-Lutely! One more of these miserable things sent offshore is a win for us here in the U.S. And whether it makes it to a European port or lands on the bottom of the Atlantic is of no concern to me. Is there some way to tie imports of new VWs and BMWs into this country to a corresponding number of these Chevy/GMC vans being sent to Germany in trade? We need to look into this.
That’s pretty harsh, Jim. You don’t like the GM fullsize vans in general or just all the (professional or home-brewed) conversions?
I really liked my ’84, the biggest problem being that my dad gave it to me in 1998, and it wasn’t quite the paragon of reliability that it had been for most of its life.
I somehow developed a hatred for this generation of Chevy van after spending a lot of time driving all three (Ford, Dodge & GM) in the 70s and 80s. Whether the hatred is irrational or rational is something up for debate, I suppose.
This one at least has some redeeming features in the unique carpentry accents. All it needs is an interior like that Russian car that got written up yesterday. 🙂
I guess it has been awhile since I have gone off on a rant on one of these. Maybe I need to take some pictures and write one up. I have a lot of pictures in my computer, but none of these, strangely (or not).
There is nothing wrong with having an irrational hatred for a van. In fact, it’s quite invigorating.
These vans are not pleasant to drive as the floor greatly interferes with most people who possess a left leg.
> These vans are not pleasant to drive as the floor greatly interferes with most people who possess a left leg.
I can’t really argue with that, but I found it was my RIGHT leg that got sore. The transmission hump was the problem. On long trips, I was thankful that my van had cruise control so I didn’t need to keep my foot on the accelerator.
As a resident of Luxembourg, I would be more than happy to trade at least half our pristine silver VWs, Audis and BMWs against a few containers of old Chevy/GMC vans, Ford LTDs and dented DeVilles. I’ll even take whatever Pacer wagons and 6-cylinder Mustangs you want to throw in. Just bring them on! The grass is always greener, hey? Let’s do it :-)!
Vandura means death trap in German. The English translation is the same. Park this in a campground and leave it there.
Todesfalle is how Google translates “death trap.”
What I was trying to say is that this is a deathtrap in any language.
Perhaps another quintessentially American vehicle might be useful…
Presenting, the “McVansion”
Hehehe
All it needs is a cuckoo clock!
“Herr Paulus Niedermeyer ? Kommen Sie mal ganz ruhig mit”
“Der Kommissar gekomm” — Falco lyrics
They’re one of a handful of German-speaking pop musicians to ever chart in America. What’s up here? A century ago, Germany & Austria were a big deal in music.
It was called “Die Deutsche Welle”. German pop musicians speaking German in their songs. Successful here too, we’re talking the eighties.
I also remember a German CD with country / truckdriver songs. A guy with a cowboy hat clearly sang
“Ich bin auf der weg nach Texas….”
Right on. In his MAN Diesel, I assume.
Rock me, Amadeus.
Also who could forget Nena and ’99 Luftballoons”?
Ah ! Nena….she really got us high-school boys going, in the early eighties. And Kim Wilde of course, same category. Although not from Germany.
By the way, Nena and Kim had a song together, not that long ago.
I saw this rig last week and didn’t even bother shooting it as I knew Paul would have it up here soon.
Also I have pics of the beloved LTD at its new home in Germany. I’ll post them soon!
I wonder how far it can go before the blue tarp roof cover parachutes down the highway?
Why does the United States always export it’s best?
Cause they don’t want our junk and they can tell the difference! ?
It’s got a connection to Deutschland already, with that VW logo on the back door.
I think you’re onto something Paul… or is it on something?
Hey! Relax! You’re going to Europe with one of the most favorable Euro-Dollar exchange rates in years (the euro is at a $1.10 or so)! You’ll be able to splurge on just about anything you see, so don’t worry about trying to ship that pile of wood and metal overseas!
Though it would be fun to push it to its limit on the autobahn, don’t ‘ya think? Or careen down an alpine switchback in, well, is there a super-L in ‘PRNDL’!
I’m spoiled. Last time I was there for an extended visit (1999), the dollar was about 12% more than the euro.
Frankly, since the euro first started out at parity with the dollar, I’m still trying to figure out why the euro is worth more than the dollar. I think our ultra-low interest rates must be the reason, because I can’t think of any other.
Give it time. It will correct.
In 3 years time the euro will go 2 for a buck…if it exists at all.
I was actually starting to like it in the last picture, but then realised the victorian trim was on the house not the top of the van.
“The perfect vehicle to take to Europe”?
Only if you want to confirm Continental attitudes that Americans are unsophisticated boobs with horrible aesthetics.
Or if you’re trying to provoke an international incident because you really want to find out what European prison food tastes like.
“…find out what European prison food tastes like.”
Probably better than McDonald’s