Ok; I’m not trying to flame the culture wars with my headline. But if ever two examples of vans represented the two stereotyped sides of the so-called culture wars, these have to be the ones. As in a vintage Chevy conversion van and a VW T2, adorned with lots of junk.
Here’s a better view of the VW. Obviously, this guy lives out of his van, and I see it with an ever-changing palette of objects tied to it. Before we get too hung up on stereotypes, I have seen very similar conversion vans with folks living in them too. So are the culture wars also being fought among the homeless?
Let’s just call them the American equivalent of British Travellers (of which gypsies are a subset).
It’s probably just as well it’s an underpowered Microbus, as I don’t see how all that stuff could stay attached at highway speeds. People underestimate the power of the Force (aero, that is).
In Re: “i don’t see how all that stuff could stay attached at highway speeds”
You’re under the assumption that that VW based trash heap could actually reach anything close to highway speeds!
And the Conversion Van? Makes me gag a little. Spent the 70’s and 80’s in Central Florida, Ocala and Orlando area. As you might have heard, there are A LOT of retired folk down there. And they ALL loved them some conversion vans. With “early American” styled captains chairs, With ruffles, No kidding Venetian blinds on the windows an interior that looked like a 1960’s “family room” Surprised they didn’t put in a Fireplace. Some probably did install an electric one. There was a manufacturer in Ocala called MARK III made a few thousand of them. But the place is now a big empty building. But boy howdy they where everywhere!
I prefer to think of this as a “ lifestyle difference”rather than as “culture war” until one or the other starts saying bad things about the other’s choices and tries to make to make him or her change.
Until the it’s just an example of “different vans for different clans”, right?
Nice Chevy . My ex father on law had one like it, about the same year with a slightly raised roof.
I don’t know if this website has sharpened my observational “skills”, but I am seeing what looks like an explosion in vintage VW vans here in North Florida.
In my area, when they pop-up for sale, they are almost always priced into 5 figures…you never see one like the example pictured here.
I almost bought a mid 60s windowless van back in 71. I was stationed in Memphis going to school in the Navy and that van would have been my first car.
I (obviously) didn’t consider myself to be a budding hippie, but the idea of having a small room in which to sleep as I traveled cross country, appealed to me. But I got transferred before I pulled the trigger. My 1st car would instead be that VW’s polar opposite….a 68 Mercury Cyclone GT.
I suspect some irony happening here, in that the VW is worth about ten times what the Chevy is yet has a guy living in it. Then again, my current track record on evaluating used vehicles is pretty poor 🙂
Nice van under all that stuff.
I’m pretty sure he’s owned it for several decades. I talked to him once.
Around here the van-livers (very different from #vanlife) can’t afford older VW’s, except for perhaps the occasional non-poptop Vanagon. And, reinforcing my own stereotypes, any homeless VW owner would sell it for cash and invest 10% in a Chevy or Dodge van. So a parked domestic conversion is almost always a rolling domicile. In fact, pretty much any vehicle older than 1990 parked in front of my house overnight is occupied.
Maybe it is VW Boy’s parents visiting. 🙂
Having met “VW Boy”, his parents would have to be well into their 90s. 🙂
Out here, the VW owners would be the older generation. BTW, two of our recent van parkers have had Oregon plates. Heading south for winter …
There is a third stereotyped demographic not represented here…
????
I find this one quite troubling for obvious reasons.
This made me think of Santa Barbara’s somewhat famous hippie van. The owner, for lack of a better description, is a “professional hippie”. He lives out of his very elaborately decorated van, and during the summer parks near the beach in Santa Barbara and as far as I can tell makes a living charging tourists for taking pictures of the interior.
http://www.independent.com/news/2015/aug/26/toy-van-back/
I live in a van, due to economic conditions, i can tell you the white van wont get messed with as much by the cops, when parking overnight. The poor guy in the vw is going to harrassed by the fuzz. I travel in a modern, well kept conversion van and never get mess from parking lot attendants, police etc. I have a friend who has a gorgeous 69 conversion van with some great artwork and she gets messed with constantly. just sayin…
I’m more partial to the EARLY seventies street freak style van.
But a plain-jane panel would quickly steal my heart.
As far as stereotypes; not only can you (sometimes) judge a book by it’s cover, but you can save a lot of time by doing so. 😉
In expensive Vancouver, BC, this Van Culture is foundation to the burgeoning phenomenon of Vancouver “Van Dwelling.” Just yesterday, I was at Home Depot on Terminal Ave located in an old industrial enclave. I couldn’t believe how many more RV’s and “Getaway” vans I saw parked on the sides of the road as I rounded under the 1st Ave viaduct to head back to the West End than what I saw only a few short months ago.
In Vancouver it’s not so much a status or hippy thing (although, of course it exists), it’s more like necessity that even people with solid middle class incomes are considering doing. Luckily I’m grandfathered in rent-controlled rent dating back 11 years ago before the real estate boom skyrocketed (Vancouver was largely insulated from the crash of 2009 with 2010 Olympics and foreign investment, etc), but to have to pay the rent my current apartment would fetch in today’s dollars, I, myself, would consider living in a van.
There are millions of vans out there, each one has a story.
Because most of us on CC are old we may be missing a point about who and
why people are living in their vans.
Freedom is one driving motive, just not wanting to live the square life.
Mobility for work, ah the internet is great.
Economics, one hell of a lot of people cannot afford to rent let alone buy a dwelling.
I live in an RV, by choice. Here is why; my monthly living expenses, less car, food, and phones is below $200 per month! I am betting most of you pay more than that just for electricity.
I will tell you this, the people living in mobile quarters are getting lots of grief from the land owning folks.
I do not know if it is okay to post links on CC but two stories that stick out are:
American Nomads on Youtube
Living Zeal on Youtube
“Freedom is one driving motive, just not wanting to live the square life.”
“Square” was the hip put-down for people different than themselves.
Freedom is relative, not absolute; one may live on a horse or in a wheeled box, but every lifestyle has constraints. It’s a question of which one is willing to tolerate.
” the people living in mobile quarters are getting lots of grief from the land owning folks.” – I wouldn’t judge without knowing specifics.