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Re: lowering...in response to mgkepner's serman


In a message dated 97-12-11 08:03:54 EST, jadney@vwtype3.org writes:

<< Is there any way that I can appropriately express my total revulsion 
 at the thought of the destruction this does to the car?  I have the 
 feeling that people do it because they feel that it allows them to 
 express some originality in their car.  Well, perhaps it WAS original 
 to someone, sometime, but it's now hackneyed and bad engineering.
 
 The response I usually get down to is usually, something along the 
 lines of "But it's so COOL, Dude!"  Well, if your idea of cool is 
 poor handling, bump steer, and rediculous ground clearance to the 
 point that it is no longer a useful vehicle, then I really have to 
 part company.
 
 In the end it boils down to who do you choose to copy: Someone who 
 carefully designed something that worked well or someone who designed 
 something that looked "different."
  >>

Thanks for sharing your opinion, Jim.........but, i personally find this type
of "input" both offensive and inappropriate.  There are individuals on this
list who have lowered their cars for reasons other than it being "so COOL,
Dude!". I personally wanted to be able to go around a curved road without
having to slow to a near stop or feel as though Benny was goin to tip over.
The small amount he was lowered sits him at the same height as many new cars
are being produced stock.  I don't feel he is "hackneyed" or "bad
engineering", he's just not stock.  Not all of us want to have bone-stock
cars, and yes we do make modifications to personalize our cars.  This is
probably because "it's not just a car" to many of us, our cars are an
extension of who we are.  I have never to made any modifications to my car to
make it impractical, i never will, but I have slightly customized it (and oh
my god, it's not fuel injected).  I do infact cringe when I see a "butchered"
custom, but if is what the owner/driver wants, more power to him.  It's one
more volkswagon on the road that otherwise might not be.  Jim, we all realize
you have a plethera of type-3 knowledge and we appreciate you sharing with us,
but please understand that we are all very different people here.  Your
comments give me that same sick feeling in my stomach as when I hear about
books being banned from local libraries.  If you have a negative experience
you would like to share with the group about some particular type-3
modification, please share, but save the didactic rambling and trashing of
other individuals' preferences for someplace else.  It does not belong here.

Thanks,
Amanda & Benny ('69 sqrback who was also very offended)

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From: "Melissa & Jim" <jadney@vwtype3.org>
To: type-3@umich.edu
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 07:04:07 -600
Subject: lowering
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On 10 Dec 97, Keith Park wrote:

> Not to mention that the handeling was TERRIBLE, it wandered all over the
road in the
> wind cause it had negative caster and you felt every bump.

Is there any way that I can appropriately express my total revulsion 
at the thought of the destruction this does to the car?  I have the 
feeling that people do it because they feel that it allows them to 
express some originality in their car.  Well, perhaps it WAS original 
to someone, sometime, but it's now hackneyed and bad engineering.

The response I usually get down to is usually, something along the 
lines of "But it's so COOL, Dude!"  Well, if your idea of cool is 
poor handling, bump steer, and rediculous ground clearance to the 
point that it is no longer a useful vehicle, then I really have to 
part company.

In the end it boils down to who do you choose to copy: Someone who 
carefully designed something that worked well or someone who designed 
something that looked "different."

My wife now drives a 96 Taurus wagon.  That was a car that was 
completely ruined when the stylists got hold of it.  In the name of 
style they designed a rear window that provides almost no rear 
visibility, but it looks cool.  It has seats that have lots of 
bolsters and a lumbar support and bells and whistles that make you go 
Ooh and Aah, but make your back sore in drives of more than an hour.  
It has a Cool stereo in the style of the car with a balance control 
that has arrows that point L and R and a fader control that is 
oriented L/R and has arrows that also point L/R (this control 
controls front/rear balance!)

It has a rear window wiper control nicely labeled and lighted, but 
located  where only the eyeball on your left knee can see it.

All this was done in the name of style without thought to function.
I believe Miles van der Rohe said "form follows function."  Ford 
forgot that.  If we forget that we end up with nice bookends for our 
driveways.  I love these cars; I love how they drive and how they 
look and how they are economical and how they are useful.  Don't 
settle for one out of four.

Sorry, rant mode off.

Jim
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
       Melissa Kepner                                    Jim Adney
                             Laura Kepner-Adney
                         jadney@vwtype3.org      
                             Madison, Wisconsin
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------


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