The Samba bus is a special version of the Volkswagen bus that has more windows and a unique roof. It's very popular among collectors because of its cool design and history.
A pop-up top is a part of some vans that lets the roof lift up, giving you more room inside. It's helpful for sleeping and moving around when you're camping.
Swivel chairs are seats that can turn around to face different ways. In a van, this makes it easier to talk to people or create more space when you're camping.
The Volkswagen Bus is a classic van that many people love because of its unique look and roomy inside. It was very popular in the 60s and is often associated with fun road trips and adventures.
The Dodge Journey is a bigger car that can fit a lot of people and their stuff. It's great for families because it has extra seats and space for everything you might need on a trip.
The Volkswagen van is a popular type of vehicle that many people love for its unique shape and ability to carry lots of people or gear. It's often seen as a symbol of adventure and freedom.
The California camper van club is a group for people who love camper vans, especially those made by Volkswagen. It's a place where fans can connect and share their experiences.
Boogie woogie upholstery is a fun and colorful type of fabric used in some vehicles from the 1980s. It has bright patterns that make the inside of the van feel lively and nostalgic.
The hippie counterculture was a movement in the 1960s and 1970s where people promoted peace and love, often living together in communities. Certain cars, like the Volkswagen van, became symbols of this lifestyle, representing freedom and fun.
Restoration means fixing up an old car to make it look and work like it did when it was new. This can include repairing parts, painting, and cleaning the car to improve its appearance and performance.
'First crank' means starting a car for the first time and having it work right away. It's a good sign that the car is running well and everything is in order.
The Kia Soul is a small car that looks a bit like a box on wheels. It's popular because it's roomy inside and has a fun design, making it a good choice for people who want something different and practical.
A sliding door is a door that moves sideways instead of opening like a regular door. It's often found on vans to make it easier to get in and out, especially in small parking spaces.
The Volkswagen Vanagon is a van that people often use for camping and traveling. It has a boxy shape and can be set up with beds and other things to make trips more comfortable.
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It makes me smile though to be driving around and just like see somebody point at the van and like give you a thumbs up or a lot of times, you know, it's the peace side.
Yeah, it's it's a treat to get to drive around and have people, you know, make somebody's make somebody happy just by driving a car, you know.
But it's nice to see people smile. So if I can do that by just taking my car around and I'm happy.
I'm seeing that. Welcome back to the Life Bus Cars community. We are here in Newport, Rhode Island for a special guest, a good friend of mine, Aiden Yoder, who will introduce himself here in a moment.
And we are currently sitting in his vehicle, which I'll have him tell us what that is and looking forward to the conversation and Aiden, go ahead and introduce yourself there to our audience.
Aiden, thank you for having me on. Happy to be you on Life Bus Cars. And so happy to be here. But today we're recording in my 1981 Volkswagen van again.
Great studio spot. We got the full camper set up on the inside right now. Aiden is facing me in the passenger seat. I'm sitting on the on the couch of the van.
So it's a very comfy studio that we got set up. We're in Newport. Beautiful day. No complaints. We we just wrapped up car weekend down here in Newport.
It was a amazing show. Yes, this weekend. Funny enough, we were the only van again in town. It seemed like as we were driving around. So that was pretty cool.
It really was just we were driving around all over town and we saw a few older buses. So like the Samba bus era of those. And but yeah, only van again. So props to you there, Aiden.
I know. Yeah, usually you see a couple of any ends, at least at a show, but it was nice to to be the lone alone car out there. That was awesome.
Yes. So that's the part why I am down here visiting. So that's why it is just me here on the podcast today. And as Aiden told us here, we are in his van again right now, recording this.
And as you mentioned, like I'm in the front passenger seat here. And while we're audio only podcasts, you can imagine what this looks like. So it swivels around, which is so cool.
You make a little home of it here in this van. It is. It's set up for that, that functional aspect of, you know, having a very spacious area to camp.
I mean, that's why the van again was kind of created specifically the West Folly a model was to have a space to take the family camping.
And I think they really utilized every little aspect of, you know, between the swivel chairs, the pop up top, the fold down bench to a bed, and they really maximize all of the space in this van.
And I always say, you know, it's nice to have a home that can fit in a parking space when you're in a pinch.
That's one of the reasons why I love the West Folly among other things.
Right. So to set the scene for the listeners, Aiden and I used to work together, same school. I remember seeing your bus in the parking lot.
So Aiden would park in the staff lot in this amazing 81 van again. And immediately as the listener knows, I am quite the Volkswagen guy.
So naturally, like, who is driving this and not only driving it daily, driving it. That was the thing that really struck me, Aiden, was that you daily drove this to work every day.
So that's how we first connected was actually over this bus.
Yeah, I remember pulling into the parking lot and you kind of had popped out of your car and then we're walking backwards and kind of gave me this look like, wow, that's, that's awesome.
And we have been friends since that moment. Definitely clicked over the bus and I've been able to share a lot of stories about our passion of Volkswagen which has been an awesome.
It was my daily driver for probably three years, which came with its challenges. But I loved it. It was a fun car to get me where I needed to be.
And it really did the job. Knock on wood. I never had any major issues. So let's keep that rolling as we continue to drive it here.
But yeah, it was really has been a reliable vehicle for me, but truly a German engineered as my grandpa says, it's like a tank. It really just keeps going and it wants to keep going.
The only the only pitfall is, you know, the New Hampshire winters and the lack of heat so it's layers and layers to stay warm.
I can remember times getting to getting in the van to start it up and it was, you know, sometimes below zero and I feel like this is going to be this is going to be a ride.
That's such a cold start.
Yeah, putting on probably three three coats hats mittens and the van maybe would just get somewhat warm by the time you're pulling in the parking lot to work and you're like, well, we're going to have to do it all again tomorrow.
So but it makes up for it once once summer rolls around.
And you get to just roll down the roll down the windows hand crank them down and enjoy and bask in the glory of the summer in this van.
Oh yeah, it's such a summer cruiser and it's so exciting that you have it down here in Newport this summer.
You mentioned your grandfather just a few moments ago and I'm curious there about what inspired the van again where where you I know your grandfather has a part in that in the story of this big part.
And had you been looking for a van again or had wanted one for a while.
Um, yeah, I mean, I think in high school, I started to like kind of form this obsession.
Once I got my driver's license of even before you have just having a van, it was kind of around, honestly, before the whole van life trends.
And I kind of I was somebody who just loved spending time outdoors, loved camping, and I wanted a vehicle that would stand out.
I wanted a vehicle that could help me get outside, help me get to these places to camp and I could stay in, have a place to cook, have a place to sleep.
So I really started that journey of looking for not only a van again, but any sort of VW bus when I was probably a sophomore in high school.
And I mean, I would just be scouring Craigslist Facebook and anywhere I the listings anywhere to see if I could find one for somewhat of a deal.
It just, you know, one one lead would lead to conversation with people and it would, you know, and for a lot of the times would be frosted out.
Yeah, or, you know, too steep of a price.
And eventually, like, I just, you know, I was so fixated on it that I was talking to my grandpa, who was a big part in helping me get this van and helping get this van to where it is today and like pristine form running condition.
And we would always chat, he would always be keeping his eye out as well.
Funny enough, one afternoon he gave me a call and said that he had been visiting.
I believe it was my aunt's parents for Easter and across the road he saw what he thought looked like a van again shape underneath a tarp.
And he went out on a limb and went to chat with the neighbor who he had not he did not know at all.
Yeah, went across the road, chatted with him, the neighbor gave him like a handful of Volkswagen books and manuals that he had to show me just to check out.
No, he brought those to me when we we met up and the owner, this man named Roman, he was dealing with some health issues at the time and he had kind of realized like it's probably not going to be in the cards for me to restore this or have the time to get out and enjoy it as much as somebody else would.
So after about a kind of a year of back and forth, my grandpa and myself talking to this guy, my grandpa would, you know, check in on him, hey, what do you think, what do you think and eventually he said and I remember I was on a I was on a fly fishing trip up in northern
Maine, no service. And I remember getting back into service. And there was a message from my grandpa saying, Roman wants to sell the Volkswagen to us, you're the new owner of a VW van. And like, at that moment, I just remember like pure joy is going to hear to hear
just like this has been a dream of mine since I was a kid. And now it's like, wow, this is this is really happening. From there, I just fell more in love with the Volkswagen and the van again. It was just such a great moment.
And I'm super thankful for my grandpa for really looking into that and really helping make this dream of having this this dream car come true. You know, he has been the mechanic for the car has done so much, so much work on the car he so mechanically inclined
and has really been able to dig in and out of the van again. And he has learned so much. He has taught me so much. And, you know, as much as it's my my baby, he also, I think takes that pride of like he did so much. So he has a great appreciation for it as he should.
So I really appreciate everything. He did help me get this start the journey of having the van again.
Yeah, I mean, the fact that you have a shared bond with your grandfather through this bus and that just those are the most amazing finds when you're like this was California said, or sorry, it was originally from originally from California.
Yeah, because we got a sticker in the back here that is in the California camper van club, which is pretty cool. Yes. And but he found it in Connecticut.
Yeah, he found it in Connecticut. Yeah. And eventually had it had it towed over to his place where it lived for about another nine to 10 months and he, you know, he put a lot of work into it.
He went through every inch of the engine and got to know that like a brain surgeon would know its patient. And it's it's funny because a lot of times if something I hear a little something offer, I'll just give him a call and he'll be like, I think it's probably this and oftentimes he's exactly right.
And yeah, it's pretty cool to have somebody that you can just call up and they know what's going on with the van. But yeah, I mean, he was he had gotten a knee replacement. And, you know, within two weeks of getting that knee replacement, he was at 80.
I want to say like around 80 years old, he was back on the ground working underneath the van. So he was pretty passionate about it.
Yes, he seems that he's as much invested in this as you are. Definitely. It's a shared shared bond, a shared love of this van. And I could see why I mean, just sitting in it right now, I can see just the passion that has gone into keeping this van running and not only running but in such an amazing condition
for like it's a 1981 and it's so well put together and still also has lots of little bits and pieces of character that show that it's it's lived a very full life.
And now you're continuing to now share your life with it. Yeah, I love just kind of adding to that storybook that the van has, you know, continue to live and it's nice to see that it didn't just sit and can start to rod away.
It's gotten a rebirth here. And yeah, I'm very thankful that we've gotten to this point. It's such a fun, fun vehicle with a lot of really unique aspects to it. And, you know, you open it up and it's like stepping into an 80s time capsule.
Oh, my gosh, yeah, I've kept everything original on the inside. I was telling Ian earlier that the upholstery of the van is is called the boogie woogie upholstery. And I just think it's just so fitting for the 80s. It's just so perfect. And there's just so many little ins and outs of this van that you're like, Well, that's so time appropriate there, like the the wood paneling.
It's really, really works. Yeah, I mean, I love the fact that right down to the name of the interior is boogie woogie. I mean, it's just this rainbow of colors on this. And I mean, Volkswagen had so much fun with their interiors and their exterior colors and all of that.
And I mean, it makes me think of just as you mentioned yesterday and like how much this van just makes people smile. I'm driving around yesterday. I was really struck by the people would look at follow and take pictures of it. And that's got to be cool. Just having a vehicle like that.
It just makes people's day.
Oh, yeah, it's, you know, it's, it makes me smile.
It'd be driving around and just like see somebody point at the van and like give you a thumbs up or a lot of times, you know, it's the peace sign because of the.
That's right. A lot of people, you know, associated with the hippie counterculture and whatnot. But yeah, it's, it's a treat to get to drive around and have people, you know, make somebody's make somebody happy just by driving a car, you know.
But it's nice to see people smile. So if I can do that by just taking my car around, then I'm happy. I'm seeing that.
Yeah, just by virtue of taking around town and then just keeping something like this going, the fact that you and your grandfather were able to bring it back because that may not have happened otherwise.
Yeah, it's awesome to keep it going. I mean, I find myself, I mean, I find myself getting kind of giddy every time I hop in the hop in the sea, turn it on.
Yes, you know, starts first crank and purrs up. And it's like, wow, this, you know, this dream really did come into the picture and it really did come true. And I'm super thankful that it did.
It's brought me to a lot of really cool, cool places around New England and, you know, I've spent quite a few nights sleeping in it.
Even when I was, you know, in high school and I just needed to, you know, get out of the house or if I was in college and needed my own space, I would, you know, go sleep in the van.
And it just kind of gave me this space that I could have that was my own. And right, I always found that it was, it was just a nice space that, you know, it's kind of homey.
You can make it really your own. It's kind of taken that that space for me of, you know, a comfort, a comfort space that I can go and relax and enjoy.
Yes. Now, I'm sure it's hard to narrow it down. That said, what are some memories that really stand out to you like that you've shared with the van?
In high school, for me, the barrier was learning to drive stick. So I was like, it's like I had never driven stick before. This is a four speed manual here.
The engine being in the back, it likes to roll backwards when you're on any sort of incline. So that was quite stressful.
So getting over that barrier was, you know, a little tough. But once I got there was like, you know, oh man, this is in the high school parking lot now.
It's like everybody's like, what the hell is that thing? Like, this is awesome. But it wasn't like people disloved it.
It was like, let's check it out. Let's just go for a van ride. And like one of the big memories that I always have is people just text me, hey, I want to take the van for a ride.
And I just like, like, yeah, let's do it. And we just cruise around and cruise around Durham and cruise around the Seacoast and we just go for a van ride.
And that's something that I always appreciated. And, you know, at the time I was super into taking photos and some of my buddies love taking photos and video.
And it's like just such a great piece to have in a photo really like brings life and it makes you ask questions like, where do they have this brings a story up.
And a couple other like places like I always love taking it up to my family place in Penobscot, Maine, I got memories of just, you know, taking the coastal route up Maine and taking our time.
And that's one of the things I love about the van is, you know, you can't go anywhere fast. That's one thing you can't expect to go anywhere fast.
You have to realize, okay, it's probably going to take me an extra hour to get there. I think it makes you appreciate your surroundings a little bit more.
Maybe you see a little bit more, but you just like slow down because I feel like a lot of times when I'm driving, I'm just like, I need to get there.
But the van again kind of slows things down for you and makes you appreciate the drive itself a little bit more.
But yeah, spending nights up there and camping out with friends and those are just some of the core memories I have in this van and, you know, it'll always live with me.
Yes, and that's so well said that you take your time with this kind of vehicle and it pushes you to just slow down.
I mean, literally and otherwise that it's a car that's just going to take you there, take you on the journey and you know what, yeah, like let's just take our time here.
Definitely. And I think, you know, in such a fast-paced life, we see people rushing and we, you know, we see people not taking the time to appreciate things around them.
And I think, you know, it's kind of cliche to say, but this van really does literally slow you down, but it also like allows you to take in things around you more.
And I find like, you know, it has no technological bits in the front.
It's got the it's got the cassette tape, a radio that maybe works 50% of the time.
Yeah.
And that's, you know, it's got the old cigarette lighter in the dash.
And that's it.
It's just, I mean, there's not too many bells and whistles.
It's pretty simplistic in it, you know, you're not distracted by 20 different things.
You're not distracted by, you know, Siri chirping at you to turn here, turn there looking at your screen.
It's you're actually driving the vehicle, which I find is pretty special about this is more of a connection with your car than just actually, you know, getting in and just cruising.
So like, I'm actually driving my vehicle.
Yeah, actually driving your vehicle, which I think some people like, well, what do you mean?
I drive my car every day.
And yet, as you just described so well, this car has such a soul in it.
And you connect with that by virtue of just how everything is so simple and you it's tangible.
I mean, just I'm looking at the front of the van right here with all the knobs and the switches.
And of course, the gears, the gear shift here, just everything is so analog.
And you just, yeah, you just are in tune with this kind of vehicle in so many ways.
Yeah, it's really like keep it simple.
Yeah, keep it simple.
And, you know, that's that's all you needed.
It's really, you know, and I think we live in a world where it's just so fast paced.
And so we need everything now and you step into something like this and you realize we really don't need to have everything all at once.
It's like, let's take a second.
Let's, you know, let's go enjoy a space for what it is.
Let's go, let's go camp and, you know, disconnect.
And I feel like this vehicle has kind of helped me be able to do that.
And that's kind of why I really, you know, that's why I wanted to get it at the time.
It's like, I want to be able to go slow down, disconnect and just have that space where I can, I can be at peace and not worry about
what's what what else is going on in the world.
I'm just again sitting here just struck by just the character of this car that I mean that I'm very much of the mind that each each car has its own soul within it.
And you can connect with that if you really stop and realize what you have around you.
And I mean, this car just has it in spades as I'm looking around here and seeing all the stickers and everything.
And even like just all the stickers from the factory that everything's in German.
And you just it just really to realize like, oh, yeah, like where this car has come and its own history of like what brought it here to you.
Yeah, it has its own life story that you're now a part of that.
For sure. And it's just, you know, I do love looking at like the little little features.
Oh, yeah, that's still got the German writing on it.
It's really cool. And I've kept it all.
I'm honestly, I've seen people do the rest of those on the inside that make it a little more functional and like, you know, maybe a stove that works a little better.
They put a refrigerator swap in.
But for me, I was I'm just so in love with the original character of how they Westphalia came out and built this this camper setup and like all the ins and outs of it that I just it's hard for me to justify.
Changing anything because it's just so it fits so well.
And it's so perfect.
Truly. Yeah, I mean, I appreciate that you've kept it original.
I know Brendan and I talk about that often that we're often more fan of keeping cars original and you've done so well to add some unique touches that make it yours.
I mean, I'm looking at the curtains.
You have one stickers that you've put on the doors and so forth.
And and I mean, I tried chili peppers here that and yet garland.
Yes. Yeah.
And yet the I mean, yeah, the interior bits, the seats just read out the carpet and everything like just it maintains that originality that is true to the to the van.
And also just how well it drives.
I mean, yesterday we took it out and around town and some stop and go traffic and it really didn't miss a beat.
It's a it's quite seems like quite the champ.
Yeah, I mean, again, knock on wood.
It's it's done me well.
Yes.
You know, I hope that I can keep it keep it up and keep it going as well as it has run for me for these last.
I want to say like almost nine years I've had it now.
So these last nine years that it's just knock on wood and running very well.
So keep it going and you know, keep it keep it in the shape it is.
Do you have any future trips or ideas planned for it in the years to come?
Since you said that how you plan to keep it a long time and yeah, anything in in the works?
I mean, yeah, I mean, it's kind of become one of it's like my fishing mobile kind of now.
I, you know, I'm a big fly fisherman.
So being a fly fisherman comes with as many other fly fisherman know comes with having a lot of gear.
The van is nice because it can fit a lot of gear.
I found myself putting around Newport.
I mean, recently I went to the Cape with it.
So we took it down to my friend.
Devin and I took it down for a fly fishing a fly fishing tournament.
And funny enough, my friend Devin actually also has a van again.
That's right.
He has a 1980 van again doesn't get as much use, but it's a it's a it's another relic.
And it's actually a different style of camper, which is cool.
So it was built by a different camper company other than West Svalje.
But any listeners who might have a sliding door or a van again 1980.
Give me a shout because my friend Devin's door does not no longer goes on his van.
So he's looking for a new a new door to get that up and running again.
But yeah, sorry circling back to that question of any trips.
I mean, I would ultimately my goal has always been I would love to take it across.
Country it's kind of like the the penultimate, you know, adventure van kind of like, oh, I took that road trip across country, you know, and you hear the everybody say I did that back in my day.
So I would I would love to take it cross country and enjoy every aspect of going slow and, you know, kind of living out of it and taking the time to appreciate, you know, the country that maybe I haven't seen before.
Right.
Love that.
Yeah.
Although I mean, and what a vehicle for it.
I mean, and you're set up for it.
I mean, if ever there was a road trip vehicle, I mean, seems like you have a great one right here.
I mean, you just got the bed, the stove, fridge, you've got everything you need here.
Locked and loaded, you know, it's got it's got got everything we need here.
So just just got to be prepared to take take my time and realize it's not going to get there fast.
So, right, I think.
But yeah, everything else is here.
Yeah, it's all built out.
It's all about the journey.
Yeah, definitely.
Yeah, for sure.
My last question here is that and this is something we've talked about often on life was cars.
Does does the van have any sort of name or any anything like that?
I have definitely seen people, you know, they get a car in day one, it has a name.
Yes.
For me, I always was, I always wanted to give it a name.
I was always thinking, you know, what's the name going to be, but nothing really stuck.
And I was just, you know, I don't want to force it.
So for me, I didn't want to force a name that I didn't think would stick with the van.
So it's just pretty, you know, it's just the Vanny and call it the Vanny.
I want to take a Vanny, I want to go for a ride in the Vanny.
That's that's kind of what it's been.
No, no real names.
Yeah.
And that's, I mean, I feel much the same way that we actually on the names plus cars episode, we talk about how very much of the mind that, as you said, if a name, if it's to be named, it will come of its own.
Exactly.
I get that.
Rather than, as you said, like, sort of force or bestow a name onto it, it's like, if it happens, great, there's inspiration.
Great.
But if not, then yeah, it's just, yeah.
No, I totally feel that you can't force something that's not there.
I feel like, like you said, it's got to kind of naturally come.
So yeah, yeah.
And just let the, let the spirit and the soul of this van stand on its own.
And my goodness, it has it in so many ways.
I just love the fact that we're here today sitting in it as our recording studio, which I really appreciate you.
Perfect spot.
Opening it up here for us today and sharing your stories because this has been on my list for a while, especially since we got, we've gotten this podcast rolling.
And these are the kind of stories I just love to hear that, like, not only is it a vehicle, but it's so much more to you.
It is.
Not just the car, it's, you know, it's, it's a storybook and it's really, you know, I step in here and I think of all the memories that I've made and I think about, you know, what's coming next.
And yeah, you know, what, what's next for it in my life.
But it really, it really connects me to, to people, specifically my grandpa and connects me to all the little memories that I've made along the way with it.
So it's, it's definitely more than a car.
Oh my gosh.
I mean, that's what we're all about here at Life Plus Cars, that yeah, your cars and your wife are so much more than that and be sure with them.
So, Aiden, thank you so much for taking this time to share those stories with the listener today.
This has been so much fun and really appreciate the time.
Ian, thanks for having me on.
This was, this was amazing.
Happy to, happy to chat with you about the van.
Yeah, for sure.
Life Plus Vanagon.
So thanks for tuning in here, listeners.
If you have your own Vanagon stories or maybe you happen to have a Vanagon door, a sliding door there.
You can always reach us at lifepluscars at gmail.com.
We're also on Instagram over there at Life Plus Cars.
So check us out there.
We'll definitely have some good content there of the van.
As we always like to say, we look forward to curating more car conversations on the next episode and we'll see you next time.
About this episode
Aiden Yoder shares his journey with his beloved 1981 Volkswagen Vanagon, discussing how it became a cherished part of his life and a connection to his grandfather. The conversation highlights the joy of driving a unique vehicle that brings smiles to others, the challenges of daily driving it in winter, and the memories created during camping trips and adventures. Aiden reflects on the simplicity of the Vanagon, its original character, and the importance of slowing down to appreciate life. The episode captures the essence of automotive passion intertwined with personal stories.
We love to invite new guests to join the podcast, and this week we welcome Ian's good friend and fellow VW enthusiast Aidan Yoder! The two friends sat down to record this episode in Aidan's 1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. [Please note: due to the unique (and very cool!) recording setup, the audio is a little fuzzy. Thankfully the story is all there!]
Aidan tells us the story of how the Vanagon came into his life, how he and his grandfather have a shared bond through the van, and the adventures he's taken with it. Through it all, Aidan returns to a common theme of the van: slowing down (literally and otherwise) and appreciating the moment you're in.
PLUS: Aidan's Vanagon has one of the raddest interior names, and from the factory no less! Tune in to find out about this and so many other fun elements of the van that just make you smile.
