I have observed over the last year three areas of interest on the forum. One is the new member who has just bought their car and with a few exceptions undertake a R&R to either fix things that are not working or they want to customize. This group is further broken down into two segments, those that want to do the work themselves and a second one that looks in ernest for a mechanic who knows what an air cooled VW is and is willing to work on it and the TDR owner can afford the cost of the work. If their budget can’t afford to do the R&R they either learn which end of a wrench to hold, extend time lines for the R&R or as a last resort sell the car with a thinner wallet and a tear in their eye. This is the group that can generate a lot of postings hoping to have someone show them how to do something, looking for references or confirming that their research has paid off and they can proceed with rewiring the dash or replacing the rear axle seal knowing someone is available with advice

The second group are those who have completed their R&R, either doing it their self or paying to have someone do it or like one member purchase a virtually new TDR from the manufacturer. The ones who did the R&R themselves have accumulated a lot of experience, taken pics of their rebuild, documented how they did something that was not covered in Muir, Bentley or Haynes. What worked and what did not and where to source parts and which parts or suppliers to avoid. These are the members who can invariably answer just about any question posted by those from group one. They are also are the ones who are rarely satisfied with what they did with the first R&R and rebuild motors, swap out motors, change carbs, distributors, ignitions etc andwant to tell others about what they are doing. They have acquired the know how and confidence to tackle just about anything to tweak the performance of their TDRs.
The last group can also be active members of either group one or two but have taken their interest to the next level which due proximity are able to socialize with other like minded members. Proximity is a relative term as some members will drive 8-16 hours to meet with other TDR owners

So depending on where you are in the ownership cycle will play a role in how much you participate in the forum.

Almost forgot to include the lurkers, who rarely post either questions or answers. Nothing wrong with being a lurker, I was one before I bought the TDR, but they tend to be newbies who want to get an understanding of the forum and topics before they have the courage to post what they may feel is a dumb question. What I have observed is that the experienced members have a lot more patience than some other forums and will either answer the question or provide a link where the info can be found

So to wrap up a long post you will get out of the forum what you contribute and the only dumb question is the one that is not asked

John
Happy to see that you have taken my musings in the light hearted manner in which they were posted. Expect that a number of members may see themselves in the groups I wrote about. Hope that others see it the way you did, as there was no intention of offending anyone

As to answering Greg’s OP “What is going on” I am getting the box trailer I picked up on Saturday, wired for both 12V and 120V so I can move the TDR into it for the winter and prevent the critters from chewing up the new wiring, carpet and upholstery I installed this year. In spite of 25C weather (78F) forecast for the rest of the week November snow storms are just 2 weeks away so to placate the wife have to move the TDR out so she can get her car into the single car garage. Buying the enclosed trailer was more economical than building the three car garage I wanted to build and it also can be used for my moose, bear and deeding hunting trips.

What are the members doing to get their TDRs ready for winter. Guys in Florida and California just have to anchor their cars down so they don’t get washed away

Winter preparations?  Heck, gas up the tank and check the oil and the tires.  It’s DRIVING season here in Las Vegas!  Blue skies and 70s by mid-afternoon all winter long.

🙄 Well said.

Excellent article link. I will be looking for the reruns of their show on NPR. Thanks Ed!

Well, he didn’t fall far from the tree.

Well done, Ed.

• This reply was modified 8 years, 1 month ago by billnparts.

Very nice, Ed!

Hey Ed,

What a great story — even “greater” since I have met “Sharpy” and her owner.

…story was so well done that I had no choice but to “register” as a user on The City website so I read more “Ed”

Happy Jack