Letter from America

As some of you may already know, I have left the UK for the big USA. This however does not mean that I'll be leaving the club, quite the opposite, I will remain on the committee for the foreseeable future and hope to make a regular contribution to Wheelspin.

I have only been in the USA for a few weeks, but I have already encountered the (apparently global) welcoming atmosphere of the local VW scene. I have made contact with several members of the "Three Rivers VW Club". Pittsburgh is the place where the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers join to form the Ohio River, which gives the "Three Rivers VW Club" its name. They have invited me to participate in their events which they organise on a regular basis, ranging from show with trader stands to socials and rallies.

My bug, see April edition of Wheelspin, has, after long and careful consideration, been put into storage and is awaiting my return to Europe, or alternatively my decision to have it shipped. I have no immediate plans at present to buy a car out here, even though America is a very car oriented society. Practical issues, such as having to resit my driving test in order to obtain a Pennsylvania drivers license stand in the way. When I do decide to purchase a car, it will probably be a bay as this is by far the most practical option on the American roads and for the American way of living, the idea here is the bigger the better and that goes for everything.

Before I left for the States I heard, on more than one occasion, people wonder what happens to the vast number of New Beetles VW produces. We know the number shipped to Europe is relatively limited. Do they all get sold in North America? The answer to that is YES, Walking around Pittsburgh I don't think five minutes have ever passed without seeing a New Beetle, they are so popular here that VW has raised the price, and people still continue to buy them. A group of eight professors here at Carnegie Mellon University, all from the same department, decided to each buy a New Beetle. Some days you will see them all parked up next to one another, not surprisingly they made the local paper.
Next month I hope to bring you more about my experiences with the "Three Rivers VW Club"

Daniel Van Boxel