OT: ideas for a fun 4-person weekend/car show car, any ideas for something that almost as fun as a 914 Options

[siverson]

Now I'm that guy... I'm not selling the 914s, but my 2nd little one (William, now 8 months old) is going to be ready to face forward in the car seat at some point (within a year), and he'll likely be joining Lily (now 3) and I on trips to Cars & Coffee and runs up Palomar/etc. And then Mom is more likely to come too. Super Truck™ (CrewMax Tundra) is a great truck and amazingly convenient, but not so much *fun*.

Some ideas I've had...

BMW 2002
VW Golf/GTI (MK 1 or 2)
BMW 3.0cs
MB 6.9
356 (back seats are probably too small)

Any suggestions? I'm open to anything at the moment. Maybe even a big old American car... ?

-Steve

[Katmanken]

VW Vanagon is really fun to drive and has lots of room for the kids. I have a GL with the backseat "weekender" package where the back seat folds down into a large bed.

Wife loved it because there is a gap bethween the seats that allowed her to get out of the front seat and walk to the back while the van is moving. Great for kids that spill things or need a diaper change! I liked it because it carries anything including 4x8 plywood sheets.

What is really fun is the 50/50 weight distribution. Corners like crazy since all the mass is really down low. One thing that really makes a difference is ditching the 14 inch wheels with soft sidewalls and going with 15-16-17 inch rims. I added 15 inch Mercedes alloys to mine and what a difference one inch of rim diameter makes!

The 2.1L engine is a watercooled flat opposed engine that looks a lot like a waterjacketed 914 engine but only has 110 hp. It is a bit slow but the wasserboxer engine guarantees really good heat. A lot of people are stuffing subie engines in there for a bit more power.

Easy engine to work on as a huge panel lifts out of the floor for access.

[euro911]

VW Vanagon is really fun to drive and has lots of room for the kids ...
... A lot of people are stuffing subie engines in there for a bit more power.

Easy engine to work on as a huge panel lifts out of the floor for access.

That's what my wife and I agreed on doing, (a Westy with a Subie conversion), instead of a big gas-guzzling motor home. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)