Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2001 18:57:08 -0700
Reply-To: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Clean Westy at junkyard, sad, happy day, long
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Yesterday I went junking with a couple other list members. It was 1/2
price day at a chain of self serve yards we frequent anyway so we each
bought good stuff for almost nothing. We all met early at the yard to
help a list member pull a pop top he had spotted the day before.
Our main target was a really clean 82 Westy full camper. Written on the
outside was "bad motor" or some such but otherwise it was a clean, rust
free thing of beauty. It had only just arrived so almost everything was
still there. Dan bought a clean complete pop top with perfect canvas and
seals and upper bunk for $50. I bought the lower Westy bed, water tank
cabinet with tank, perfect front seat with swivel assembly, instrument
cluster, front carpet, and a few odds and ends for $75 total.
The sad thing was that such a clean and clearly recently well loved
Westy ended up at a bone yard like it did. I always wonder what
circumstances resulted in such tragedy. This thing was dent free, clean
in and out, garage kept, all good glass, original unused spare, etc. I
have become hardened to seeing clean passenger models end up like this
but a Westy in this good shape is a rare find. A few days ago it was a
dream Westy and today it is a stripped out shell, nothing of much value
left.
If Subaru engine conversions or ANY other conversion options can help
keep this from happening I am all for it. This nonsense about keeping
them original to maintain "collectability" ignores that fact that if
something is not done to make them reliable the main "collectors" will
be car crushers.
Incidentally, the crowd on half price day was beyond belief. The
checkout line was at least a hundred people long and took over an hour
with 3 cashier windows running. Yard security was busy keeping the line
feeding the cashiers in an efficient manner. Even at near giveaway
prices they must have raked in a bundle.
As my friend Mike remarked yesterday, asking us where our favorite yards
are is like asking us where our favorite fishing holes are.
PLEASE DON'T!
Mark
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