Date:         Mon, 10 May 2004 14:42:51 -0600
Reply-To:     Jon Kanas <kanas@QUALITY.QADAS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jon Kanas <kanas@QUALITY.QADAS.COM>
Subject:      Personal VW History....
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed

History eh;

Ok;  in my nearly 49 years there have been a bunch of interesting cars.
My mom had Hillman Minx, then a 1964 Mustang convertible.  Guess that's
where the interest first took root.  My first was a 1965 Karmann Ghia.
What sold me on Volkswagens was that many of my friends in high school
received Pintos and Vegas as graduation gifts.  My sophomore year in
college, my old Ghia was still running strong.  Not so those newer
imitations.

In college it became apparent that I either needed to sell the Ghia or
learn how to work on it.  John Muir's idiot book, my best friend, and an
understanding independent shop owner turned us into pretty good
mechanics.  Two Experts' Volkswagen Service was born.  We spent a lot of
time (and made pretty good spending money) keeping our fellow students
on the road.  The 1965 Ghia turned into my first restoration project.
Bought a 1960 Beetle convertible for $100 and drove it home with it's
massive 36hp engine (next restoration project).  Finished the Ghia and
sold it at a hefty profit two weeks after I got it done.  Replaced it
with a 1968 Ghia convertible.  Girlfriend at the time described herself
as a "Volkswagen widow".

The 1960 Beetle restoration project was finished in 1980, and sold to
buy a 1969 Porsche 912.  Bought a project 1973 914 2.0 for my wife in
1981.   Bought a 1971 Westfalia so we could camp at the track because we
didn't want to pay for motels.  The 1968 Ghia convertible was sold to
facilitate a divorce in1982.   Wife gets 914, I get bus and 912.

Got a new job and a company car, so sold the very rusty bus and ran
right out and bought a 1975 914;  really ugly but ran well.  Tried
marrige again in 1986;  Kim says I can buy a VW camper to replace her
dying 1974 Pontiac.  I have a real job now so I buy a nice 1983
wasserboxer Westfalia.  Drove it for an uneventful 130,000 miles without
any problems.  Found a 1987 Syncro Westfalia for sale, so sold the 1983
and bought the 1987.  Now we're ten years, two kids, several dogs later
and still travelling around in the 1987.

We have also amassed a bit of a collection:
1937 Buick Century Convertible Coupe (current project)
1969 Porsche 912 (excellent original)
1975 Porsche 914 (completed project)
1983 Jeep CJ-7 (Kim bought this one new)
1987 Syncro Westfalia
1988 Mercedes 300TE
1995 Subaru Outback (only new car I've ever owned)

And my mom?  Well....  There was a Miata, and now there's a Z3.  Not too
bad for 70+ yrs young.

Jon
http://www.qadas.com/~kanas