Date:         Tue, 11 May 2004 05:55:02 -0700
Reply-To:     "Tom L. Salicos" <TomSalicos@COMCAST.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "Tom L. Salicos" <TomSalicos@COMCAST.NET>
Subject:      Age 'n VWs & age'n VWs
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I'm 55.  

Living in Anaheim, Calif in 1966, my dad sold my brother his black early sixties rag-top sunroof bug ('63?).  He painted it canary yellow.  Really cool for going to the beach.  Learned the zen of clutchless shifting-up and down all four gears.  Remember "parking" in it and pushing the passenger seat forward until it came off the rail.  Really tough to put it back in the dark.

Bought a new '67 after HS graduation.  Folks sold it for me when I was in the Army.  Couldn't hack the $50 payment. 

Bought a '59 while in Germany.  Drove it from Wurzburg, Germany to Sitges Spain for a 3 week jaunt.  My only auto accident ever:  My passenger was having some difficulty and I looked over to say something like "Keep your fingers straight and don't worry about tearing the paper", when the cars in front stopped and we slammed a brand new Audi.  The old guy gets out crying "Zwei wochen!".  That was my first time sitting in a Vanagon.  It was green, with white trim and had a blue light flashing on top.

I'll never forget the little lever you flip down with your foot when you run out of gas - to get the reserve gallon.  And I'll REALLY NEVER forget when you leave the little lever down so that when you are out of gas you are really out of gas.

Sold the '59 and bought a '69 which I brought back to the US.  Forgot the warning about keeping the head bolts torqued, so it got too costly for this college student to repair and got traded.

Bought a '76 bug in '84 after moving to Portland, Oregon.  My daily driver today, after paint, interior and engine rebuild.  

Dad had an '87 Westy for a few years and sold it to my daughter.  Flawless, with a new motor for $6,000.   I was just getting ready to ask him if he was tired of it yet, 'cause I wanted it.  

So I looked for my own Westy and wound up with an '87 Syncro.  Motor went away almost immediately so replaced it and most of the cooling system.  Now stressing our marital bonds with hints of Subie conversion.  Too bad I wasn't a list member before the motor blew.  

Here's why I like my VW:  I was getting gas and some kid in a Viper is letting everybody know he is there.  He fires it up, peals out, shifts hard and disappears down the street with a roar.  Nobody watches.  But the attendant comes over to help me and says, "Wow, this is a nice bug".

Tom