Date: Fri, 21 Oct 2011 11:57:00 -0600
Reply-To: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Buese <tombuese@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: [F] Names
In-Reply-To: <BBB36C23-A5EA-4AF7-8E8D-4D00AE296521@sheilah.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252
Dang you Ed, quit coming up w/ these " gotta-respond-to-this-one" Fryeday ice breakers!
My 84 Westy, Detlef, has personalized plates w/ the same on them.
9 years ago, we were on a test drive for a newly rebuilt ac engine in our former 63 doka, & it thru a rod, much to my chagrin. Waiting for AAA RV Plus to come take us home, I recalled a newspaper classified ad for an 84 westy that morning, that I noted, but was not interested in. I mentioned to the Spousal Unit that maybe we should check on this westy as a less stressful means of volksdom?
In any event, I called the owner & a Germanic voice answered that the van was in pristine condition & still available, so we drove out to see it. We arrived at the man's home to see the Westy, looking like it was still on the showroom floor, & decided that we wanted to test drive it. Nein he said, but he would give us a ride in it! Rode around getting lectures on the proper way to drive, operate, & care for said van, & we decided that we had to have it. The owner had bought it in the fall of 1983, & still had it serviced at the dealer as even tho it was 18 years old, it only had 38,500 miles on it.
He said that they only used it for camping trips, & his son was now grown & the van needed to be used by someone who would appreciate it. That would be us!
We didn't even dicker on the asking price, $8K, & offered a deposit to hold it until Monday when I could go to the bank to get the cash. He said no deposit needed, our word was good enough, & we left for the rest of the weekend.
Monday rolls around, & I am busy at my office, when I get a call from the owner asking if I was still interested in it as the 2nd visitor was also interested in buying it, & I had not come by w/ the $ yet. I said hold on til after work, & we will be be there to claim the vanagon.
We paid him for the westy, got all the original warranties for the extra clear coat protection, the portapotty, all the manuals, etc, & more lectures on how to drive, care, & operate said vehicle, including demonstration of putting the poptop up & down properly, & we got to drive off in the vehicle ourselves. The last thing he told moi, was not to follow too closely behind other vehicles & not to go over 55 mph!
Sooooo, in honor of the original owner, I named the van & got van-ity plates w/ Detlef in honor of Detlef S. of Sandy Utah.
We have since been coast to coast in Detlef, & put over 108k miles on it in 9 years, & it is still purring like a kitten, although not as pristine as when Detlef owned it, I like to think he would still be proud.
YMMV,
Mr. BZ-always buy from an original German owner
On Oct 21, 2011, at 10:50 AM, Sheilah Rogers wrote:
> I've had my Vanna White for about 12 years now. ('86 westy)
>
> in the last month, two people have asked me why my white van is named Vanna White.
>
> never did it occur to me that this might happen… ugh!
>
> s.
>
> other vans in my life (the ex's, good friend's) include:
>
> 1/ Lester (that's when he got a dodge tradesman turtle top, i named it)
> 2/ Vanglorious, or for short, Vangie (another westy)
> 3/ The Nookie (a chinook)
> 4/ The Cookie (another chinook)
> 5/ The Wookie (another chinook)
>
>
>
>
> On Oct 21, 2011, at 8:18 AM, John Jensen wrote:
>
>> I had an 82.5 named Poirot...Hercule Poirot. A play on the
>> Belgian/French pronunciation of Hercule: Aircooled.
>> Also had a '69 named Swervy because of the major play in the steering arm.
>> Another, a '66, named "Faith" perhaps because that is what kept it
>> running.
>> Another '66 named "Shanty Mama," after the song by Jonathan Edwards.
>> Other were never named or the names never stuck.
>>
>> johnjensen@johnjensenartist.com
>> http://www.johnjensenartist.com
>> bluesbug@verizon.net
| 
