Date: Sat, 9 May 2015 23:28:53 +0000
Reply-To: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Awesome Vanagon Close Encounter
In-Reply-To: <E1B9513A-2393-4B94-9916-72CAC85BF39C@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
That's where the plot thickens, actually. The original owner, in his 90s,
lot his ability to drive safely. The family gave the car to a guy who
helped the son a lot with his mustangs. The guy never titled it, drove it
to Bonnaroo, drove back to north Alabama then parked it. It then was sold
to a lifelong friend of mine who never got to drive it as he had to board a
plan the next morning to take a job in China in October 2002. He died of a
diabetes-related incident in China in February 2003. The family knew me and
that I messed with Vanagons, though I had never even seen a diesel. They
asked me to get it running so they could sell it. I did get it running
(replaced a head, other stuff) and my wife and I decided to take it camping
before it sold. She said "that was fun, let's keep it" so I was the one who
ended up with it and purchased it in August 2003.
Jim
On Sat, May 9, 2015 at 6:09 PM Julianna Elligsen <mumbrue@gmail.com> wrote:
> That is such an amazing story!!!
>
> How did you come about buying your van?
>
> Julianna
>
>
> Julianna
> http://about.me/juliannaelligsen
> 1991 VW Vanagon Westfalia (Ophelia)
> 1990 VW Vanagon Westfalia (The Rastafalia)
> 1988 VW Vanagon Tintop (James)
>
> On May 7, 2015, at 2:42 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> Today I had a lunch meeting so before that I stopped off at Home Depot for
> a few things I would need this weekend. I was leaving the parking lot when
> I saw the chocolate brown 86 Westy of Nick, a former Vanagon mechanic at my
> local VW shop so I turned around and parked to talk with him for a minute.
> When I returned to my car, there was a guy about my age standing behind it
> and asked if I had time for a few questions. I told him I was waiting on a
> phone call about the exact time of a meeting, so until that happened, yes,
> I did.
>
> He told me that he was in the Air Force in Germany in 1892 When his dad,
> back in the states, became obsessed with owning a Westy. The son explained
> that they worked out a deal: The exchange rate was good, so the son put a
> westy just like mine on layaway at a dealership near Rammstein. Dad sent
> the money for some time, then the son drove it during the rest of his hitch
> in Germany with the agreement that dad would pick it up and own it after it
> got shipped back to the states.
>
> Dad's ownership of the Ivory diesel was legendary in the family. It was the
> only car he owned or drove regularly for the next 20 years, and in fact
> soon after the keys were taken away from him by the family, he passed away.
>
> The fellow telling me all this introduced himself as Travis Reeves.
>
> I asked him if his father was also Travis Reeves.
>
> He said that he was.
>
> "Then this is the car you bought in Germany in 1983" I told him. "This is
> your dad's car."
>
> An outing is planned for the few surviving family members to go somewhere
> in it.
>
> As we were leaving, here comes Nick in his brown Westy leaving the parking
> lot. I introduced Nick to young Travis as the guy who worked on the car
> throughout his dad's ownership. The old mechanic remembered the car, the
> dad, and Travis when he was a young man.
>
> It was quite a reunion.
>
> Jim
>
>
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