Date: Sat, 9 May 2015 22:18:08 -0400
Reply-To: T Collins <tonycollin@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: T Collins <tonycollin@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Awesome Vanagon Close Encounter
In-Reply-To: <CAFnDXk1dg=idzwEc9AHFLmh+ZiOf36FYDHPamGc0KibhRk0C3Q@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Dude Jim!!!
Do you ever wonder about that cosmic alignment??? that vanagon was meant
to end up with you! Such variables this story would not be possible if all
of those things had not happened.
cheers!
T.
On Sat, May 9, 2015 at 7:28 PM, Jim Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
> 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
> >
> >
>
| 
