Date: Thu, 8 Sep 1994 08:15:14 -0500 (CDT)
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Gerald Skerbitz <gsker@lenti>
Subject: RE: Saddest day of my car-owning life :-(
I'm sorry, I believe this one got lost in the shuffle.
Sorry it's late.
>From john_kanengieter@hq.nols.edu Mon Aug 29 13:34:26 1994
>Subject: RE: Saddest day of my car-owning life :-(
That's a drag. I'm sorry for you. I know how you feel. I can beat that.
Feb.'94 I drive to Jackson hole (3 hours) to check out a van for sale. Sounds
like a great deal for the family. It's also a '82 diesel, converted to a gas
engine though. I drive it around all day. Take it up the pass. Sounds good. I
buy it (certified check of course). It's now10:30 at night driving home in a
Wyoming snowstorm (nasty business) 12 miles out of Jackson and it quits. I
hitch into town and get a motel room (all expensive because it's Jackson).
Next day get it towed to Jackson and the only guy to work on it can't get it
done by the next evening so I spend another night. My wife's wondering what
the Hell is going on. I finally leave it up there and hitch home.
I pick it up the next weekend (worse snowstorm) and drive home $400 more in
debt. The next day my wife starts it up, and BANG! Engines gone. Idler shaft
is in two.
I take it to a guy in my small Wyoming town who only works on VW's (imagine
that....how's he stay busy).
Two months and one used engine later that I ordered in Denver, I'm finally on
my way with the family on vacation. 100 miles down the road in the middle of
the desert (it's hot now because it's May) BANG!!
I open the back and see 3 holes in the block, black smoke, distributor and oil
pump shrapnel. The used engine's #3 piston sheared in 2 (imagine that). Can't
junk it, can't drive it, people give me shit about it because it isn't a pickup
or a Ford.
Aug 28-"new" engine (another used) but I spent my first successful night in it
8 miles from home ( I preplanned the fact that I could coast home if need be).
It seems to be running great, but who knows, to sell or not to sell?
At any rate the point of all this is not to make you feel sad for me, but to
pass on the fact that what I finally realized was this:
If the thing ends up giving me pleasure-great! If I sell it-who cares?
It's just a machine-right? It's just one day in your life (of an average of
28,470 for the average american male).
Just deal with it and before long (maybe 6 months) it will all be over with.
cheers
john k
[Ed. This was in response to this message from Matther Drahzal]
>From: drahzal@c1south.convex.com (Matthew Drahzal)
=========================================================================
Date:
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:
Subject: Saddest day of my car-owning life :-(
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Its dead. Deceased. Joined the Choir Invisbule...NuBus ('82' Diesel) left me...
The day started so nice. Just spent $$$ fixing the seals and a new
muffler. Gas tank all sealed up...
It was runnig so good, I actually said "She's running TOO well. I am
always afraid when there is nothing obviously wrong."
[etc....rest deleted]
