big VW score in my world...

[weisswurst]

I'm totally in here too!
PP sent from here in Florida
I want to spread the "good vibes" cause the
VW world just gave me back something really
big in my world!

SO I have a "heck" of a post to put up tomorrow
due to a last minute adventure I took while traveling
to a work tradeshow in Vegas!
stay tuned....
jeff

Well, as promised in the "secret santa " topic
I had a pretty amazing day while attending a work
trade show in Las Vegas last week.
I had received some info on a super rare original diesel
single cab that the owner was taking trade offers on
in California (very close to where Colin is now too!)
so, I called the owner and set up a time for us to meet
on the day before I had to report to the show.
I flew into Vegas at 9am (company booked ticket so no costs there either!)
rented a cheapo car (12 bucks and 8 bucks more in taxes) then
proceeded to drive 5 hours to lower San Diego area to see this mysterious Sinka....


view from the rental's cockpit

[weisswurst]

Started my drive in good spirits with good tunes, I did try to focus on the 80's to keep up the mood for the year about to be possibly purchased...

[Jivermo]

Even flipped upside down, in nowise does "K...I...A" spell "V...W...

[weisswurst]

Drove happily along pushing as many "good vibes" as I could through the air as I figured I would need them
on an all original stock example as the PO told me on the phone. Trying not to be nervous cause he called me back
to say "I just pulled it out of the barn for the first time in just about a year and a half and the battery is dead, going out for a new one OK?"
Holy cow! I stopped to txt him to grab some oil too before I got there.
Also it turned out to be "Sinka Day" on the highway after I crossed the desert and started into the mountains as I saw these little part runners on a flatbed headed to the scrapper I presumed, no way they were "street legal" in the US with those tiny tires!
Boy the world is a weird place when you really look around, the day of all days to see that on the road....

[weisswurst]

Glad to see you are here reading this post Jivermo!!
Hold on, the best is yet to come brother!

another pic of the tiny Sinkas...

[weisswurst]

Continuing on another really WEIRD thing happened with the universe as I passed a car transporter with an usually tall set of rails that looked different than most ones I've seen in the past and I thought (while driving) that I would like to call them and find out what the total
clearance is and could it transport a weird VW pickup truck with the tent structure intact instead of totally taking it down if I buy it.
At this point I'm pretty much talking myself into the purchase before I get there (not really hard for me since I sold my jeep single cab to buy our first diesel vanagon since my son was born so we could have more than a two seater when camping.
Anywhoo, I digress, I follow the truck and pull up to the cab to see the model number of the type of transport and HOLY COW! it says
Gainesville, FL on the door! must be a sign! I call the number and talk to the boss who says they are doing 2 car pickups in Laguna hills (10 mins from the address of the prospective truck which is now rapidly becoming the truck I have to buy NOW and one pick up in LA proper he says).
I'm shaking as I ask, could you tell me if you have room for a vehicle back to Florida and how much please?
He says, "sure! I'll give you the driver's cell you call him to work it out!
So I called "Jeff" ( same name as me too, getting very, very weird)
and he says "I can do my LA stop in the morning and meet you after your test drive first, how does 5-ish sound?"
I said yes and proceeded to drive much faster since that was only 2.5 hours away and we were on the same road!
Wow! this is NUTS!

[weisswurst]

I arrive ahead of "Jeff the Transport company"
with one hour to spare for the deal and test drive. (no pressure )
the PO (Pete) basically won her in a trade from a French farmer who bought
a farm in the US in 1984 and imported her over and federalized the single cab
for 800 bucks 2 years after buying her for his farm in France, wow great story!
apparently Pete had a car he wanted and Pete thought he might enjoy a diesel VW
as he has had several aircooled buses and such over the years. Come to find that after
a few months he put her away cause she was too slow and heavy for his taste!
I fell in love the moment I got there even before the test drive I was "Done".

[Xelmon]

. . . Oh Meh Gawds

Good luck!!

[weisswurst]

He installs the new battery, a little oil I pay the man and we spend some nice time together and then he threw me the keys to take her out in the Cali hills of his neighborhood. I'm a little nervous cause it's "go time" after 36 months in his barn but she fires right up and is running a little rough. He apologizes and says "sorry it's not smoother" I pull out the timing advance knob on the dash and it smooths right out! he says " what is that knob for? I didn't know that was there!" I told him my unmolested 82 seven passenger diesel (the Currywurst) has one for cold starts and it advances the timing temporarily to smooth the start and idle until it's warmed up.
In a few mins it's running great even though I can smell the diesel is a little stale she backs down the hill and offers me a 30 min WONDERFUL test drive though the most beautiful curving California hills and streets. No overheating temps on the cooling system
or bad clunks or gear issues, this girl is ready to come home to Florida!
selfie pic on the test drive

[weisswurst]

Deal is done and the arrival time of the car carrier is looming on us so we set to work removing the canvas and part of the tilt structure..

[zabo]

=D> nice!!! =D>

[weisswurst]

Pete and I agree that rolling it up and strapping it inside the bed is the best way since it still has some metal framing in it and because
it's REALLY big too!

[weisswurst]

just as we finish and I get to meet his stepson (also a pro audio guy with a working studio, more cool irony as he notices my t-shirt)
the other Jeff (transporter jeff) calls to tell me he's down the street and can I provide the measurement so he can move the cars
on his truck around to make a spot for me. This is where the larger semi car carrier will pay off or not as if it doesn't fit we will have
to remove the steel tilt structure (not fun). I take a rough measurement and txt Jeff this pic, he says "looks good bring it to me I'm at the shell station 5 mins away!"
yes sir!

[weisswurst]

I say goodbye to Pete take off down the street to meet the carrier and we inspect it together and get ready to load.

[weisswurst]

As one last "sign" from the Vanagon universe I get a honk and a wave from a westy as we load!
too cool!
you can really see the extra height of the tilt in this pic and it's as if the the westy in traffic is saying " don't worry you will fit"