Hi All,

I just finally got up after a mega-40-hour-1500-mile-road-trip from
Massachusetts to North Carolina and back. It all started around this time
last week when someone posted on the list a friend's 1980 Vanagon Westy.
Just for laughs I checked out the pics and called the owner. After a few
questions about the Westy I bought it over the phone. Sent off a deposit
via FedEx...

Now a little bit of history.....my son Ross wanted a Vanagon to take with
him to college (just like his older brother did)....so last August we
bought a 1982 from Jon Hathaway. It needed lots of work...and what the
heck...we had a year to get it together. Well the time has that nasty habit
of slipping away...and by June we had a new engine for it, a collection of
parts, but not much done to the van. It was looking like Dad was going to
fail miserably on this project...

Then the 1980 showed up and BAM! The kid's go-to-college-Vanagon project
was back on track! Now all we gotta do is put in the new engine! It has new
brakes, battery, alternator, starter, tires, etc...and is in damned good
shape to boot!

So Friday at o-dark-hundred we hit the road....760 miles later at 7 pm we
rolled into Raleigh NC. By 8 am we purchased the Westy and were headed
north...by 9:30 pm Saturday we were back home.

Ross did great....7.5 hours of driving my Westy on the way down, then 15
hours of "formation" driving on the way back! We're tired but happy!!

He's now off driving around town to show his new "prize" to his friends....

Anyone interested in buying a 82 Vanagon w/Weekender rear seat?? Howabout a
92 Fox cheap...got to get rid of Ross' old stuff now.

Ric