Nice one Loren!!  :-)

On Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 10:04 AM, Loren Busch <starwagen@gmail.com> wrote:

> Okay, I haven't said anything about this until now (for obvious reasons)
> but
> now I can tell the story.  Monday morning this week I drove by the local RV
> lot about a half mile from my condo, going to Costco.  I noticed what
> looked
> like a very nice Syncro Westy sitting on their lot.  Passing by again on
> the
> way home I decided to stop and see if it was a customer�s vehicle or
> actually for sale or what.  The guy in the office told me that yeah, it was
> a trade in, they were trying to figure out what to do with it.  BTW, I was
> driving my daily driver, not my Westy, so he didn't have a clue that I
> might
> know anything about a Vanagon.  We walked out to look at it in the rain and
> he explained that the guy that traded it in had inherited it and didn't
> want
> it because it was so small so he traded it in.  When I started looking it
> over I was amazed.  A 1991 Syncro Westy (could tell it was a '91 by the
> inside latch on the rear hatch), about an 80 watt solar panel mounted to
> the
> top, and inside the first thing I noticed was a Vitrofrigio refrigerator
> and
> the thermostat control for a heater.  15" wheels and good off road tires
> (didn't check the brand or size).  About that time the salesman mentioned
> it
> was a diesel!!  We opened up the engine compartment and sure enough, sure
> wasn't a stock 2.1L WBX in there.  I don't know what size diesel because I
> don't know the diesel engines at all.  We started it up and it sounded
> fine,
> at least to my ignorant-about-diesels ears.  So we buttoned it up and took
> it for a drive.  First thing I noticed on the dash was the locker knob.
> Then
> the odometer, would you believe only 88,000 miles on it!  It drove like a
> dream, shifted like butter.  When we got back to the lot I opened the glove
> box and there were all the original manuals plus a big envelope of receipts
> and a notebook with hand written notes and records, all dated.  It turns
> out
> it had the Syncro Org springs and OME shocks under it no less.  Oh yeah, I
> forgot to mention one of the things that caught my eye when I first saw it,
> the Van Cafe bumpers and the Projktwoz (SP?) lower grill and lights.
>
> Then came the shocker, when I asked what they were going to ask for it.  He
> said, and I'll quote as best as I can, "The boss just wants to get it off
> the lot.  He said to ask $5,000 for it but I know he'll take $3,500". So
> you
> can guess what I said next.  And I got a call this morning, the paper work
> is done and I pick it up today, April 1st.
>

-- 
Jake

1984 Vanagon GL
1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"

Crescent Beach, BC

www.crescentbeachguitar.com
http://subyjake.googlepages.com/mydixiedarlin%27