What a coincidence! The same thing just happened to me! And mine has
the ice cube trays!

Jim

On Wed, Apr 1, 2009 at 12:04 PM, 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.
>