I've seem many of these -- dozens -- over the years, though almost
none in the past two years. The obvious recent explanation is the
"cash for clunkers" program.

But I don't think there's ever a "clueless owner" involved. Who could
own a Westy and remain clueless? Instead, I'm pretty sure that behind
every junked Westy there is a really tragic story: an owner who died,
a nasty divorce, a foreclosure. A Westy in a junkyard is a sign that
something went terribly, terribly wrong in someone's life.

To me, they are almost like Anasazi ruins in the Southwest. The Navajo
wouldn't visit those sites (otherwise they would surely have been
picked over before archaeologists arrived in the late 1800s).

But that doesn't mean I won't "loot" a Westy when I find one in a
junkyard. I just do it sort of reverently.

Mark

On Jan 20, 2011, at 5:25 AM, J Stewart wrote:

> Sadder still, in the past couple of years I have come across two
> mid-80's Westys in junkyards that were complete. No body damage, no
> obvious reason for them to be there (like a rod sticking up through
> the case, etc). Maybe the transmission failed, maybe the heads
> leaked, I don't know. Obviously belonged to clueless owners to send
> them to a junkyard. From one of them I got a complete set of
> curtains, rear screen, and some other small bits. Its a shame,
> because whatever their issues were, both should have been saved. Jeff
>
>