A long time ago I drove an '87 Syncro (tin top) when it was "new",
around 1990. Went to see a friend in New Hampshire that had a 10 yr old
boy who thought the van was awesome. Wanted to sleep in it, so my wife &
I stayed inside and he spent the night "camping" in the van.
He asked about that van for some time, but I ended up selling a few
years later, much to my regret. Last I heard from my buddy, his son now
has a '81 Westy.
Jon

On 5/7/2015 6:49 PM, Jim Felder wrote:
> He didn't have any idea. His first questions were about where he could get
> one. I told him about the usual channels. then he went on to tell me about
> how he had bought one just like it way back. I showed him the interior. He
> remarked that his had the same green stripe. He didn't seem to know much
> about the engine, so I showed him the layout by peeking under. I guess back
> then, it was just a car, the way it took me a long time to figure out the
> engine in my new 90 Carat. There's just no need to get into all that with a
> new car.
>
> It took it a minute for it to sink in that this was his car. I went on with
> a bunch of stuff that crystallized suddenly: my parents knew his parents,
> his parents were playing cards with my parents the night they got the call
> their house was on fire and which had them living in the westy in the
> driveway for weeks, that I walked home with his older brother from
> elementary school and junior high every day and his brother was eventually
> killed in Korea, all the facts I knew peripherally about the family
> suddenly were connected with the car. He just repeated at how his dad's
> motto was "I know quality equipment when I see it" and how proud and happy
> he would be of what became of his beloved car. "Dad would be flipping out
> right now." He was a lot more interested in that sort of thing than the
> fact that he had purchased it himself. It really must have meant a lot to
> his father.
>
> It is the same car that caused my eight year old grandson to survey it from
> the top bunk on a camping trip a couple of weeks ago and say "this is the
> most awesomest vehicle in the whole world." Travis loved that.
>
> Jim
>
> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 7:38 PM, Edward Maglott <emaglott3@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Amazing!  Did Travis have any idea that he might be looking at his old
>> van?  What was his reaction when you told him?
>> Edward
>>
>> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 8:23 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I just have this vision of all you dieselheads bonding while sitting
>>> around the tailpipe huffing that sweet exhaust, and savoring the
>> melodious
>>> sound of that engine rattling away. Beats a campfire for you guys, I’m
>>> sure!  ;-)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> It’s a great story, where’s the selfie?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Stuart
>>>
>>> From: Jim Felder [mailto:jim.felder@gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2015 5:00 PM
>>> To: Stuart MacMillan
>>> Cc: Vanagon mailing list
>>> Subject: Re: Awesome Vanagon Close Encounter
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> You are, of course insinuating that my car has body odor? Will see you at
>>> sunset with the weapon of your choice, sir!
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Thu, May 7, 2015 at 6:58 PM, Stuart MacMillan <stuartmacm@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> No doubt you all got high on diesel fumes!
>>>
>>> Stuart
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>>> Of Jim Felder
>>> Sent: Thursday, May 07, 2015 1:43 PM
>>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>>> Subject: Awesome Vanagon Close Encounter
>>>
>>> Today I had a lunch meeting so before that I stopped off at Home Depot
>> for
>>> a few things I would need this weekend. I was leaving the parking lot
>> when
>>> I saw the chocolate brown 86 Westy of Nick, a former Vanagon mechanic at
>> my
>>> local VW shop so I turned around and parked to talk with him for a
>> minute.
>>> When I returned to my car, there was a guy about my age standing behind
>> it
>>> and asked if I had time for a few questions. I told him I was waiting on
>> a
>>> phone call about the exact time of a meeting, so until that happened,
>> yes,
>>> I did.
>>>
>>> He told me that he was in the Air Force in Germany in 1892 When his dad,
>>> back in the states, became obsessed with owning a Westy. The son
>> explained
>>> that they worked out a deal: The exchange rate was good, so the son put a
>>> westy just like mine on layaway at a dealership near Rammstein. Dad sent
>>> the money for some time, then the son drove it during the rest of his
>> hitch
>>> in Germany with the agreement that dad would pick it up and own it after
>> it
>>> got shipped back to the states.
>>>
>>> Dad's ownership of the Ivory diesel was legendary in the family. It was
>>> the only car he owned or drove regularly for the next 20 years, and in
>> fact
>>> soon after the keys were taken away from him by the family, he passed
>> away.
>>> The fellow telling me all this introduced himself as Travis Reeves.
>>>
>>> I asked him if his father was also Travis Reeves.
>>>
>>> He said that he was.
>>>
>>> "Then this is the car you bought in Germany in 1983" I told him. "This is
>>> your dad's car."
>>>
>>> An outing is planned for the few surviving family members to go somewhere
>>> in it.
>>>
>>> As we were leaving, here comes Nick in his brown Westy leaving the
>> parking
>>> lot. I introduced Nick to young Travis as the guy who worked on the car
>>> throughout his dad's ownership. The old mechanic remembered the car, the
>>> dad, and Travis when he was a young man.
>>>
>>> It was quite a reunion.
>>>
>>> Jim
>>>
>>>
>>>