VW Bus

The VW Bus was, in my opinion, an automotive icon of the late 60s thru the 70s. The design was great inside and out. The rounded front end and roof created great lines that no van since has been able to live up to. And all the options inside were amazing. Not only was it spacious, but most came with a built in sink and fridge. Not to mention the rear bench that folded down into a bed. The interior alone made it one of the most versatile vehicles of its day. In other words it was built for the classic roadtrip.

Ever since I was a little tike I have dreamed of owning one of these classic rides. I have wanted one ever since I saw one for the first time.

On a trip this last Saturday I happened to see one at a car dealership in Syracuse. I didn't have time to stop and look, but I was so excited that I made a promise to myself to go back and check it out as soon as I had the time. The rest of the weekend was spent daydreaming about that Bus I saw. I thought how cool it would be to go in and purchase it, then head out to Cali, park it at the beach, and camp out for a couple of days. I could already see myself driving around in the sweet brown and white Bus everywhere I went.

Last night I had a little time to spare so I headed back over to the dealership. I was so excited the whole way there thinking that I might finally have an opportunity to own somthing that I had dreamed of since I was young. On arriving at the lot, I quickly walked over to the van. On first glance things were looking good, my hopes rose higher. I started looking through the windows thinking how cool I would look driving it around. But then I noticed the bottom of the drivers side. There was a big rust hole glaring back at me. I started to look closer around the entire vehicle, noticing more and more rust holes and spots. With every new spot my hopes fell farther and farther. I started to realize that my hope of finally finding a Bus for sale had clouded my vision of this once great automobile. The entire Bus was in really bad shape from years of neglect. This wouldn't have been a problem if I owned my own house, a plasma cutter, welder, sheet metal tools, a lot of body repair know-how. But I don't have any of this and I'm sure it would cost more than the Bus was worth to have someone else fix it up.

As I took my last stroll around the Bus I slowly walked away without even finding out how much the dealership wanted. I felt a little sad that I hadn't found the car of my childhood dreams lying in the brown and white bus.

I still want a VW Bus. If anyone ever happens to see one for sale, jot down the number to call or the dealer to visit and let me know. I still might go back and have another look at the one I found.

posted by monkey @ 8:19 AM