Wednesday, November 17, 2010

The Dream is Realized

I've wanted a VW Vanagon for half of my life. Maybe the seed was planted during my Phish-loving high school days, when at 15 I first gazed at a colorful fleet of buses and vans--tops popped--from the back seat of my parents' much less interesting Dodge Caravan.

Or perhaps it was that always present longing to stay just a bit later in the mountains. On the long stretches of highway following exhausting days of climbing, hiking, or skiing, I fantasized countless times about one day avoiding the weary, bleary-eyed drive home to instead enjoy a few more beers while recounting the days' adventures. The vanagon was always the missing ingredient to making that dream a reality.


After many, many months of regional crazedlist searching to compliment too many hours spent on The Samba classifieds, I found a very promising listing for a 1990 VW Vanagon Westfalia Multivan located deep in the heart of Maine. A flurry of emails and phone conversations, a long test drive, and a detailed inspection later, I closed the deal and drove home in fulfillment of my longtime dream.

5 comments:

  1. We'll need to test out your theory about "having a few more beers" after climbing.

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  2. Jeffrey and Amanda will have a great time in their vanagon, especially when they go to Old Orchard Beach Campgrounds for lots of fun.

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  3. ...because the wilds of Old Orchard Beach are what we've really been dreaming of.

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  4. Hi,
    It appears that we share a similar passion for Vanagons and adventure. i was born and raised near Boston MA. I saw my first Syncro in a parking lot in Burlington (MA) and have loved em ever since. Bought my first Syncro in 98 from a guy in NH. It was a rusty gem and I spent the entire summer restoring it. Shortly there after I moved to Seattle and that was nearly 12 years ago. I am currently on my second vanagon resto project and looking forward to adventuring in it this summer. Please drop me a line if you find yourself in the Seattle area. You can checkout progress on my project at http://xplorinmarshall.wordpress.com/project-whitestar/camper-conversion/

    cheers
    joe

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  5. Thanks for the note, Joe. That's a beautiful restoration. I hope to one day have the confidence to take on a project of that extent. I know my engine won't last forever, and wow, that Subaru of yours looks fantastic. I can only imagine how it must feel.

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