The one I should not have passed up

[campism]

There may have been a thread about this already, but I have not seen one. Hate to tear open old wounds but we all have them, right? Is there a van that got away that makes a particularly gloomy or inspiring story that you’d care to share? Remember, the one you lost might have been someone else’s terrific find. I’ll go first:

Mountain bike riding in town presents a lot of opportunities in Richmond, especially when riding alleys. You find all sorts of things because most blocks in town, whether residential or business, have an alley that splits the block. People have all sorts of things back there. Leaving a friend’s place one time I headed west in his alley and found within blocks a gold Syncro hardtop with expired plates and inspection sticker parked in a back yard and invisible from the street. One rust spot, decent interior, and no one knew about it but me and the garbage men. Hmmm…

At this time I really wanted a Westy and not just a plain van, Syncro or not, so I did not approach the owner. I kept my eye on this thing out of idle interest and kept looking for the perfect Westy that I eventually found. Not long after I saw an ad in our local trader for a gold Syncro passenger van, needs tires and exhaust, $700. I didn’t even call about it because I’d just brought the Westy home and the wife simply would not have understood (actually, she would have understood too well). Rode by again shortly thereafter and it was gone, so that just had to be “my” Syncro in the ad.

Can you feel the pain? If it was you who bought it I don't mind, but just don’t tell me you talked the guy down to $400.

[levi]

Wow...
Can't help thinking about the 20 or so splits that I owned and either gave away or abandoned, including 19-21 windows, one that I sold to a handicapped guy in southern louisiana for $5 so he could sell tomatoes out of it....even a triumph peerless that I let go of, only recently found out that total production on those was about 350 cars... the list is long, but no vanagons on it, (yet)
_________________
One of these days I'm gonna settle down,
but till I do I won't be hangin round.
Going down that long lonesome highway,
gonna see life my way

https://youtu.be/cSrL0BXsO40