Previous owner travels? (Where has your bus been?)

[Kirk]

Odd thread, but I was sorting the reciepts for my bus out into a big binder last night. I have all of them going back to 1983.

(pre-binder)

Well, most. The owner before me wasnt as good as the others. But I am. Anyway, so now that they are all sorted chronologically in plastic sheets in a big binder, I sat down last night and read the binder. According to my reciepts, Doodle spent most of his life all over Colorado, being serviced at mainly dealerships. Out of the ordinary (for him anyway) was a clutch in Phoenix, AZ, a Tire in Moab, Utah, injector work in Bellingham, Washington, and a muffler in Casper, Wyoming.

My question is, we always complain about PO hacks and PO this, but do you have a good PO story? Where has your bus been?

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MAKE FORUMS GREAT AGAIN

Bear
Coble
Super
Oppenheim

[Jalabert]

Back a few years ago, going over the pyrenees between france and spain on a back road...

Last year, underneath the southern alps -- both ends of the world.

When I was gutting the interior I found a few odds and sods that spoke of her past life before me: stickers from a campsite in Finland, some Polish zloty from before the iron curtain came down.

So she's been around. I'd love to do the trip Bursch did to beijing in reverse - the bits of the silk road that are safe enough for travel - I think that would be a fitting bookend to her career, even if she went no further...
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http://thickrubber.blogspot.com/ Writing, Surfing, and Exploring NZ's deep south by VW...

'73 westy, 1700 type 4 with 34icts

[Daverham]

When I bought my bus the PO was sizing me up like I was adopting his child. He was second owner, had the bus since early 80s. He said he and his wife went down to Baja Mexico via the coast hwy more than once.

He went to the trouble of telling me "this ain't no capitalist machine" - funny. Clean cut guy in his 50s. You could tell he was a hippie back in the day, all "grown up" now. He said they traveled the coast a lot.

Both wing windows have this sticker on them. I've looked it up and found it to be a barber shop quartet society of some kind. I don't know how it fits into the story, but I just LOVE the idea of my bus, back in the day, rolling down the freeway with a barber shop quartet in the back, handlebar mustaches, singing "good night ladies" on their way to the next gig! I emailed PO to ask him about this a few weeks ago. No reply yet.

From Wikipedia: Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America

I love how they're not only preserving barber shop quartet singing, but they are also encouraging it. Great stuff.

[/i]

I have not removed the stickers.

[AB westy nut]

Bought mine from the original owners. It was a 'tourist delivery' (M-code UT) bus, meaning they picked it up at the factory in Germany. They told me they spent a few months in Europe before having the bus shipped back to the US. In fact they took the bus back to Europe a few more times over the course of their ownership. The rest of it's time was spent mostly in Montana. I found a few coins from Italy and Germany while I was cleaning it. Nice to know the history of the bus!
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1963 Ruby Red 356 Cabriolet
1976 Sage Green Westfalia Deluxe

[1971BUS]

The guy I bought mine from had it sitting in his back yard for 6 years. He bought it from some guys who took it down to Mexico and back.

[FNGRUVN]

I just bought this one here in Fort Collins, CO. It might have spent some time in Alabama, though. I found some business cards for C & S Auto Clinic Paint & Body of Gadsden, AL. I wonder if they're to blame for this paint job.

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"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

[Jalabert]

^I dunno, I quite like it!
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http://thickrubber.blogspot.com/ Writing, Surfing, and Exploring NZ's deep south by VW...

'73 westy, 1700 type 4 with 34icts

[myfresh70]

The most I've got on mine was it was bought in Cali way back in the day. The PO told me that the PPO had it in his garage for 5 years them used it as a church bus with the moto "ride the wave" for ten years.

I thought that was kind of unique.

[Westfabulous]

[Kirk]

[CharlieBrown111]

The guy that I bought mine from 2 months ago drove it from New Mexico (where he lives) to Pittsburgh, PA...

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1969 Bay Window Build Pics.... http://s1227.photobucket.com/albums/ee423/joeyvig111/

[skills@eurocarsplus]

[FNGRUVN]

[Westfabulous]

[chris roop]

The yellow 68 came from Vik construction in Eugene, a large outfit that bought it new, used it to haul plywood and such. It was repainted twice in their yellow. I bought it in '76, took it to the tip of Baja twice, up into Canada once not quite to Alaska, and all over the Cascades. Cassady now has that one.
The parts 68 came out from Indiana and smoked an engine because of a loose fanbelt; the owner thought he could make it to where he was going.
The blue/white 79 wandered all over Montana and Colorado going skiing and rusting out.
The brown 79 came from the Dalles but no real history came with it.
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http://www.roopsmg.com

[justcruzin]

I found mine at a wrecking yard. They (wrecking yard) gave me the bill of sale from the PO. One of the guy's from the wrecking yard said that it was a little old lady and man that owned it. They (wrecking yard) never went and switched it to their name. So I had the PO's P.O. Box address. I sent the PO a letter explaining that I bought it from the wrecking yard and I was giving it a second chance in life. I sent pictures of what I have done so far. I asked her to give me a call or write me. I told her I was interested in the history of the bus. I have not heard from her yet.

I found some post cards when I was cleaning out the bus. It appears that maybe her father was traveling in the bus and he sent her a couple post cards. I will have to go take a picture or two of them when I get a chance and edit my post!

That is all I know on my bus currently. I am still hoping she will contact me.
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Kim
Sacramento, CA

1964 Split Window Bus
1966 Beetle Build Thread= http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=472933
1969 Delivery Van= http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=566282
1970 Westy Build Thread= http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=479538
1971 Squareback Build Thread = http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6652459#6652459
1970 Single Cab, Samson = http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8022609#8022609

[Heliconman]

We found our bus in Dalton Gardens Idaho. There was a ton of documents in the bus from some of the previous owners. I tracked down the person who owned our bus the longest time. He lived in Loma Linda CA. He was a minister and traveled to Washington many times in the bus. He also told me that the first owner of our bus was in the military and took the bus to Australia for a while when he was stationed there. We always wondered about the "Caution Left hand drive sticker on the bumper."

[Brionp]

I only wish I knew. Because the PPO really loved this bus. The PO was a San Bernadino Sheriff who bought it for his teenage daughter. Idiot. It went down and sat for ten years in a field. He said he wasn't a VDub guy. I think he was just lazy. Luckily for me it was in the desert. I got it just in time. I found an old registration from Joshua Tree. So I think its been a So. Cal. bus all its life. It is amazingly rust free. Hopefully it will be traveling soon. Not to the UK though.

[/list]

[thewalrus]

Maggie left the factory February 14th, 1975 and was shipped into Portland, OR sometime after that. The trail goes cold from there but sometime between then and early 1992 she was sold and ended up on the North Shore of Mass and was sold to the PO around then. He lived in southern NH and I'm guessing drove her lots. He sold it to me July 2006 and I've been keeping records since.

The day I got her:

Recently:

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'73 Transporter 1.7L Dual Carb

[Kreuger1]

No clue. I do know however it was involved in a murder investigation and spent time in the big house for a crime it didnt commit. I bought it at a police auction after the owner was run off the road and was found dead.