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As was said before, persistence pays off! It’s a long story but a pretty funny one.
I first saw this bus back in February 2017, but not in person. It actually sorta found me. One of the guys I was living with while at CSU matched with a girl on Tinder and immediately showed me her profile and jokingly said, “dude, check this girl out. She’s got a bus in her picture so you’d probably like her.” I took his phone and out loud said “holy shit that looks like an early deluxe.”
Immediately was made fun of for being more interested in the bus but luckily she had included her Instagram handle in her profile and I was able to track down the name of the photographer who took the pictures. I then found her Facebook page, messaged her and asked if she would show me where that “old bus” was in some of her pictures if I paid her for a photo session. She agreed but insisted that we actually do the photo session… so I drove 3 hours from Fort Collins to Nebraska to take these silly pictures I didn’t even really want and are totally not my style but whatever. She had me sounding out vowels really slow and kept asking me to run my fingers through my hair, look moody, etc.After we finished and she had left the owner had just come home, so I introduced myself and told him that am really only there so I could see this bus for myself. So we talk VWs for a while and I finally ask if he’d be willing to sell. He said he’s had it for 20+ years and life has gotten in the way (kids and stuff) but his last kid is almost out of high school so maybe he will have time once they’re gone. “Come back in 3 years and maybe we’ll see.” Here’s what I left with:
Since then I would lose sleep over thinking about this bus at least once a month, depending on how much VW related stuff I was doing. So 2-3 weeks ago I decide I’ll just go out and see if he’s there and can plant the seed again. Drive 5 hours from Steamboat in the Jagd and he’s not home. I loiter for a bit around this little town and keep checking back in on his place periodically. Find a path that leads along an irrigation ditch that goes behind his property and verify that the bus is actually still there. Then I start looking up his name for a phone number in yellow pages and in the school directory since he told me he was a shop teacher at the community college nearby. Eventually I accidentally call his mom who said she’d pass my info along. It’s starting to get late so I head back to Colorado to camp for the night and try again.
Is head back on Sunday and he’s there. Knock on the door, we talk, look at the doka, look at the 15 again, and talk some more. I ask again if he’d be willing to sell it and he says probably not yet I still might get to it, that kind of stuff. Then he mentions the 23, and that his plans for it are to take the roof off the 23 and put it on the 15. I ask him to please never do that, call me first before you ruin 2 buses… (Rusty👀) He says yeah maybe I’ll give you a call someday, otherwise check in with me in another 2 years. A week later he texts me and says, “who knows when if ever I’ll get to finishing these. I’d love to see them back on the road so why don’t you come get them.”
Hey!! This is Ruin Two Buses!!!! Careful of your words, You’re gonna milk the fuck outta these Buses, Not build em, and make as much $$$$$$$$$$$$ As you can ……. Hell, buy my SuperHighroof and show me how it’s done!!!! Yep, two Buses wasted? I’ll give you a deal, show me what you got!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sounds like you can build a 57 Kombi from a Single Cab hack and build a 65 Sandard from a BIG roof clip???! WOW!!!
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