[T3] (belated) trip report

[Greg Merritt <gregm@vwtype3.org>]

Hi all,

	I spent last week in & around Phoenix on a bit of a vacation to
visit relatives -- as well as to shop for a new VW and meet a couple of
listees!

	On-line classifieds are really a dream, as I was able to easily do
lots of shopping before I arrived.  I watched traderonline and the AZ
Republic (newspaper) sites for a couple of weeks, and made a bunch of
inquiries in the days before my trip.

	My first choice of vehicle was another Squareback (I'll be
recycling the '71 in a couple of weeks).  I looked at a 1970... "original
paint, second owner, under 8k on rebuild, excellent interior, $1,900."  A
bit more than I wanted to spend, but I gave it a shot.

	Original paint, all right -- and it indeed looke thirty years old.
It had the beginning signs of rust in all of the classic places.  Beer can
behind the front seat, bottle of booze in the front trunk, and a bullet in
the way back.  Ohhhhh - kay.  Whatever floats your boat.  Expanding spray
foam insulation completed the CD player installation.  Cute.  "Who did the
rebuild?"  "I did," says the owner.  That didn't inspire confidence.  It
really wasn't a surprise went it didn't want to go over 30mph in second
gear.

	I also looked at a '71 Squareback.  "Excellent mechancal condtion,
needs paint, $2,000."  "Excellent mechanical condition" seemed to mean that
the brake pedal went to the floor, the parking brake didn't work, and two
of the ball joint boots were gone & the clunky joints were bone dry.  I'm
asked:  "Does this car have MacPherson struts in the front?"  "Uh, no."
The body was indeed quite solid, but the car needed everything.  Another
$500 car with a $2k asking price.

	I am, however, pleased to announce that I'm the proud new owner of
a 1970 seven-passenger bus!  My first Type 2, and I think I'm going to have
a lot of fun with it.  If you want to follow that story, you'll have to
check out the Type 2 list. :)  It'll be delivered here in early September

	Early last week I met Bill Clark for lunch at a little hole in the
wall called Fry Bread House in downtown Phoenix (800 block of E. Indian
School).  There are better places to eat, but you'll never find food like
that in Michigan!  Bill brought his daughter's '69 beige Beetle, and it was
fun to compare it to my parents' beige '69 Beetle that I was driving.  Bill
told me all about his '72 Squareback that he's working on.  He's the first
owner!  Excellent.

	Later in the week I visited Everett Barnes.  He recently sold his
Squareback, but I got to check out his '54 single cab and his '55 Kombi.
Yup, a pair of barndoors!  Very, very cool stuff.  He's also got a nice
collection of literature, including that great seventies ad discussed here
a few days ago.  (By the way -- Steven Ayres checked out Everett's ad on
his Web site, and he says that it's different from the one he saw.  The
mystery continues!)

	I got to wrench around on my parents' Beetle, with an oil change,
some work on the lights, and a few other odds and ends.  The weather was
fairly hot even for Phoenix, so I did my wrenching a bit at a time.  Still
plenty of fun!

	If I go on another car-hunting expedition, I'll want to give myself
a good long week or week and a half.  It was a bit rushed, but only just
doable.  I spotted several nice Type IIIs on the road, including a
beautiful restored red-needle '64 Notch at the BAP on 27th Ave. and a
couple of Squares on the road.  (I asked somebody in traffic if he wanted
to sell his '72ish blue Squareback, but he didn't bite.  Was it any of you?)

	I rounded out the trip with a huge meal of tacos con carne asada,
una tostada con guacamole, y uno burro con chorizo y huevos.  I just about
burst!  Maybe next time I'll be able to score a Type III.  We'll see!

-Greg
'69 & '71 Squarebacks
'70 Bus                           (.sig under construction!)
'63 Beetle


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