Itinerant Air-Cooled

The insurance adjuster from the other driver's company remembered sleeping in the hammock of his parent's Westy as a child. He looked at the engine and sighed.

He offered the top dollar listed in the NADA guide ($13,600.00) with a hand on my shoulder "I know there is no dollar figure that comes close".

He also offered a $300.00 salvage for me to maintain ownership and offered to store it at their company's facility.

Now I have to make a decision. Keep it? Find a place to store it? WHERE? Find a '73 blue and white to refurbish ('73 is my year, you know)? Or just say good-bye? I have enough cars. Someone here want it?
Colin

Bring it home to Upstate NY Colin and she has a home right here with friends. I wish it wasn't so far away, I would gladly give it a warm place to sleep while you figure out what to do. I do have a line on an amazingly clean '79 with only 45K original miles on it if you're looking for a replacement. It's about 20 minutes from my house....I talked to the owner yesterday and he's lookin to get $4500 out of it...it's easily worth double that. Not a spot of rust on it, all original everything. The valve covers even have the original paint on them still. Anyway....let us all know what you plan to do....if I owned something I could tow with I'd be on my way already to pick up both you and the Bus and bring ya home....

Just a few unswerved inches and these past two days could have been tetering on life and death or just the latter- it is such a time like this to be thankful. Hard to be too sad about the bus when each and every one of us have something so much better -- our loved ones and the rise and fall of our very own diaphragms.

He's right, there is no figure that comes close. One of the first times, I've ever agreed with an insurance adjuster.

$300 no doubt you gotta take that bus - no way can you leave it - The alternator adjustment bolt cover that nobody has and the cherry red dipstick are worth at least half that. All those parts have a history and vast well maintained value. I just love that it started up when you turned the key as if to say "where to next boss".

Did I mention, that I'm glad you're here Colin? I'm glad you're here.

Keep it if you can. Anything is saveable, you ever see those horrible deluxes brought back from a rusty beer can?
Too many memories to just abandon it out there.

As good as it gets news on the insurance adjuster.

Use a bit of the $ to have the bus shipped home and a bit more to find yourself another 73. You may never drive it again but it still has a lot to give, even if as a parts donor to your next one.

Ritter wrote: You may never drive it again but it still has a lot to give, even if as a parts donor to your next one.

Yep, if the bus isn't able to hit 1 million miles, at lease some of those OG German parts might be able to.

Ritter wrote:Use a bit of the $ to have the bus shipped home and a bit more to find yourself another 73.

That's a good idea right there. If you decide to go that route, you're more than welcome to store it here for as long as you need.

Sounds like a no brainer Colin as far as keeping it. But I know your brain must be swimming with decisions right now, and speaking of that , DO NOT sign away future medical needs, we all pray you never need them, however with your age and style of work be nice to have backup

Does your Lexus have a tow hitch?

Bring it home.

How about Pahrump, NV, with the piano?
How's the girl?

Did your bus have an organ donor card? I think there are many, many parts that you can retrieve and successfully transplant to another ailing recipient. The Satchmo commemorative gas cap, for one, must live on.

Tim

Bring that baby home and make some/most of it live again in an identical twin.

Amskeptic wrote:...($13,600.00) with a hand on my shoulder

He also offered a $300.00 salvage for me to maintain ownership and offered to store it at their company's facility.

To clarify, it's a $13,600 settlement, and you can buy it back for $300? Both offers seem very fair, you should hang on to it. It's certainly worth more than $300 in parts, and you never know, you might want to do something with it later. If you want to rent a truck and drag it with you to Michigan and keep your appointment with Troll, I can store it for a few weeks while you think about what to do next.

I still say it's a sin make the BobD bus common by putting all those miles on it. You can get a good runner for $5K and add the rest to your rainy day fund. How about a nice Westy with a comfy bed for your long suffering back?

Take the $13K and pay $300 for the bus. You can store it at my place if needed. I don't have garage space, but I do have space in my fenced in yard where you could keep it under tarp. I'm about 20-30 miles north of Castle Rock in Westminster, CO.

Great service, excellent insurance settlement, and speedy too! What is the company?

I'm rooting for you to take it home somehow, but you will do what you feel is best for you. (keep it, keep it)

And yes... what about the medical? You did sustain some injuries. Those costs are being covered? Pain and suffering?