Itinerant Air-Cooled

Amskeptic wrote: Had this itinerary not been so interrupted, it was actually doing pretty well as far as efficiency, and the fun quotient was quite good, too. I was In Love With It All after sunny warm Missoula (!), Maupin, Portland all a youse, Los Alamos, the beauty was intoxicating and the people were good interesting folk (thanks again, jtauxe) and my bus was running splendidly (repair costs: $274.20 oem heat exchanger, new license light assy, new tail light seals).

You are most welcome, my friend, and I fully expect to see you again in 2010. We have the pickup's engine to rebuild (recall the 60 psi in #3), and I'm still considering replacing the mismatched '75 FI system with one for a 2000 cc. (Let's talk about parts some time).

And of course there are those tempting single-owner buses in town (yes, I found another - a '72) that need to be coaxed back onto the road, each owned by nostalgic old ladies that need coaxing into letting their buses roll again.

And, I expect YellowBird and Y2, and this time Buster Brown (the '79 Transporter you never met -- now in need of a new clutch), will all want to meet BobD.

Amskeptic wrote:One man's "whine" is another man's careful consideration of retirement assets.

Oh, well, then. You'd better put that thing away in storage. Don't ever drive it. Get some old beater to drive. Then, when you are too old to drive BobD, you can pull it out of storage and sell it.

Yeah, like that will happen.

jtauxe wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:One man's "whine" is another man's careful consideration of retirement assets.

Oh, well, then. You'd better put that thing away in storage. Don't ever drive it. Get some old beater to drive. Then, when you are too old to drive BobD, you can pull it out of storage and sell it.

Yeah, like that will happen.

I am, by day, giving up on any notion of doing anything "sensible" as far as financial management. I have seen too many people play by the rules as best they could for thirty or forty years. Then one stupid heart atack brought upon by their anxious adherence to those very rules, suddenly gives other people (in very nice suits) that they will never meet, the "right" to take away their savings and heck, even the house.

My problem, after jettisoning the financial considerations, is the thought of another moron trashing anything else I might care about.
Colin

Amskeptic wrote:My problem, after jettisoning the financial considerations, is the thought of another moron trashing anything else I might care about.
Colin

Clearly an ever-present danger. Ah, well, such is life.

If you let it be! Or, you can LIVE it and have a GREAT TIME! Woo hoo!

Count me and Y2 in for your next visit to Lost Almost!!! Y2 is spending the winter in a heated garage down in Albuquerque (as opposed to my unheated, icy, sap-infested driveway) as I get ready to reinstall the dashboard and windshield. Who knows? Maybe I will even get the heater to work (I know, I know). Thanks to you Y2 is running great!!!

pmaggiore wrote:Count me and Y2 in for your next visit to Lost Almost!!! Y2 is spending the winter in a heated garage down in Albuquerque (as opposed to my unheated, icy, sap-infested driveway) as I get ready to reinstall the dashboard and windshield. Who knows? Maybe I will even get the heater to work (I know, I know). Thanks to you Y2 is running great!!!

I will certainly put Lost All yer Moose on the schedule. I am planning a clockwise tour this summer. Meantime, a little more warm would be nice . . .

Amskeptic wrote:I am planning a clockwise tour this summer.

When do you think you'll be out this way?

Amskeptic wrote:

jtauxe wrote:

Amskeptic wrote:One man's "whine" is another man's careful consideration of retirement assets.

Oh, well, then. You'd better put that thing away in storage. Don't ever drive it. Get some old beater to drive. Then, when you are too old to drive BobD, you can pull it out of storage and sell it.

Yeah, like that will happen.

I am, by day, giving up on any notion of doing anything "sensible" as far as financial management. I have seen too many people play by the rules as best they could for thirty or forty years. Then one stupid heart atack brought upon by their anxious adherence to those very rules, suddenly gives other people (in very nice suits) that they will never meet, the "right" to take away their savings and heck, even the house.

My problem, after jettisoning the financial considerations, is the thought of another moron trashing anything else I might care about.
Colin

Interesting conundrum you have here with the BobD bus, Colin.

If you keep it sequestered because it's unique and you want to preserve it for yourself and future generations to enjoy, or because it will increase in value, a good argument can be made to not subject it to being flogged across the country.

From a purely economic standpoint, I have to believe the per-mile depreciation would be huge, and you'd be money ahead to pick up something else for the 2010 itinerary.

At the end of the day it's an asset you purchased for your enjoyment. Will it make you happier to "spend" it by driving it, or "save" it by keeping it pristine for the future?

Do what makes you happy. But if you are uncertain, go with preserving the unique original unmolested beauty. You can always drive it later

I get annoyed when people think that deferring gratification is a bad thing; the area under the curve of happiness over time is maximized if we think about the future.

My personal opinion is you should hold off and only drive the BobD bus to shows and on occasional jaunts. It will be a great draw in a little while when you are traveling the country whoring your book.

Drive the heck out it. I'ts just like having a new bus , they were made to be driven.