Finding Escape in a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia | Why I Drive #11
Aug 2, 2023
Finding Escape in a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia | Why I Drive #11
Tyler Hamersma’s driveway is a perpetual game of musical cars. He can’t abide idle hands, so to keep busy he buys, fixes, and flips VWs, Audis, and BMWs. But the constant amidst this flux of German metal is Charlotte, his 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia. Charlotte is a beloved member of Hamersma’s family. Through countless travels and camping trips it’s been his pre-packed adventuremobile, ready to whisk him away from the city and out into the country at a moment’s notice. And since he loves to wrench, it’s a good thing the teal-colored Westy always needs some kind of TLC. Hamersma knows that the van will never truly be finished, but he also doesn’t want it to be.https://www.hagerty.com/articles-vide …http://bit.ly/HagertyYouTube https://www.hagerty.com/media https://www.hagerty.com/media/newslet … https://www.facebook.com/Hagerty https://instagram.com/Hagerty https://twitter.com/Hagerty https://www.hagerty.com/drivers-club http://bit.ly/RedlineRebuild http://bit.ly/BarnFIndHunter http://bit.ly/HagertyDailyDriver http://bit.ly/HagertyChipFoose [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Content
0.22 -> - [Tyler] Since I was a little kid,
1.8 -> I've been taking things apart
3.07 -> and putting them back together.
5.04 -> When we hydrolocked the
motor on the go-kart
7.28 -> and I was eight years old,
8.32 -> I decided it was time to take it apart
9.68 -> and see if I could fix it.
10.87 -> And I remember that feeling
12.2 -> when I fired it up and it worked.
14.26 -> It's a part of my life.
15.25 -> I find my solace in the garage.
19.64 -> Charlotte is a 1985
Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia.
25.12 -> Charlotte is a member of our family,
27.64 -> just like Liz and I see
Herman,
30.06 -> Charlotte is another part of that.
31.6 -> I've always been a sports car guy,
33.21 -> always had fast cars.
34.62 -> And it's funny because it's 83 horsepower
38.47 -> and it's 83 square feet,
40.28 -> but it's one of the most fun
cars I own because of that.
43.32 -> It's just different.
45.78 -> I mean, for the last six years I've been
48.4 -> really into these vans and I've been
50.61 -> eat, sleep and breathing
them at this point.
52.68 -> So got 'em figured out
from the front to the back,
55.83 -> and up and down.
56.663 -> And it means a lot more
because it's more versatile
59.85 -> than any of the other vehicles.
61.13 -> I mean, where else are you gonna see a car
62.51 -> that people wave at ya, and honk at ya.
65.16 -> I mean, you see little kids
who think it's a playground,
67.8 -> elderly couples walking up,
69.49 -> I remember these back
when we were younger,
71.67 -> and it's cool because it's all generations
74.55 -> see it as a different vehicle.
78.13 -> Feel like it has the same draw or allure
81.03 -> of a Ferrari but it appeals to
83.359 -> a much more diverse group of people.
86.399 -> (soft guitar music)
93.32 -> Kind of always see the allure to the woods
95.75 -> or the allure to going
up and getting out of
98.121 -> the hustle and bustle of the city.
100.29 -> Although we love living in it,
101.77 -> it's nice to take a vacation away.
105.75 -> It's our ultimate getaway
vehicle because it's pre-packed.
108.9 -> We don't have to deal with tent poles,
110.72 -> we don't have to deal with staying dry,
113.93 -> it's just a simple pop of
the top and we're camping.
118.65 -> Because it's so easy,
120.06 -> it makes it that much more appealing
121.97 -> to have a quick weekend getaway.
124.365 -> (soft guitar music)
126.61 -> Bought several of them
since buying Charlotte,
129.4 -> but after six of them I've realized
132.06 -> this one seems to be the one
that's gonna stay around.
135.21 -> The fact that I've put
so much work into it,
138.22 -> and not just the amount
of work that it's taken
140.57 -> to get it up and running
from the vehicle that it was
144.1 -> when I pulled it out
of the woods up north,
146.36 -> but the time spent in it with Liz and I,
149.99 -> and traveling around with our dog.
152.94 -> For her and I, it's kind of
romantic to get in it and drive.
158.79 -> It's never gonna be done,
160.25 -> but I also don't know if I want it to be.
162.65 -> I like the whole idea of going out there
165.4 -> and having little tasks to
do and tasks to complete.
168.4 -> And I fear that if I do ever finish it,
171.55 -> then it might be time to
move onto the next project.
176.57 -> My name is Tyler Hamersma
and this is why I drive.
180.683 -> (soft guitar music)
184.802 -> (soft wind blowing)
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9JpH1fVww0
