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02/23/2005: "oh the possibilities"

Something happened the other day that has never happened to me before. I was offered a free car. Pretty fab, no? Well, don't be too jealous... it's a 20-year-old Volkswagen. My wife's friend has no use for it anymore, and just wants to be rid of it.

Needless to say, I'm excited.

First, it's not just any VW, it's a cabrio. So right there it's a unique vehicle, and a fun little one at that. Of course, that can also work against me - if it needs any cabrio-related parts, they could potentially be quite expensive. I don't know what a roof goes for, but I can only assume it's a bit more than a muffler would be.

I haven't even seen the car yet, so I'm not sure what kind of shape it's in. It could simply need some light mechanical work, or it could be a full-blown restoration project. I simply don't know yet. It's in storage, so as soon I'm allowed to I'll head over and take a look. I'm really, really hoping that the structure of the vehicle is alright. Having to weld in a new floor (for instance) would really put a damper on any hopes of having some top-down fun this summer. Even if that is the case, I might take the car and just spend some time parting it out. Cabrio parts ought to be pretty easy to move, and taking a car apart would be just too much fun to pass up.

However, if the structure is good, I have some plans for this car. One idea that occurred to me fairly quickly was the fact that VWs have a long history of diesel engines, and I could fairly easily find a diesel to swap into this cabrio. What would the point be? Well, if I'm going to have a project car, why wouldn't I go one step further and finally make my own veggie diesel vehicle?

I have no idea when I'll get to see the car, but when I do, I'll be sure to either be excited or disappointed. One way or the other, I'll have something to say about it.