We’re on a journey together, me and LuLu. And you. You’re there, too.
Part of that journey is learning. I knew there would be a big learning curve, but I don’t quite know if I was prepared for what what kind of curve it was going to be.
If you’re unaware, older model Volkswagens aren’t very common. People collect them (and want to collect them) so in that regard, I’ve found myself quite lucky. If you’re a VW person, I’d be intrigued to hear if you’ve encountered what I have. See, I think the VW microbus is more uncommon than the VW beetle. I didn’t necessarily think so, but now that I own LuLu, it has me wondering.
When you get a new vehicle, it always opens your eyes to just how many of them there are out there. What you didn’t see at all, you now see hundreds of them. Except…not for LuLu. I see VW bugs occasionally. There’s at least a few here in the valley I live and work in. I see them driving or I see them in yards. I haven’t had quite the experience with the VW bus.
That’s the first thing. I figured when I’d need a part, I knew I’d have to go online to find it. I did not, however, expect that every time I speak to someone about parts or repairs they would respond with “Oh, that’s not a very common request”.
Case in point – I’m trying to get new keys for her doors. Older cars usually have one key for the ignition, one key for the doors, and in this case maybe one key for the back hatch, one key for the engine compartment, and one key for the glovebox (not sure yet). When I called the locksmith, I told him what I needed and who LuLu was and he told me he hasn’t ever had to do this before so he’d have to do his research. Me too, sir. Me too. The same thing happened when I asked for vacuum hose. And an oil filter.
There is also a learning curve on the most basic of interactions with her. To date, what I’ve learned is how to put her in reverse (me not so much, my mom…yes), how to open the back sliding door, how to close the back sliding door, and just today I learned how to lock the back sliding door! (As I type this, I just realized I don’t know how to lock any of the doors from the inside.)
To be clear – I grew up in older model vehicles. I’m familiar with crank windows, wing windows, manual locks, and the like. Believe when I say…this is different! But different, good. Different, fun.
There’s many more things to learn but I couldn’t be more excited to learn them!
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