Orange You Glad Its a Dub Life : Chuck & Pat Vosburgh Agents In Orange Ep21

WEBVTT

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Music.

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Learn more about this class-leading VW magazine.

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All right, folks, today's episode is going to be a great one.

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We've got two absolute legends on the podcast today, Chuck and Pat Vosberg.

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You might know Chuck from the real estate world. This guy is a machine.

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He knows the market inside and out, makes all kinds of cool videos and content.

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But what you might not know is he's also a ridiculously talented photographer

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and was a photography instructor.

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And Pat, well, this one here is a force. She's a visionary. She's a creative

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speaker. She sees the world differently.

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And what's cool about her is she makes you see it differently too.

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Together, they're not just a power couple. I feel like they're a whole damn movement.

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Today, we're talking dubs. We're talking real estate, art, relationships,

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business, spirituality.

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We're going to get into all of it. It's about to get real, so please welcome

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Chuck and Pat Vosburgh to the podcast.

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Hey, how's everyone doing today? What's up, guys? You're doing great.

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Thank you for joining. I appreciate it. I've been eager and waiting to get you

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guys on. I can't wait to talk to you guys today. It's going to be awesome.

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Before we dive in, I do have just a couple of quick mentions for my sponsors.

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First up, Volk's Mania Magazine, the flyest VW magazine on the face of the planet.

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Also, this episode is sponsored by Salty Dub, VW events and swag.

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Also to shout out, there's a new group on Facebook called Salty Dubbers.

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Salty Dubbers is a nationwide gang of air-cooled addicts, classic VW dreamers,

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and beachside cruisers.

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Whether you're rolling a slam bug, a classic Ghia, or a sun-faded bus,

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guess what? You're one of us now.

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So this group is your digital hangout for sharing builds, breakdowns,

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show shots, salty stories.

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We're here for the Dub lifestyle and everything that comes with them,

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whether it's sun, surf, sand, or just stories.

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You can check these guys out at saltydub.com to learn more.

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All right, guys, back to you. Pat, let's talk doves. Let's jump right into it.

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I know you probably remember seeing this 71-ish squareback back in the newspaper back in the day.

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What made you decide back then, this is the one?

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Well, I guess I needed a car.

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And back then, you know, it was a squareback. And I just looked at it. It was a light blue.

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And I just loved it. It was great. It was very nostalgic. But nostalgic,

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you know, for even back then, maybe not everybody was buying a Volkswagen.

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It certainly is not what it looked like today, you know, with Volkswagens.

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But I adored it. I thought it was great. The only thing was it didn't really

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make left turns very well or U-turns.

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And I should have kept it, but I did not. And I ended up getting rid of it because

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of that. It was kind of dangerous.

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Now, was this a mechanical issue or is this just a design thing?

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I'm not sure. I think it was mechanical.

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So, you know, for me, it was like, you know. It turned right okay,

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though? It turned right okay.

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Maybe you should have sold it to UPS.

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That's right. I forgot about them. Turns only. They're funny. That's right. Yeah.

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Probably took you a little bit of time to get adjusted to it.

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But so, Chuck, your intro into VWs was through your best friend,

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68 Beetle in high school, right?

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Yeah, my buddy Dave in high school bought a 68 Bug, and I had a 71 Corolla, which was just as slow.

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And, yeah, we used to work on those things together. We're, you know,

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always doing something with it, tinkering.

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He built a whole new engine for that VW in his bedroom.

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Oh, cool. And that was really my introduction to Volkswagen's is working with my buddy Dave on his car.

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Do you remember the first time that you actually got to work on a VW motor or even a VW in general?

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That was back then in high school. I think we were probably second year of high

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school where it would have been on his car.

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What was the top takeaway from maybe a learning moment back then as a teenager

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working on a car, working on a motor? What did it teach you?

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Well, I'll tell you what. It was the simplicity of it that's so impressive.

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I think that's part of the genius of the design of a Volkswagen is it's so simple.

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It doesn't have anything it doesn't need. And also, just as an interesting observation,

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I don't think there's any other car ever invented that can still run with so

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many things wrong with it.

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It's like the lawnmower that just won't quit. Exactly.

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That's funny. That's awesome, though. So how would you describe your VW journey

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starting from, again, being a teen and just being kind of just cars back then

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to it now being a lifestyle?

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Well, the VW thing, it kind of disappeared from my life for a long time.

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I've always loved them, always wanted one.

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But, you know, it was always life getting in the way, life getting in the way.

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And then when Pat and I got together, we started thinking about Volkswagens together.

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Leather and we had other vintage cars in the past and most recently a 1956 Dodge truck.

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And we sold that but the Carmen Ghia and I know you're going to want to know

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about that later so I'll save that story for a little later it's actually coming

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it's coming now so let's switch it over to Pat let's hear it from her side so

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you got a Carmen Ghia for your 60th birthday right I It did, yes.

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Tell me, how spontaneous was this purchase, really? It was very spontaneous.

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So what happened was a friend of ours posted a real ratty-looking Carmanguilla

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online, and it was down in Bradenton at a supermarket area.

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They would just put it in the parking lot. So we went and looked at it,

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and it was so, oh, my gosh.

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No, no, no, no, no. It needed way too much work.

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And so we let— We never get it done. No, we never get it done.

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I'm not into real big projects. So we left there and we went to a Starbucks

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and was sitting around and check scrolling through his phone. And he's like,

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But what about this one? And it was the orange Carmanguilla.

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Yeah, because I was thinking, you know, okay, so this one, it was pretty rough.

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I was like, I wonder what a nice one would cost. Maybe we could just buy one that's nice. Yeah.

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So I'm scrolling, scrolling, scrolling and found a nice orange one.

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And as you know, that's the official color for our business.

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And I was like, hey, look at this. And she's like, oh.

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Let's go. So it was over in Orlando. It was in Orlando. And we drove over.

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Yeah, the following day. The following day, that's right. Bought it.

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I negotiated extremely heavy. I'm a very good negotiator.

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That's good. You probably make a fantastic agent then.

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Oh, she's tough. She's from New York City.

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Hey, I saw it. Brooklyn, baby. Brooklyn. I can relate to that because my whole

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entire background and family is Brooklyn Heights.

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Oh, okay. Yeah, I used to go, I'd say not that frequently, but frequently enough

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to have childhood memories there. That's really nice.

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And have friends, you know, that I remember from there. This guy,

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Adam, this other guy, Thomas.

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Yeah, so I negotiated heavily. Actually, when he didn't want to come down in

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price, it was at, you know, a big, big place that has vintage cars over in Orlando.

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It was Gateway, I think. Yeah, Gateway. Gateway.

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And they take vintage automobiles on consignment. Yeah.

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So there I was. getting out of my chair and

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leaving no i did oh that's

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embarrassed he was embarrassed he's like oh my god how

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far did it how far did they let you get before they oh i didn't hardly get

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out of my chair like oh no

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let me go talk to my boss again i'm like okay i'll

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sit back down but i'm gonna get up again and they came in and gave me the price

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that i wanted nice they made it move they made a deal yeah so cool because i

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feel like this car is like part of you guys now part of the identity it is and

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we didn't expect that it's almost your daily driver now right.

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So we just got a new engine in it yeah yeah yeah i saw all that metastasizing

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over time and it looks great it's just totally reliable now yeah you know like

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any old car it took i don't know a few months to kind of work out the bugs because

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whenever you buy something old it's going to have issues. That's right.

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After we got those worked out and most recently got the new engine in it,

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I would drive that anywhere.

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Who did the motor for you? We bought it from Fisher Buggies over in Tampa.

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Yeah, awesome. And I bought a long block over there and just...

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Had our favorite mechanic put it in, and it's been running great ever since.

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Good stuff. Definitely a big shout out to Fisher Buggy. I love Tony and the

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whole squad over there. Good folks. They do a nice job.

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They did my motor in my 72, Beetle in 97.

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Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, they were around back when I was in high school,

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and that was in the 80s. Yeah.

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Early 80s. They've been around a long time. Yeah. I want to hear from your perspective,

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because we also have a Carmen Ghia in our family. It's my wife's. It's a 71.

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So I can probably decently, I guess, describe this feeling. But I want to hear from your side.

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So each of you, I want to hear from each of you what it feels like to drive

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around the city in a 50-year-old car, you know, Carmen Ghia.

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You don't get very far without someone stopping you or telling their own Volkswagen story.

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Everyone has a Volkswagen story.

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Everyone. Like, you really don't get very far without...

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You know, you'll be at a stoplight and somebody will roll their window down

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and go, oh, my God, you know, my cousin had that or, you know.

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Drove around, you know, everyone has a Volkswagen story.

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Oh, they got a first date story. Yeah, right. There's even an older couple here in St.

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Petersburg that still have the Volkswagen Beetle that they went on their honeymoon in.

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That is. White. I forget which year it is, but they still have it.

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And talk about memories. That's just awesome that they kept it for so long.

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We've got a neighbor that has a 71 Carmen Ghia.

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She bought it brand new, and that's still her only car.

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She lives down the street from us. Yeah. I mean, what are the chances of that?

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She drives it every day. That's her only car. That's her only car. And she's just so cool.

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Wow. I've got no reason to get anything else. Right?

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Yeah. It's running. She can count on it. She probably loves it.

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And now it's the coolest thing in the world though, you know,

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I remember for a long time through, you know, eighties, nineties,

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even, you know, late nineties, they weren't cool yet.

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It almost took this movement and, you know, the, the community sticking around

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and customizing and even not even keeping them classic, but it took that community

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to kind of keep them rolling.

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And now it's like a staple and it's something cool to do, you know,

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to invest in a classic Volkswagen and dub it out, make it yours,

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make it your own way, which I also noticed you guys are doing with the orange one.

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Yeah, you know, you're right, Joe, because I think all classic cars go through

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a little time period where they're just old cars. That's right.

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And that's unfortunate because that's where a lot of them go to die.

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That's right. And it's what makes them rare.

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I think what really saved the Volkswagen more than anything was how customizable it is.

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Because even during that time when it kind of went through that dip of it's just an old car,

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you had dune buggies and rail buggies and, you know, people just doing all kinds

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of cool things with them because it's so easy to do something cool with it and inexpensive too.

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Yeah, you're right. I remember specifically having that car and working on it

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in the 90s, mid 90s, late 90s.

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My dad, I used to say things like, oh, I can't believe you're parking that POS

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in my driveway and that type of stuff.

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And I'm like, man, this is the coolest car in the world. What are you talking about?

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And then if it ever needed anything, parts were literally single dollar bills back then.

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Yes. They were nothing. And everything was a dime a dozen. You could find any parts anywhere.

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Now, I did struggle back in the day with finding cars.

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Parts for the auto clutch transmission.

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So my 72 that I had was a standard Beetle. I bought it in high school.

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And when the transmission started giving me issues, I had Fisher Buggy put the motor in it.

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And I was also entertaining, you know, rebuilding that transmission.

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Back then, they couldn't find parts.

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Now they're readily available, but they couldn't find parts back then.

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So I had to switch it to a four speed and, you know, part of what makes the

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Carmen Ghia my wife has now so cool is that story.

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I was able to tell her 20 something years ago about my first Volkswagen and

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how it was a stick shift, but it didn't have a clutch, you know,

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and this whole time, our whole, you know, marriage and relationship,

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she's always just kind of taken interest in that.

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So it was a stick, but no clutch. She's like, oh,

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so when we found this carmen guia one owner

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46 000 miles uh auto

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stick i was like no way and it's

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the auto clutch and she was like oh that's the

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car you know that's the one so man and

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this thing drives so well and it's so dependable it's

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you know again 40 40 something thousand miles 47

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now oh it's beautiful yeah we've

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seen it yeah it's a it's a great car it's a great car we got

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some stuff we're gonna do to it this year but all right let's

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talk let's move forward to the 74 beetle

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that you just got what that last year or was that

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this year last year last year it's been

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that long wow i saw it go for sale i saw

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you go pick it up i saw you bring it home so

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kind of cool being in the same city but tell me

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about this 74 build and and what's the vision for

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it you know it's it's kind of funny how

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that one came about too because it's orange

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yeah that was the thing we needed to

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know it's orange and it's a

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friend of a friend you know we we all know each

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other in the vw community so i asked one of

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our buddies like hey you know this guy you know is he solid and he goes like

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oh yeah yeah he's he's a good guy so we just went over and bought it because

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it's orange and you know that we love the carman guia but the truth is for an

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everyday driver a beetle is more practical.

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So the plan is that's going to truly be pat's daily driver like every day so

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we just we just put a new engine in that because it you know it's getting kind

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of old it was tired so put a new engine in it, we plan next.

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It's lowered a little bit, put it back to stock height just to make it a little bit more practical.

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Not that lowering them doesn't look cool because they do, and our Ghia's lowered too.

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But put it back to stock height and,

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add air conditioning at some point wonderful or

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not i don't know it's got those it's got those little quarter

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windows and it's amazing how much cooler

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it is to ride in a car that's got those little wings to force air in because

00:16:51.102 --> 00:16:56.162
the carmen guia doesn't have that as you know yeah riding around in that that's

00:16:56.162 --> 00:17:01.342
a whole different experience and in the car yeah we got a fan yeah stephanie's

00:17:01.342 --> 00:17:04.962
heater channels are still connected and they operate like flawlessly.

00:17:05.382 --> 00:17:09.322
So in the summertime, even spring to get in that car and drive it,

00:17:09.442 --> 00:17:12.822
you know, to Publix and back, you know, once the heat starts firing,

00:17:13.022 --> 00:17:16.142
I mean, I can do everything to try to shut it off, but it's either coming through

00:17:16.142 --> 00:17:19.842
the floor or it's coming through the windshield and it's hot.

00:17:20.602 --> 00:17:25.442
So I've actually, this year, I want to probably disconnect that and cap it because

00:17:25.442 --> 00:17:29.262
in Florida, we don't need to be dumping heat into the cab, especially in the

00:17:29.262 --> 00:17:35.062
middle of the summer. You can't drive that thing anywhere, but a great, a great ad.

00:17:35.222 --> 00:17:38.102
It's so easy these days, right? To be able to do that.

00:17:38.222 --> 00:17:44.122
They make the kits and there's kits available that anybody could install themselves. How many hours?

00:17:44.942 --> 00:17:48.522
Uh, 50 hours with me, me doing it.

00:17:49.482 --> 00:17:53.682
Yeah. You know, there's, there's real hours and then there's project hours,

00:17:54.122 --> 00:17:58.042
which is kind of like dog years. You multiply it by seven. That's how long it's going to take.

00:18:00.062 --> 00:18:06.842
That was great. That was great. Project hours, a long, long time. Yeah.

00:18:07.302 --> 00:18:12.322
So at this stage, did you guys expect to still be, you know,

00:18:12.542 --> 00:18:17.202
building, be, you know, wrenching, be driving, you know, a classic car?

00:18:18.002 --> 00:18:23.202
Absolutely. And I know Pat, too. I'm never giving up. And I think,

00:18:23.202 --> 00:18:24.902
you know, the thing with that, too, is...

00:18:26.048 --> 00:18:31.188
I think when you get older like people want their comforts you know i don't

00:18:31.188 --> 00:18:36.848
want any comforts i've always been very utilitarian my other car is a 2011 honda

00:18:36.848 --> 00:18:40.548
element i don't know if you know anything about elements there's no carpet it's

00:18:40.548 --> 00:18:44.688
extremely utilitarian yeah so i'm i'm not a foo

00:18:44.908 --> 00:18:51.988
girl you know i'm not i'm very practical and to me the volkswagen is just very

00:18:51.988 --> 00:18:54.428
practical It's just a very practical.

00:18:54.588 --> 00:18:57.108
It's a good, practical car. It is.

00:18:57.348 --> 00:19:00.328
And it looks really cool. And everybody loves it.

00:19:00.428 --> 00:19:07.028
Like if you're driving and you see the sea of cars around, my car's gray, my 2011 Honda Element.

00:19:07.188 --> 00:19:09.728
I'm not going to say that. But you have gray, you have white,

00:19:10.588 --> 00:19:12.248
blue sometimes thrown in there.

00:19:12.268 --> 00:19:15.508
But you don't really have like something that stands out.

00:19:16.008 --> 00:19:20.708
No car color that stands out. Like some of the vintage ones are coming back

00:19:20.708 --> 00:19:23.888
now, like the Chargers and things like that, you know, vintage colors.

00:19:24.108 --> 00:19:27.728
But, you know, you're driving down the road, you see like this orange thing

00:19:27.728 --> 00:19:28.888
out of the corner of your eye.

00:19:29.548 --> 00:19:35.928
You're going to be like, oh. So even the color to me is just so bright and fun.

00:19:36.868 --> 00:19:43.448
And. Yeah. Yeah. And one thing I've noticed, Joe, is that as I get older,

00:19:43.668 --> 00:19:45.968
I'm more resistant to discomfort.

00:19:46.488 --> 00:19:49.808
Yes. And I've talked to other older people about that.

00:19:50.068 --> 00:19:53.848
That's something that seems to be a common thread that as we age,

00:19:54.048 --> 00:19:56.508
discomfort doesn't bother us anymore.

00:19:56.808 --> 00:19:59.888
Oh, that's what I was going to talk about. I completely lost track. But oh, yeah.

00:20:00.288 --> 00:20:05.628
So speaking of discomfort, so you have to, you know, you have to shift.

00:20:05.728 --> 00:20:07.628
You have to use the clutch. You have to engage.

00:20:08.128 --> 00:20:12.008
And you have to really think about what you're doing. You're not just just,

00:20:12.707 --> 00:20:17.247
driving along, you know, in automatic, you really have to engage with the car.

00:20:17.347 --> 00:20:21.747
And I think that is really going to help my brain too, getting older.

00:20:22.027 --> 00:20:28.847
No, I really do. I think that, you know, Donna, who lives down the street, she's 75, 70 something.

00:20:29.227 --> 00:20:34.987
At least. And that's the woman who owns the Carman gear from day one and hers is a stick shift.

00:20:35.227 --> 00:20:40.967
And she's sharp as a tack perfectly now. And she's healthy. And yeah, so I don't know.

00:20:41.307 --> 00:20:45.427
Carmen, Volkswagens keep you healthy. Yeah, they're good for brain health.

00:20:46.247 --> 00:20:51.807
Because you have to drive the car. Yes. Yeah. You have to be involved.

00:20:52.167 --> 00:20:56.827
Yeah. It's not a mindless activity. Exactly. I love that.

00:20:56.987 --> 00:21:00.767
And I'll tell you what I love a lot about driving either of them,

00:21:00.927 --> 00:21:07.427
either the 71 Ghia or my 74 thing, is a lot of times these little cell phones,

00:21:07.627 --> 00:21:11.407
oh buddy, they can become a problem when you're driving in today's cars because

00:21:11.407 --> 00:21:13.127
you're checking emails,

00:21:13.347 --> 00:21:17.927
you're catching up, you might be trying to take a picture or post something while you're driving.

00:21:18.347 --> 00:21:21.807
You can't do that in an old Volkswagen because you got to drive the car.

00:21:23.447 --> 00:21:27.567
It's hard to even take a sip of a soda when you're in a Volkswagen.

00:21:28.127 --> 00:21:30.967
Amen. You're right though. Yeah, you're right.

00:21:31.127 --> 00:21:34.807
I know you guys have taken some unforgettable trips. I want to talk about one

00:21:34.807 --> 00:21:36.987
now because it's close to me.

00:21:37.647 --> 00:21:43.207
V-dubs over the Skyway. Tell me what it felt like from a perspective of a participant.

00:21:43.767 --> 00:21:49.667
You guys were at the 25th anniversary, which was 2024, and you were at the last one.

00:21:50.087 --> 00:21:54.247
2024, we had over 400 cars, which was unbelievable.

00:21:54.567 --> 00:21:58.427
And then just this last year, even after the storms, we still ended up with

00:21:58.427 --> 00:22:02.127
like 240, somewhere in that neck of the woods.

00:22:02.127 --> 00:22:07.647
But yeah, describe for me what it feels like to drive in a convoy like that

00:22:07.647 --> 00:22:09.887
with that many classic Volkswagens.

00:22:10.682 --> 00:22:15.882
Would you like to go first? You can go. Well, it was just so amazing to me to

00:22:15.882 --> 00:22:18.622
see so many Volkswagen enthusiasts.

00:22:19.042 --> 00:22:24.182
I had no idea there were that many around the area.

00:22:24.322 --> 00:22:29.122
Now, of course, some people traveled from pretty far to come to it because that was a huge event.

00:22:29.682 --> 00:22:35.222
You know, for people who aren't from this area, the Skyway Bridge is a huge,

00:22:35.462 --> 00:22:37.402
long bridge, and it's historic.

00:22:37.402 --> 00:22:40.962
It's beautiful. and just to see volkswagons

00:22:40.962 --> 00:22:43.682
for as long as the eye can see that was an

00:22:43.682 --> 00:22:46.522
amazing sight and we we were glad to be part of it

00:22:46.522 --> 00:22:51.742
and and we've enjoyed seeing it grow over the years because in in time past

00:22:51.742 --> 00:22:57.362
it wasn't really that big of an event but since you started organizing it i've

00:22:57.362 --> 00:23:01.382
really got to hand it to you and your people yeah i've been yeah and i know

00:23:01.382 --> 00:23:04.542
you had you have a lot of people that you work with on that.

00:23:05.022 --> 00:23:10.842
It's become a huge, huge event and so well-organized.

00:23:11.202 --> 00:23:16.942
It's organized, it's safe, it's just, I can't say enough nice things about it.

00:23:17.202 --> 00:23:20.982
Thank you. That's awesome. And yeah, Alan, huge help.

00:23:21.362 --> 00:23:26.502
I started asking around in the community because I found the Facebook page originally,

00:23:26.842 --> 00:23:32.682
VWs over the Skyway, and I noticed that there was no posts, maybe some spam-related stuff.

00:23:32.922 --> 00:23:37.442
You know, for about a half a year, but nothing. And I couldn't get anybody to respond.

00:23:37.642 --> 00:23:42.462
So when I first came back to St. Pete in 2022, one of the very first things

00:23:42.462 --> 00:23:46.362
I did was contact that group and say, Hey, when, when are you guys running over

00:23:46.362 --> 00:23:47.622
the Skyway? I'd love to go.

00:23:47.902 --> 00:23:52.862
It was like nine months or 10 months later, I got a response that said, you know, it's over.

00:23:53.062 --> 00:23:56.062
We're, we're, we're not doing it anymore. And at that point I had asked,

00:23:56.502 --> 00:24:00.302
you know, I'd love to, to, to take it over and have this again.

00:24:00.302 --> 00:24:01.662
I know it was such a huge thing.

00:24:01.802 --> 00:24:07.482
You know, the first year back was the 25th, you know, annual, annual ride. So yeah.

00:24:07.802 --> 00:24:11.462
Yeah. Pat, I want to hear from you though. How's it feel from your, your perspective?

00:24:11.782 --> 00:24:15.942
It was emotional actually. I know that sounds weird, but it was really emotional

00:24:15.942 --> 00:24:20.122
to see just, you know, friends and then, you know, people.

00:24:20.962 --> 00:24:24.582
You don't know, but then become friends. You know, it's like you were talking

00:24:24.582 --> 00:24:26.462
about it being such a community of folks.

00:24:27.122 --> 00:24:33.062
And where we park down in Terracia. Terracia? I don't know where it is. Terracia.

00:24:33.582 --> 00:24:37.362
Terracia. Sarah? Sierra? Yeah. Down by the orange place. Yeah,

00:24:37.462 --> 00:24:41.042
by the orange ice cream place. Hey, more orange.

00:24:41.342 --> 00:24:43.422
See, it's everywhere. Yeah, buddy.

00:24:44.322 --> 00:24:49.902
You know, to go down there and just be just walking down the road there and

00:24:49.902 --> 00:24:54.382
just seeing all the Volkswagens and just seeing all our friends and taking the

00:24:54.382 --> 00:24:59.582
pictures of all of them and just being amazed by everybody just coming together

00:24:59.582 --> 00:25:03.002
and really enjoying the whole event,

00:25:03.842 --> 00:25:05.042
just enjoying the event.

00:25:05.482 --> 00:25:09.462
I mean, it was just a miracle. I've got to say, you know, we've been involved

00:25:09.462 --> 00:25:12.282
with lots of different groups, you know, professional groups,

00:25:12.522 --> 00:25:17.082
you know, different interests, but Volkswagen people are the friendliest people

00:25:17.082 --> 00:25:18.862
you could possibly meet.

00:25:19.382 --> 00:25:23.182
You know, the, you know, the old saying, oh, there's always one in every group.

00:25:23.762 --> 00:25:27.162
There aren't any. I have not met. We haven't met.

00:25:27.242 --> 00:25:32.102
Any of those, you know, there's always one people, people in the Volkswagen community.

00:25:32.342 --> 00:25:39.282
Now, I'm sure, you know, it must be, but it's the friendliest group of people I've ever seen.

00:25:39.462 --> 00:25:44.562
And such a wide range of all walks of life, all kinds of backgrounds.

00:25:46.062 --> 00:25:51.202
It's, you could be talking to anybody and you never know what their background

00:25:51.202 --> 00:25:57.122
is. or they might be famous or they might be flipping burgers. You never know.

00:25:57.682 --> 00:26:03.102
But every single one of them is friendly and they're all interesting. Yeah, I tend to agree.

00:26:03.362 --> 00:26:09.802
And the relationship between Alan and myself started over being Volkswagen enthusiasts

00:26:09.802 --> 00:26:17.622
and then turned into a great friendship and now a partnership where we're promoting events together.

00:26:17.802 --> 00:26:22.442
And it really is almost like a yin to the yang. He's very opposite of me in

00:26:22.442 --> 00:26:26.402
many ways, and I'm very opposite of him in many ways, and we accept that,

00:26:26.582 --> 00:26:29.142
and we actually value that in each other.

00:26:29.362 --> 00:26:32.882
You know, he pings a lot of stuff off me. I ping a lot of stuff off him,

00:26:32.942 --> 00:26:35.162
and we come up with the right answer eventually.

00:26:36.822 --> 00:26:40.742
My perspective was the same, a little bit emotional for me because,

00:26:41.102 --> 00:26:45.182
you know, I didn't, especially the first year back for the 25th ride,

00:26:45.362 --> 00:26:50.422
there was no way I ever expected 400-plus cars. I just, they're come on.

00:26:50.642 --> 00:26:56.742
We expect 50, 60, you know, first year back, the registration just kept going,

00:26:56.922 --> 00:26:59.622
going and going. We're like, wow, this is getting crazy.

00:27:00.002 --> 00:27:04.822
It got over 350. We were like, I mean, where are they going to go?

00:27:05.062 --> 00:27:10.342
I mean, yeah, look, whatever. Every Volkswagen in the state of Florida that runs is there.

00:27:10.862 --> 00:27:13.142
I know it. They're trailering it in.

00:27:13.922 --> 00:27:19.722
It was really an awesome time. And, you know, there's a lot of plans going into

00:27:19.722 --> 00:27:24.282
to that one, you know, and we'll continue to. We want to do more.

00:27:24.482 --> 00:27:28.102
We tried the night ride, you know, in November of last year.

00:27:28.222 --> 00:27:30.542
I don't know if you guys remember that, but all the lights and,

00:27:30.562 --> 00:27:34.562
you know, dressing all the cars up in lights. No, ours wouldn't start. Okay.

00:27:35.322 --> 00:27:39.522
So there was the night parade. That's the chance you take. It is. It is.

00:27:39.762 --> 00:27:43.382
So with the night parade, we wanted to try to take a different approach.

00:27:43.382 --> 00:27:47.782
And we brought camping back because we had this nice piece of property where we could camp.

00:27:48.142 --> 00:27:53.042
Well, you know, it was November. The storms were, you know, October-ish,

00:27:53.713 --> 00:27:56.693
It was too close in proximity to the storms.

00:27:56.993 --> 00:28:01.393
You know, a lot of people lost their cars in those storms last year.

00:28:01.553 --> 00:28:04.733
So it really, you know, I'm not going to say it flopped. It didn't.

00:28:04.813 --> 00:28:08.633
There was still probably 110 or so, you know, cars for the car show.

00:28:08.793 --> 00:28:13.693
But camping wasn't as popular as we thought. But I guess my point was we're

00:28:13.693 --> 00:28:19.973
working to bring back some cool experiences for the Skyway show and to continue

00:28:19.973 --> 00:28:21.593
that tradition of doing that ride.

00:28:21.913 --> 00:28:26.693
So glad to hear that. Yeah. I think everybody was tired of camping because having

00:28:26.693 --> 00:28:29.093
no power after the storms for a week or two.

00:28:29.533 --> 00:28:31.393
I would have to have enough camping.

00:28:32.113 --> 00:28:36.433
Yeah. And that vibe just was completely, it just wasn't, it wasn't there.

00:28:36.433 --> 00:28:40.213
You know we're just recovering from the storms exactly because

00:28:40.213 --> 00:28:43.253
those were tragic and and a lot of people lost everything

00:28:43.253 --> 00:28:48.733
i know it man i know it horrible time for this area yes and as a kid growing

00:28:48.733 --> 00:28:54.313
up here you know i went to bogey graduated from bogey in 95 i never in my whole

00:28:54.313 --> 00:29:00.033
childhood ever remember seeing so many downed trees as that second oh no this

00:29:00.033 --> 00:29:01.853
whole city south yeah Yeah.

00:29:02.533 --> 00:29:06.033
Unreal. I couldn't believe it. I really couldn't. We went to St.

00:29:06.193 --> 00:29:08.733
Augustine to evacuate. But when I came back a couple of days,

00:29:08.913 --> 00:29:12.273
actually five or six days later, because we were waiting to get power.

00:29:12.813 --> 00:29:17.673
We still didn't have power. Come back into the city. I'm blown away at all the

00:29:17.673 --> 00:29:23.293
downed trees, you know, across the state, actually, you know, whole center portion.

00:29:23.973 --> 00:29:30.233
But all right, I want to fast forward to the peer show because that was another one.

00:29:30.353 --> 00:29:32.933
And you guys, you know, you helped us out.

00:29:33.093 --> 00:29:40.453
You set up as a vendor and kind of, but, you know, still the support was there. And that's thoughtful.

00:29:40.713 --> 00:29:44.953
We certainly appreciate it. I appreciate it. But that was a brand new one.

00:29:45.073 --> 00:29:48.313
And, you know, that was also one that we're trying to bring back,

00:29:48.513 --> 00:29:54.573
Alan, myself, and our new partner, Chris. But what stood out most about this

00:29:54.573 --> 00:29:56.893
peer show just a few weeks ago?

00:29:57.674 --> 00:30:04.074
Well, it was historic because I, as far as I know, that was the first one ever

00:30:04.074 --> 00:30:08.734
and that the city even allowed that to happen.

00:30:08.914 --> 00:30:10.994
Cause you know how it is dealing with city hall.

00:30:11.314 --> 00:30:15.334
I couldn't believe that you were able to pull that off.

00:30:16.074 --> 00:30:21.114
And it, you know, it was a lot like the skyway in a way, because we had that

00:30:21.114 --> 00:30:23.654
little parade through the downtown waterfront.

00:30:23.654 --> 00:30:30.234
And then to be having this car show where it's surrounded on three sides by

00:30:30.234 --> 00:30:33.294
water, and it's just the most beautiful place.

00:30:33.414 --> 00:30:35.434
We're so lucky to live here.

00:30:36.354 --> 00:30:41.254
And I just, I could go on and on about what a great experience was.

00:30:41.494 --> 00:30:45.134
And yeah, it was a little hot out, but it's Florida, you know.

00:30:45.154 --> 00:30:46.554
We had a fan. What do you expect?

00:30:47.114 --> 00:30:50.854
Yeah. But there was plenty to eat and drink. They had great vendors.

00:30:50.854 --> 00:30:53.394
And of course, all our great friends.

00:30:53.654 --> 00:30:55.754
It was extremely well organized.

00:30:56.094 --> 00:31:02.134
Yes. I loved how you guys organized this with the city and had,

00:31:02.154 --> 00:31:06.234
you know, police, you know, telling us where to go.

00:31:06.434 --> 00:31:11.854
There could never be like a mistake, it seemed to me. Like someone couldn't get off track.

00:31:12.094 --> 00:31:14.494
It was extremely, extremely organized.

00:31:14.814 --> 00:31:18.194
I mean, you probably know better than me about how well organized it was,

00:31:18.314 --> 00:31:21.354
but it felt like it was a very well-oiled machine.

00:31:21.914 --> 00:31:26.094
Nice. We wanted you guys. feel that way. Yes, it totally was for us.

00:31:26.174 --> 00:31:27.514
It was a very good experience.

00:31:28.134 --> 00:31:31.154
Good. That's going to be an annual thing. Good.

00:31:31.334 --> 00:31:35.734
And we're already working on 2026. It might be a month or two earlier,

00:31:36.174 --> 00:31:37.934
just because it was too hot.

00:31:38.954 --> 00:31:42.114
The only complaint that we got was the heat, you know, and it's not like we

00:31:42.114 --> 00:31:45.194
can do anything about that. But to talk about- Yeah, what are you going to do?

00:31:45.474 --> 00:31:49.194
Yeah, what are you going to do? We live in paradise. One of the things we deal with is heat.

00:31:49.594 --> 00:31:54.814
But to talk about the planning and involving the city, I don't know if anybody

00:31:54.814 --> 00:31:59.034
will understand the amount of hoops that Alan, myself, and Chris had to jump

00:31:59.034 --> 00:32:03.894
through and prepare and, you know, make an outline and create,

00:32:04.154 --> 00:32:07.814
you know, a map and just, you know, paint this picture for the city and then

00:32:07.814 --> 00:32:10.234
for them to tell us, no, it ain't going to work that way.

00:32:10.614 --> 00:32:13.274
All right, well, back to the drawing board. Can it work this way?

00:32:13.534 --> 00:32:19.094
Finally, we arrived, you know, many months in planning at what would work and it worked.

00:32:19.574 --> 00:32:23.814
Now there's a couple of hiccups and we'll make up for that next year. Of course.

00:32:24.154 --> 00:32:29.294
Yeah. On the way in, somebody broke down. So that caused this huge delay on the way in.

00:32:29.554 --> 00:32:33.914
And then when, when we got to the backside of Spa Beach Park,

00:32:34.194 --> 00:32:38.214
the cars were supposed to pull all the way around, all the way back up to the

00:32:38.214 --> 00:32:41.654
front of the entrance and start parking and filing in that way.

00:32:41.774 --> 00:32:46.234
And instead, when they got out there, they started seeing water on all sides.

00:32:46.354 --> 00:32:48.514
They're like, Hey, hey, my spot's right here.

00:32:48.694 --> 00:32:51.934
I saw that. Yeah, my 17-year-old son was like.

00:32:52.543 --> 00:32:55.943
Keep coming. Right. And they're like, nah, it's cool. I'm going to stay here.

00:32:56.143 --> 00:32:58.723
And he tried to tell them, no, no, no, we have. Oh no.

00:32:59.323 --> 00:33:02.163
Yeah. You guys got to come on. And they got to follow directions.

00:33:02.443 --> 00:33:03.283
Yeah. They didn't want to.

00:33:03.443 --> 00:33:08.083
So he was radio and saying, they're not listening to me. And they weren't, but you know, it's okay.

00:33:08.583 --> 00:33:11.463
Next year. It worked out though. I mean, everyone got the spot and everybody

00:33:11.463 --> 00:33:14.763
was in a great spot. It did. It was great. It was. Yeah.

00:33:15.163 --> 00:33:19.083
And then to talk on that last thing, Chuck, that you had mentioned was,

00:33:19.323 --> 00:33:21.683
you know, was it the first car show.

00:33:22.323 --> 00:33:26.523
So V-dubs on the pier used to be buses on the pier.

00:33:27.183 --> 00:33:33.103
Type twos on the pier, Volkswagen Beetles on the pier, and Sven Couture organized

00:33:33.103 --> 00:33:37.403
those back in the mid-90s up through early 2000s.

00:33:37.503 --> 00:33:42.303
When the new construction of the pier took place, they have not allowed a car

00:33:42.303 --> 00:33:45.423
show back on the pier since new construction.

00:33:45.723 --> 00:33:52.563
So yes, it was new. It was the inaugural, but it was also kind of reviving an

00:33:52.563 --> 00:33:54.003
old event they used to have.

00:33:54.263 --> 00:33:57.743
However, that was on the old pyramid, inverted pyramid design.

00:33:57.923 --> 00:34:01.303
Right. And I remember the Corvettes out there. They did that every year.

00:34:01.463 --> 00:34:08.543
That's right. And there were a lot of car shows and fun stuff back on the inverted pyramid model. Yes.

00:34:08.783 --> 00:34:11.843
Since this new one, they haven't really allowed a lot of energy.

00:34:12.323 --> 00:34:16.783
So, and we knocked it out of the park, by the way, as a Volkswagen community,

00:34:16.783 --> 00:34:21.843
we crushed it. So now the city's like, hey, yeah, we want to do this again.

00:34:22.123 --> 00:34:26.503
So that's going to be an annual thing, and that'll be awesome. Well, that's great.

00:34:27.123 --> 00:34:30.563
I don't know how you pulled it off because I was thinking they're just going

00:34:30.563 --> 00:34:33.463
to be like, we don't want you out there leaking oil all over our place.

00:34:33.743 --> 00:34:37.803
Yeah. Let me tell you how it got pulled off. Here's how it got pulled off. One person.

00:34:38.581 --> 00:34:43.241
Worked at the city who remembered Sven and remembered Volkswagen enthusiasts

00:34:43.241 --> 00:34:46.621
and their energy from the nineties. She's still there.

00:34:47.001 --> 00:34:52.361
And she said, you know, we normally say no to car groups and to car shows and this type of stuff.

00:34:52.481 --> 00:34:57.181
But because I remember you guys, you were laid back, you were chill, you were cool.

00:34:57.401 --> 00:35:02.081
We're going to go ahead and say, yeah. So the community is actually what won this thing.

00:35:02.321 --> 00:35:06.861
It wasn't a single effort. It was a community, but yeah,

00:35:07.081 --> 00:35:12.181
good stuff And we're excited about that one because those pictures that came

00:35:12.181 --> 00:35:18.021
out in the days to follow being a photographer that, you know,

00:35:18.121 --> 00:35:21.421
there was a couple of people that captured them, but that, that guy, Paul Cunningham.

00:35:22.121 --> 00:35:24.661
Oh man. Oh, his shots were amazing.

00:35:25.841 --> 00:35:29.561
Amazing, man. I just love going online every day and there'd,

00:35:29.561 --> 00:35:31.121
there'd be a few more and a few more.

00:35:31.801 --> 00:35:35.481
Me too, man. Me too. It seemed like for weeks people were posting great photos.

00:35:35.861 --> 00:35:39.661
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it was a big smile and moment for Alan, myself,

00:35:39.701 --> 00:35:40.981
and Chris for several weeks.

00:35:41.281 --> 00:35:44.241
It still is because those people still live forever.

00:35:44.561 --> 00:35:48.381
And I mean, hey, man, I love the city of St. Pete. I'm born and raised here.

00:35:48.541 --> 00:35:49.921
My dad, born and raised here.

00:35:50.141 --> 00:35:53.361
My kids, you know, born. Now, we did leave for a little while,

00:35:53.481 --> 00:35:58.241
and I went out to Colorado, but this has always been home, and it always will be.

00:35:58.801 --> 00:36:02.301
Same with him. Yeah, I've never lived anywhere else. Never lived anywhere else.

00:36:02.341 --> 00:36:07.921
My dad's the same way. My dad was born here in 46, graduated from Bogey,

00:36:07.921 --> 00:36:14.061
and he's been set up as J-Person and Company since, I'd say, 64.

00:36:14.961 --> 00:36:22.281
Yeah, I mean, he's a local institution. Yeah, yeah. Antiques and jewelry and estates. Yes.

00:36:22.741 --> 00:36:26.201
Yeah. Well, I want to talk about the orange theme.

00:36:26.721 --> 00:36:31.181
Just, again, strangers on the street. We kind of touched on this a little bit.

00:36:31.561 --> 00:36:34.501
Because they always have a story. They always tell us something,

00:36:34.701 --> 00:36:40.121
but what's the craziest reaction you that you've had from somebody because of the color orange?

00:36:40.221 --> 00:36:46.381
The color orange, you know, it's amazing how many people come up and,

00:36:46.481 --> 00:36:49.861
and by the way, for anybody that's listening, if you're thinking about buying

00:36:49.861 --> 00:36:55.081
a Volkswagen, if you don't like talking to people, do not buy a Volkswagen.

00:36:55.761 --> 00:37:01.441
Big mistake because everybody wants to come up and talk but it was amazing to

00:37:01.441 --> 00:37:05.461
me how many people will come up and of course they've got a volkswagen story

00:37:05.461 --> 00:37:10.221
because everybody does like oh my god orange is my favorite color.

00:37:11.026 --> 00:37:14.206
And what I would have never known. Yeah.

00:37:14.726 --> 00:37:19.686
Orange. The color orange was kind of given to us because the next home is a franchise.

00:37:20.026 --> 00:37:24.926
They had all that set up and, you know, orange is the official color. So we bought into that.

00:37:25.266 --> 00:37:30.186
And, but we like it. So, you know, we're going to stand behind it.

00:37:30.306 --> 00:37:33.026
Very soothing. It's turned into a whole thing.

00:37:33.486 --> 00:37:38.226
Pat has a Facebook group, which I'd encourage your, your listeners to join.

00:37:38.606 --> 00:37:41.466
Orange-aholics. and all it

00:37:41.466 --> 00:37:46.106
is is stuff that happens to be orange and what

00:37:46.106 --> 00:37:48.986
a cool thing to do right we we got

00:37:48.986 --> 00:37:53.466
the idea from there's a young lady here in saint petersburg that owns a hauling

00:37:53.466 --> 00:37:59.226
business called hot mama's hauling and she's a demolition she's also a licensed

00:37:59.226 --> 00:38:04.366
demolition contractor she's amazing so we were having breakfast with her and

00:38:04.366 --> 00:38:08.926
pink is her color and We were talking about branding and she told us about Pinkaholics.

00:38:09.906 --> 00:38:14.366
So right there at the table, Pat started Orangeaholics. And I have to.

00:38:14.366 --> 00:38:16.786
Right in Copper Kitchen. I got to admit, I was like.

00:38:17.026 --> 00:38:20.466
Love the Copper Kitchen. I'm thinking to myself, like, that is so stupid.

00:38:20.646 --> 00:38:24.226
Nobody's going to go to that. Oh, my God. And it exploded.

00:38:24.666 --> 00:38:27.826
Yeah. People send us pictures of stuff just because it's orange.

00:38:28.146 --> 00:38:32.706
Yeah. So cool, man. So cool. And what I like more about it than anything is

00:38:32.706 --> 00:38:34.386
it's organic and it's you.

00:38:34.966 --> 00:38:38.646
Yeah. And those are the most successful things in life are the things that you

00:38:38.646 --> 00:38:41.746
don't really, you can't really explain. You just do them because you feel them.

00:38:42.026 --> 00:38:45.766
And then, you know, it ends up happening. So good for you guys.

00:38:45.986 --> 00:38:48.026
Well, it's got to be something genuine.

00:38:48.526 --> 00:38:53.706
You know, people talk a lot about branding, but branding, it has to be consistent

00:38:53.706 --> 00:38:59.646
with who you are or it's not going to come across. It's just going to be disingenuous,

00:38:59.806 --> 00:39:02.286
just like everybody else out there. Yeah, good call.

00:39:03.212 --> 00:39:08.512
So the local scene here, like you were saying, huge, probably bigger than most

00:39:08.512 --> 00:39:10.512
people anticipate or even expect.

00:39:10.852 --> 00:39:17.112
What do you think makes the scene here in the Tampa Bay area for Volkswagens, you know, so special?

00:39:18.292 --> 00:39:22.992
I think it's because we really care about each other. And not just here.

00:39:23.552 --> 00:39:27.272
It's Volkswagens all over the country.

00:39:28.392 --> 00:39:33.252
It's really a community. Volkswagens attract a certain kind of person because

00:39:33.252 --> 00:39:39.252
in order to own particularly a Volkswagen, you have to be patient.

00:39:39.432 --> 00:39:44.152
You have to be a hands-on person. You have to be somebody who is willing to

00:39:44.152 --> 00:39:47.712
put up with some inconveniences here and there. Right. You're going to break down.

00:39:48.132 --> 00:39:52.132
Those are people that have good character because every one of those is a good

00:39:52.132 --> 00:39:55.712
character trait. And it attracts people with good character.

00:39:56.232 --> 00:40:02.312
Wow. That's amazing. That's true. And it's true. It's very true. What else?

00:40:03.272 --> 00:40:08.972
Well, one thing I've noticed is that everybody in the group,

00:40:08.992 --> 00:40:11.712
in the whole community, everybody is trustworthy.

00:40:11.952 --> 00:40:14.652
And I don't use that word lightly.

00:40:14.992 --> 00:40:18.352
These are people who honestly care.

00:40:18.352 --> 00:40:24.252
If you have a problem, a total stranger will offer to help.

00:40:24.252 --> 00:40:27.032
And that's something that you don't

00:40:27.032 --> 00:40:30.992
see in a lot of communities where and you

00:40:30.992 --> 00:40:35.692
know everybody's always like oh well if you need anything it's it's not like

00:40:35.692 --> 00:40:39.692
that in the volkswagen community it's like no i'm on my way yeah no kidding

00:40:39.692 --> 00:40:45.932
yeah really though too you know i i've experienced that myself and even when

00:40:45.932 --> 00:40:49.672
you you know have a couple extra parts or or in need of a couple

00:40:49.772 --> 00:40:52.652
extra parts all you gotta do is just put a little post up

00:40:52.652 --> 00:40:55.872
and and you better watch out because they're gonna

00:40:55.872 --> 00:40:58.452
be yes they're gonna be flying by your house you know

00:40:58.452 --> 00:41:01.432
it's almost like a race to see who can help somebody the

00:41:01.432 --> 00:41:04.692
fastest it's true and even on our

00:41:04.692 --> 00:41:09.132
beetle there is a piece missing you know the the little lever thing that holds

00:41:09.132 --> 00:41:14.352
the quarter window closed yeah it's missing on one side so guy's like hey noticed

00:41:14.352 --> 00:41:19.012
you were missing this here he had it for 25 years that It was in his toolbox

00:41:19.012 --> 00:41:23.872
for 25 years because you don't throw away Volkswagen parts.

00:41:24.032 --> 00:41:25.772
That would be sacrilege.

00:41:25.992 --> 00:41:30.672
Yeah. How cool is that? Until he ran across us and we needed it and he had it.

00:41:30.952 --> 00:41:36.092
But the Volkswagen community to me is, I don't know, it's like no other.

00:41:36.272 --> 00:41:42.852
So just as a little side thing here, someone in the Volkswagen community passed

00:41:42.852 --> 00:41:44.272
away out of state recently.

00:41:44.811 --> 00:41:48.871
And he was in his thing. Oh, do we have time for that story?

00:41:49.071 --> 00:41:50.531
Do we have time? Absolutely.

00:41:51.191 --> 00:41:55.371
One of our friends in the Volkswagen group, in the local Volks here,

00:41:55.531 --> 00:42:00.751
and I think you know him, he had a dream to drive his Volkswagen thing across country.

00:42:01.031 --> 00:42:07.151
So after lots of planning and preparation, he drove his Volkswagen thing from

00:42:07.151 --> 00:42:12.971
here in Pinellas County, Florida, all the way across country to,

00:42:13.051 --> 00:42:13.951
do you remember the park?

00:42:14.811 --> 00:42:19.191
It wasn't Yellowstone. It was something like that. One of those giant national

00:42:19.191 --> 00:42:22.731
parks all the way over on the other side of the country. It was in Montana.

00:42:23.691 --> 00:42:27.091
And he made it trip of a lifetime.

00:42:27.471 --> 00:42:33.591
Camping along the way really fulfilled a dream of his. A bucket list type.

00:42:34.071 --> 00:42:36.711
A fairly young man, good health.

00:42:37.251 --> 00:42:43.331
Tragically, he passed totally unexpectedly. Had a medical event that took his

00:42:43.331 --> 00:42:49.951
life while he was camping after meeting his destination of driving across the country.

00:42:51.431 --> 00:42:55.471
And, Pat, I'll let you take it from there. So the sister called.

00:42:55.671 --> 00:42:58.571
You know, we were all crying because we knew him personally.

00:42:58.931 --> 00:43:02.311
That was tragic. He was such a great guy. And he was only like 50 or something years old.

00:43:02.311 --> 00:43:05.231
He was young. and they had to

00:43:05.231 --> 00:43:08.591
get his thing from montana to

00:43:08.591 --> 00:43:11.871
pinellas county back home that's

00:43:11.871 --> 00:43:15.491
right and i joined the montana

00:43:15.491 --> 00:43:19.271
volkswagen community facebook group and i

00:43:19.271 --> 00:43:22.851
started reaching out to some people out there and this

00:43:22.851 --> 00:43:26.071
one guy reached out to me and we

00:43:26.071 --> 00:43:29.091
just communicated and through like a chain

00:43:29.091 --> 00:43:31.971
we we were able to get the sister in touch

00:43:31.971 --> 00:43:37.971
with somebody through various channels phone calls and things and they went

00:43:37.971 --> 00:43:43.631
to the park and they got his volkswagen and they took it to like they had a

00:43:43.631 --> 00:43:50.151
big house with you know acres of land and no charge for any of this by the way i'm.

00:43:54.201 --> 00:44:00.781
Just took the Volkswagen to where his house was and covered it up and left it

00:44:00.781 --> 00:44:06.261
there and also then helped her rearrange for a, not a towing. A transport.

00:44:06.461 --> 00:44:12.761
A transport, but somebody that they knew very well out there and put it on the transport.

00:44:13.141 --> 00:44:21.041
And she felt it was just a very comfortable, safe, loving transaction.

00:44:21.321 --> 00:44:24.941
And I don't even want to call it a transaction because it was just so much more than that.

00:44:25.141 --> 00:44:29.881
Well, they became friends. Yeah, and it was like, I still belong to the Montana Volkswagen crew.

00:44:30.541 --> 00:44:32.541
I don't know when I'm going to Montana next.

00:44:33.401 --> 00:44:36.881
That's the community though. Everyone thinks it's just the community here,

00:44:37.081 --> 00:44:42.321
like in Pinellas or Pasco or Manatee or wherever, or just Florida,

00:44:42.601 --> 00:44:43.941
you know, Florida, Volkswagens.

00:44:44.741 --> 00:44:49.721
And it's really not. It's a nationwide and worldwide community.

00:44:50.221 --> 00:44:56.781
And I think the people in Montana understood that that car is so important to

00:44:56.781 --> 00:45:01.741
his family because like all of us Volkswagen owners, a Volkswagen is part of

00:45:01.741 --> 00:45:04.261
who we are. It's an important part of our life.

00:45:04.461 --> 00:45:07.201
It's kind of an extension of us to some extent.

00:45:07.461 --> 00:45:13.621
So they understood the importance of making sure that that Volkswagen thing

00:45:13.621 --> 00:45:17.321
made it back home safely into the hands of his family.

00:45:18.081 --> 00:45:23.501
It's probably one of those things too too, that it's like you don't even have to use words.

00:45:24.001 --> 00:45:29.461
No. You lay a scenario out for a bunch of Volkswagen enthusiasts like that.

00:45:29.561 --> 00:45:34.181
It really doesn't matter where they are in the world, and they're going to congregate

00:45:34.181 --> 00:45:35.361
and they're going to figure it out.

00:45:36.001 --> 00:45:39.341
Like you said, you have to have a little bit of grit, determination,

00:45:39.781 --> 00:45:41.321
patience, mechanical ability.

00:45:41.581 --> 00:45:44.721
All of those things have to come along with owning one of these cars.

00:45:45.401 --> 00:45:48.761
And whether you choose to work on them yourself or pay

00:45:48.761 --> 00:45:51.801
somebody else to do it doesn't doesn't really matter the point is

00:45:51.801 --> 00:45:55.081
no it is that it is that community and

00:45:55.081 --> 00:45:58.361
again i'm so happy to hear that that story

00:45:58.361 --> 00:46:01.421
i didn't know that that that happened and now his car

00:46:01.421 --> 00:46:06.561
you know got back here or whatever so yeah thank you for sharing that that's

00:46:06.561 --> 00:46:10.861
that's amazing it's a very powerful story it is a powerful story and he was

00:46:10.861 --> 00:46:15.541
a dear friend and now that car is safely in the hands of his family where it's

00:46:15.541 --> 00:46:21.321
going to stay forever as a great way to honor his memory. Yeah.

00:46:21.955 --> 00:46:27.635
Fantastic. And I saw recently, even just in the last couple of days, that Joe, Oval Joe.

00:46:28.075 --> 00:46:31.915
Yes. Yes. A medical episode or something happened there too.

00:46:32.375 --> 00:46:37.755
Yeah. It's really unfortunate when some of the old heads, as we call them,

00:46:37.815 --> 00:46:42.375
the guys that have been around for a long time, obviously death's the inevitable,

00:46:42.375 --> 00:46:46.855
but it's just really sad to see when it happens inside of our community.

00:46:47.055 --> 00:46:52.435
But what's really positive. And what I can say is to see how everybody comes

00:46:52.435 --> 00:46:57.075
together is really like, look, I'm getting goosebumps right now just thinking about it.

00:46:57.495 --> 00:47:02.335
I know for sure that Quaker Steak and Lube show.

00:47:02.535 --> 00:47:06.895
I mean, there was a hundred cars there every time I went. Yes, it was huge. Yeah.

00:47:07.895 --> 00:47:12.455
That's not just going to fall. Someone's going to- Someone will step up.

00:47:12.595 --> 00:47:16.635
Yeah. Someone's going to stand in and step up and it's going to be in honor of old Joe.

00:47:16.815 --> 00:47:19.195
And That's going to be so cool. That's going to be so cool. That's right.

00:47:19.735 --> 00:47:22.955
And again, there's some moral in all that too, where, you know,

00:47:23.435 --> 00:47:26.575
none of us are guaranteed tomorrow. So get out and drive your Volkswagen.

00:47:27.255 --> 00:47:30.895
Yeah. I had a guy, I had a guy on the podcast recently.

00:47:31.335 --> 00:47:36.335
I asked for advice at the very end, any last words for the Volkswagen community?

00:47:36.455 --> 00:47:39.375
And he said, get out and touch grass.

00:47:40.113 --> 00:47:43.333
And then I kind of sat there for a second, let him elaborate.

00:47:43.333 --> 00:47:50.753
He said, get off your phone, get up from your desk, go outside and touch the grass.

00:47:51.373 --> 00:47:56.033
And I just thought that that was so awesome because in a busy world like we

00:47:56.033 --> 00:48:00.573
live in with all the stuff going on and wars and bombs and that you don't really

00:48:00.573 --> 00:48:03.353
ever think to stop and smell the roses type mindset.

00:48:03.353 --> 00:48:07.193
And that's really what that, you know, go touch the grass is.

00:48:07.393 --> 00:48:09.773
It's like, you know, yeah, do these things control us?

00:48:10.393 --> 00:48:15.973
But they, I'm not going to complain because I'm also a fan of the technology.

00:48:16.313 --> 00:48:20.713
Well, they're wonderful tools. They're wonderful tools. They've automated and

00:48:20.713 --> 00:48:22.033
allowed us to streamline.

00:48:22.433 --> 00:48:28.413
And, you know, I swear as bad as of a negative thing that you can add to the

00:48:28.413 --> 00:48:30.973
technology and the curse that's come with it.

00:48:30.973 --> 00:48:34.973
There's also the flip side of it and the positives and all the pros,

00:48:35.193 --> 00:48:42.073
you know, my kids have learned a lot from YouTube way more than I did when I was their age.

00:48:42.253 --> 00:48:45.613
You know, I didn't have that, you know, I had to go out and bust my knuckles

00:48:45.613 --> 00:48:47.113
up and learn the hard way.

00:48:47.253 --> 00:48:51.093
They're like, dad, did you know you can fast forward that video and watch it,

00:48:51.213 --> 00:48:54.173
watch it in a faster speed? I'm like, man, these kids.

00:48:56.493 --> 00:48:59.753
Yeah, it's, it's funny, but it's true. Yes.

00:48:59.973 --> 00:49:04.253
And so I, I'm, I'm more of the embracer than I am the challenger or the fighter

00:49:04.253 --> 00:49:09.853
of technology. Do I feel we all need a break from our phones and stuff every now and then? Sure, I do.

00:49:10.113 --> 00:49:14.753
But I also, I'm not going to hate on it because, you know, technology,

00:49:15.113 --> 00:49:17.473
I'm not like really, I'm not afraid of it.

00:49:17.573 --> 00:49:22.513
I think it is the way of the world and you either adapt or you get left behind.

00:49:23.053 --> 00:49:26.413
Well, I think it's like anything else. It's totally benign.

00:49:27.193 --> 00:49:32.473
It's not good. It's not evil. It's how you use it. It can be used for good or evil.

00:49:32.653 --> 00:49:37.873
That's right. And it's up to you to use it to the best of your ability to benefit

00:49:37.873 --> 00:49:39.893
yourself and hopefully mankind.

00:49:40.553 --> 00:49:43.593
And that's why I love the Volkswagens, the simplicity of it.

00:49:43.913 --> 00:49:47.433
Yes. There's no technology at all. It's right back around.

00:49:48.013 --> 00:49:52.673
There's no navigation. There's none of that. Yeah. No. There is on your phone,

00:49:52.873 --> 00:49:54.913
but that's okay. That's okay.

00:49:55.393 --> 00:49:59.473
So, Chuck, you've said in the past that the VW lifestyle is about friendship

00:49:59.473 --> 00:50:00.873
and it's about storytelling.

00:50:01.153 --> 00:50:04.873
Why do you think these cars create such a connection with people?

00:50:05.053 --> 00:50:09.013
Because, I mean, we're here talking about this amazing connection that from

00:50:09.013 --> 00:50:15.313
Montana to, you know, this podcast is actually viewed in like 34 countries at this point.

00:50:15.653 --> 00:50:19.973
So, gosh, I mean, that's crazy. Why do you think these cars create such a connection?

00:50:20.833 --> 00:50:23.173
Well, I think it's that they're so recognizable. Yeah.

00:50:23.729 --> 00:50:33.369
There's never been a car in history that has stayed as much the same through its entire life.

00:50:33.489 --> 00:50:39.249
From the very first Volkswagens made in the 1930s all the way up to our 1974

00:50:39.249 --> 00:50:42.509
and beyond, they're very identifiable.

00:50:42.729 --> 00:50:47.209
You know that's a Volkswagen Beetle. And every Volkswagen is recognizable.

00:50:48.149 --> 00:50:51.889
You know, other classic cars, they're awesome too.

00:50:51.889 --> 00:50:57.149
But there are also many others like them yeah that's my theory is that they're

00:50:57.149 --> 00:51:02.669
so recognizable that they really stick in people's memory and and everybody

00:51:02.669 --> 00:51:08.709
has a happy memory volkswagen it's always i had my first date in that or we

00:51:08.709 --> 00:51:11.469
went on our honeymoon or you know i got my first kiss.

00:51:12.429 --> 00:51:17.129
It's so funny because you're so right and i hear that all the time too yes you

00:51:17.129 --> 00:51:23.329
guys saw recently the Bay News 9 little cover story they did on the Pierce show.

00:51:23.609 --> 00:51:28.169
Did you see when the two news anchors were going to bring in the story and start

00:51:28.169 --> 00:51:31.969
talking about it? They both had Volkswagen stories. There you go.

00:51:32.309 --> 00:51:36.369
The one news anchor talked about, oh, you know, our family had a Beetle and

00:51:36.369 --> 00:51:39.989
I remember one time packing our six cousins in it and going somewhere.

00:51:40.329 --> 00:51:44.949
And then the other one said, oh, I remember ours for the Ladybug floor mats.

00:51:46.289 --> 00:51:50.049
But my point was, to your point, Everybody's got a Volkswagen story.

00:51:50.249 --> 00:51:55.429
Even our local news anchors could attach them to what was about to go down in

00:51:55.429 --> 00:51:56.949
this city. So just so cool.

00:51:57.249 --> 00:52:00.149
And not only that, even a child knows.

00:52:01.169 --> 00:52:04.769
I'm sure you see it all the time, too. How many times do you drive down the

00:52:04.769 --> 00:52:09.449
street and some three-year-old girl rolls down her window and gives you a thumbs up?

00:52:10.659 --> 00:52:13.699
All the time. It feels great, doesn't it?

00:52:13.839 --> 00:52:18.639
You said it. You can't be somebody that doesn't want attention because you're

00:52:18.639 --> 00:52:20.639
going to get it. You're going to have to tell stories.

00:52:20.879 --> 00:52:25.579
You're going to have to give thumbs up back. You're going to have to be friendly in these cars, period.

00:52:26.299 --> 00:52:30.359
How can you not be smiling if every time you go out driving around,

00:52:30.519 --> 00:52:35.479
people are giving you a thumbs up and beeping their horns at you and making pictures of you?

00:52:35.619 --> 00:52:41.559
Yeah, smiles are contagious. While we were filming the Bay News 9 thing,

00:52:41.819 --> 00:52:46.659
this guy had walked by on the sidewalk and asked Raphael if he could get in

00:52:46.659 --> 00:52:47.699
his car and take a picture.

00:52:49.019 --> 00:52:51.779
And we're sitting here with the news guy and we're telling him,

00:52:51.899 --> 00:52:53.859
yeah, man, everybody's got a Volkswagen story.

00:52:54.119 --> 00:52:59.159
And as we're telling him, it's happening right behind us.

00:52:59.459 --> 00:53:03.659
And it's just crazy. And people are so happy when you're like,

00:53:03.719 --> 00:53:05.299
oh, get in. I'll take a picture of you.

00:53:05.479 --> 00:53:08.039
Yeah. You know, what a great way to spread joy.

00:53:08.459 --> 00:53:10.259
Yeah. Happiest car in the world.

00:53:10.719 --> 00:53:15.459
You're right. Yeah. It's just a lot of fun. That never happened with our old truck. No.

00:53:16.199 --> 00:53:20.559
Pat, anything else from you on why these cars create such a connection?

00:53:21.559 --> 00:53:28.319
It's a very, very fun car. It's just a lot of fun. And like you said before, it's just a connection.

00:53:28.799 --> 00:53:33.139
And people just love them. They have so many memories.

00:53:33.679 --> 00:53:37.459
And they just adore it. So I've got a good question for you both,

00:53:37.479 --> 00:53:40.359
and it doesn't matter who answers it first.

00:53:41.019 --> 00:53:45.559
What's something about the VW scene that has completely surprised you?

00:53:45.779 --> 00:53:47.119
So we're at Twisty Treat.

00:53:47.879 --> 00:53:50.679
Oh, no. I know where this is headed.

00:53:51.699 --> 00:53:55.259
Twisty Treat over on the beach on Gulf Boulevard? Yeah, St. Pete Beach.

00:53:56.439 --> 00:53:59.759
And we had our car and guia. Yeah, we're driving our car and guia.

00:53:59.939 --> 00:54:03.059
That's right. We had our car and guia with us. I was wondering how that guy would know us.

00:54:03.519 --> 00:54:08.519
And so this guy, we got our ice cream and we were, you know, just sitting there.

00:54:08.659 --> 00:54:13.179
And the guy says, oh, are you going to join the local Volkswagen community?

00:54:13.719 --> 00:54:15.799
And we're like, we didn't actually know about local Volkswagen.

00:54:15.799 --> 00:54:18.299
We didn't know there was one at that time. We didn't even know at that time.

00:54:18.599 --> 00:54:21.819
Because we were new to the Volkswagen. Yeah, we had just gotten it.

00:54:22.139 --> 00:54:23.939
Yeah. And so what did he say?

00:54:24.399 --> 00:54:29.219
But he's like, yeah, I used to have a Volkswagen. I used to go to that group

00:54:29.219 --> 00:54:32.039
until it got taken over by the Puerto Ricans.

00:54:33.219 --> 00:54:38.499
And I'm like, I'm like, what? What? And I was just like, okay,

00:54:38.579 --> 00:54:39.859
this guy's crazy. It was crazy.

00:54:40.339 --> 00:54:46.539
And I mean. It was crazy. Not that I really think of our friends in categories

00:54:46.539 --> 00:54:52.399
like that, but I was like, well, some of the nicest guys happen to be from there. Right? Yeah.

00:54:53.086 --> 00:54:56.686
But that was really a shock to me that someone would equate that.

00:54:56.846 --> 00:55:00.546
But he didn't have a Volkswagen anymore. No. And I was like, ha ha.

00:55:00.986 --> 00:55:04.746
Yeah, exactly. You're like, get out of our scene, buddy.

00:55:05.126 --> 00:55:11.786
You know, that's an interesting thing too, Joe, is that the Volkswagen community is self-weeding.

00:55:13.646 --> 00:55:19.806
People who have the wrong attitude are not going to fit in. They're not going

00:55:19.806 --> 00:55:23.226
to feel comfortable and they're just going to go away.

00:55:23.966 --> 00:55:27.326
It's, it's totally self-supporting that way.

00:55:27.766 --> 00:55:32.706
We're what a cool topic that came off of something that completely surprised you.

00:55:33.286 --> 00:55:35.686
Yes. Chuck, anything from your side?

00:55:37.306 --> 00:55:40.606
Anything that surprised you? All right. This is going to sound terrible,

00:55:40.806 --> 00:55:42.346
but another terrible one.

00:55:42.546 --> 00:55:46.966
I mean, everywhere I go, I find somebody I don't like, you know, you're bound to,

00:55:47.126 --> 00:55:50.186
there's going to be somebody but i can honestly

00:55:50.186 --> 00:55:53.486
tell you i have not found one single person

00:55:53.486 --> 00:55:57.026
in the volkswagen community that i dislike wow

00:55:57.026 --> 00:56:00.146
and that's amazing to me because you get

00:56:00.146 --> 00:56:05.626
so many different kinds of people you're bound to not click with somebody but

00:56:05.626 --> 00:56:12.346
not with volkswagens this shared passion now for the two of you how has the

00:56:12.346 --> 00:56:17.026
volkswagen passion brought you guys closer as a couple?

00:56:17.606 --> 00:56:22.106
Well, it's just one more thing that we can do together, enjoy together,

00:56:22.306 --> 00:56:23.706
be passionate about together.

00:56:24.046 --> 00:56:29.466
Because one thing that some of your listeners may not know is that we're not

00:56:29.466 --> 00:56:32.446
just husband and wife, but we work together too.

00:56:32.666 --> 00:56:37.446
We're in the same profession and we're husband and wife real estate team.

00:56:37.446 --> 00:56:44.226
So we're together all day, every day, most days. And that works great for us.

00:56:44.766 --> 00:56:48.906
We love it, yeah. It just gives us one more fun thing to do together that we

00:56:48.906 --> 00:56:52.366
can both enjoy. And it gets us out of the house. Yes.

00:56:52.766 --> 00:56:56.806
You know, because, you know, here we are in the house, and my desk is over there, and his is here.

00:56:57.206 --> 00:57:00.406
And so we're in our office, and we're in our office a lot. Of course,

00:57:00.566 --> 00:57:02.806
you know, we're out showing homes a lot, too.

00:57:02.966 --> 00:57:05.206
But, you know, there's a lot of office work.

00:57:05.506 --> 00:57:09.206
And so it really just gets us out of the house and—,

00:57:10.200 --> 00:57:15.460
It's kind of freeing, you know, getting in the car and just going and the windows are down.

00:57:15.920 --> 00:57:19.840
Yes, it might be a little hot, but it is very freeing. And you're right.

00:57:20.000 --> 00:57:23.560
We just take a ride like over the skyway sometimes and go to that little beach

00:57:23.560 --> 00:57:24.920
that's right there. Oh, yeah.

00:57:25.440 --> 00:57:30.360
Over the skyway. We just like doing that. You know, I didn't think of that, but you're right.

00:57:30.440 --> 00:57:34.120
Sometimes we just, hey, let's take a break and go for a little ride. Yeah.

00:57:35.240 --> 00:57:38.420
And just drive downtown or drive out to the beach.

00:57:38.700 --> 00:57:43.340
I can relate to that feeling. Get some fresh air and get that fresh air and

00:57:43.340 --> 00:57:47.080
it gives you a whole new perspective on life. It does.

00:57:47.340 --> 00:57:51.480
Somebody on one of the last couple episodes I had said, if you're in a bad mood,

00:57:51.660 --> 00:57:55.080
that's all you got to do is just go get in your dub and start driving because

00:57:55.080 --> 00:57:59.180
it'll be but two traffic lights up the road before you get some thumbs up and

00:57:59.180 --> 00:58:02.200
some smiles and your mood will completely change.

00:58:03.320 --> 00:58:06.020
Yeah. Who doesn't need that kind of affirmation in their life?

00:58:06.180 --> 00:58:07.580
That's right, man. That's right.

00:58:08.000 --> 00:58:10.700
All right. And I got some rapid fire questions for you guys.

00:58:10.820 --> 00:58:16.160
Now you answer them, you know, individually as well, but I want fast,

00:58:16.440 --> 00:58:18.720
quick answers for the next several questions. All right.

00:58:19.120 --> 00:58:22.460
All right. All right. If you had to choose one for the rest of your life,

00:58:22.560 --> 00:58:23.660
air cooled or water cooled?

00:58:24.320 --> 00:58:28.860
Air cooled. Air cooled. Oh yeah. Pat, same for you. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah.

00:58:29.540 --> 00:58:33.720
All right. If we're going to take a ride in Florida, are we going to take a

00:58:33.720 --> 00:58:38.240
ride with no brakes or are we going to take a ride with no wipers?

00:58:38.480 --> 00:58:40.020
During a Florida thunderstorm?

00:58:40.380 --> 00:58:43.460
No wipers. No wipers. Yeah, we need breaks, right?

00:58:43.840 --> 00:58:47.860
We can feel the no wipers. Especially around here. I still carry towels,

00:58:47.960 --> 00:58:50.800
and I'm always having to wipe my windows down.

00:58:50.980 --> 00:58:55.320
You guys know all about it. All right, favorite. You don't need to see, but you do need to stop.

00:58:55.580 --> 00:58:58.900
You do, you do. Favorite era of VW advertising?

00:59:00.480 --> 00:59:05.260
70s. Oh, it's got to be those classics. Yeah, the classics. I remember going

00:59:05.260 --> 00:59:06.340
to school for advertising.

00:59:07.100 --> 00:59:08.800
I'm sure people still study those.

00:59:10.160 --> 00:59:14.140
Amen. They're actually art now. Truly.

00:59:14.680 --> 00:59:20.020
You can buy the old books and the old pages, the old magazine inserts, and they're art.

00:59:20.120 --> 00:59:25.560
The whole think small and all that stuff, it's amazing what they had to accomplish.

00:59:26.000 --> 00:59:33.600
60s and 70s. Those were very iconic and a real turning point in advertising. Yeah. Amazing.

00:59:34.260 --> 00:59:42.000
Mm-hmm. All right. Money, no object. for either of you one VW model or car that

00:59:42.000 --> 00:59:47.800
you mine's already picked out I already have mine picked out is it sitting in the driveway no,

00:59:48.900 --> 00:59:56.140
so we go to craft cafe a lot I go there a lot because I'm gluten free and there's

00:59:56.140 --> 01:00:03.800
a guy there his name is Bill an older guy he's got this fabulous it's a double cab yeah.

01:00:05.204 --> 01:00:11.704
Yeah. It's flawless. It's flawless. It's like, oh. 60s or 70s, Bay Window? 60s.

01:00:12.264 --> 01:00:14.004
60s. So it's a split.

01:00:14.704 --> 01:00:18.884
And it's never been restored. It's been maintained. Oh, it's just fabulous.

01:00:19.204 --> 01:00:24.004
I bet it is. It's like so sweet. So I'm first on his list.

01:00:24.344 --> 01:00:28.084
Okay. For selling it. And I don't know where I'll get the money, but.

01:00:28.544 --> 01:00:32.044
We'll figure that out. I was about to say, you know. I need more listings.

01:00:32.164 --> 01:00:33.284
Opportunities like that come.

01:00:33.424 --> 01:00:36.784
You got to just figure it out. I need a buyer, whatever.

01:00:39.084 --> 01:00:43.044
We'll figure that out. Because that, oh my God, that double cab is just.

01:00:43.904 --> 01:00:50.844
So a split bus double cab is money, no object, one that you would like. How about you?

01:00:51.524 --> 01:00:55.564
Not just any, but that particular one that Bill has. Yeah. Okay,

01:00:55.764 --> 01:00:59.504
okay, okay. A split window bus. A split window bus. All right.

01:01:00.764 --> 01:01:04.964
Most overrated VW of all time. Most overrated.

01:01:05.924 --> 01:01:09.924
You know, I was afraid you were going to ask that. And, you know,

01:01:09.984 --> 01:01:14.404
I kind of come from the school of thought of if it's running and you're enjoying

01:01:14.404 --> 01:01:16.604
driving it, it's great. Yeah.

01:01:17.004 --> 01:01:20.224
You know, I used to be involved in motorcycles a lot, and I never got into that

01:01:20.224 --> 01:01:21.904
brand thing for the same reason.

01:01:22.084 --> 01:01:26.224
It's like, if it runs and you're having fun, it's awesome.

01:01:26.444 --> 01:01:29.044
Anything else? I'm not against Super Beetles.

01:01:29.504 --> 01:01:33.124
Me either. Not either. I like them, actually. Against any of them.

01:01:33.164 --> 01:01:35.884
They're awesome, too. They're all great. Yeah, I like a lot of them.

01:01:36.344 --> 01:01:41.324
And one thing that I do like about some of the later model classic Volkswagens

01:01:41.324 --> 01:01:45.864
is that they're a little bit more usable in today's traffic.

01:01:46.164 --> 01:01:49.604
Yeah, they started adding things that made... They stop good.

01:01:49.864 --> 01:01:53.524
They have enough power. And mostly, they stop better.

01:01:53.524 --> 01:01:56.404
You know in today's traffic with

01:01:56.404 --> 01:01:59.704
the way it's gotten here in florida that's that's a consideration if

01:01:59.704 --> 01:02:02.824
you want to actually use it a lot and we like

01:02:02.824 --> 01:02:05.764
to use ours a lot i know and

01:02:05.764 --> 01:02:09.824
i see you guys using it a lot and that's fantastic that's why i'm glad we're

01:02:09.824 --> 01:02:14.124
connecting we use ours a lot too i i know i see you out there putting out real

01:02:14.124 --> 01:02:18.284
estate signs i was just gonna say i look for reasons your wife's in the business

01:02:18.284 --> 01:02:23.604
that we're in and you're out there putting signs out and i do that it's great i do I do it.

01:02:23.684 --> 01:02:26.344
I go throw her signs up for open house every weekend.

01:02:26.524 --> 01:02:32.524
It's a reason for me to drop the top, fold the windshield down and go hang out, man. I know.

01:02:32.864 --> 01:02:37.224
I take my speaker and, you know, I enjoy it. I do. I love it.

01:02:37.404 --> 01:02:40.764
Just like you guys do. Who's the better driver? Chuck or Pat?

01:02:41.591 --> 01:02:47.311
I would say him. Well, better or safer? Is there such thing?

01:02:47.671 --> 01:02:54.431
Now, Pat, being from New York City, if you need to get through traffic quickly, she's your girl.

01:02:55.311 --> 01:02:58.711
But if you need to get there in one piece, I'm your guy. Yeah, that's right.

01:02:59.211 --> 01:03:01.671
Actually, we're both very good drivers. We are actually safe.

01:03:01.671 --> 01:03:03.091
We're both very safe, very careful.

01:03:03.511 --> 01:03:08.631
You know, something about a big city, big cities teach you how to drive well.

01:03:08.791 --> 01:03:12.471
Yes. Like you drive in Manhattan, you know how to drive like a cab driver.

01:03:12.651 --> 01:03:15.751
I'm about to say, you know, growing up in a big city, if you can learn how to

01:03:15.751 --> 01:03:18.791
drive in New York and you can hang with the best of them and not wreck. Yeah.

01:03:19.131 --> 01:03:22.631
You're going to come down here and be like freaking Mario Andretti on our streets.

01:03:23.011 --> 01:03:24.971
Oh, and Pat can parallel park.

01:03:25.651 --> 01:03:29.391
Yeah, I bet. I mean, I was like, there's no way you're fitting in there.

01:03:29.451 --> 01:03:30.531
And she's like, oh, yeah, I will.

01:03:32.171 --> 01:03:33.671
I can't believe you got in there.

01:03:35.491 --> 01:03:41.211
VW theme song. Radar love for me. Gary Neumann, Cars, comes to mind first.

01:03:41.651 --> 01:03:45.771
Cool song. Cool song, both of you. Good stuff. Good vibe. You guys are a couple.

01:03:46.011 --> 01:03:49.651
You're into Volkswagens. You understand. We've talked about the vibe this whole time.

01:03:49.911 --> 01:03:56.331
What would you say to a couple that might be thinking about getting into the VW lifestyle together?

01:03:57.511 --> 01:04:01.991
What kind of advice would you give them about maybe buying their first classic Volkswagen?

01:04:02.331 --> 01:04:07.451
My advice would be don't buy a project. Get one that's in fairly good condition

01:04:07.451 --> 01:04:11.551
to start with, because that way you can start enjoying it right away.

01:04:12.211 --> 01:04:15.791
I've seen so many people that buy a project, it ends up sitting in the garage

01:04:15.791 --> 01:04:19.011
for years, and then they end up selling it because it's— Or it just rots away.

01:04:19.131 --> 01:04:20.711
—been sitting in the garage for years. Yeah.

01:04:21.331 --> 01:04:25.011
So buy one that's in fairly good condition that you can use.

01:04:25.131 --> 01:04:26.971
They're not expensive at all. No.

01:04:27.191 --> 01:04:35.331
And then together, work on it and clean it up and make it better over time. and I think that,

01:04:36.001 --> 01:04:41.341
You know, having some adversity together really strengthens a relationship.

01:04:41.621 --> 01:04:44.761
So you're going to get broke down somewhere.

01:04:44.961 --> 01:04:49.561
It's just going to happen. If you're driving a 50-year-old or more vehicle,

01:04:49.901 --> 01:04:54.801
it's going to break down someday. Now, that's not to say that they're not reliable,

01:04:54.801 --> 01:04:57.741
because they are very reliable, but it's going to happen.

01:04:58.261 --> 01:05:03.081
And I think for us, when we have little inconveniences like that,

01:05:03.461 --> 01:05:06.861
it kind of gives us an opportunity to strengthen our relationship.

01:05:06.861 --> 01:05:10.601
Yeah, the other thing I would say is also for them to join, like,

01:05:10.741 --> 01:05:16.861
local Vokes or Montana Volkswagen community, wherever they live.

01:05:17.041 --> 01:05:20.521
Or Salty Dove. Make friends with other people. Make friends with other people,

01:05:20.601 --> 01:05:25.441
and it'll be a learning experience for them, you know, in terms of.

01:05:26.181 --> 01:05:29.661
You know, where to get a part, where to get a good engine, who's a good mechanic.

01:05:29.981 --> 01:05:35.801
I mean, just to kind of get that feeling of camaraderie and helpfulness.

01:05:35.801 --> 01:05:38.021
And I think that's really important, too.

01:05:38.161 --> 01:05:42.361
Like, we were so grateful that we joined the local Vokes community here.

01:05:42.561 --> 01:05:47.081
Well, our latest new engine was a good example where we just happened to mention

01:05:47.081 --> 01:05:51.241
to one of the guys in the group, like, you know, the Beatles getting to be needing

01:05:51.241 --> 01:05:52.441
a new engine pretty soon.

01:05:52.641 --> 01:05:55.661
He's like, hey, the guy that built my engine, he's a friend of mine.

01:05:55.901 --> 01:05:57.601
He does it on the side, you know.

01:05:58.501 --> 01:06:01.461
So it's a friend of a friend. We trust our friend. He trusts him.

01:06:01.681 --> 01:06:04.641
So he gets trust by extension.

01:06:05.241 --> 01:06:08.661
And it was awesome. And we made a new friend in the process. Right.

01:06:09.241 --> 01:06:12.861
Lovely. That's what the community truly, that's what I feel it's all about.

01:06:13.241 --> 01:06:16.561
Good advice though. Good advice. I think that's sound. You know,

01:06:17.121 --> 01:06:21.481
somebody new getting into these cars, you want them to have kind of a good taste.

01:06:22.075 --> 01:06:26.835
Yes. Because you're right. We do deal with a little bit of pushback and adversity

01:06:26.835 --> 01:06:30.215
from these cars at times, but you're also right. They are dependable.

01:06:30.535 --> 01:06:33.815
I would get in my thing right now and I would drive it anywhere.

01:06:34.095 --> 01:06:38.195
I mean, it's probably going to fail on me, but I trust it and I would.

01:06:38.575 --> 01:06:43.375
The Carmen Kia, I'm not like even exaggerating. I would get in that car and

01:06:43.375 --> 01:06:44.755
drive it tomorrow to Colorado.

01:06:45.515 --> 01:06:49.555
I would do the same. I'd drive it to California. yeah

01:06:49.555 --> 01:06:52.235
it runs so well and it's so

01:06:52.235 --> 01:06:55.875
quiet and just yeah man it's a great car yeah

01:06:55.875 --> 01:06:58.695
i i don't like owning stuff that i can't rely

01:06:58.695 --> 01:07:02.515
on yeah me either and like you said you gotta have a little bit of patience

01:07:02.515 --> 01:07:06.615
you know sure great advice great advice i'm interested to hear what's coming

01:07:06.615 --> 01:07:12.835
up next for you guys any any any plans in the in the community any any rides

01:07:12.835 --> 01:07:16.315
or any anything you're going to any plans for Volkswagen?

01:07:16.475 --> 01:07:22.195
When it gets cooler, we've had barbecues at our house and, you know,

01:07:22.315 --> 01:07:26.555
everyone from local Volks is invited. Like, even if we don't know them that well, we don't care.

01:07:26.835 --> 01:07:28.855
We don't have to know them at all. We don't have to know them at all,

01:07:28.955 --> 01:07:31.815
really. That's how you get to know them, right? Right, right.

01:07:32.075 --> 01:07:37.895
So we like to have the barbecue at our house and it's so cool to see like all

01:07:37.895 --> 01:07:40.935
the Volkswagens, you know, lined up.

01:07:41.035 --> 01:07:43.855
We had 40 some odd volkswagens last time lined up

01:07:43.855 --> 01:07:46.575
around the neighborhood yeah wasn't that your is that your

01:07:46.575 --> 01:07:49.415
birthday no that was just that was

01:07:49.415 --> 01:07:52.115
just well we had a few from that because of course many of our

01:07:52.115 --> 01:07:57.055
friends do have volkswagens but when sometimes we have one that's just strictly

01:07:57.055 --> 01:08:01.995
for our volkswagen community yeah and just if if you're in the volkswagen community

01:08:01.995 --> 01:08:06.815
come over and have a burger with us right yeah and those are really like to

01:08:06.815 --> 01:08:10.295
cook chuck you cook yeah we both do i love to cook.

01:08:10.495 --> 01:08:13.295
We both enjoy it. I like grilling. Yeah, me too.

01:08:14.235 --> 01:08:17.755
I think one of my favorite things is probably smoking meats.

01:08:18.275 --> 01:08:21.775
Oh, nice. Yeah, I'm into all types of smoked meats.

01:08:21.975 --> 01:08:25.915
I spend some time in Texas. I teach a sales class out in Texas,

01:08:26.115 --> 01:08:30.995
so I spend some good time out there, and there's no barbecue in the world like Texas barbecue.

01:08:31.535 --> 01:08:36.335
Oh. Yeah, I mean, it is just, that's top-notch stuff, but tell me this.

01:08:36.475 --> 01:08:39.615
How can people find you guys if they want to connect with you?

01:08:39.795 --> 01:08:43.935
Give me your, your shout out to your, your, your Facebook and your Instagram

01:08:43.935 --> 01:08:46.895
and your business, your website. Like how can people find you?

01:08:47.515 --> 01:08:51.435
All right. Well, we're, we're both on Facebook, Pat Vosberg,

01:08:51.875 --> 01:08:55.175
Chuck Vosberg, and I'm sure it'll be in the show notes how to spell it.

01:08:55.415 --> 01:08:59.495
And if, if you wanted to email either one of us, it's simple.

01:08:59.635 --> 01:09:05.795
Pat at Chuck and Pat dot homes. there's no dot com after it just dot homes or

01:09:05.795 --> 01:09:12.395
chuck at chuck and pat dot homes so those are the easiest way to get hold of us we're.

01:09:13.154 --> 01:09:16.654
Any social media, we're there. It's easy to find us.

01:09:16.914 --> 01:09:21.954
We answer our phones. And we answer our phones. My phone number is 813-220-4898.

01:09:22.374 --> 01:09:26.614
And 727-743-1740.

01:09:27.274 --> 01:09:31.334
In a wonderful voice as well. I love it. I love it.

01:09:31.694 --> 01:09:36.574
All right. Last thing I'll have you guys answer. And this is probably one that

01:09:36.574 --> 01:09:40.414
you had to think about because I had to think about it when I was crafting it for you.

01:09:40.634 --> 01:09:49.154
But if you had to describe your VW journey thus far in one word each, what would that be? Fun.

01:09:50.674 --> 01:09:55.214
Adventurous. Adventurous. Good one. Yeah, it is a good one.

01:09:55.874 --> 01:10:02.434
Adventurous. It's always an adventure. Do you guys have Instagrams for your car?

01:10:03.194 --> 01:10:07.094
No, but it's funny you mention that because that has crossed my mind.

01:10:07.214 --> 01:10:10.154
That's a wrap for this episode of Dub Life Diaries.

01:10:10.354 --> 01:10:14.194
Thanks for riding along with us and diving into these incredible stories of

01:10:14.194 --> 01:10:16.254
the people in the dubs that drive their dreams.

01:10:16.514 --> 01:10:21.074
If you loved today's episode, don't forget to subscribe or hit that follow button

01:10:21.074 --> 01:10:22.394
so you never miss an adventure.

01:10:22.674 --> 01:10:27.354
Do you have a story to tell or know somebody else who's living the dub life? Awesome.

01:10:27.774 --> 01:10:32.694
Reach out to us. You can find us on all socials at DubLife Diaries or shoot

01:10:32.694 --> 01:10:34.454
me an email. I'm not hard to find.

01:10:35.334 --> 01:10:40.394
DubLifeDiaries at gmail.com. Until next time, Keep the engines humming and the

01:10:40.394 --> 01:10:44.974
wheels turning and always follow the road that inspires you. This is Joe Person.

01:10:45.174 --> 01:10:47.254
I'm signing off. I'll catch you on the next.

01:10:48.080 --> 01:11:45.103
Music.