It begins
It’s a good thing that the Nachi virus struck, or I might never have bought the Ghia.
I’ve wanted a Karmann Ghia for many years. I want to convert it to an electric vehicle, because it’s mechanically simple, aerodynamic, and looks cool. Recently the desire to convert a vehicle to battery power came upon me again and I joined the EV discussion list. I lurked for a while and then asked if it was a good idea for a complete novice to convert a Ghia. The consensus was a general “Yes” (at least that’s how I interpreted it).
I began hunting for Ghias on the Internet. I wanted one with a good interior, body, and transmission. I didn’t care about the gas engine - it was coming out anyway. I found one on eBay that looked good - here’s an archived copy of the page. As a bonus, it was in Las Vegas, which meant not only that it was probably rust-free but that we’d have to go to Las Vegas to pick it up.
Of course I would never have bought it. The little voice inside my head said, “Buy a car sight unseen over the Internet from a stranger, with money you probably shouldn’t be spending, in order to attempt a major piece of automotive legerdemain? The last time you touched any part of a car with grease on it was twenty years ago, and you put the brake shoes on upside-down!”
And it was all true. About the only thing I had going for me was a huge two-car garage containing only one car. So it was a good thing that Nachi melted down the network at work.
See, I’d been working to clean up the mess caused by Nachi for 27 hours straight and I was pretty loopy. I came wobbling home, and my judgement and inhibitions were such that with a very little bit of encouragement from Anna, I was suddenly and shockingly the owner of a purple Karmann Ghia with a burned-up engine.
Then I fell into bed and slept for a day.
And it was still mine when I woke up.
Sat, 30 Aug 2003
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