Post by PICTUP on Jan 5, 2015 20:07:53 GMT -8
Back in around 1988 I was visiting with my Grandmother in her apartment on the 7th floor on Larch Street in Vancouver, just off 41st Ave. I happened to look down to the Esso or Chevron Service Station(can't remember, sorry) and there in the back I saw a little forlorn earlier Ghia(pre 65). I had always wanted a Ghia ever since driving around in my mum's friend's Convertible Ghia back when I was 4 or 5. So I went down to have a look and talk with the station owner. Sure enough, it had been owned by a little old lady(really!) who just didn't want it any more. I ended up buying the car for 300 bucks…deal!! It was sitting on 2 flat tires, but they were in decent shape so they just needed re-inflation. I changed the oil, adjusted the valves, charged the 6 volt battery, and she started right up! I don't know how much I drove the car around before formulating a plan to get her home, but I must've been pretty confident because I ended up driving her back to my parents' place. So where was that you say? Why, the Okanagan, just north of Oliver to be vague 
The trip went off without a hitch, with my mum following in her Toyota Tercel AWD Wagon.
Here is a pic of me in my genuine BOW WOW Baja Wheelie Bug T shirt(I loved that shirt!) standing beside my Ghia probably in Hope or Princeton BC. Note the Peter Paul license plate frame…probably someone would like that now!
Unfortunately the Ghia was very rusty. I contacted a local OK car restorer to work on it "in his spare time". So I took the car to him. I think there are more than a few out there that can predict how that would work out….Well yes indeed, nothing got done in over a year. Who has spare time for customer's cars anyway?? I decided to sell the car because the skill needed was far beyond what I had and I just couldn't see storing it any more. I regret that, but really what could I do? I did have an offer to trade the Ghia for a Neptune Blue Early Bay Single Cab that I drove by many many times just outside Princeton BC. Unfortunately it was 20 plus years too soon!
Here is the only other pic I have of the Ghia. Relegated to the "rubble pile" she was not rubbish, but it was flat. This this car never failed to start first time even after months of standing idle. That always amazed me and I do regret not treating her better.
The trip went off without a hitch, with my mum following in her Toyota Tercel AWD Wagon.Here is a pic of me in my genuine BOW WOW Baja Wheelie Bug T shirt(I loved that shirt!) standing beside my Ghia probably in Hope or Princeton BC. Note the Peter Paul license plate frame…probably someone would like that now!
Unfortunately the Ghia was very rusty. I contacted a local OK car restorer to work on it "in his spare time". So I took the car to him. I think there are more than a few out there that can predict how that would work out….Well yes indeed, nothing got done in over a year. Who has spare time for customer's cars anyway?? I decided to sell the car because the skill needed was far beyond what I had and I just couldn't see storing it any more. I regret that, but really what could I do? I did have an offer to trade the Ghia for a Neptune Blue Early Bay Single Cab that I drove by many many times just outside Princeton BC. Unfortunately it was 20 plus years too soon!
Here is the only other pic I have of the Ghia. Relegated to the "rubble pile" she was not rubbish, but it was flat. This this car never failed to start first time even after months of standing idle. That always amazed me and I do regret not treating her better.
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