message sent to the newbug list upon the arrival of the spacepod. [ this is message 1 of 3 ] a little history: JANUARY 1999 i discover and subscribe to this list. i promptly proceed to kick off the thread that results in r2k. (what can i say? it's a talent ;) MARCH 1999 i put down a deposit at a local dealership for a silver tdi w/sunroof. my dealer seems kind of unhappy but willing to try, and says it could be anywhere from 2-6 months. sunrooves have only just begun appearing on nb's. he carefully (and honestly) explains to me the stupid "special order" process for nb's. APRIL - JULY 1999 i pester my dealer every few weeks. we have one false alarm in the summer, a car that shows up as a diesel on the manifest but turns out to be a gas engine when it arrives. shortly thereafter, he tells me that VW has temporarily halted production of nb tdi's. AUGUST 1999 tdi's are very scarce but phil starts reporting getting them in again. i start calling dealers out of state, anyone that i think can help me. I have another false alarm, and a near-miss, both at out of state dealerships. SEPTEMBER 1999 i finally talk to ellen lang and she feels confident she can get it for me within 2 months if i "order" it through her. about an hour before i am planning to call her to tell her that i'll send her a deposit, my local dealer calls to tell me that they have something.... next :: top