(Eventually has to do with canoes). After shopping around the appraised value I sold our rust-bucket 23 year old Ford van to a used car dealer this morning. Only 126,000 miles, it was our designated family four-canoe hauler, 90% of the mileage was from spring, summer and winter break tripping travels around the country.

Winter and even spring travels often saw it driven for days on salt (or worse) brine covered roads, including some long white-knuckle travel days; it snowed on one return spring trip from South Carolina to the Pennsylvania border, and when crossing high Rock Mnt passes a few times. Some trips both ways out and back over the passes.

P5010956 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I could have gotten more selling it privately, but the frame (and one spring) were nearly rusted through, at least the dealers knew what they were getting.

The missed opportunity? I drove it to the lot and was inside doing paperwork when my son arrived to fetch me. As we drove home he remarked “I saw them drive it around back. They had already removed all of the decals and stickers”.

As a vintage/beater designated padding vehicle it had accumulated a LOT of stickers,; several canoe club stickers, a poling sticker and a 12” reflective circle Duckhead logo a friend had made of the stuff used on emergency vehicles.

IMG015 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

And, of course, traditional on my trucks and vans, a Truckerman sticker.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1003635573 ... er-sticker

For some reason my wife didn’t like to drive the van. It could have been worse.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/144391754405?v ... Pgig%3D%3D

(I want one. Asking for a friend’s truck)

I had done all the paperwork the day before, and was inside for the dealer for 20 minutes. What the/how the did they get all those stickers, on paint, glass and plastic bumper, off that fast? I doubt it was a heat gun and razor in the parking lot; some of those decals were ancient, and older often comes off in crumbs. They must have some secret recipe.

Removing stickers and manufacturer logos from boat hulls is a tedious PITA. I may e-mail them and ask how/with what they remove old stickers.

"it could have been worse"
lol

maybe they used an electric sander

Ooh, a big reflective Duckhead sticker would be cool!