Handwritten note lands man his dream car

David Kavermann
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Kyle Cropsey poses with his 1971 Volkswagen bus. Photo / AP

One lucky man now owns the car of his dreams, eight years after he slipped a note inside the window of a blue 1971 Volkswagen bus.

Then-16-year-old Kyle Cropsey spotted the iconic van on a trip to the beach and instantly fell in love with the car.

Speaking with Newsday, Cropsey said he had always wanted a to own the iconic model ever since he first saw one on a family trip to Europe.

"My entire senior year of college was spent looking for one," said Cropsey.

But when Cropsey was 16, he finally found what he was looking for on a trip to the beach. But there was one catch - it wan't for sale.

"We saw it in the car park, we took some pictures, and i jokingly posted on Facebook saying 'My future dream car.'"

Cropsey also wrote a note to the owner asking the owner to give him a call if they ever wanted to sell. 

"I was actually so disappointed when i stuffed the note in because it missed the seat and landed on the floor. I said to myself, this person is never going to call."

But eight years later, Cropsey would come home to a message on the answering machine.

Unfortunately, the owner had passed away and his son, Cris Mead, had decided to make contact after cleaning his father's car and discovering Cropsey's note tucked in the VW's log book.

The Volkswagen, named Matilda, was purchased new by Cris's father and used to take the Mead family on cross-country trips.

Incredibly, Cris Mead and the family decided to give Cropsey the van, on the condition he update them on its restoration and "go on plenty of adventures."

Mead said they probably could have sold Matilda for about $3,000, but he and his siblings decided instead to give the car to someone who would care for it just as their father had.

“I was just so grateful,” said Cropsey. “It kind of restored my faith in humanity.”

Cropsey, who is 23 and teaches English, says "it was fate."

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