Help Rescue Wilma (westfalia)
Two years ago I decided to take a risk and sell everything I own except my truck and start an organic sunscreen company (It's going great! 30+ stores since March selling out www.seaandsummitsunscreen.com), which led me to decide to buy a westfalia vanagon and restore it as a touring van and a place to live.
I met a guy on craigslist from Oregon. I spoke with him for months over the phone, checked out his used car business, social media, we talked about his wife and kids, and going to church (I'm not particularly religious but to each their own). He made me feel completely comfortable with him.
We decided to do a "pay as you go" van as I did not have enough to buy one outright. He called me and said he found an 1984 camper van (has a pop-top, kitchen, etc) with a subaru engine, and it was perfect except for the paint. He said he'd sell it to me for $7,500 and for a total of about 17k I'd have a finished van for me to live and tour in. You can see in the pic below there is no pop-top; he told me he had already taken it off. I've never done a van like this before so I didn't know. 
I sold my truck to fund the project and began depositing all of my work checks into the bank for my company startup and the van restoration. I have four jobs as an ocean lifeguard, sea kayak guide, brewery rat, and substitute teacher, so I wasn't afraid to take the risk and he made me feel super comfortable. Except for one issue, where I was naive on my end. He stopped answering phone calls and only texted.
He told me he needed 5k for paint and body so I sent him a check for $12,500 and he provided a bill of sale two months later. I had another 5k from working saved so I could fund the suspension, tires, and any mechanical issues. As you can see below, totally looked like progress was being made. I have to admit, the paint job is good. 
His "deadline for the finsihed van was October 2015. That didn't happen. He told me he had a bunch of mishaps happen with paint and body and mechanic guys, and that he needed more money. I did'n't budget those extra costs in based on his projected $17k, so he suggested using what I had to do the interior and suspension. I bought the parts and he started; so he said.
By June 2016 I had told him I had exhausted the couches I could sleep on and was sleeping in the lifeguard tower. I needed to come get the van. He said it needed a couple of things but was finished and I could come get it.
When I arrived in Oregon, the van was in complete shambles (see photos and video). I couldn't belive it. The paint was done, but the dash was torn apart with wires hanging everywehre, there were holes in the roof and floors, the interior was compeltey gutted, all the emblems were missing, mising bolts, vents, lights, seatblets, no brake or reverse lights. The roof had been cut and left open because it wasn't actually a camper van. The pop-top was tack welded on instead of welded to the frame with none of the welds sealed, the paint was only done on the outside and not the interior or other "out of sight areas." He put new springs on but the parts for the lift kit were all missing, including the shocks (he put some no name cheapo ones on that broke after 200 miles), none of the electrical worked, the exhaust was hanging off...the list goes on and on. See video and photos below. 
I asked him where everything was and what the deal was and he told me I was just no familiar with these projects. He also had another invoice for $7k worth of work for me to bring the total to $23K. I was in disbelief.
I couldn't believe it! I was compeltely homeless and had spent everything I earned on this lemon of a van. I wrote him a check for the balance because I needed to walk away with something, and knew I could cancel it.
As quick as I could I started down to California to get the opinions of the mechanic and cabinet guys I knew in Sacramento. I didn't get very far. I broke down 4 times in the middle of nowhere and he of course, never answered his phone. I spent days in the woods under the van, walking for miles to parts stores, tinkering to get me a little further (see video).
The first concrete statement that was made to me about getting ripped off was when I arrived at a mechanic in OR. He said, "cancel your check!" He got me on the road and after a couple more breakdowns I made it to Sacramento.
When I arrived the cabinet and mechanic guys where in disbelief. They were crawling all around the van saying "look what they did here, and here" and "oh my god". They advised me to cancel the check as well and that they would try to peice the van back together and get me off the streets. I basically got ripped off for $17,500. They said they would go to court with me to sue the guy if I wanted.
To date, they have provided the pictures below and tried to help me as much as possible, but they keep finding more things the original guy had hidden or did wrong that is way too much for me to cover. I've been pouring every check I make into keeping my startup company going, and this van, and I am at a loss, still with no place to live as of October 2016. I need help. All my friends and bosses ask me about it everytime I see them and think this van is my imagiary girlfriend. I need help!
Please see the pictures and video of this story and if you can, please help me complete this van and put a roof over my head. The money donated will go to finishing the van and putting a roof over my head so I can keep working and not lose the startup company I have started. You can check that out @seaandsummit or FB seaandsummitorganicsunscreen or www.seaandsummitsunscreen.com
This is what the inside could look like after we fix the mechanical and structural issues: 
Unfinished cabinets since it wasn't really a camper van. 
To do this I really need about 20k for the van, but at this point any amount of donation that will help get me into a reliable home and have transport to get to work.
Thank you for your help!
Ryan
