Buster the Bus

Born: February 13, 1973
Birthplace: Wolfsburg, Germany
Model: Volkswagen Kombi
Current Status: Living his best life on the open road

Buster isn’t just a bus—he’s a certified world traveler with more stamps on his metaphorical passport than most humans. This handsome devil rolled off the assembly line in Germany on a chilly February day in 1973, dressed to impress in a rare shade called Sumatra Green (yes, it’s a real color, and yes, it’s as cool as it sounds).

His first owners had big dreams: they brought him all the way from Germany to North America and showed him the continent. From sun-soaked beaches in Mexico to winding mountain roads up north, Buster’s early years were filled with adventure, questionable road snacks, and probably a few breakdowns that are now family legend.

Then came owner number two—whose name was also Buster (yes, it’s confusing, but we didn’t make the rules). He transformed our green machine into the ultimate grandkid-mobile, creating memories one ice cream run and camping trip at a time. We like to imagine him teaching tiny humans how to pop the top while telling stories about “back in my day.”

Now? Buster’s with us—the third caretakers of this rolling piece of history. We’re preparing him for a legacy-defining year. Next month, I take him on his 1,000-mile maiden voyage—a true “shake-down” run to test his vintage heart. Then, in October, we point his nose south for an eight-month trek to Argentina. It’s a journey his German engineers definitely didn’t anticipate, but we suspect they’d raise a glass to the ambition of it all.