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Some 44 years ago, Minnesota resident Bob Sportal paid the hefty sum of $75 for a 19-year-old, 1957 Chevrolet pickup truck that retiring farmer John VanDerVeen needed to be rid of. Now retired himself and no longer in need of a ride to work, Sportal has resold the truck to—none other than the grandson of the man whom he bought it from. More importantly, he sold it for the same $75 bucks.
Sportal originally purchased the patina-rich truck in 1976 to use it as a daily driver, reports 9 NEWS, which originally ran a story on the then 38-year-old relationship between man and truck in 2015. Today, the Chevy Task Force half-ton has a body that’s dented or rusted through in many places, upholstery held together by duct tape, and more rattles than a nursery, but it’s still an object of beauty to both Sportal and Tom Leenstra, grandson of old man VanDerVeen. Leenstra has reportedly hounded Sportal about buying the truck for more than a decade, though because Sportal was still attached to the truck and was still using it to commute, he was hesitant to sell.
“It becomes a part of you, I don’t know how to explain it,” Sportal commented in 2015.
With regular trips to the grain elevator no longer on his itinerary, a wife eager to clear up space in the garage, and a younger man eager to buy the old truck, Sportal found himself ready to sell and pay forward the favor VanDerVeen did him more than four decades ago. This past week, Leenstra showed up at Sportal’s place with a trailer and $75, and Sportal walked outside with the keys.
“It’s served its purpose for me and it’s time for somebody else to get some enjoyment out of it,” remarked Sportal. “It’s what I paid for it, so that’s what I’m going to sell if for. It’s going in the family, so that’s the most important thing.”
Leenstra, who hasn’t ridden in the truck since he was nine years old, trailered the ancient Chevy home, ready to drive it down memory lane.
“It’s like riding with my Grandpa again,” said Leenstra.
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