She found a 'goodbye note' inside a vintage Beetle and sent her on the quest of a lifetime
The letter only contained an emotional farewell note from the previous owner but also revealed the car's name
When Trisha Rosado first looked at the rusty shell of a vintage Volkswagen Beetle in East Berlin, Pennsylvania, she thought of it as a donor vehicle and planned to use it for spare parts. However, that changed quickly when she stumbled upon a handwritten letter inside the car, which not only revealed the car's name, Herbetta, but also contained an emotional farewell note from the previous owner, "Tree" Palmieri. Although her initial plan was to strip the car for parts, that note changed everything and prompted her to do something unexpected, according to FOX43. She also posted the process on her TikTok (@the.beetle.queen), which has gained over 55,000 likes so far.
@the.beetle.queen We need your help! Please help us find the previous owner of this beetle. This car clearly meant so much to her. If we find her, we have a huge surprise for her. #vw #vwbeetle #tiktokhelp #fyp #virał ♬ original sound - The.Beetle.Queen
The note changed Rosado's mind
In FOX43's report from December 9, 2025, the outlet mentions what was written inside the goodbye note. Palmieri thanked Herbetta (the Beetle) for "keeping me safe," and all the fun moments they shared, adding, "You were my dream car, you made me feel special." Upon reading this, Rosado couldn't help but get emotional and buy the car, which was priced at $1,000, but also start a renovation in full swing, hoping that once they got the vehicle back into functioning condition, perhaps they could reunite it with its previous owner of 22 years, who loved the car too dearly.
While it sounded great, it was a long shot, given that Rosado and her husband had no other information but the note they found in the car. Nonetheless, this prompted Rosado to put this information online, hoping that it might reach the right person, and sure enough, the clip reached Tree's friend, who immediately recognized that it was her friend's old car. Then Tree got in touch with Rosado, while Herbetta was being restored to its original glory, thanks to generous donations from several people.
Reunited at last
Nonetheless, once they got in touch and the car's restoration was successful, Rosado decided to start a GoFundMe to ensure the car was in the best possible shape to travel to New York, where Tree was waiting for it. Soon, it became a reality, and as it turns out, Tree wasn't the only one who enjoyed the car; it was her father who loved Beetles and was the reason she bought the car in the first place, but unfortunately, he could only enjoy it for three years before passing away.
"This is like my dad coming back, giving me a hug,” she said. “He dedicated his whole life to me. Just an amazing human being."
It was a full-circle moment not just for Tree, but also for Rosado, who went way beyond to make sure that the car reached its previous owner despite having no responsibility for it. Nonetheless, this one incident has given her so much happiness that Rosado plans to restore other vintage Beetles in her collection and reunite them with their new owners.
1 in 8 car lovers feel a 'strong connection'
The emotional connection Tree felt for the car runs deep for many drivers. In fact, a survey by Aviva found that around one in eight car owners feel a strong emotional connection to their vehicles, while 23% still think about their first car. It also noted that 78% of people said a car had been part of major life events, while 19% said their vehicle reminded them of important moments in their lives.
People share their own stories
Even more so, with people from all around sharing their stories about their cars in the comments of Rosado's original TikTok clip. @blue.squad.tn wrote, "My first car was. 2000 VW Beetle. It was canary yellow with a 1.8 turbo. I drove the heck out of that thing and sold it when I was expecting my first baby. I cried when the new owners drove away in it." Meanwhile, @orangefrenchfry wanted her own Beetle back, as she wrote, "Can you find my VW 2010 final edition bug? She was the blue/white convertible! She even had a special serial # to say she was special! I miss her & my biggest regret was selling her."
You can follow Trisha Rosado (@the.beetle.queen) for more of her Beetle collection videos.
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