How to get a cheap bug on the road in Europe

[Russell]

Ok guys

further to a message from a fellow lounger with a great idea, I thought i would do this also.

So you may have seem my post about the future of our hobby and there is alot of concern about how high priced our hobby is.......... well its not ! Not every one wants needs a 100 point resto 2332cc cal bug, this is something that can evolve a little like our forefathers in the likes of DKP 1, look at any of there cars and there was no high price restos or paintjobs and there cars evolved during ownership no car shows this better than Arnie Molhmans 67.

So How can you do it cheap....

Well firstly look at the adds on the samba for a 60-67 US Spec car in CA, you can pick uo a rust free tried old bug for between $2-3k, And ive just got a 66 and 3 x 67's like this, my sons car and underdog 1 were also $2000 cars. There are pleant guys out there that can help or i can sell you one of my project cars....... 

Car $ 2-3k
Shipping $1-1.5k
Mechanical overhaul for MOT testing $800

Total $ 4-5 k about £3000 pounds, yes the paint will be dull and the interior wrecked but surely the fun is doing as you go.... but i bet it makes you smile.....

And if you havent driven a standard beetle for a while, you should they are both fun to drive and cheap, in the UK we dont even have to pay Road Tax for pre 72 cars...

Come on its christmas time, go buy a bug.

PS Warning: A Volkswagen is for life and not just for christmas, please make sure only reponsible humans get them........


cheers

Russell

[beetletom]

yep, buy the best car you can, a turd will always be a turd, and you will save so much money in the long run buying a good solid original car

i searched for a good 2 years to try and find the right car for me (uk 66 with original unwelded channels, all the history from new!)

[rspsteve]

yep, buy the best car you can, a turd will always be a turd

Agreed .....i have had many old cars loots of vw`s but  no Beetles YET....and allways hunt down a good rust free example...just need to find a Beetle now!

Steve

[andy198712]

£3k isnt bad at all!

guessing there all left hookers? what about south africa? i think there right hand drive? or make then conversion if it bothers you?

Whats the paper work like?

[Jeff68]

You know Russel you're right! You can build a nice modest level car for not a lot of money.  I know that I get caught up in seeing the really nice high level cars and forget that you can build a car as you go and still have fun. It's more like a journey and you can enjoy all the things you have to go through to get a nice car.....

[Tim M]

I looked into this, and to be honest the whole buying a car without viewing it, shipping costs, shipping insurance, above deck/bellow deck, shipping brokers, customs and tax just seemed like to much unknown for me to bite the bullet and buy from the USA. Even if the exchange rate helps.

[71CALRIPPER]

Having bought around 9 cars from the US mainly the Cali area, nowhere near as many as russell.
But on the whole I've enjoyed it , if you rely on the seller and can't get the car checked out prepare
for a few issues and set money aside. Brokers such as Kingstown shippers and Cal ship make it very
painless and help with as much as they can.

I love the chase and the hunt more than I do owning the car sometimes , but
Would recommend it to anybody on a tighter budget and would also help anybody
if they have any questions.

Also if you can pitch in with somebody and fill a container it will help with price and shipping times !


Rob

[Russell]

I looked into this, and to be honest the whole buying a car without viewing it, shipping costs, shipping insurance, above deck/bellow deck, shipping brokers, customs and tax just seemed like to much unknown for me to bite the bullet and buy from the USA. Even if the exchange rate helps.

I'm sorry you feel this way, but most people I know think it's easy and the shipping is simple..... Above deck or below deck ?.... You must be looking at roll on roll off. For £1200 you can ship from lax to London inside a container with 2/3 others cars and the shippers do all the work.... I would recommend Kingstown shipping in the UK and able cargo in the USA

Ask the seller for more pictures and you can see what you are buying.


I have a few US spec 67s if anyone is interested all are UK registered and all are cheap mainly rust free runners.

[deano]

Ask for the Gasser Garage quantity discount.... We're talking volume.....

[BossHogg76]

I looked into this, and to be honest the whole buying a car without viewing it, shipping costs, shipping insurance, above deck/bellow deck, shipping brokers, customs and tax just seemed like to much unknown for me to bite the bullet and buy from the USA. Even if the exchange rate helps.

I'm sorry you feel this way, but most people I know think it's easy and the shipping is simple..... Above deck or below deck ?.... You must be looking at roll on roll off. For £1200 you can ship from lax to London inside a container with 2/3 others cars and the shippers do all the work.... I would recommend Kingstown shipping in the UK and able cargo in the USA

Ask the seller for more pictures and you can see what you are buying.


I have a few US spec 67s if anyone is interested all are UK registered and all are cheap mainly rust free runners.

I am going to regret this...but you have a pm

[beatnik beetle]

Russ is spot on with this and trust me- it's a lot easier and cheaper to convert a lhd car to rhd ...all the dealings we have had with South African cars have been nightmares...you have never seen such bad build quality in your life...and usually they have had a really hard life...Until decent quality heater channels are available in this country - most uk cars are not worth restoring unless you are lucky enough to have found some that are rust free cut from a california car or really really lucky and find N.O.S...oh yeah and Able cargo have helped me ship everything from old race cars to hot rods and they are really good...as we say to folks "Buy the best car you can"...

[Russell]

Ok

So i have done the hard work and have a stock of 9 cars for sale in Scotland.....

All are LHD and all are from Cali.

US Spec 1966 White Beetle UK Registered with V5
US Spec 1967 White Beetle UK Registered with V5
US Spec 1967 White Beetle UK Registered with V5  SOLD
US Spec 1967 White Beetle UK Registered with V5
US Spec 1967 White Sunroof Beetle UK Registered with V5
US Spec 1967 Green Beetle UK Registered with V5 PENDING
US Spec 1967 Green Sunroof Beetle UK Registered with V5
US Spec 1967 Blue Beetle UK Registered with V5 (I might keep this one)
US Spec 1967 Blue (White) Beetle UK Registered with V5


Any interest pls PM me thx, i just have photos to sort out now

[hotrodsurplus]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this (or that I'm so blind that I didn't see it).

Have the car thoroughly evaluated by an independent third party. There are TONS of ACVW shops throughout the country and they'll all inspect a car for a modest fee. The $100 you spend there will pay off handily in the end, especially if it tells you that the car is a painted pig.

And don't assume just because a car is from CA that it's good. I lived next to Newport Beach for years. I saw some of the rustiest cars in my life on the peninsula.

[Russell]

Chris

Your right, always pays to get someone to check or have someone on the ground for you.

Pls note the cars i have are all bar 1 original unpainted/unrestored cars so you car see what you are getting, but they are not rotten rusty cars....

[Russell]

here they are: 

1966 Beetle £ 5250

[Russell]

1697 Green £5500

[Russell]

Guys

Sorry going to move this to the for sale section........

[beetletom]

5k? i guess your idea of cheap is different to mine!

[Shane Noone]

Hi Russell,

Bit confused.  At the start of the thread it looks like you suggest on the road in the UK with an MOT for £3000  but the examples your selling off are over £5000 ?

What did I miss

Regards

Shane.

[Russell]

Guys

Yip your right....

However the exchange rate is now at 1.44 to the pound so that doesnt help, the shipping costs are also higher and the custom charges are now 20%, I also have an extra £400 per car to get them to aberdeen from london, on top of that i didnt buy the cheapest cars i could find i bought the best solid cars i could fine and i only bought 67s which comand a higher price anyway, try buying a MOT exempt 59 or 59 now ?

The principle is still the same depending on the car you choose, however maybe i was a little cheap on my initial post....... but to be honest try installing two heating channels and a couple of bumper mounts for the difference, these are basically rust free cars.

Also surly Im allowed to make a little profit on my investment, just as well its not a type 2 as i could double my money with them, however as i have said money is not my driver, i just want people to spend there hard earned money on good solid cars rather than spending thousands on rusty shit and crap repair panels or worse still buying some Ford or Fiat crap.

And £5k for a rust free 67 beetle in original paint is cheap in the long run......

[lawrence]

It is cool that these cars will be rebuilt and thus perpetuate the hobby. However, will all of these nice, rust free, US cars eventually become rusty pieces of garbage? I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade. A lot of these cars were built, but rust never sleeps. These cars could languish and rust in the US as well if no one is willing to fix them, but it will probably happen faster in a unforgiving climate. Just an observation.

Russell, with that being said, keep up the good work at the gasser garage. I admire the fact that you are able to build nice cars in short amounts of time. Better than having them decay in a dusty Japanese garage never to be rebuilt...

[BossHogg76]

Moved this from my post, as this seems to be a better place to put it.

just a quick note of thanks to Russell.

I'm looking to buy a project '67 and Russell kindly showed me around some that he has just imported. The cars are exactly as he described, base cars to start a project from. Nothing was too much trouble including whacking the two I was havering over on the lift so I could have a look underneath. Whilst they were up Russell wandered around with me pointing out what needed to be done work wise, and giving pointers as to the best way to approach the project.

The cars themselves are solid in all the right areas and was good to see underneath the underseal of one, nice fresh steel which looked as good as when it left the factory. Now all i need to do is buy one and get started  Cheesy.

Anyway enough of blowing smoke up Russels posterior, the biscuits are on you next time.

[Zach Gomulka]

Don't you have to pay more for insurance/taxes on a car that is LHD in the UK?

[BossHogg76]

Don't you have to pay more for insurance/taxes on a car that is LHD in the UK?

You don't pay road fund license (tax) on a car that is constructed before Jan 1973, the insurance will be marginally more expensive, but not anything that would make a significant difference.

[hotrodsurplus]

will all of these nice, rust free, US cars eventually become rusty pieces of garbage? A lot of these cars were built, but rust never sleeps.
...but it will probably happen faster in a unforgiving climate. Just an observation.

Good points but consider the application. Cars rust when constantly exposed to water and/or de-icing agents like salt. All of those cars in Europe (and on the US east coast) rusted away because they were driven daily and seldom maintained rigorously. They were just used cars at the time so nobody cared. As Saint Eazy said in Boyz in the Hood, Chapter 7, Verse 3, "...throw it in the guttah and go buy anothah."

The people who buy these cars care. They will never see that sort of rigorous use--they're never going to be daily drivers. So they'll rarely get exposed to those elements again. Their A pillars and heater channels will never fill up with water.

In fact those cars will probably last a lot longer in Blighty or the continent than they will in California. If those cars stayed in CA chances are they'd get driven and driven cars are more likely to get wrecked and/or rusty in a matter of time. Frequently driven cars seldom stay pristine for long.

Also, don't criticize people for keeping cars in perpetual storage. The rubber might crack and the paint may check but the tin will stay good so long as as those cars are kept out of the elements. And that's good thing. After all, the stored cars of today are the barn finds and survivor cars of tomorrow and without them things would get boring quick.

[benlawrence]

5.5k isnt getting a cheap bug on the road in europe though is it?

ok theyre solid old beasts by the looks of it but at that money some "kid" with his dreams and aspirations of getting his/her first base for a looker (or whatever idea he/she has for it) these cars wont tick those boxes at all, they will for the person who's been doing them for years and wants a proper solid motor to start with as theyve done it all before i.e "RUST"

these cars need recomissioning/registering etc etc, before you evn think about paint, you could have gone and bought phil frenchs dkp car for not a hell of a lot more. As a kid i spent hundreds on my new vw's not thousands.   ok so i spent thousands on them, but it didnt start with a big cheque. 5-6k get most kids a solid eurobox, so your demographic is  way off the chart, these cars will suit folk that have been around a while and done their time.

[hotrodsurplus]

5-6k get most kids a solid eurobox, so your demographic is  way off the chart, these cars will suit folk that have been around a while and done their time.

The sad truth is that air-cooled Volkswagens are pretty much off the chart for kids anyway. When I got into Volkswagens even the great, rust-free examples were cheap. But that was decades ago. Now late Super Beetles and bay-window buses are desirable (GASP!).

On this side of the pond we're facing the perfect storm that make it pretty much impossible for kids to get into hot rods: the masses are gone making the survivors valuable, the people who fell in love with them when they were young now have professional incomes, and the work required to bring the iffy ones back from the dead is beyond what most people are willing to invest. What incentive does a kid have to build a quirky and expensive car that he can't really identify with and can't really drive daily for fear of rust or a collision when he/she can get a five-year-old one like the cars his mates have?

That's not to say that someone on a real budget can't or won't do it. I meet those people daily in the course of my work. They just have to invest their time and effort rather than their money to get there. More than cars, Russell offers a service. He's done all the legwork that most people don't want to or can't do plus as he says he has to cut a profit to make it worth his time. A stronger US dollar will make things that much worse. At that point you won't see many if any kids in ACVWs outside of North America. And one day the US will get there too.

[benlawrence]

I agree with much of what you say hotrod, im glad kids today will actually be happy to go and spend £700 on a reliable car that will get them back and forth to college cheaply, they also like to modify them, although the norm seems to be alloy wheels painted brake calipers and a set of cheap chinese coilover shock absorbers BUT, they are where i was at their age, the market has shifted, when i was a kid everyone in the public domain was done with aircooled vw's and moving on to far mor sophisticated modern cars, hence cheap vw's, the words cheap and vw in the classic sense are a term long gone, my current oval cost me £1800 including shipping from sweden, now that was the definition of a "Cheap bug on the road in europe"  the brakes were shot, it needed MOT inspection recomissioning and registering, i did all the work, lowered the front end and slapped a set of wide 5 american eagle fuch on it, in all it probably stood me in £2500, which back then was still cheap money and i loved it, with its stock gearbox and 30 horse motor, times have changed classic vw's will never be "Cheap" in the real sense, some will be cheap to the likes of us, but not to those in the mainstream or looking an entry in.  

[Russell]

As i said yesterday things have shifted since my original post with the exchange rate and fees, but to be honest my plan was never to sell them as base or project cars, my hope was to have them stripped, floorpans refurbished and bodys primed awaiting customers paint colour choice, with options on Wheels, Brakes, Gearbox, Suspension and Engine. However what they would get is the base car restored and repainted with no rust, and thats why i stuck with 67's yes i can buy cheaper 62/63 bugs but wanted to keep them all the same, as i have spares if required.

I was also aiming at the market that have £15-20k to spend on a car and rather than spend it on a rusty wreck, they can buy a really good beetle and add the bolt on goodies when they can afford and yes im not aiming at 18-25 year olds with this. Im aiming at the parents who buy the son/daughter a new Golf or Mini for going to Univeristy who have plenty cash..... but like an investment.

However if any like minded VW fans fancied a car and doing it themselves, i was prepared to sell some of them.

I know too mnay people who have spent a fortune just to fix rust with rubbish repair panels only for them to be rusty again in 5 years....

[Russell]

[/quote]

. Now late Super Beetles and bay-window buses are desirable (GASP!).


[/quote]

WOW..... thats the 3rd time today someone has mentioned Late Super beetles............ they must be getting popular.