volksrider

Now I am loosing my mind. My 1958 Beetle Sedan project has running and counting for four years, 8 months, 23 days, 9 hours and 22 minutes. This was a project that I anticipated taking only 1 year tops. When first I started I had lots of money, good energy and more than anything, I was excited. I pulled my project in to a place where I rented space across the river in New Jersey at that time. It was in a shop where the owner worked on Volkswagens for many years and in his shop he had dozens of Volkswagen cars, thousands of carburetors, fan shrouds and engines. Unfortunately, because his shop was a business and my project was a weekend come around and fix situation, my car and parts were often moved from side to side without my knowledge. This is where things when terribly wrong. Parts were lost in transistion. I eventually removed my car from his place because one of my NOS rubber floor mats was cut in half and used as a batter insulator for a customer’s car. It hurts me to know that some person is driving around New Jersey or New York with a piece of my irreplaceable mat keeping his electric system safe. I’m sure the cost of his repair was nothing near the cost and time I spent on obtaining it.

Where can you find OEM VW parts at a reasonable price? Is it on an online auction or at swap meets? Unfortunately, it seems like the Internet has driven up prices across the board. I purchased my 1958 Beetle from a guy that had a 1964 Beetle beautifully restored for over 15 years. He told me that he bought his original EMPI GTV steering wheel for around 60 bux 15 years ago. Try buying one today and you are looking to spend anywhere from $400 to $600 for a decent condition GTV steering wheel. I believe that sites like Ebay has driven up the total cost of the complete restoration process. If you are a seller then good for you. If you are a buyer, here is one thing to keep in mind before you submit your bid. Let me explain the psychology of (online) auctions and how they hurt the restorer. It is human nature to want to win and auctions are about winning what you need - so you think. Lets say I needed a NOS front American style bumper for my project car. What is the price tag for this part? There is none. It is what people are willing to pay. Now, put that bumper in an auction and you have people trying to WIN (or win to pay for) that NOS front bumper. Since human are competitive by nature, winning comes at a higher co$t. The Internet in conjunction with auctions has inflated what we are willing to pay these days by placing competition and egos on a global stage. You could be bidding against someone from a country in which their currency is double the value of the US dollar. So, before you bid, let your ego down and think about the true value and what it means to your pocket. Here are a few tips you should observe before you begin searching on auctions sites for parts.

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