Herbie !!

Like you always do? :-)

LOL...i'm not even gonna respond....just like you didn't...LOL....oh...wait....i guess i just did....

..............I was only an OR tech (part time) during part of the seventies while I was in college at the University of Houston. Can you say Perfusionist? Google it if you're curious.

so much curious as bored. :-)

Seems to me you have a recording future for our blonde friends - a tiny device that fits in their whispering, "breathe in, and now out", over and over.

you draw the wrong conclusion from my post..that is *not* what i intended with my reply....attracting new people is a must(in part due to the overly-hypothetical examples you give below), however you want to attract the "right" kind of people....just as an example do a little googling on Dalmatian dogs. Disney released their 101 dalmatians movie and within months animal shelters across the US were over-run with Dalmatians....i realize Dalmatians are dogs and VW's are cars, but both can be impulse purchases based on "cute-ness"...

see above, and to add to it, "more" is not in our best interests....because as i said the prices may run most of the long time enthusiasts away...it would be great for actually getting some of your money back on one you have already *done*, however it would/could be just too expensive(in some's eyes) to purchase and properly restore/modify/customize a "new" one...then we can have all the *real* enthusiasts sitting back, sick to their stomachs, watching all the butchered, FUBAR'd cars hit the market for top dollar(even though they are junk product)....you don't really want the market full of vw's like the bus they "pimped" on MTV do ya?

Ford sold a shit load of torinos in the red and white paint scheme after that movie....as far a the prices being "insane" long before the movie, just check back to before 1998 when they introduced the "new beetle" and see how the prices JUMPED.... "fads", etc, DO affect the "market" whether we want to believe it or not....and these cars are not being made anymore so the likelyhood of some commonly available parts(oem, etc) becoming more scarce is real...add to that more and more cars deemed "parts cars" being chopped up and parted out, then a rush of new "enthusiasts" that are really only interested in the novelty of the vw, and it can become rediculous . this is of course just my thoughts on the subject, and what has happened in the past...who here hasn't picked up a "basketcase" that someone bought with "good intentions" then proceded to f*ck it all up? i know i have...

Fad-driven buyers are the worst kind. This version of the movie features a teenage girl, so expect a rush of harried Dads and boyfriends, then 18 months later a whole bunch of butchered wrecks back on the market along with the usual litany of badmouthing.

Someone would make out well by selling poseur trailers and vinyl decals.

"zactly"

I guess we're both agreeing but saying it differently:

That's true regarding the puppies -- a friend of mine is involved very heavily with animal rescue and mentioned that as well. Very sad when people abandon animals they bought on a whim.

I think after people figure out what's involved maintaining a bug properly, they'll back off pretty quickly unless they are seriously interested. It takes a lot of research, acquiring skills, busted knuckels and actual work to just know one's ass from a hole in the ground so maybe all this work will be the filter of attracting the right people. (That's not to say I know my ass from a hole in the ground yet when it comes to bugs: currently working on replacing heater channels/floors so may know a couple of years from now what a hole in the ground actually looks like. My busted knuckes are my badges of honor :)

Yeah, agree that more is not really better out of my own experience: When I was a kid, was involved with pirate radio (a big thing in europe in the 60/70s) and became legitimate after growing up (still kinda fun in a nerdy sort of way although the cat and mouse element was gone). When the ham clubs/organizations became active pursuers of new blood, that hobby took a nosedive because standards were lowered. At that time, that was lost on me and actually taught a bunch of electronic/morse code/equipment repair classes over a period of years. Most new people have not clue as to how to do the most basic of technical things and being totally not interested in learning about it all -- finally being sick to my stomach, I abadoned something enjoyed since I was 7 years old.

Again, the literal pain and pocket book strain involved of getting a bug back on the road properly will act as a filter.

We also don't have standards to lower (a shot in front of open goal there :)

Lurking ramva over the years, there are some seriously technical people (including yourself) here that will make sure the right people get what they need. You all have been great at helping newbies like myself so "thanks!" on behalf of all newbies.

I stand corrected there, although have never seen one of them Red/White Torinos here in new England. Did we have a rush on old school Torinos? I've been goint to cruise nights for years all over CT and never seen one with the starsky/hutch paint scheme. Maybe that's a local appeal or lack thereof.

Your point is well taken and have history backing it up, though: bug prices have gone up over the years. I was always under the impression this was because there are less and less parts available, but you might be right.

Funny enough, I liked bugs since I saw the first Herbie movie. Growing up in western Europe, everyone had bugs in the 60s. It did take me this long to actually own and work on one but wasn't always in a position to actually do the work on it (family obligations, work, lack of funds, home maintenance, other hobbies, priorities, etc). So that was my filter. Until I finally found one, I worked on Saabs, Subarus, Hondas and Nissans -- usually out of necessity. They are all nice cars but never had the appeal of a bug to me.

It's the same basic event that occurred after the "Fast and Furious" movies were out. Lots of Rice running the roads with a few true custom upgraded cars. However, those are still out there and it's still the hottest thing to do for a teenager.

Yuck.

Susan S.

interests....because

unfortunately folks that can just drop a chunk of change on a but can/will do it on a "whim"(to borrow your statement) *before* they know what is necessary to keep em....then they usually send em out to mechanics that don't know much specifically pertaining to the old vw's, and then the same scenario i described....i guess it *can* be a win situation for the long time enthusiasts if they find one of the whim buyers that get in over their head and it costs them more than they thought and they "cut their losses" and sell cheap...but usually doesn't happen....i can point you to some LONG time listings online for bugs bought, then sent out to be "fixed up" then the owners want to sell them for what they have in them....unfortunately ACVW's are a "labor of love" and not profit...unless you are a shop owner.....we enthusiasts dump 10-15k into one and countless hours(thousands sometimes) to get a car the way we want it....then its worth 5-6k in the "market".....but for a short while if you have a herbie clone it may be a profitable situation...poeple will take advantage of this and pull the parts cars out of their yard, throw a krylon herbie paintjob on and make money...but in the long run it hurts us....again, my opinion...

hehe....us rednecks do love our cars....do you see many "General Lee" chargers in your area? i do...LOL....and the S&H torinos are around here too....bunch-a-rednecks...

Yup, agree there -- I don't dislike riceboxes (in fact, all our daily drivers are japanese) and actually know them fairly well by working on them over the years. I know a couple of people that are into upgrading them (nos, racing chips, etc) but for the most part they are just bolt-on additions - not very exiting to me. Very few are actually involved in hacking into their car.

While the hacking into the car might be interesting, they never had the appeal of a bug to me, though.

Maybe I should move down there :)

We might be lacking in the appreciation for the General Lee chargers, but do have some nice cars up here, though. Lotsa cherried out Bell Airs, GTOs, Cobras, etc but also a nice mix of foreign rarities: A couple of weeks ago a '53 silver Mercedes Gull Wing pulled next to me in my HomeDepot parking lot -- what an absolutely beauty that was! You do wonder what the guy was thinking bringing a car that rare into a Homedepot lot, but maybe that's one of the guys that you described, dropping the car off at his mechanic, not having done any of the work and not appreciating what kind of work is involved getting a car to look that good.

On Sun, 5 Jun 2005 13:03:07 -0500, "johnboy" scribbled this interesting note:

Sounds like a great idea! There are so many varieties of that virus to choose from, which do you think you'd include in the illustrations? Perhaps one per body panel? Any custom body work?

Ha! Sounds like a fun little project!:~)

-- John Willis (Remove the Primes before e-mailing me)

I think a mix would be good; general epithelial eruptions laced with herpes zoster for pinstriping effects.

I hope they don't drive it far with that engine tin missing. Notice pic 113 from the link you posted, that the rear tin is missing in the engine bay. You can see the ground!! Oh well, they got plenty of money to fix it.

I should have drove down Sat and let my kids meet Herbie. They would love it.

he he, I'd like to say i rescued it ! A lovely white 71 1200 due to go to scrappy. Couldn't let that one go.

James

................ It shows that it's pic no. 87 in the album but is 113 in the link:

........Does anyone recognise those decals on the fan housing? It would be interesting to know what shop is out there installing engines with missing cooling tin. I'm guessing GEX or Bernie Bergmann.

probably whoever did the body/paint work(possibly even work for the studio) put the engine in....alot of vw people don't even realize how frigging important the rear piece is......actually having a discussion on another forum with a fellow(thesamba i think) who is having what i consider classic vapor lock symptoms, then he says all the tin is there except the "top piece with the holes for the heater hoses to go through"...so i told him that is a very important piece and to put it back NOW>....LOL.....his problems were when sitting in traffic..the absolute worst time tohave a missing rear plate or bad engine compartment seal...