China Romance
General Discussion and Useful Links => The Campfire => Topic started by: Kiwi303 on December 20, 2010, 03:36:38 am
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There are topics on cooking, trucking, astronomy and so many more... but I haven't seen on on old cars.
So what do you guys have sitting in the shed with a tool chest sitting beside it?
I have a 1979 Nissan 280ZX with the inline 6cyl 2.8L motor removed and a dual exhaust with X-over pipe for a V8 installed. There's a 302 Cleveland V8 block and crank in the workshop and I recently bought a set of heads to rebuild, port and install. This will be a long term project, I've already had it 2 years with not much changed, and it'll stay in the hayshed for however long I'm in china from next Sept.
I have a 1971 Peugeot 504, stock, which is being done up, should be road legal and ready to drive by May this year. All it currently needs at the moment is a blow out of the fuel and clutch/brake lines with compressed air, new fluids (oil, GB oil, diff oil, Clutch and brake fluid, antifreeze), new brake pads installed, new filters (fuel, air and oil), and a new muffler.
This may well be sold to fund part of the China trip.
Not a lot left to do, it's had the carb disassembled/unfrozen/reassembled and new brake calipers and more stuff of that sort done to it, but the engine hasn't been opened or majorly tinkered with, just the peripherals.
So who else tinkers with old iron and what do you have?
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I have a 1967 Morris 1000 van in a garage in Dorchester back in the UK. It was my first car after passing my driving test way back when. I bought it from the Post Office when they where upgrading their fleet and I've kept it going with parts from scrap yards ever since. In fact I only ever upgraded anything on it when I stumbled across bits or was given them and that includes tyres!. It now has an engine and gearbox with overdrive from a Triumph spitfire, 10" rear drum brakes from something I can't even remember the name of now, front disc's and master cylinder from a Marina and leather seats from an old Jag. Even the steering wheel was something I just took a fancy too. Never found a full set of spoked rims though.
I had some good fun driving that about and in the back of it too :P :-*. Now it's gathering dust as there's no way the Chinese would let me bring it over but I can't seem to let it go so I suppose I will just carry on paying the rental for the garage. Life isn't all roses over here :'( ::) ;D
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The topic was opened before. It leaned more on racing/muscle cars owned. In my youth I use to buy / fix up / sell cars. Still have my tools which I don't know what to do with. Still used from time to time and I think I would feel naked without them. I've had many, many cars from average to exotic.
Switching engines in that Nissan won't be to bad. I've seen it done and I think they even had a kit you could get for doing it?
My custom was a 1970 VW van and putting a 327 chevy motor in it, with a ford rear. 2 years long and it never got completed.
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I have a 1971 VW Super Beetle. I've had it for about 3 years and have done nothing with it. I drug it home, put it in the garage, and a week later my now ex wife told me she wanted a divorce. It needs a ground up restoration and some day I will do it. When I see a extremely good sale on ebay for parts or in a magazine I buy them but before I will do anything else to it there is a beautiful woman in China that needs to move here so the car waits.
Late at night I can hear it calling out my name. If it were a boat I would name it The X... ;D and hope Peggy never knows what that means. I've tried to sell it and Peggy tells me no that I should keep it. Now that is what I call a good woman. 8) The only legal way to have more than one love.
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Shaun, Depends what needs to be done with it. After they stopped making them here they continued making them in Mexico, if you want to keep it stock. There was a porsche motor that fitted right in. I think it was from a 411? But the problem is these days the worth of it after doing all the fixing. Some aren't worth it.
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I used to be into my old v-dubs. My 1st car after my driving test was a 1965 beetle, lowered front with moon discs and sprayed lilac. Tho it still had the 6 volt electrics so driving at night down the country lanes was pretty interesting... :D After that it was a 1975 1303s i think it was called the super beetle in the states, but that met its end with a tree and a wall b4 i got into fixing it up, shame really as it was pretty rot free. Then i had a 1978 VW panel van, peppermint green lowered all round on merc alloys and had a 2ltr out of the porshe 914 with a twin carb set up. For something with the aerodynamics of a brick, it seemed to shift pretty well. Then was the 1967 type3 notchback, which was a show car, sprayed salmon pink, with fish scales airbrushed down the side, I know it sounds a little strange, but with the alloys and everything else, it did actually look good. My last VW was a 1963 type 3 notchback 1500s model. I tried to make it look a little like a factory concept car (how i think it would look today) I had 911 headlights cut into the wings, took the door handles off and fitted soliniods for remote opening, but i kept all the chrome bumpers, side trim, widow trim etc, full leather recaro interior, and even managed to get a turbo bolted up onto the engine, with a jap style stainless steel exhaust box from a Lexus....It was starting to look pretty good, but the car was pretty much located in a garage too far away for working on a regular basis and with buying my flat it kinda took a back burner, eventually the burner got turned off, so i decided to sell it as a unfinished project. It ended up being shiped to a guy in the states, so who knows, one of the bro's may eventually see it on the roads out there... ;D
After a while of driving mundane cars for a while i wanted something interesting again and recently had a couple 0f 1980's BMW M535i's, but not really having anywhere to keep them garaged over the winter months cropped up again and running two cars was not really practical,so i've sold up and got just the one car again. Something to keep me interested tho. it's a 1995 suburu impreza wrx estate. Its got just under 300bhp, and tho not as old as i like my cars, i can use it everyday as my daily driver and its been superb in the snow we've been having here in the UK lately... ;D
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Vince it needs a lot. I know it isn't worth it. I may part it out on ebay or wait for a better time to work on it. Until I am sure it is just setting there waiting for me to make a decision. It isn't costing me anything... the occasional part I may buy can be turn at a profit.
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There are plenty of kits for fitting SR20DET, RBxxDET SBF and SBC into the earlier generation, the 240Z/260Z/280Z from 1970 to 1978, but theres not yet much support for the second generation 280ZX, and besides, all those kits are in the US :D shipping down here would be more than having a engineering workshop weld up some bits according to .PDF plans.
There's enough room in the 280ZX bay to comfortably fit a Jag, Merc or BMW V12, but I just don't have the money to pick up one of those... or more accurately, I DO, but then I shouldn't be able to afford the trip to China to teach, and meet a pretty woman. :P
Priorities... Car comes after pretty woman :P
I'd love a Merc or BMW fitted with 6x IDF twin throat downdraft webers and high flow extractors, but first I'd need a lottery win! Doing up a CLeveland V8 with old Falcon and Fairmont parts is at least affordable in small chunks for a bit here and a bit there over the months out of petty cash, no need for a special budget. :D
VW wise, I here any old air cooled 911 flat 6 will bolt right up to the air cooled VW flat 4 mounts and gearbox. The 914 entry level budget porsche was just a 911 stripped of any strip-able fripperies like A/C and fitted with a 4 from the beetle. find a 2.4, 2.7 or 3.0 porsche donk and double your beetles power :D
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In America, you get the great car to catch a beautiful woman. ;D
In China all you have to do is show up. :P
When is my next trip to China?
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So let's see ? My first Car in New York was a 63 Ford Fairlane ( Stick ) with straight Six . Moved to Calif . , this is when I had my Fill of VW's . Three 69's , two Custom Paint with Spoiler's/Tinted Windows .. but both left 1600cc . The other was my Toy Baja for Dunes and Beach driving . When I started to Windsurf , needed a Van . Here came my 71 Camper , which I modified with some dozen Gauges and Light's on the Dash .. it resampled a Cockpit . I lay'd more Wires then the Factory in this one . Sold that after many Cross Country trips for a very good Price to someone in the Movie industry . Haha .. counldn't resist when the Guy pulled out his Roll of Hundreds . Next came the '81Audi 5000S , great Car .. before the next years were a piece of junk's . Then came my little 1/2 Ton Toyota Truck ( Auto ) which I now have a COOL 510,000 + miles on it . Same Engine with used second Trans ( first lasted 300,000 mil. ) . Every two years , I drive this Truck for 100-150 miles with nothing but ATF Fluid in place of Engine Oil to clean inside and free up Rings and other Carbon's . One opens the Oil Cap , looks like new inside the Valvecover . Alos burns less oil after this treatment . As a second Truck , I bought an PreRunner V6 2000 Model and now my loved Highlander '03 . Now , Qing and myself are looking to Buy .. two Bicycle's soon .
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Haha Shaun
I was persuaded ( my story and I'm sticking to it) to buy my BMW 330CI Convertible by a Salesman who promised that every time I stopped at traffic lights, hot blondes would not be able to resist and would throw themselves into my car.
I learned later that I am unable to sue the bugger for misrepresentation. All I ever got was empty coke cans and cigarette ends........
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VW wise, I here any old air cooled 911 flat 6 will bolt right up to the air cooled VW flat 4 mounts and gearbox. The 914 entry level budget porsche was just a 911 stripped of any strip-able fripperies like A/C and fitted with a 4 from the beetle. find a 2.4, 2.7 or 3.0 porsche donk and double your beetles power :D
Yeah, your kinda right there, tho due to the size of the flat 6 you need serious mods to the engine bay/drive train/gearbox/rear bodywork etc to get it to work. it would be cheaper and give you just as much performance fitting a modified 2ltr out of the type 4 as that would fit much better, tho there was this guy in Sweden who fitted a 1950's oval window body shell onto a early 911 turbo Chassis and running gear...:) The 914 was a 1970's collaboration between Porshe and VW and was fitted with a mid engined 2ltr, tho i believe there were a few fitted with the flat 6 (916) but i'm not sure if they made it past the prototype stage. But it had a completely different body and floor plan to the 911 and all came with a removable targa roof, but there was an early version of the 911 which i think was called the 912 which began production in the early '60s and was the replacement to the 356.
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Now days the the VW aircooled aftermarket is bustling right along. You can build a streetable 200 plus HP VW based on the 1600 for about 4 k ..You will need the carbs and tin and exhuast and a few other pieces,but A 200 real HP bug is insane. The 1600 engine actually is a better performance base than a 2 liter type 4... I Run in a aircooled stickshift only NASA dragracing class in Northern Cal...I always seem to have at least two of the damn things around. for anyone that has any performance car experience a hot bug is an eye opener to say the least. A typical street bug with a big engine and close ratio gears can run in the mid twelves.. A quicker, not so common machine with a little more power can run in the elevens, no prolem.. An 11 second bug due to the quickness and short wheelbase feels like a 9 second Camaro/chevelle/ etc.. scary fun..and then there are the TURBO bug...350-450 HP in a bug.... all based on a 1600...
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In my youth I had a black '65 bug with a 1400 in it. There was not chrome on it. I had two webber two barrel carbs, I can't remember how big the jugs were and a racing cam in it. Also if I remember it had I think an Empi header with a glasspack muffler. It also had a bosch coil for extra juice. The back had E60-14's and the front had E 70-14's. Black leather seats with a black, white and gold flowery head liner. What can I say, it was popular where I lived. I made a rear deck like between the rear seat and back window, covered it with white fur and had a magnificent stereo system with six speakers in that rear deck lid. My car went Thu... Thu... Thu... Thu... Thud before it was popular to do it.
I remember getting pulled by a cop over because I was driving uphill on a mountain road in El Paso, Texas on kind of a steep grade going 90mph. He said he had never seen a Bug going uphill this fast before and wanted to see my engine. I showed him of course. A few weeks later I ran into him at a burger joint with two other cops. He asked me to show them my engine and take them for a ride in it. I did.
Ah, the memories. ;) :P
Still not sure of the header brand. I think EMPI made suspension parts only.
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Shaun, EMPI made just about everything that could be bolted, screwed, welded/glued onto a VW.. they even made a sheet metal buggy kit before the Manx..Nowdays the original EMPI stuff brings stupid money on the collector scene.
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Yeah, thats true. I used to go to all the shows n swapmeets and everyone was always on the lookout for genuine empi gear, tho i think someone bought the trade name and started making some bits again, but the quality was not all that good. I had empi rocker/head covers on my '63 notchback and a Gene Berg qucikshift... ;D I think the Gene Berg parts are still available new these days. Tho i could be wrong as my last VW was about 6 years ago now.
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VW wise, I here any old air cooled 911 flat 6 will bolt right up to the air cooled VW flat 4 mounts and gearbox. The 914 entry level budget porsche was just a 911 stripped of any strip-able fripperies like A/C and fitted with a 4 from the beetle. find a 2.4, 2.7 or 3.0 porsche donk and double your beetles power :D
Yeah, your kinda right there, tho due to the size of the flat 6 you need serious mods to the engine bay/drive train/gearbox/rear bodywork etc to get it to work. it would be cheaper and give you just as much performance fitting a modified 2ltr out of the type 4 as that would fit much better, tho there was this guy in Sweden who fitted a 1950's oval window body shell onto a early 911 turbo Chassis and running gear...:) The 914 was a 1970's collaboration between Porshe and VW and was fitted with a mid engined 2ltr, tho i believe there were a few fitted with the flat 6 (916) but i'm not sure if they made it past the prototype stage. But it had a completely different body and floor plan to the 911 and all came with a removable targa roof, but there was an early version of the 911 which i think was called the 912 which began production in the early '60s and was the replacement to the 356.
Yeah the VW porsche as it was known everywhere but the USA where it was the PORSCHE 914.. marketing at it finest.. Yes the 914,at least in the US came with 1.7 1.8 and last the 2.0 liter engines.. which were also what powered the post 1971 buses.. talk about parts bin share... The 912 from 1966 used the old 356 1.6 in a decontented 911 shell. the 912 stayed in production until, i believe '69...A later 912E came out after the 914 was killed so as to offer alower price point at the PORSCHE dealer.. The new 2.0 engine was not much more than a 2 liter bus with fuel Injection.. and aPORSCHE name tag...As to the EMPI deal..EMPI was sold to Filter Dynamics in the early seventies.. after a checkered stint the name was sold ,and to this day many substandard POS parts are churned out under the once highly respected EMPI banner.. Yes Gene Berg is still in biz.. Gene died back about 1996 or so, but his Wife and son Clyde still make some damn nice parts for racing and performance street..The other two sons Doug and Gary are also heavily involved in performance VWs. Like original EMPI, many BERG parts bring more than when new...
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A page and a half about VW you guys need some seriose help. Lets talk some real cars. I owned a 79 Dodge Charger Daytona. 360 cubic inches of Detroit muscle.Edelbrock intake with a Holly 650 double pumper.This car came stock from the factory with A/C cruise tilt,Electric windows.And electric seats.Everytime I drove this car.I ended up getting a ticket.Way to much car for a 18 year old kid.
74 Dodge Dart swinger 2 dr hardtop.318 bored and stroked.You stomped the gas in this car off the line.You were going to be replacing the rear end or the tranny.You eased into this one .Till it was rolling good.Then you could stomp it.And everything would hold together.
74 Chrysler New Yorker.2 door hardtop.440 big block.With a carter Afb carb 4 barrel.And dual cherry bombs.For the exhaust.You could here this car comming from a couple of miles away.I ran it up to 120 mph a couple of times across eastern Colorado.The motor wasn't even beginning to wind up.I got scared and backed out of it.The car front end would start to float.At about 100.When I drove this car around town.It would only fire on 7 cylinders.Sounded real bad.When you got it out on the highway.The last cylinder would start fireing.I finally put a hotter spark plug in that cylinder.And routed the spark plug wire away from the motor it seemed to fix it.
79 AMC Jeep J-10 this is a off shoot of what the American Military.Used in WW 2.Some of them are still in service with the forest service.It had a straight 6 cylinder called a 258.With a four speed tranny with unsynchronized gears.In first and second.And reverse.It has a Dana 60 rear end.And a Dana 40 up front.It was a 4/4 .Top speed in 4 wheel drive low is probably around six mph.It would climb anything.If you could keep at least two of the tires on the ground.I used to take it to lake Powell.And pull the big motor homes out of the sand.Its top speed in 2 wheel drive.Was about 65 mph.At 65 you were winding it real hard.
The only drawbacks these trucks had.Was that they are slow.And mine had a two barrel side draft carburetor.That would freeze up.When the temperature dropped below zero.I tried everything I could think of.To stop the carb from freezing up nothing worked.I finally figured out how to work with it.I would start it early.And wate till I could here it start missing and chocking.Then I would go out and shut it off.Then go back to it 5 minutes latter and restart it.Then it would be fine.For the rest of the day.
I had the motor rebuilt.New clutch and pressure plate.I cut out the rusted floor boards.And fabricated new ones.I took the brush guard off.And fabricated a new grill.I added fog lights to the front bumper.And re arched the springs.Serviced the front differential and the rear differential with new seals and new lube oil.I Pulled out the bench seat.And put in bucket seats and center counsel.Out of a Eddie Bauer Ford bronco.Rebuilt the carburetor.put in a new fuel pump.I did the body work.And painted it back to it's original two tone paint job.Chocolate brown on top.And white on the sides.I replaced the floorboards rubber mat.And added insulation in the floors.And under the hood.And installed better looking wheels and tires.I added a pull switch to the heater box.If you pulled it back the warm air would go to the windshield.If you pushed it in.It would put the hot air on the floor.After I added the insulation.I would drive around with the temperature selector.in the middle.And the vent in the floors opens about half way.Because it would get to hot in the truck.In the middle of winter.
This AMC jeep is really something.I drove it 300 miles threw the Colorado Rockies.In a raging Blizzard.I drove the whole way.With it locked in 4 high.It wouldn't run faster then 45 mph.In 4 high.This Jeep never spun a wheel.On any of the mountain passes.I stopped on the East side of Wolfe creek pass.And filled up with gas.When I popped the hood.The top of the motor was coverd with snow.I raked the snow off the motor.Restarted the motor.And it just purred away.It took me 8 hours to drive 300 miles.But I made it.And the jeep never gave me any problems.
Three weeks ago I tried to drive my 2005 GMC 1/2 ton 4/4 over the same roads.Thiere was just enough snow.To cover the rd.So thiere was probably 3 inches.I locked it in 4 low.It tried to jump off the mountain side.So I turned back east..Then ran south into New Mexico.And tried to cross the Rockies just west of Taos.Same thing locked it in 4 low..It spun all the way over one pass.And almost left me and the family stranded in a blizzard.On the second mountain.Finally got it unstuck.And drove back to Taos New Mexico.And got a hotel. The Rd was still snowy the next mourning.So I ran south again almost to Santa Fe New Mexico.Before I turned west.And then turned North to get home.2 days spent trying to get home.My jeep would of climbed thoose mountain passes no problem.That GMC wouldn't.
To be fair to the GMC.It is a true highway truck.It has highway gears in the rear end.It will run 100. before the computer shuts it down.The Tac shows the motor turning about 3,000 rpm at 100 mph. So I know it will run faster.If the computer didn't shut it down.I can kick the gas peddle to the floor.And it will push you back in the seat.It has a better ride then the jeep.And better stereo,heater, A/c
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Talk about the old Jeeps reminded me of racing ON Lake George. Most of them were jeeps but there were other 4 wheelers. Even thou I had my 4 wheeler there I didn't race. Instead I was racing around on a snow mobil. Photos attached / That large dot on the left is me. Hope to get the other photos attached.
OK put as many photos as I can. There's the two Lake George photos. My 72 Bronco I rebuilt the motor on. Reminds me of the early jeeps. My 78 Bronco this one was fun. The two VW's I had. The Rabbit (later called the Golf) and the van I mentioned before. In that photo is the chevy 427 I was going to put in but changed my mind, thinking the engine torque might twist the frame when the front wheels came off the ground. ;D There's also my Jag XKE I rebuilt the engine on (long story). And the 71 Mustang, my street racer. It was called a sleeper because it looked like nothing special but if you really looked you'd see the goodies and realize it's not stock. Just below the lic plate you can see the Moroso label on the 10 qt oil pan. Many other car photos but I have to scan in all the photos.... so?
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Ah but Maxx you do not understand the culture of the VW's. For many of us it was the first car we owned. I owned a '68 Fastback Mustang, a '72 Gran Torino that looked exactly like the Starsky & Hutch car only green, a '63? Chrysler 300F with a 440 Ram air inducted Hemi, '50 Chevy Pickup (Still kick myself in the pants for ever getting rid of), '61 Karmann Ghia, several different kinds of cars including VW's.
But the sound of a VW with a header and a glass pack makes my hear skip a beat almost, but not quite, as much as Peggy's does.
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This is a pair of 64 Galaxie 500's ready for a ground up restoration. They both run and will set you back in the seat. (especially the blue one). But alas Jing and the home owners association forced me to sell them for practically nothing.
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_003.jpg (http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_003.jpg)
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_004.jpg (http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_004.jpg)
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_005.jpg (http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_005.jpg)
http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_006.jpg (http://www.niwot.net/gerry/Picture_006.jpg)
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Gerry nice projects. It is a shame you had to get rid of them. You reminded me that I had a 64 Galaxie 500 years ago too. When I run across my pictures I'll scan them in and post them here. They are in storage. Maybe someday. It is great that we have some old car nuts on this site. You know, Chinese women, old cars, and good beer... :o wait a minute... I don't drink! ;D
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:o wait a minute... I don't drink! ;D
Don't worry, I'll have your share of the booze :D
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Hi all,
On this subject, I'm about to buy a 2004 Mustang ragtop here in Germany. Its bright yellow and I love it. Its stored in my barn and the woman that owns it moved to the States and wants to sell it. So I told her that first of Feb. I would buy it. ANYWAY to make a long story short, my question is if I was to move to China would I be able to import it with me?
Thanks,
JIM in Germany
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Maybe if you drove it there you might get around any possible import charges, and it would be one hell of a road trip.....! Ps, if you need anyone to ride shotgun... ;D ;D
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That would be a hell of a rod trip.I wouldn't think it would be a big deal to import it to China.The problem once you get it thiere is going to be the drivers license.Last I heard the Chinese don't give the driving test in English.And China doesn't recognise a international drivers licence.So you have a nice car in China.That all you can do is look at.Or have your wife/girlfriend drive it for you.
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Hi all!
A road trip from Bavaria to Beijing, now that's an idea! That would be, what, around 6,000 miles? My pony gets 12L to the 100km. I bet I could airmail it there cheaper!
About the DL, that could be a problem. BUT about 10 or 15 years ago when they opened the first VW factory in China, the VW company in Germany was selling driving trips thru China. You started in Beijing and went to someplace forgot now. But the price included the use of a new Chinese VW and a Chinese DL was given to you at the start.
Jim
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Last September I think it was the Chinese government brought out a new law, which states that you can now only import new cars into China. My wife wanted a Mini and I was looking into bringing one over that was maybe 2 years old, so that idea didn't work :-[
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Everything I have read on eChinacities and other places is the chinese govt is working as hard as they can to limit by any and all means the proliferation of cars in China. Taxes, import restrictions, manatory obsolescence crush dates and anything that will dissaude people from buying cars.
A Nissan 370Z in china costs the same as it's big brother the Nissan GTR does here in NZ... A $20,000 NZD stickered on the showroom floor Hyundai in NZ, costs over $35,000 NZD in China when converted from RMB on the Chinese showroom floor to NZD. I hear there is now a 10 yr old personal use law which means on a privately owned cars 10th birthday the govt can seize and crush it, leaving the owner with the need to buy another heavily taxed replacement. Anything to keep cars off the roads without causing a revolt by the status seeking new middle class who see the car as meaning status.