[clarky36]

I know that not everyone can fix their own car and some people don't have the time etc. I have had jobs on my various vw done at garages myself when time or knowledge was lacking. I also know that it's probably keeping the vw scene going at has almost defiantly resulted in the increase in people able to make a living off the scene owning resto garages etc.

But....

I don't like it when a magazine refers to someone as an 'enthusiast' and then goes on to explain their current vw was bought part finished, picked up by someone else, delivered to a shop that sorted the body work, taken to another shop for paint whilst the engine is being built by some other shop etc. etc. The finished article seems to have been made without a single bit of work from the owner except maybe for wheel and colour choice.

Maybe I'm just jealous that they have the money to be able to afford such a restoration but I just don't seem to like anyone that wondered into the scene with cheque book open. (I have met a few not just read articles) I think they just bore me they know nothing about the car they drive, you can't have a conversation about engines or break set up etc. with them or anything like. If the fan belt went on the car they couldn't fix it and probably don't even have a spare.
So generally they just annoy me.

 

[empi pervert]

Nope.


Each to their own

 

[fr05ty]

i always prefer a car built by owner but chequebook resto kept me in work for many years

 

[Happystamps]

the cars themselves don't bother me, but every now and then you get a blog or build thread about them. that bores me, as you don't see any of the work getting done. then again, i'm definitely jealous of the folk that can afford to pay for work done.

 

[bigbadbugga]

So what you are saying is that people with little or no mechanical knowledge/skill should not be able to have nice custom cars?

Personally I prefer to do all the work myself, if I had unlimited funds to play with I would still do most of the work myself but would buy or rent the tools needed and get training in the required skills.

 

[Fireflybuzzbuzz]

That's why i enjoy the local shows so much, i'd rather see nice looking daily than a perfect trailer queen. On the other hand, ideas used on the show cars do give a lot of inspiration, so they do hold an important place in the scene i think.

Homebrew cars and shoestring budgets ftw!

 

[kiwibloke]

All the work on my bug has been done at my local workshop, I don't have the time or equipment to do the jobs myself.



KB

 

[nicktennear]

I stopped buying vw mags when I realised that they rarely feature work in progress and how to guides. I'm not interested in looking at pristine vans without a look at how they got that way, forums and websites give novices like me a much better idea of how to get stuff done. If I had the cash I'd get it into a restorer but I don't so all the magic happens on the drive.

 

[fr05ty]

i spent easter friday building a v8....much rather that than have someone else do it

my merc cost me less than £500 to bare metal and rebuild but if i had to charge my hours to someone it would be over £30k

if people wanna pay, its up to them but because i have the skills, i believe if i want a job doing well i am best doing it myself and have more in common with other builders than people with bigger bank accounts

 

[amnlincoln]

Our camper is currently in for restoration. I don't have the skill, time, tools or space to sort the bodywork and get a good finish so we are paying someone else to do that for us. Everything else I have a go at, interior, engine, running gear etc.

I think knowing your limits and getting in the experts when necessary is the best way forward. If someone doesn't have the skills/time but has the cash to pay for a resto then good luck to them. Admittedly it doesn't make as interesting a read as someone who has done it all themselves.

 

[clarkson]

TBH I am envious of them. Whilst I can fix my own van, I am a lazy fucker and would rather just pay someone to do it for me, but I can't afford that.

 

[RaggedyRacing]

Only as much as people who have houses built by builders, not by themselves



The sense having idiots

 

[fr05ty]

Our camper is currently in for restoration. I don't have the skill, time, tools or space to sort the bodywork and get a good finish so we are paying someone else to do that for us. Everything else I have a go at, interior, engine, running gear etc.

I think knowing your limits and getting in the experts when necessary is the best way forward. If someone doesn't have the skills/time but has the cash to pay for a resto then good luck to them. Admittedly it doesn't make as interesting a read as someone who has done it all themselves.

is yours the one in vk?

 

[funky munky]

I think it's wrong to label 'only mechanics/restorers etc' as enthusiasts. People are enthusiastic about something in many ways; owning a classic, driving a classic, being seen in a classic, rebuilding a classic etc...

What's better? A fully restored cheque-book motor on the road, or one in the hands of an enthusiast with no skills, with a car that'll never see the light of day?

People who are enthusiastic about food don't always cook what they eat...

 

[ballbag]

No, not at all.

 

[Molaroid]

Only as much as people who have houses built by builders, not by themselves

The sense having idiots

I think it's wrong to label 'only mechanics/restorers etc' as enthusiasts. People are enthusiastic about something in many ways; owning a classic, driving a classic, being seen in a classic, rebuilding a classic etc...

What's better? A fully restored cheque-book motor on the road, or one in the hands of an enthusiast with no skills, with a car that'll never see the light of day?

People who are enthusiastic about food don't always cook what they eat...

^ WTS

 

[clarky36]

So what you are saying is that people with little or no mechanical knowledge/skill should not be able to have nice custom cars?

No not at all, more that if people have no interst in vw's other than they look cool and they want to drive one around and show it off tend to annoy me and i wondered if other felt the same. I have plenty of time for people who may have had work done by other but who are willing to jump in and have a go on smaller jobs, want to learn etc. I quite like helping people out who sometimes might not know how to do a particular job that i have doen before.

I think for me a big part of owning a classic vw is learning how to keep it going. but as has been said above each to thier own i guess

 

[SJC3101]

I know my limitations but would rather do the work myself, I do think there is much more satisfaction in doing it yourself but only if you enjoy it.

I'd gladly try to fix my car, within reason but house stuff I'd happily just hand money over to dodge the ballache

What you can do & what you'll get from it is important I think!

 

[Rock Bus]

i can relate to this
i use to love ultra vw when it first came out because it was very different to volksworld as it featured more 'normal' cars and vans i.e ones which were used every day and were maintained by the owners or a local garage.

now both magazines are just full of shop built vehicles or ones where people seem to have an unbelievable budget and most of them arent even based in the uk

Even at the shows i prefer looking at the dailys in the car park rather than the perfect shiny ones on show. They may have a few scratches, bumps and knocks but at least they are being used and loved

 

[Mr Slug]

Sounds like a new form of 'snobery' to me. :lol:

Vehicle enthusiasts come in all shapes and sizes, with all levels of skills, vastly different facilities, sizes of wallets and spare time available.

The great diversity is what makes cars, shows and people interesting.

Why single out one particular sector of enthusiasts to look down on ? . . . . and as a matter of fact, where does the looking down your nose stop ?

[:incheek: Personally, I can't bear so called 'enthusists' that can't be bothered to scratch build their car bodies or make their own castings :incheek:]

:lol: In answer to your question - NO, folk that commission projects most certainly do NOT annoy me.

However, intolerant folk that really struggle, and appear desperate to find an individual, or group to look down on do annoy the hell out of me.