I started looking for a replacement vehicle after an underage girl in a 1998 BMW rear ended me and totaled my pristine 1984 318i in June of 1999. What was funny was when her boy friend got out of the car he asked me, “why did you stop for that pedestrian? There’s no cross walk at this intersection.”

After haggling with her fathers insurance company, the settlement amount wasn’t quite enough for a true replacement vehicle. Vehicles that my wife and I looked at (used) were over valued for their mileage and lack of maintenance.

I then decided that I should look at VW fixers. They always had been popular for their simplicity and ease of maintenance. I decided I would look for a diesel as economic reports from the summer of 1999 indicated a possible fuel shortage for the summer of 2000. Remembering the gas shortages (or should I say, the oil industries self imposed shortages) of the 1970’s, I decided that I could possibly brew my own biodiesel if push came to shove.

After looking at several VW diesels in the early 1980’s vintage (which I still thought were over priced*), I found a non running Golf NA. The engine cranked and the body was in fairly good shape. I told the owner, when he got it running to give me a call.

Several months passed and I noticed this same vehicle in the trade paper again for a considerably reduced price. After calling the owner again, he told me that he couldn’t get it running. We struck a deal for $150 over the phone and the car was mine.

These web pages will be updated continuously with the progress of my project car.

* Here in Southern California, there must be a lot of pride in ones vehicle. Used cars that are 10 years old still command prices of close to $10,000. Cars I would not even offer $2,000 for. Some of these cars are still for sale almost a year later, listed for the same asking prices.

| The Problem | The Fix | It's Running | More | Morer | Smore | Smorer | Smores | Home|

10 Years later!

Last updated: 18 April 2011