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Car Restoration
reithi
#21 Posted : Wednesday, August 05, 2009 11:07:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 1/12/2007
Posts: 75
E-bay is a great idea. Alternatively,search for the parts on google but you will need specific vehicle details such as model,year of manufacture etc. Your best shot is the UK where the car was a big hit. Either way,you will get better prices inclusive of freight.

I have a similar restoration project for a 1970 VW Beetle. I ordered all the replacement parts plus including fenders,door rubbers,heavy duty suspension,window winders even mirrors from jbugs.com,had them delivered to a relative for onward shipment to Kenya.

The engine and transmission are my only dilemmas cause I want to maintain the original engine. Modified air cooled VW engines with magneto distributors (and even turbo) and 5-speed transmissions are available but the cost and freight are over the roof. In a worst case scenario,I may be forced to consider an in-line replacement engine of not more than 80bhp which will work well with the existing 4-speed transmission.

Paint work is tricky business in this town considering most garage promises heaven but deliver shoddy work. If you want quality,I would suggest you try Master Fit along off Enterprise Rd,Industrial Area though they are a bit expensive and have to wait to get your car done due to their meticulous approach.
Sasha
#22 Posted : Thursday, August 06, 2009 8:18:00 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/5/2007
Posts: 627
@reithi: Thank you for the encouragement and all the best in your project. Any thoughts on buying a car on ebay? Saw an unbelievable deal and don't know whether to explore it or not!


Immorality: The morality of those who are having a better time!
reithi
#23 Posted : Thursday, August 06, 2009 9:18:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 1/12/2007
Posts: 75
Having read your post,it brought back some much needed energy and optimism into my own prroject.

I toyed with an idea a Subaru Impreza 1500cc engine but the cons outweighed the pros. Besides it will no longer be a VW Beetle. I have now decided to maintain the original engine but import selected parts to improve power. Sadly,that means upgrading the braking system and minor reinforcement of the transmission as well. Sadly,the scope and cost of this project is growing by the day Sad

On importing cars,the current rules state that only 2002 vehicles are allowed into the country. However,I am not sure KEBS/KRA has exceptions for classic cars. Maybe an SK member,probably Tokyo can enlighten us.

reithi
Sasha
#24 Posted : Thursday, August 06, 2009 9:23:00 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/5/2007
Posts: 627
@reithi: I did not mean importing an old car. I meant importing a newer car coz I saw a very juicy deal for a 2004 model of a car I really like!

Anyone ever bought a car on ebay?



Immorality: The morality of those who are having a better time!
JkMwatha
#25 Posted : Thursday, August 06, 2009 10:55:00 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/11/2007
Posts: 816
@Sasha -Yes I have (bought & sold cars on ebay)..... but that's becoz I buy & sell cars in UK.

What do you want to know?
Sasha
#26 Posted : Friday, August 07, 2009 8:50:00 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/5/2007
Posts: 627
@JkMwatha: Thank you! What I need to know is are the cars as good as they look on the captions? And are the prices real! Saw a 2004 Audi S4 with mileage of 25k going for $4,500/- and was shocked! That is way too cheap for such a car! Generally are the cars authentic? Are they in good condition? Shipping costs?

Immorality: The morality of those who are having a better time!
JkMwatha
#27 Posted : Friday, August 07, 2009 2:33:00 PM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/11/2007
Posts: 816
Prices on ebay are real... and as described. & Yes they are as good as they look on captions... You also need to look at the sellers feeback to see how reliable the seller is...

I'm not sure where you are looking ..whether ebay.co.uk or ebay.com ... you have quoted $s and not &pound;s... If it in $s then the car is likely to be left-hand drive and unlikely to be sold in UK.

Another thing is,was the price on 'BUY IT NOW'/classified (fixed price) or 'Auction' ... meaning low starting and rising according to the nomber of bidders?

Normal prices for Audi S4 (not A4) for that year will hover around the &pound;15k mark +- ($25000)

Shipping depending on port in UK. From Southampton


RoRo (roll on roll off) is approx Ksh120k. or
Container ..... ksh 170k
reithi
#28 Posted : Friday, August 07, 2009 3:22:00 PM
Rank: Member

Joined: 1/12/2007
Posts: 75
Thanks for the clarification.

Another consideration is the import/excise duties and VAT for a 2004 Audi which might quite high.

Around August last year,I imported a Mercedes Benz 320CDi from a dealership in UK for a client. The car was as good as new with only 16K miles (miles are the standard in the UK not kms). Since the dealership are not exporters,I had to organise de-registration,inspection and shipment on my own. Then the duty was 1.6M though I had already factored a higher amount. I had a similar duty experience with a BMW 735.

All I am putting across is that you need to exercise due diligence by computing the entire cost (after confirming shipping,duty,clearing charges) before purchasing the car.

reithi
iKenya
#29 Posted : Monday, August 10, 2009 8:19:00 AM
Rank: Member

Joined: 7/27/2008
Posts: 241
Sasha,

Allow me to give my peni mbili,i dabbled in this restoration business for a while,trust me the quotation you are getting is for the initial price,as a certein Sk'rian said,the car will develop an intimate relationship na mwenye garage. take it like this,gari ni mzee,whatever you do,itakua garage every 2nd week! i hope you will not try to make it a daily driving vehicle,coz then all the mechanics in the roundabouts mtajuana....anyway,back to what you were looking for,looking at what u are saying,changing the engine etc,you are not really restoring,rather you are modifying...the quotes you are getting are far much lower thatn you will get on a true restoration (which should take a minimum of at elast 6 months IFF done by a pro),else,throw in the levin engine,change the drive train,suspension,steering,then modify the wiring...as you do the body work,ask them to scrap kila kitu kwanza,check for rust and 'cut & paste' the rusted areas,wachana na mambo ya panel beating na filler...talking of which,there is this kalasinger in Gigiri,runs the petrol station that has the java at the UN junction,he was restoring a 68 ford cortina,that was a year or two ago,pay him a visit...
Quote:
Buy when there's blood in the streets, even if the blood is your own...
Sasha
#30 Posted : Monday, August 10, 2009 11:31:00 AM
Rank: Veteran

Joined: 9/5/2007
Posts: 627
@iKenya & reithi: Thank you very much for enlightening me! I will consider your views before making my moves. Much appreciated.

@JkMwatha: I was looking at ebay.com and not .co.uk. I will check out .co.uk and let you know if there's something I like and we can do some business. Thank you very much!


Immorality: The morality of those who are having a better time!
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