Aircooled VW South Africa

I have finally received the official appointment, as honorary Technical Editor of Transporter Talk, the bi-monthly magazine of the British, Volkswagen Type 2 Owner's Club, which caters for all five generations of VW Transporter; 1950 onward.

I would be pleased to publish a feature on the various South African specification, VW commercials & campervans, including the early 1970s vintage, RHD Westfalia campervan conversion, whose campervan furniture & equipment layout, is very different from the "Continental" conversion, exported to the United Kingdom.

There is a good chance, that I might also be able to get it published in Volkswagen Camper & Commercial magazine, for which I have written some articles in the past.

I'm sure that fig and merlin will have plenty to contribute.

Hi, I live in the UK and have a Type2 Jurgens Autovilla 1976 dont know if this might be of intrest to you. Ive owned her for 6 years now and still enjoy everything about her.

Nigel, Can we pass as an article like that will only serve to give the UK population more knowledge of the RHD buses in SA for the exporting of them!

Dutch_Diver wrote:Nigel, Can we pass as an article like that will only serve to give the UK population more knowledge of the RHD buses in SA for the exporting of them!

Sad but true.....
The campers being exporter to the UK NOW are far from continental and are more likely to be SA spec.....

the free market at work?

The "I'm free to make a quick buck market" is more like it.

dsan wrote:the free market at work?

the "free" market has never really been very free at all..........plenty of prior discussion on this

Faak-me, the guy's asking for contributions to a magazine and we start back on the exporter-paranoia! C'mon!!! Enough already!!

Historical articles about interesting and unique specs and/or interiors are NOT going to prompt a rash of exporters. Do you guys really think that the busless bus enthusiasts in the UK don't actually know we have buses in South Africa?

Where was Mo moving to again? The Orange Free State, wasn't it? And it's not different. I'll bet you a pound to a pinch of camel that Mo will not be brought back to SA before being sold. It is therefore, ...exported.

AND, there is absolutely f--all wrong with that. It's yours, do with it what you like. But please don't stoke the exporter-phobia that already exists here on this forum.

And I thought Eben's ONLY concern with exporters was that they use his forum to find buses. Not the fact that they operate.

You thought wrong.

"Wow a lot of words exchanged but as for the purpose of this thread the topic was missed slightly: This thread was about a person in the "South Africans" group who passed info about someone else's ad in the offered section, straight to an importer in the UK. Now slap me and call me Dorris: This is not a "grey area". I think its abundantly clear what the rules for the forum is on this subject. As a matter of fact, by being added in the South Africans group, it proves that you read the rules pertaining too it. This is not about members selling their own rides or parts directly overseas, its about local spotters operating out of the offered section on this forum for importers in the UK or exporters in SA.

There has been forum members on here that has sold directly overseas but it backfired when the foreigners went on free for all and started bidding off the forum in PM's against locals and asked to keep it quiet.... There has also been forum members who have been selling very rare parts on other sites without even mentioning it on this forum, which they have every right to do of course although I think it a bit f#Ck#ed up.

Like I said its not a grey area..... it is "internationally known" and for good reason, no-one should be able to claim ignorance.

The reason we have to have these get togethers and that we have this amazing camaraderie is because of the cars that we can afford to buy and maintain. The closest thing I've seen to this camaraderie in the UK is forum members coming up for each other when they are busy slagging someone off who has different views than them.

I'm proud to be associated with the kind of members on this forum that contribute to our "community". The person who is the subject of this thread however is a ghezonkie-nut arranged around the ass-hole of a hobo. May bad things happen too you. I suppose you can see I take it personally."

Maybe, but reading this post of yours from 13th of Feb, I see no complaints about exporters other than those related to their use of the forum...

The forum is the only place I can do anything directly about it. It wouldn't make sense if I just had a problem with exporters operating on the forum would it? ie.(Stealing is ok as long as no-one steal my or my families' stuff) If you want I can draw you a picture: South Africa/UK, South African Enthusiasts/UK Enthusiasts, movement of vehicles, movement of cash, then as metrics, amount of vehicles, parts availability, popularity and in the end where the money goes, who looses out and who wins.....

An article in a UK magazine will only grow interest, interest grows = movement of cars away from SA = less availability for SA enthusiasts = more profits and encouragement for whoever makes money out of the cycle.

End result:
Less vehicles in SA
Less availability of parts in SA
More interest in SA vehicles in UK (They loooooove to have something different, until it goes out of fashion.)
More sales of SA vehicles in UK
More money for local vehicle spotters.
More money for exporters/importers in SA/UK which in turn means more money available for more turnover.

The recession is nearing an end and I'm quite concerned, Autovillas seem to be the flavour of the week, next there are talks about 1600S and SP1600 becoming interesting....


Note to Nigel: I apologize unreservedly to you that this thread has become a little bit of a monster but I'm sure you will make your own assumptions from the details provided. You are one of the few foreign members on the forum who contribute in a positive way regularly as opposed to joining the forum for the sole purpose of looking for vehicles or parts. Thank you.

eben wrote: Note to Nigel: I apologize unreservedly to you that this thread has become a little bit of a monster but I'm sure you will make your own assumptions from the details provided. You are one of the few foreign members on the forum who contribute in a positive way regularly as opposed to joining the forum for the sole purpose of looking for vehicles or parts. Thank you.

Exactly! I fail to see why an article about what VWSA did with their "free hand" and initiatives should make people import more cars, some of your equal-to marks don't equal-to. The info is out there anyway! The exporter discussion we have beaten to death and I cannot see why it should be resurrected especially pertaining to the subject of this thread. Owners of valuable vehicle know what to do, and thankfully you see it in oa the gumtree adverts.

Note to Nigel: Firstly, thank you for your contribution to this forum, secondly, congratulation on your appointment, and thirdly, I would contribute to your atricles, except I don't know anything that you might find interesting, except maybe how to put a long gearbox into a short space... I'll gladly write you an article on this mysterious and dark subject, with pics.

Oh, friendly advice Eben, don't go buying equities yet, mate. I don't think it's over, those idiots on CNN et al think it's over when the freefall slows. House prices in the UK are up, they all yell, the recession is over! Yes, house prices are up by 0.001%, so for a 200000GBP house, you're paying 200GBP more. This is especially pertinent in SA! We've got a ways to go. In fact, the recession is being held in place by a lack of consumer confidence. Everybody is jittery about spending and making high commitment purchases.

Ron&Gill wrote:I fail to see why an article about what VWSA did with their "free hand" and initiatives should make people import more cars...

Unfortunately I cannot help you with your lack of vision. And I challenge you, in a different thread, to tell me which of my equal to's don't compute.

Today is Sunday, I've had my communion and thus am full of love.
Enough now boys!!!

Eben: Well done for directing the debate to the correct forum

eben wrote:...I challenge you, in a different thread, to tell me which of my equal to's don't compute.

http://www.aircooledvwsa.co.za/viewtopi ... 0&start=90

Nigel: Please do remind us of your question once again (I know we can do the quote-unquote, but it would be good to see if you still want contributions) as I see the lads here have been playing with their toys and thus have not listened to and answered the question as asked by you.