Trabant

moyno

I think I am be a vehicular deviant but I would really like to own a trabant any body where strart?

how much should I pay for a good example (with and without a full tank)?
any owners clubs in ireland
etc

any help would be appreciated

peasant

Almost 20 years after they stopped making them, trabants have almost made it into "classic" circles.

As a rule of thumb you will find two types of vehicle out there;

1) yokes that are running by a hairs breadth and have had nothing but abuse for the last 10 or so years or those that have languished out back for a long time for a few euro

2) cars that have either been "put by" or restored (with varying results) and where "real" money is being asked

Best place to look would be Germany ...start here:
http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/searchresults.html?pageNumber=1&__lp=15&scopeId=C&sortOption.sortBy=price.consumerGrossEuro&sortOption.sortOrder=ASCENDING&makeModelVariant1.makeId=24200&makeModelVariant1.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant2.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant3.searchInFreetext=false&vehicleCategory=Car&segment=Car&negativeFeatures=EXPORT&damageUnrepaired=NO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED&customerIdsAsString=&lang=en


Personally, I like the shape of the older model

FiSe

I personally don't think that this an "older" model, there's only two types of Trabbi: sedan and combi. Different subversions could have a minor modifications, but in general, they do look the same...
The yoke on the picture is chopped-up and pimped-up Trabbi 601S.
It has a new bonnet, looks like Skoda 1000? / Octavia?, reworked front end to accomodate this, new front bumper, roof looks reworked as well as are door windows, am not quite sure about that front window either, but this could be original, new door handles and those front vents are non-standard as well...

My mother drives one of those, still two stroke 600cc engine, light as a paper, mechanically simple, no rust and it's a fecking flyer!

peasant

emm ...no

There were two principal variants of the Trabant, the Trabant 500, also known as the Trabant P 50, produced 1957-1963; and the Trabant 601 (or Trabant P 60 series), produced from 1963 to 1991

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trabant

FiSe

Well, you're learning something new every day.
Have never seen one of these before and, trust me, I've seen tons of them...

Max_Damage

I'd go for one of the last models made in the late 80's / early 90's, because since the Wall fell, Trabby's were equipped with VW Polo engines. It would have some chance of passing the NCT.

moyno

interesting a trabi with a polo engine.

however I think that not haveing the spluttering two stroke would make the whole experience less wholesome. I would be looking for something registered before 1978 so that I could tax it as a classic. Also I would really envisage this as being a project vehicle for sunny day when its running as I think that they may be too unreliable as an everyday vehicle.

Are classic cars still exempt from NCT's ?
I figure this system can't last for ever but an NCT type test for classic cars must sureley take into acount the age of the vehicle ?

peasant

IMO the Trabant 1.1 looks cack with its lopsided grille and squared off bonnet



There were only a few thousand of them made as the market collapsed with the re-unification. Hardly anybody in Germany bought them anyway, most of them were sold off to places like Poland and Hungary.

The coolest Trabant to have is this one (also reflected in the asking prices)

Hifive

Alternative uses for your Trabbi.

unkel

Lol

G Luxel

Herpa, the 1/87 model car manufacturer, has bought the rights to the Trabant name and models and made a scale model of a retro Trabant, similiar along the lines of the MINI and Volkswagen Beetle. They are hoping to put a real one in production in late 2008 or early 2009.

2 Espressi

There's a baby blue Trabby being daily driven in Ennis, 87-G reg, I reckon you'd really want to be a masochist to get one!

There's another trabby thread at http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055269056

Hifive

A few more special Trabbi's

Pimp my Trabbi.


Plant my Trabbi.


Trabbi truck.


Trabbi tent.


WTF trabbi!!

zilog_jones

2 Espressi wrote: »

There's a baby blue Trabby being daily driven in Ennis, 87-G reg, I reckon you'd really want to be a masochist to get one!

Probably the same one, but there's an LIT student with a blue '87 model - I see it most days parked down the Old Cratloe Road. There used to be a white one I often saw around Limerick on German plates (it was here a couple of years at least).

Max_Damage wrote:

I'd go for one of the last models made in the late 80's / early 90's, because since the Wall fell, Trabby's were equipped with VW Polo engines. It would have some chance of passing the NCT.

Cars this old are exempt from emissions tests in the NCT anyway. I think it's only post Euro-II vehicles (1993 onwards) that are tested?

MercMad

I imagine them to be a truely dismal driving experience. I also doubt they are unreliable, 2 stroke engines are simple and effective, obviously it depends on how they are maintained.

What I would be more worried about would be the day to day risk of accidents. You could easily be killed by a cyclist or stray wheelie bin and then have the please of the local fire brigade trying to cut you out with a stanley knife !

G Luxel

peasant wrote: »

emm ...no







An estate version of this car was often parked on the main street in clarenbridge up to about I0 years ago and was on 64 G plates with a DDR sticker on the rear door.

Max_Damage

zilog_jones wrote: »

Cars this old are exempt from emissions tests in the NCT anyway. I think it's only post Euro-II vehicles (1993 onwards) that are tested?

Incorrect. My '90 Micra is tested for emissions. The tolerance levels are higher though than newer cars.

zilog_jones

Oh? Maybe it's the Euro I (Jan 1989) then. It could prove difficult knowing what the expected HC and CO emissions are for any older cars since there were no regulations prior to then. I'm not certain but I doubt they test them...

zilog_jones

I stand corrected - any car made after 1st Jan 1980 is tested for CO/HC/Lambda.

Pre-Jan 1994 Registrations
2. With the engine at normal operating temperature connect the CO/HC meter as per manufacturer’s instructions.
Raise the engine speed to approximately 2,500 R.P.M. and hold for 20 seconds. Allow the engine to return to idle
and the emissions readings to stabilise. Note the carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon content of the exhaust gases
at normal idle speed.

I don't think the NCT was really designed for 2-stroke engines anyway - would they even bother? I'm sure the levels are horrendous whatever they are