Over the years, spare parts for VW's have become harder to find but they haven't completely dried out. I don't know of any VW's that have had to be parked for non availability of spares. A few of us have tried to arrange parts for the VW's and to help keep them on road. Moqeem, Romano, Shahzeb and I have tried do our bit in Islamabad while Asad manages to come up with old stocks from importers godowns quite regularly. However the availability is not the same as if you went out to buy parts for a Suzuki Mehran or the like. There is no shortage of parts in North America where it is a multi million dollar industry still. You can go online and look for new and used parts. getting them over however may be an issue. (shipping costs are ridiculous) If you have relatives in the US or Canada you can always ask them to relay the parts to you thru someone who is flying out to Pakistan, saving you a bunch on the shipping. You won't have to do it on a regular basis. Once you have your car fixed properly it won't need a lot of parts on a regular basis so for most new VW owners it is a one time exercise.
As for Romano's help, I have to warn you..he can be quite grumpy at times but does not have a mean bone in his body. It all depends on the time you approach him. Sadly I cannot give you a forecast of his mood swings but you will have to take your chance. If he wants you to call back in an hour do that. If you make an appointment, keep it. You'll be in his good books.
As regards the actual buying of the car, look around you first. There may be a distant relative or family friend who has one parked in his garage for the last several years. There always are advantages of buying from someone you know than buying from a total stranger..duh!
Next step is to determine what you are willing to spend. (or what is your budget) This amount can then be divided into two parts roughly 75-25 ratio. 75 would be the amount you pay the seller of the car and 25 you keep to spend on the car after you have bought it. Its highly unlikely that you would not have to spend anything when you bring the car home. It could be something by choice like a stereo and speakers, floor mats and seat covers or something that calls for your attention, like worn tyres, old battery, an oil leak or a dent on the fender.
When you negotiate the price with the seller you keep both amounts in mind (75-25) If you see that the car has a good solid body, a good paint job etc and you won't have to spend any money on the paint you can always transfer some of the 25 to the 75 section. This is where you need to draw on the experience of the person you take along. Sadly there are a lot of people who would shine the car just to mask its defects and to an untrained eye a combination of a shiny paint job, alloy wheels and new seat covers or stereo seems like a good condition car but there could be areas that need urgent (and expensive) attention.
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The above division (75-25 ) is not carved in stone but just to give you an idea on how to proceed. I have flipped the %age the other way round in some cars that I bought over the years..I bought for 25% and spent 75% on its restoration and I don't suggest you do that. I hope you get the picture.
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There are other considerations when buying a used Volkswagen in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:country-region><st1:place>Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> and the number one is the status of the registration papers. For years, Volkswagens were not considered cars and while the owners would regularly pay annual tax for other cars they conveniently ignored paying the road tax for the VW's. Its not unusual to find a good car with 10 plus years of pending tax. I suggest you get a quote from the ETO office and use the figure to determine the buying price of the car. Getting the papers in order can cost a pretty penny itself as there is the tax plus the penalty to pay (plus the palm greasing at the ETO office). You will also find cars being sold with an open transfer letter. While I cannot comment on the legality of this practice it may be a problem when you go for the transfer of ownership. To give you an example, it was fine for a buyer to take a complete set of papers to the ETO (Excise and Taxation)office, pay the transfer fee at the National Bank and deposit the papers for transfer. The changed rules in <st1:place>Punjab</st1:place> require the seller as well as the buyer to appear in person for transfer (at least that was the case when i left <st1:country-region><st1:place>Pakistan</st1:place></st1:country-region> in 2007) This can be a problem as the seller you are buying the car may not be the owner of the car in government records. If the documents are doubtful, i'd suggest you walk away..regardless of the condition the car is in. It is too much of a hassle and I am not sure you can afford to get involved in the running around required to get the papers in order.
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..to be continued. <o:p></o:p>
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