There's no bad place to look for VWs, except maybe a Yugo Dealer!

Friends: The Six Degrees of Separation Approach...

Humor aside, almost any place you could leave, sell, scrap or discard a VW you can find one, and friends are a great place to start. Tell your circle of intimates that you're looking for a new (old) car and ask them if they know anyone with one for sale kinda like the type you're looking for. Almost everyone knows someone with a VW, who invariably knows someone else with a VW who knows someone else. Sooner or later you're bound to find someone who has the car you want, or knows someone that does...

Classifieds: Conventional

We won't dissuade you from buying tons of Antique Auto trader type magazines as they're good references, a healthy source of roughage, make decent litter box liners, plus they impress the heck out of some folk! However, we've found most vehicles are either pricey, (some justifiable, some not) are located too far away to economically transport to your home, shop or favorite garage, or, as is most likely the case, the car you're interested in has already been sold to the delivery route stooge who drops off the mags each week to the local 7-11. On the serious side, certain mags such as the niche-market types and Hemmings do serve as a barometer of sorts for market value.

Classifieds: Online

Since we originally wrote this article (back in 1994) there's been a slight surge in online marketplace classifieds found on the internet. Today (2009) there's a plethora of excellent starting points when you're searching for a VW and many of the specialty, niche-market magazines (Like Hemmings) now have online classifieds listings. Below are just a few links to VW-rich classifieds to get you started. View our "Sources" section for a more complete listing.

Local repair shops

Taxi drivers aren't the only people who know everything in a town. Next to your local Sanitation Representative the best place to ask in your "quest" is your neighborhood Foreign Car Repair person. Chances are he or she knows the whereabouts of those junkers & lost treasures you've only heard about. Good place to fine tune that sense of smell too! While you're there, ask him/her if you "might" bring around a potential purchase for them to mechanically inspect. Do this while stocking the shop fridge with quality beverages and you'll most likely get a very fair rate as well as a thorough going over (the car, not you) come inspection time.

VW Shows/Swapmeets

Now you're getting into the meat of the sandwich. The real problem with combing the swap meets & shows is deciding which project vehicle buy. We recommend you "try" to go to a few shows as a wallflower and hang around the selling "pit" observing others as they ask questions of the owners of various vehicles. Remember, If it's a really good deal, and is stupid cheap, why is it still sitting in the "pit" at three O'clock in the afternoon? By hanging out and watching others perform the ritual of visual disassembly you can gain insight in what to look for in your own perfect "project".

An Agent or Broker

There are quite a few "locators" who specialize in obtaining just the auto of your choice. These folks have contacts usually all over the world and are well versed in negotiations, shipping, port of entry costs, taxes and tariffs. If you've got your heart set on a Kubelwagen, Hebmuller, Early 50's Bus, or even something more exotic (and you're willing to pay a hefty finders/agent fee) this may be a direction worth pursuing.

SUMMARY Remember, "Knowledge is Power". We can't stress how important it is to prepare yourself as well as possible. It's EASY to buy a vehicle , as an old saying goes, "A fool and his/her money are soon parted!" Buying the right vehicle takes "mental" preparation, the result of which shouldn't fill up your yard or garage with costly "mistakes". If, after reading this article you're itching to get started (and who wouldn't be) jump over to our revised Pre-Inspection Checklist page and print out a hard copy of the information there.