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Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

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Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#81

Post by hef19898 »

rjsw wrote: post #63
tyingq wrote: post #60

I lived in Germany when the wall came down. For a while after this, it was common to see Trabant debris on the side of the autobahn. The Trabant had a very low top speed, and the East German drivers weren't aware of the fast-lane etiquette on the autobahn, so they would get rear-ended quite often. "According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, around 34,500 Trabants were registered in Germany at the beginning o…

I had a near miss as a passenger on the autobahn from Bazel to Karlsruhe. It is only two lanes, the car I was in was doing about 200km/h, a Trabant decided to try to overtake a truck with a Porsche rapidly closing on us from behind.

Welcome to the German Autobahn!

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#82

Post by hef19898 »

endymi0n wrote: post #62
marcodiego wrote: post #59

Trabant motor is a 2-stroke engine. Oil is mixed with the fuel on the tank and the fuel tank is positioned above the engine so they flow through gravity. This means only a single filter for fuel and oil is used and no need for fuel or oil pump. A very durable configuration. They are also very easy to repair. These features made Trabant such a durable car that owners eventually abandoned them in working condition inst…

Disregarding the practical aspects and all nostalgia: All that unburnt fuel and oil vapor from the 2 stroke was a major ecological and health hazard and I‘m glad they‘re long gone. Every time a Trabbi Safari passes by me around Checkpoint Charlie, the smell makes me almost want to puke instantly. I can‘t even imagine by now how East Berlin must have smelled 40 years ago and what toll it must have taken on the health…

Just throw leaded fuel in the mix. I know my classic V8 is definitely more smelly than anything modern. And it was a rather modern V8, despite double carbs is already almost de-doxed.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#83

Post by hef19898 »

xattt wrote: post #78
hulitu wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well Audi V8 and Mercedes S klasse are not exactly people's cars.

How different is pricing in Germany for an MB, BMW or VAG product? Are those vehicles much cheaper in DE or is the income “floor” much higher relatively to North America?

Last time I checked, these brands are more expensive in Germany than the US. They are even cheaper in other EU countries, to the point exporting the papers to have them registered in a third EU country is a thing. These re-imports are usually a good deal.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#84

Post by tyingq »

hef19898 wrote: post #80
tyingq wrote: post #60

I lived in Germany when the wall came down. For a while after this, it was common to see Trabant debris on the side of the autobahn. The Trabant had a very low top speed, and the East German drivers weren't aware of the fast-lane etiquette on the autobahn, so they would get rear-ended quite often. "According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, around 34,500 Trabants were registered in Germany at the beginning o…

Having a classic vehicle in Germany, a 1982 V8 Range Rover, I can elaborate on that. There are no exceptions for hobby or classic cars. Quite the opposite, in case you want the tax exemption and (limited annual millage) insurance benefits, the TÜV is quite strict before handing out the relevant certification (Paragraph 21 if memory serves well). Statistics show that these kind of cars have overall less defects during…

Makes sense for your Range Rover, but Trabants are arguably not road-worthy. Bakelite-like brittle plastic body, 20+ second 0-60 times, no rear seat belts, 26hp smoky 2-stroke, etc.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#85

Post by hef19898 »

tyingq wrote: post #84
hef19898 wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having a classic vehicle in Germany, a 1982 V8 Range Rover, I can elaborate on that. There are no exceptions for hobby or classic cars. Quite the opposite, in case you want the tax exemption and (limited annual millage) insurance benefits, the TÜV is quite strict before handing out the relevant certification (Paragraph 21 if memory serves well). Statistics show that these kind of cars have overall less defects during…

Makes sense for your Range Rover, but Trabants are arguably not road-worthy. Bakelite-like brittle plastic body, 20+ second 0-60 times, no rear seat belts, 26hp smoky 2-stroke, etc.

Thing is, classic cars are examined based on the year of make requirements. So a Trabant, or any other car from that period, has to fulfill the "old" requirements. Seat belts, if not part of the original roadworthiness certification, are not required. Same goes for emissions. And since Trabants were street legal back the day, they still are today. I would argue those that are around are even safer because of better maintenance and replacement part quality.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#86

Post by jen20 »

hef19898 wrote: post #83
xattt wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How different is pricing in Germany for an MB, BMW or VAG product? Are those vehicles much cheaper in DE or is the income “floor” much higher relatively to North America?

Last time I checked, these brands are more expensive in Germany than the US. They are even cheaper in other EU countries, to the point exporting the papers to have them registered in a third EU country is a thing. These re-imports are usually a good deal.

Having owned BMWs in both Europe and the US, I can definitely attest to the much lower cost - both absolute and as a proportion of software developer income - in the US of an equivalent model (though ten model years apart). That said, I believe the US models are made here and not in Germany.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#87

Post by ohlookabird »

mjklin wrote: post #69

A Texas oil man heard that there were cars in East Germany so popular that buyers had to wait years to take delivery of one. He immediately sent a check to the Trabi factory. The directors, sensing a propaganda coup in the making, arranged to send him the very next car off the line. Two weeks later the oil man was in a bar, speaking with some friends. “Ah ordered me one o’ them Trabis them folks over there in East Ge…

That's a somewhat common joke in East Germany as well (at least it was in the 80s and 90s). Typically it is a buyer from West Germany though.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#88

Post by memling »

mjklin wrote: post #69

A Texas oil man heard that there were cars in East Germany so popular that buyers had to wait years to take delivery of one. He immediately sent a check to the Trabi factory. The directors, sensing a propaganda coup in the making, arranged to send him the very next car off the line. Two weeks later the oil man was in a bar, speaking with some friends. “Ah ordered me one o’ them Trabis them folks over there in East Ge…

As a student of German I was introduced to the Trabi through jokes, e.g., "How do you double the value of your Trabi? Fill it with gasoline! Why does a Trabi have a rear defroster? To keep your hands warm while pushing it!" etc. I'm sure that these are retreads from any car model you please, but they were novel to me as a high schooler.

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#89

Post by eliaspro »

Tomte wrote: post #52
CurtHagenlocher wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My father grew up in Herrenberg (on "Auf'm Bildkäppele") and has never driven anything but Mercedes.

That's funny, I grew up about 100m away. Small world. :-)

Tübingen here... and working in Böblingen (or nowadays "for a company located in Böblingen").

Re: Trabant: The East German car remains iconic

#90

Post by chimen »

memling wrote: post #88
mjklin wrote: post #69

A Texas oil man heard that there were cars in East Germany so popular that buyers had to wait years to take delivery of one. He immediately sent a check to the Trabi factory. The directors, sensing a propaganda coup in the making, arranged to send him the very next car off the line. Two weeks later the oil man was in a bar, speaking with some friends. “Ah ordered me one o’ them Trabis them folks over there in East Ge…

As a student of German I was introduced to the Trabi through jokes, e.g., "How do you double the value of your Trabi? Fill it with gasoline! Why does a Trabi have a rear defroster? To keep your hands warm while pushing it!" etc. I'm sure that these are retreads from any car model you please, but they were novel to me as a high schooler.

"Longest car in the world at 20m. 2m car, 18m smoke"
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