It seems Ingo is not the only person to have recently acquired a Reliant Robin: http://www.driving.co.uk/car-reviews/the-clarkson-review-reliant-robin/

Tokyo Sexwale would certainly be an awesome FIFA president.

Today my brother-in-law picked up his Reliant.

If you're wondering, how it came on the trailer - with own power. No kidding, I drove it on it. I've loaded the battery at home, just the brakes stuck a bit, but after a bit pushing and two, three test-drives on the farm's areal this masterpiece of British High Tech runs fine and could climb on the trailer by own muscles.

It fits perfectly on this motorbike-trailer, with 5 cm distance from every wheel to the edges. Carefully lashed it arrived healthy at its new home nearby Berlin.

My brother-in-law criticised by many details, that it shall be an accident-car (dents, bubbles in the body, not even a little bit of accuracy of fit, but I could soothe him, that everything is fine, original substance - just the classy UK-style.

Nice color, too.
Any problems getting it streetlegal/registered?

The colour -paintwork excrement-tone, seatcloth diarrhoea-style, trim-stripes urine-yellow- is absolute unique, only made for 50 cars of a special edition for the Netherlands. As far we know, this is the only survivor.


About getting it streetlegal/registrated in Germany, well, this is a very tricky topic - because the question is, which way you choose.
My brother-in-law has a perfect knowledge about that, as he is a higher ranked policeman, who works at a police academy as a teacher for vehicle registration regulations and traffic laws - but even he is a bit unsure.

A normal car-registration is impossible, because some parts and functions are missing. But as the Reliant os from 1978, so over 30 years old, a historic registration is easier. But as what? In Germany we don't have a Threewheeler-class, so either as a car or a special vehicle as for example a Trike. But these special vehicles don't have an own class for a registration as a classic.

He found out, that there is a new registration class for Trikes, Quads etc., which may fit. These vehicles don't need a catalysator and the driver has not to wear a helmet.

The easiest way would be, to put it on his collection-number. These are the red-lettered plates, starting with "07" after the district-code. Meant for collections of historic vehicles. For that registration there are no TÜV-requirements, so it's the only possibility to drive vehicles, which aren't confirm with the laws. But the usage is very restricted. With these "07"-plates you aren't allowed to drive to the shopping center, at work or on vacations. They are allowed only for hobby-related purposes as meetings, shows and so on (o.k., normally no cop will check that and if they really do that, you just need a plausible subterfuge


It's former Dutch registration (light vehicle with less than 400 kg empty weight for handicapped without tax liability and no APK -similar as TÜV- inspection) does not exist in Germany. In Holland not any more, too, as the seller told me.

Yes, I know these difficulties as we come from the same country... But I didn't know it was that problem to register a three-wheeler. There is a very active fan-scene for the Messerschmidt KR here... maybe they have an idea?

I always liked Teutonic poetry

after a little time travelling session with google Street view, found my previous car , 2001 Mazda Protegé ES with the GT option group ( the google pic was taken in april so i still had my winter wheels on but did had the mags )
Mine was the gold one

I don't know if I posted the street view link already, my car on the parking of my previous working place:
https://www.google.be/maps/@50.850516,4.4623184,3a,49.2y,32.48h,82.31t/data=!3m6- !1e1!3m4!1sjM7VgcyoxmUkHfdmMIBnbQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en
(back then it was a company car, now I bought it back and go work elsewhere in metro)
Funny anecdote: in the 90s that building was a Saab dealership, hence the large windows on the corner

You can see my 2007 Chevrolet Aveo parked at my residential area driveway using Google Maps in lite mode

That was my thought as well when I saw his name.

The only picture (and the most recent one) of my Passat that I have on my computer right now ... sorry if it looks a bit more shabby than I have described it:

In Britain such shabbiness allows you to put it on ebay as a 'Barn Find' and doubles the value.

Seriously, looks okay to me. Just looks like it needs a clean (and these Volkswagens were well galvanised, weren't they?).

Yes, this is probably the best angle - the only cosmetic defects you can see would be the small crack in the passenger side bumper edge, the missing wiper blades and the slanted driver's side headlight (a result of an altercation with a friend of our asshole neighbor from across the street).

The antenna also broke back in the 90s because my dad forgot to take it down in the car-wash. There's some rust on the doors (nothing serious) and around the fuel-lid - the tank is dismounted at the current state because of the malfunctioned fuel system. The most dangerous rust is located near the driver's side front axle - hopefully it can be fixed - but it's better to fix it after test-driving the car - the engine hasn't run in twelve years.

Cat paws all over the car. This is why dogs are better...
Visible rust means 90% hidden rust. Or some scary percentage.
Then the rubber parts will have perished, such as in the suspension.
All I can say is don't go to the VW dealer to fix it, Lateef.

No, with the dog you are wrong:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upHYnigkaZg


The 32B-Passat, especially the later ones, did indeed have a quite good rust-conservation. But these Passats have one very sensible part about that: the block, where the back axle is mounted at the chassis. When this is rusted, the car is a wreck, even when the rest ist in mint condition. Because this block is made from seven body-panel-parts in a way, it's impossible to weld. I don't know, how it's in Norway, but in Germany you never have a chance to pass the TÜV-inspection, when there's rust around there. And it could be indeed dangerous, because when the rust is too heavy there, the axle can yank off then.

About the rubber parts: at all 32B-Passats the plastic-trims at the bottom of the side windows are gone (they shorten due sun and weather). New parts are available, but not for really cheap prices.

The dashboard is better than those of the predecessor B1, because it's a different, harder material. But after several years in the sun the surface may be cracked, too, especially around the speaker-holes.

About the VW-dealer you are right, chicomarx: never ever go there!

I do hope he fixes it so let's not discourage him too much. But it does sound like a death trap.

My wife just has ordered the first brand new car in her life:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX_P1QoJ31s

Oh dear, how could that happen? I thought that you as a car-nut could easily talk her into something more reasonable.

Well, although we are married, about cars everyone makes his own. So I'm not really involved, nor it costs some of my money. It's all her thing. I was never interested to buy a new car, but she says "Once in my lifetime I want to have a brand new car and nothing worn out from others".
After a hard negotioation she also got a large discount (finally the dealer made the price, she could get via the connected companies of her employer. The amount of the discount is higher than I've paid each for my newest and most expensive cars ever, the Bundeswehr-Omega and the Vauxhall Vectra...

Sometimes during the time, when she was looking for it, she was angry about my lack of interest about it.
I only thought to make a trip to pick it up at the plant, where it will be mounted:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Motor_Manufacturing_Czech
But they don't have a AutoStadt-like visitor center or even the possibility.

The most fascinating topic about that plant I've found in the last line of the Wiki-article - that they also make the CKD-kits for the
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyeonghwa_Ppeokkugi#Ppeokkugi_4WD

But it will ask the salesman, if he can dig for a set of badges:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyeonghwa_Motors#/media/File:Pyeonghwa_Motors.png