Preface:

This story is in no way exaggerated. I am telling it as closely as I can remember it, with as much detail as possible. I am not out to badmouth anyone, I'm just describing the experience I had with my first car, and the people and circumstances around it. 


My First Beetle!


This is the story about the disaster that I had with the first car I owned. Like most teenagers, the first car you own is a very special one and for me, it was a lifelong dream to own a VW Beetle. In High School, I worked as a "grunt" for Eurokar Automotives in St. Albert, Alberta. We specialized in German cars and this job made me want a beetle even more. I really liked working on cars. It all started in March of 1990 when I saw an ad in the Bargain Finder for a bug for sale, and this is what it said:

For Sale: 1969 VW Beetle. Yellow, new interior, new tires, new paint, new muffler, runs great. $1500.00

It was a little more than I could afford, I had around a thousand, but it was worth investigating. It sounded too good to be true. So I call the number and some guy answers: "Punchbuggies!"

I asked about the 69 beetle for sale and the guy says, "What would you like to know about it?"

"How is it running?" I prompted.

"BEAUTIFULLY", he says.

"Oh. Well, is it mechanically good? Is everything solid and OK?" I ask.

"Oh yes!" he says, "I drove it myself and its just beautiful!"

I asked a couple more basic questions and I found out it was one of those "Automatic Stick Shift" models. I had driven one the year before working at Eurokar and I hated them. It made these under-powered cars even more gutless!

"Oh shoot!" I said. "I didn't want one of those, I like the standards."

"No problem!" the guy says, "We can switch it over to a standard for you!"

He said they wouldn't charge extra money to switch the transmission and that if I liked I could come and look at the car. I never did get his name. Some time later I wish I did.

So...My dad and I arrange to go look at it on the next Saturday. We lived on an acreage west of Edmonton at the time and Punchbuggies was on the east side of Edmonton. Consequently, It was over an hour drive to get there. We arrive there and the fellow in the front office says the bug is parked at the Safeway in Sherwood Park, a short drive away. I don't remember his name, but lets just call him "Joe" for now. Joe jumps into a beat up looking VW Van (looked like it was primed for paint), and leads us out there to see it. 


Piece of Junk :(


First impression, it looks OK. Not as good an impression that the ad gave, but it was a nice bright sunshine yellow with black-wall tires, and rims painted the body color. The interior looked pretty neat with a sporty looking chrome steering wheel, and white door panels with silver buttons. I could tell right away the paint and interior was NOT new like the ad stated, but it was in relatively good condition. 

Well, I get in it and push the pedal to the floor and turn the key. The engine weakly turned over and over but wouldn't fire. I spun it over for about 20 seconds or so with no luck. Joe takes over and pumps the pedal like crazy and manages to bring the engine to life. It sputtered and coughed no matter what RPM it was at. It wouldn't idle either. Obviously, there would be no "test drive" around the block.

"NEEDS A TUNE-UP!" Joe shouts over the screaming engine. He kept it running for a while but even after letting it warm up, it wouldn't idle on its own. My Dad is really mad at this point. He figured it needed more than a tune-up. He told me to just forget this one and we will go look at another bug.

We left and I was really disappointed. Obviously the guy on the phone lied to me. I knew I should have gotten his name! I was getting madder the more I thought about it. It did NOT run BEAUTIFUL. The paint was NOT NEW. The interior was NOT NEW. It needed a battery or possibly some generator work as well. I also noticed the emergency brake handle was missing the release button and was held up with a wrench to keep the car from moving across the parking lot. Pretty sloppy for a "Solid Beautiful car".


Let's Make A Deal


A day or two later, I was thinking more about this bug. I liked the color, interior and all that. I just wished it would run better. However, I didn't want the Autostick. I told my dad that I was going to make them a deal. They would change the transmission, tune up the engine or do what it takes to get it running properly. Fix the E-brake, then we can agree on a price and I will buy it. My dad thought it was reasonable. They were a VW repair shop, so they SHOULD know what they are doing. So I phoned them and I spoke to Rob. He was the manager. This was the first time I had spoken to him. Until this point, I only dealt with the yahoos that did the grunt work at Punchbuggies. 

He agreed to everything I asked for including the tranny swap and he said to come back in 1 week to pick it up. Sounded good. I agreed to come by and give him a deposit. I think we agreed on $1300.00 for a total price. (its been a number of years, I can't remember the exact amount for sure)

Rob said to call before I come out next week. I believe it was to be ready for a Saturday, around 1:00. I phone him that morning and he says: "Its almost ready, they are just bolting up the engine right now!"

We show up about 10 minutes early. I had a license plate in hand, insurance slip, and a wad of travellers cheques for the remaining amount. I was really excited. But, the car is no-where near ready. The seats are on the floor of the shop. The engine and engine lid are also on the floor. There are several "grunts" working on every VW there except for mine. All of a sudden, when they realize who we are, they start frantically working on my bug.

"I'm sorry!" Rob says, "Its not ready yet."

No Kidding! I thought. He said to come back in a couple of hours. My dad was mad again. He didn't say much, just that we will be back to pick it up at 3:00 sharp! 

I don't remember all of what we did for that two hours. My mother was with us, and I think we had lunch at a nearby mall. I do remember Dad ranting and raving most of the time about how they lied to us. I agreed totally. Rob made it sound like there was only an hour or so of work left that morning. But it needed more than an hour even by the time we got there! I didn't add much to my parents ranting. I really wanted this bug! I couldn't wait for it to be ready! 

We came back at 3:00. There was no one in the front reception area so we just walked back into the shop. They did have the engine in the car, and the engine lid in place, but one of the seats was still on the floor. One of the grunts was shaking his head. He looked worried for some reason. He comes over and tells us that there is a problem. 

"One of the engine mounts must be broken." He says. He asked one of the guys to start it up to show us. It starts. Quite well I have to admit, but immediately the engine starts shaking, BIG TIME.

My heart sank.

It was obvious the engine would have to be pulled again and it wouldn't be ready today. I gave Rob a $200.00 deposit and he said to come back Monday afternoon to pick up the bug. He was sorry for what happened but assured us that everything will be fine after this is fixed.


Let's go get it


Monday afternoon couldn't come soon enough. Dad and I drove out there after school to get it. Sure enough, it was ready to go. I gave Rob the travellers cheques and it looked like he had never seen them before. I told him they are as good as cash. He seemed hesitant but accepted them anyway. He went on to tell me that the car has no liens against it, and is sold as is. We had some further small-talk in the shop and then we left. 

Outside we installed the license plate and I was off. Dad went straight home and I went to work (Eurokar Automotives). I wanted to show my boss, Paul, my new prize.

One of the first things I noticed was that the transmission howled in most of the forward gears. It was very loud and got on my nerves. The speedometer didn't work. The brake pedal went almost to the floor before there was any pressure. I wish I had test driven this thing! But with the way they goofed everything up, I didn't have a chance to. How could they sell a car in this condition? The engine seemed to be running pretty good though. In fact I thought the old 1500cc engine had pretty good jam. 

I get to work and Paul comes out for a look. Right away he didn't like the car. He looked at the front axle beam and it was rusted so bad it was dangerous. He took it for a ride and immediately complained about the brakes. He also said the transmission was garbage. We put it up on the hoist and he adjusted the brakes so the pedal wasn't so far down to the floor. There was no doubt about it though. The front axle had to be replaced. 

I went home that night with mixed feelings. But I couldn't believe I had my own wheels! I felt sooo cool. I got home and told my Dad about the brakes, transmission and the front axle. He got mad again. I don't blame him, he had problems with beetles in the past, and now he has to deal with it all again. He said to call Punchbuggies and ask them about the front axle. 

I drove it for a few days without an incident, and kids at school really liked it. However, the transmission was so loud, people would ask if something was wrong. But, I didn't care, I was cool, I had my own car and it was a bug to boot! It was a real head turner. A classmate of mine also bought a yellow beetle, 1970, almost identical. We used to park next to each other and stuff. I had a really good time with that car the first while I had it. I added a black pinstripe, painted every piece of chrome flat black (that was cool in those days) and cleaned it up really good. 

Meanwhile I had called Punchbuggies and they told me they would sell me a front axle for $100.00. A little more than I expected so I checked out Pick-your-Part. There was a 69 beetle there with a perfect front axle beam. Dad and I went the next weekend and pulled the whole thing, brake drums, steering box and everything. They only charged $40.00! I was beginning to feel better about the whole situation now. I think even my Dad was starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. We didn't install the "new" front axle until a later date, after something major happened....


Red Light Blues


I had a Physics 30 midterm one morning that started at 9:00. I left for school in the bug and headed out onto the highway like I usually did. After ten minutes or so, the oil light came on! Yipes! I shut off the engine and pulled over to the shoulder. I noticed a trail of oil on the pavement behind the car. Under the engine lid everything looked fine. However, the bottom of the engine was an oily mess, and a puddle was building up underneath the front of the engine. Shoot! The main seal was blown! Crap. Didn't those guys put in a new one when they pulled the motor? For the five bucks it would have cost, it's the least they could have done! 

My heart sank.

I had one litre of oil with me. I dumped it in and headed back home. The light started to flicker, so I made a left turn into Spruce Grove. I stopped at the first gas station and bought 3 litres of oil. By this time the oil light was on solid. I dumped in all three and hoped for the best. I booted it back towards home, but 4 or 5 kilometers away, the light came on again! Crap! I had no choice but to keep going. I was going to miss my exam! I arrive home and my mother couldn't believe what happened. She called my Dad at work and I guess he flipped out. I was really mad myself. Now the engine had to be pulled, and to top it off, the bearings were probably shot too! Damn....

My Dad called Punchbuggies and told them what happened. Rob said he wasn't responsible and that he would sell us a used engine for $350.00. I was kind of mad that I would have to pay for it, and I told them I at least wanted a 1600cc Dual Port out of the deal. He agreed to give us a different transmission as well. The only catch was, I had to put them in myself. Now I was starting to get pissed at these guys.... I did end up missing the exam too. 

Some time later (couple of weeks) My Dad, brother and I arrange to do the work at the shop where I worked. That way, Paul could help us if we needed it. We decided to tackle the engine, tranny, and front axle all on Saturday. Dad picked up the engine and tranny from Punchbuggies and we went to work. We spent most of the day working on all of this stuff. I was glad to see my bug had new heater boxes on it. To buy those new was over $200.00 each!

It came time to fire up the engine and we all gathered around waiting for the magic moment. We had a little trouble getting fuel to it, but it did start quite easily. Immediately there was a cloud of blue smoke. No problem, we thought, it will clear in a few seconds. NO WAY! It continually blew smoke out of the exhaust! It was burning oil like crazy. The rings were shot!

My heart sank.

I drove it like this for a couple of weeks, putting oil in it every couple of days. There was a continuous cloud of smoke trailing behind the car as I drove it. Its too bad, that engine didn't have the slightest oil leak. This transmission was better than the other one though since it didn't make any noise. The only problem it had was it was a little hard to downshift into first, but that was minor. But with all this, I think it goes without saying that my Dad was mad again. We ended up with a goofed motor and it had to be replaced. We paid good money for it, and put it in ourselves. Wasted time and effort to boot.

Punchbuggies agreed to replace the engine, and they would do all the work. OK, sounds good. So we leave it with them for some time. I don't remember how long, but when I picked it up, it was running! 

Finally! Everything was working! Now I could concentrate on other things. In the next short while I installed an FM radio and some better speakers. I re-painted the chrome since the flat black paint doesn't stick to it very well. I rebuilt the gas heater and got it working really well. Did a tune-up and oil change. Things were starting to look pretty good. 

However, one thing that I noticed was that my NEW heat exchangers were gone, they had switched them for some used ones! This really ticked me off. How could I possibly prove they took my good ones? They would probably just argue that I got my same "old" ones back. There was nothing I could do about that.

Both my Dad and Paul hated this car. But I didn't. It was now a reliable set of wheels! Or so I thought...


Going Deaf


Just when I think everything is going perfect, another wrench gets thrown into it. Driving to school one morning, I'm on the highway and everything seems to be going quite well. All of a sudden, it sounded like the whole exhaust system fell off the car! I mean it was REALLY loud! I pull over and to my dismay, one of the spark plugs had come out. No Problem! I have some tools with me, I'll just screw it back in. WRONG! The threads were stripped in the cylinder head. Some guy stopped to help and he confirmed, "Yep, the threads are stripped!" 

My heart sank.

It was a good thing he stopped, because the battery was dead and wouldn't start the engine. He gave me a boost and he couldn't believe how loud this thing was with a missing spark plug. I thanked him and assured him I would be Ok driving to St. Albert. I dropped the bug off at Eurokar since it only made sense to leave it there. Boy is my Dad going to be furious! He's really going to kill those guys now! I was so mad! I had to walk to school from the shop, it took almost an hour, and I missed my Physics class.

This time my Dad had the bug towed to Punchbuggies. I wasn't going to drive it like that. I had a ringing in my ears already! I was now embarrassed to admit to anyone that my car had a third blown engine in it. Can't these guys do anything right? 

Well, they didn't leave us hanging yet. I went over there to talk to them after school and Rob said maybe he should just re-ring one of the old engines he had kicking around. Another thing he thought he could do is install one of those Pancake engines from a Type III. I asked him if he has had any problems like this with other cars he sold. He didn't answer that, but he told me that this bug was a trade-in on a restored bug, and that he should have just parted it out. I kept thinking about the first time I called asking about the beetle they had for sale, and the lies they told me about it. Skimping out on a five buck oil seal? Then the noisy transmission they put in it, and the switch they did on my NEW Heat Exchangers. The times we had to keep coming back because it wasn't ready. The battery wouldn't hold a charge, and I had to push start it most of the time. This car was being fixed more than driven! I had a long list of complaints. I was starting to lose it, so was my Dad. We had no confidence in them whatsoever (not that we had any to begin with). 

They had the bug for over a week and I called them to find out what was going on. I was told it would be ready tomorrow, and to call before I come out. Sound familiar?

I call before we leave to get it and Rob said they just have to adjust the Carburetor and its ready to go. Good. I thought...

We get there and there are three grunt mechanics all attempting to tune this fourth engine. The problem was, it wouldn't idle below 1500 RPM or it would stall. It also was slightly backfiring. Rob had a look and he didn't know what was wrong. He looked really puzzled. I don't have to explain what my Dad was thinking. Those guys were clue-less. I couldn't believe the amount of foul language I was hearing too. Normally that wouldn't be a big deal, I mean, I was a high school student, I heard it all the time! But everything these guys did now was driving me crazy!

I actually lost it on one of the grunt guys. I told them how pathetic their service is and I was tired of being lied to. I was also sick of this piece of crap bug they sold me. I really was! I no longer liked it anymore. I was going through hell and they wouldn't do anything about it. 

I told them I was taking the car home regardless of how it was running. I had more exams coming up and I needed the wheels. Dad followed me in his truck. I was so mad I was driving like a maniac. I was having a hard time driving it too since I had to keep one foot on the gas, one on the clutch to shift, and I was braking with the E-brake. Some 5 minutes or so away from the Punchbuggies shop, my Dad disappeared into traffic. No big deal, I know how to get home.


Dead Again


Well, the end isn't here yet. I got to the Bonnie Doon mall area, and the engine started to cough and sputter even worse. It stopped and I couldn't get it started. I ran the already useless battery dead trying to start it and I was exhausted from trying to push start the car. I pushed it into a 7-Eleven parking lot and asked to borrow the phone. I called that phone number that I was really beginning to hate. Honestly, I would get sick to my stomach when I thought about calling them. I don't remember who answered but I told the guy on the other line to get someone over here NOW! I was just at my wits end. 

Some time passes, and the guy shows up. After some piddling with the points and related stuff, he realized the coil wire had shorted out on the heat riser pipe. He boosted me and got it started. He told me to follow him back to the shop where they will try and fix it again. I had a hard time keeping up with him in traffic since I had to "two foot it" and all.

We arrive back at Punchbuggies and Rob comes out to look at the bug. He told somebody to install new points since the old ones might be fried. Didn't work. It still wouldn't idle. The conversation I had with Rob at that point is just a blur in my mind. I was so mad, and all I could see in his face was that he was sick of me and this car and he didn't want to deal with it anymore. I left and drove it home with an extra battery they put on the floor to boost the other one so I could start it when it stalled.

I parked that car in the yard and my Dad said just to screw that piece of junk and we will look at lending you some money to buy another but more reliable vehicle. My lifelong dream of driving a beetle was shattered. In fact, I hated the thought of driving it anymore. I waited to hear back from Rob so they could fix the car or something, but he never did call. He obviously didn't care, and his reputation with us was destroyed. There was no way I was going to call that number ever again for the rest of my life. I was just so sick of them, and the stupid things they would do. By this time, I had quit my job at Eurokar and moved on to other things so I couldn't get Paul to fix the bug for me. I just totally lost interest in that yellow bug.

Four or five months later I had to do something with this car (sell it) since I needed the money so I had a good look at the engine. It had a ton of oil leaks so I wanted to remove the engine and change the gaskets etc. and clean it up. I thought I would start it up and try to figure out what was wrong. Well... it turns out that two of the spark plug wires were reversed. Holy smokes, it actually idles! It wasn't the greatest running motor, but it was good enough to drive. Over the next couple of weeks, I pulled the motor, cleaned it all up, installed new gaskets and put it back in the car. I adjusted the valves and the carburetor and I sold it a couple of months later. It was then when I really discovered that I still liked this machine, but I couldn't afford two cars, it had to go.

For years after this I swore I would never deal with them again. I would warn people about Punchbuggies if they wanted to buy something from them. I always had the itch to buy another bug, only College and other things kept that on the back burner.

Another Shot

About 8 years after this whole fiasco, I had a steady job, got married and had decided to scratch the itch for a bug. I got my hands on 2 really rusted 74 Super Beetles I figured I could use for parts. Since I was very young I have always wanted a 74 Sunroof Super. So, I was on the lookout and telling everyone that I know about my quest. My dad calls me one day and says that his friend Bert is neighbors with the owner of Punchbuggies, Rob's dad. I immediately got this sick feeling in my stomach. I never wanted to hear about them again! Even my dad was hesitant, but he told me they were clearing out some old bug bodies to make room in their yard. They were taking most of them to Kar-Bashers (local wrecker) and just getting their worth in weight. Bert said for me to drop by on Saturday, he will be there with the owner and he will make sure I get a good deal. I was told Rob still worked there too.

What did I have to lose? I thought about the whole situation, and I figured maybe I could give them a chance to prove they truly aren't out only to make a buck. Considering what happened between us in the past, maybe they could get me a beetle to work with? 

My wife and I go there on Saturday and sure enough, Bert and the owner are there. I saw a couple of beetle bodies ready to be hauled off. One was stripped down to the metal, some had body work done already. The owner said I would have to talk to Rob, since he was taking care of everything. Again, this is what I really didn't want to hear, but I looked at this as an opportunity to finally resolve this breakdown.

Rob arrived a few minutes later and I didn't recognize him at all. I didn't think eight years would make much of a difference, but he had lost some hair. I imagine I looked a lot different too, because he didn't recognize me either.

Anyway, I told him that I had purchased a 69 beetle from him about 8 years or so ago. I also said that I had to come back quite a few times to get it fixed. He said it was a long time ago, and he apologized for not remembering the situation. 

He said, "I lost my memory when I lost my hair." 

I understood completely, mostly since I didn't recognize him myself. His personality had really changed, and I liked his sense of humor. I wasn't expecting him to remember me with that little amount of detail. What I was expecting was for him to ask me some more questions, and try and remember what happened. I figured if he had changed, that maybe he would want to correct any wrongdoing from the past. 

Nope, all he was worried about was what I was interested in buying. I told him I really wanted a curved windshield Super Beetle, with a sunroof. I wasn't worried about having to restore it, I just wanted something worth working on. He asked me how much I wanted to pay for one. That was a question that I didn't like being asked. I felt like a used car salesman was asking me how much I would pay for a car on the lot, without even test driving it. I know better now from experience!

I didn't answer the question. I asked him if he had any for sale. He said he might have one "out at the farm", but none here to look at. He repeatedly asked me, "how much do you want to pay?" 

I really didn't want to, but I gave in finally and told him I would pay up to a thousand. 

He laughed sarcastically at me and said that just a bug body by itself is a thousand dollars. I felt like an idiot, and I was getting mad. I tried not to show it for Bert's sake. He said a few more things but I was so steamed, I didn't even hear it. Obviously Rob was still concerned with putting the bucks in his pocket.

I promptly left, thanking the owner and Bert for their time. 

Some time later, my dad told me he spoke to Bert. I guess he was mad too when right in front of him, Rob laughed at me and didn't show any effort at helping me out. Bert said he would never send anyone there again.

Once again, I swore I would never deal with them. Several times over the last ten years I would bump into someone who had some problems with them too, and we would exchange stories. Mine was by far the worst experience of them all.

Ryan.


June 2000 - Update!

I saw a posting on the RAMVA newsgroup from Punchbuggies back in March. Rob was advertising his business with his selection of parts and the advantage for American buyers with the current Canadian dollar. I immediately sent him an email telling him that this newsgroup looks out for each other, and that I wouldn't want somebody to have a bad experience with Punchbuggies like I did. He replied to my email and asked me to refresh his memory about my situation with them. He wanted an opportunity to "rectify" the situation. I was totally shocked!

Had he really changed? Maybe he realizes that you need to run a business properly or you will lose in the end. So, I decided to type out the above story that you just read. I sent it to him a couple of weeks later and awaited a response. Nothing. Two weeks after I sent the story to him, I sent him an email asking if he received my previous message. Nothing. Obviously he hasn't changed. Yes, the almighty dollar rules with him. This was obviously too much for him to handle. I even sent him a second message asking if he received my previous message and the story of my experience. Nothing. So, I decided it was time for the world to hear about them, and now you have it.

I don't ever expect to hear back from Rob. He really doesn't give a crap about anything but his personal wealth. I know that over the years there have been several lawsuits against him, and even one that is currently going on. So, I leave it for you people to decide on your own if you would ever deal with them.