Trip to Berlin

[Rob Brown]

I had a crazy thought today!! When I go over to Berlin buy a Trabant lol!!

My plan would be to buy it then drive to a port in Germany and get the ferry back to the UK then drive back to Scotland in it!!

At a top speed of 40mph I'd prob need a week to do that!

Is there anyway way to export one back to the UK ,via ship cargo? If so how much would this cost? A German contact I have in Berlin informed me I could pick a Trabant up for 100 Euros!!

[torstenbel]

Rob,

Go to the flea markets on Saturday. There is a very good one down by the river fairly close to the Brandenburg Gate. Ask about the others at your hotel. You can always go to the East side of the gate and buy from the street vendors. Just haggle for what you want and don't buy the tourist junk.

The places the others have mentioned are great to see and you can get around fairly well by trolly or subway.

Sunday morning Ostbahnhof is also quite good and I think there is another good one at Strasse d. 17. Juni...with regard to the Trabant import....that should not be a problem to import it into the UK...but if I were you I would ask the DVLA in Swansea about details and what paperwork you need...with regard to the ferry...well, you would just have to pay the normal car ferry fair of course if you are driving yourself...I think the best route would be via ferry from Hamburg to Hull for you? Cheers, Torsten.

[Rob Brown]

Thanks sent you a pm, there are of course Trabants available in the UK, but again very expensive for what you are getting.

If I did get one say for 2oo Euros, my only other costs of getting it back would be fuel, the ferry cost and fuel to drive back up to scotland. How many miles per gallon can you get out a Trabbi? Or miles out of a full tank? I have looked up Trabant on the net, plenty sites etc but nothing about its specs. Apart from a top speed of 112km/h.

I need to think this through as I dont want to get one and get stopped by the Bundes Polizei and caged up for driving an illegal vehicle lol! Are there restrictions for Trabbi's, ie are they allowed on the autobahn??

[torstenbel]

I had a crazy thought today!! When I go over to Berlin buy a Trabant lol!!

My plan would be to buy it then drive to a port in Germany and get the ferry back to the UK then drive back to Scotland in it!!

At a top speed of 40mph I'd prob need a week to do that!

Is there anyway way to export one back to the UK ,via ship cargo? If so how much would this cost? A German contact I have in Berlin informed me I could pick a Trabant up for 100 Euros!!

Hi Rob, you will not be the first or only person owning a Trabant in the UK...there are fair few of them...I know there are four on the Wirral alone and one of them here in Bebington and then I know another guy in Glasgow quite well who owns a Trabant and who is very active with a little Trabant owner's group...I know there are still more in Scotland and so you would certainly not be alone....bottom line of what I am trying to say is GO FOR IT ...Cheers, Torsten.

[torstenbel]

Thanks sent you a pm, there are of course Trabants available in the UK, but again very expensive for what you are getting.

If I did get one say for 2oo Euros, my only other costs of getting it back would be fuel, the ferry cost and fuel to drive back up to scotland. How many miles per gallon can you get out a Trabbi? Or miles out of a full tank? I have looked up Trabant on the net, plenty sites etc but nothing about its specs. Apart from a top speed of 112km/h.

I need to think this through as I dont want to get one and get stopped by the Bundes Polizei and caged up for driving an illegal vehicle lol! Are there restrictions for Trabbi's, ie are they allowed on the autobahn??

Hi Rob, if you want me to then I can ask the guy in Glasgow if he is willing to help you with your questions...and I am sure he would be happy to....just send me a PM with your email address and I will forward it to him and then it is up to him to contact you or not...Cheers, Torsten.

[Rob Brown]

Thanks a million! I'm interested in having a fairly cheap and fun new hobby and I think a Trabbi could be it! Researching everything out as I dont want something that will constanly burn a hole in my pocket.

[ehrentitle]

Thanks a million! I'm interested in having a fairly cheap and fun new hobby and I think a Trabbi could be it! Researching everything out as I dont want something that will constanly burn a hole in my pocket.

Rob - I like the idea of owning a Trabbi but there may be some additional burden in owning one. A Trabbi is not necessarily adept at travelling at high speed on the Autobahn. I remember seeing lines of Trabbi trying to go up steep inclines and a number of them broken down next to the Autobahn in the months after the wall came down. So you may need to have some skill as a mechanic and access to spare parts to keep one running. So mantenance may not be as cheap or fun as one might imagine. As I recall these vehicles run on a gas/oil mixture which I assume you would have to mix yourself.

[Rob Brown]

Rob - I like the idea of owning a Trabbi but there may be some additional burden in owning one. A Trabbi is not necessarily adept at travelling at high speed on the Autobahn. I remember seeing lines of Trabbi trying to go up steep inclines and a number of them broken down next to the Autobahn in the months after the wall came down. So you may need to have some skill as a mechanic and access to spare parts to keep one running. So mantenance may not be as cheap or fun as one might imagine. As I recall these vehicles run on a gas/oil mixture which I assume you would have to mix yourself.

Thanks for the info! You see I have to add up all this and the possibility of any hassle driving one across Europe that could break down, against the propspect of buying one over here thats already registered and has a valid MOT. I should maybe just go to Berlin and enjoy myself and get valid info on Trabants, manuals etc and eventually buy one over here. Least if I broke down I'd have RAC cover

[torstenbel]

Rob - I like the idea of owning a Trabbi but there may be some additional burden in owning one. A Trabbi is not necessarily adept at travelling at high speed on the Autobahn. I remember seeing lines of Trabbi trying to go up steep inclines and a number of them broken down next to the Autobahn in the months after the wall came down. So you may need to have some skill as a mechanic and access to spare parts to keep one running. So mantenance may not be as cheap or fun as one might imagine. As I recall these vehicles run on a gas/oil mixture which I assume you would have to mix yourself.

yes, you do have to mix the fuel up yourself but that is no big hassle really...high speeds??..no... I was very pleased to get it upto 110 km/h on the motorways...normal travelling speed for a Trabant would be about 80km/h...but spares are still plenty and cheap in East Germany and they are very simple cars that are easy to fix...I only scrapped my first one when the rear axle broke and I did not want to pay out the 200DM it cost to replace it and I just went to buy another one...but that all happened in 1990. Go and get yourself one Rob...there will not be any more in the future....now is the time....Cheers, Torsten.

[Rob Brown]

Ah not long to go til I land in Shoenefeld airfield! Just killing hours at work now!!

[torstenbel]

Ah not long to go til I land in Shoenefeld airfield! Just killing hours at work now!!

can you fly from Edinburgh to Schoenefeld? When you get there, bear in mind that this is where we did the parade training for the 7th October parades in Berlin...it is not changed that much since then apart from the new airport building of course...,but the rest still looks just the same as it did then...let us know how you get on with the Trabant hunt and have fun in Berlin...Cheers, Torsten.

[Rob Brown]

Thanks Torsten. I am flying from Glasgow, so I'll be flying into old East Berlin eh? Sure Ill take a few snaps of it. Think the Trabbi hunt could be a lost cause!! But if I see a bargain the fair enough. I hope I find a couple of good tunics in the flea markets etc.

[Rob Brown]

Hello DDR Forum!!

Well I arrived back today from my trip to Berlin. Was absolutely fantastic!
Got lots of fab photographs! And met a bunch of interesting people. Met up with Uscob/Nico and he gave me a guided tour of his Thrift Shop Has lots of wonderful DDR/NVA militaria, anything you need he has!! I mean he has everything!! Bought an Officer's Grentztruppen uniform from him, last pattern of rain drop camo uniform (rank slide on the arm) and a set of Y-Straps. He also gave me a tour of the US Military museum (McNair Barracks) that he is a part of and thanks to him for that!

Anyway I visited many places of interest and took lots of photographs. Ive posted them on my site as Id be here for ever posting them up. Oh I visted that new DDR museum too!

The link to my Berlin images is

http://www.rabbrown.co.uk/blog/photo...August+2006%2F

password = romavictor

Enjoy!!

Rob

[uscob]

Your finger must be like from a japanese tourist or like ET: Glowing in the dark.
So many pics. Nice to see the ones from Mc Nair Museum, but with me? Be happy that the camera did'nt exploded. Hope to see you soon when my sis moved to Edinburgh. Then I'm there every 2 or 3 weeks.
Nico

[Rob Brown]

Yeah I did think I was abit Camera happy! There is just so much to see in Berlin! Oh I forgot you appeared in one of my photos! I just connected the camera to PC and uploaded them straight to the site. If you want I'll take it off if you want to remain "hidden".

Rob