Can I rent a flat and purchase a vehicle in Hungary as a Canadian?

imgoingtohungary wrote:

Hello, I have learned that as a Canadian I can spend 90 days in Hungary. I wish to spend almost that long in the country this summer learning the language and considering whether or not I will go to university there next year.

I would like to rent an apartment for 90 days in Budapest. Is that possible as a Canadian?

I would also like to purchase a used motorcycle in Budapest and use it to explore the country. Is it possible to register and insure a vehicle in Hungary as a Canadian?

Then I would put the vehicle up for sale at the beginning of my last month in Hungary to try to find a buyer before I leave, or if storage is cheap and I intend to come back I will pay someone to store it for me in Hungary.

Any advice is appreciated,
Thanks

Yes to all of that.   Nothing to stop you renting a place.  It's only about money.  The 90 days might not make people happy as they want to rent places for years.

You might find it hard to do the bike.   

To actually own the bike in your name you'll need an address card which could lead to all sorts of permit issues.   As a visitor you wouldn't get one of those.

But you could actually rent a bike on a buy back scheme.   Or get someone to register it for you and you drive it.  That's not uncommon at all in HU.  Just make sure the insurance is right.

On a buy back scheme, you use it, then give it back at the end or you could buy one for use in country and then export it  by sending it back to Canada.  Another issue then.

Do you have HU relatives - perhaps your Mum or Dad or a grandparent?  If so you could apply for fast track citizenship and most of your problems go away.

Otherwise your University will help you with permits.

It is possible to rent for only 90 days but it will cost.
Buying a motorbike and getting insurance might be harder.
We had a US car 20 years ago here with US plates but our car insurance rates with the US plates was as much for one month as we now pay for a year here with or HU plated car.
I know in Hungary for a fact that you can legally drive for up to one year with a foreign driving license but in Hungary you also need a stamp on your driving papers to show you are good to drive a motorbike, totally different test for that. In the US I now you also must pass a driving test to use a motorbike.Not sure about Canada.
My husband had 11 endorsements on his Hungarian driving license but it took him 6 months of driving school to pass the tests.
Each sort of motor vehicle in HU requires a different driving test.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
My husband had 11 endorsements on his Hungarian driving license but it took him 6 months of driving school to pass the tests.
Each sort of motor vehicle in HU requires a different driving test.

Yes, that's possible.  EU licenses are universally recognised in the EU of course. 

I can for example drive a 7.5 tonne truck with a 750kg trailer on my car licence (US: license) but I passed my test in the 1970s and it was allowed to do that  then. 

But I cannot drive a motorcycle, only a moped under 50cc and so many kW (also allowed on a car licence).

I can also happily drive more unusual things like road rollers and self-propelled grass cutting machines and indeed tracked vehicles like bulldozers.  Useful for parties.

Don't know about Canadian licen(c)(s)es.

Thanks, everyone. It's looking like I won't get to use a motorcycle in Hungary because I will have the middle licence in Canada, stage 2 of 3 in the licencing process, but I will state my thoughts below.

I just discovered Air Canada allows you to take a motorcycle with you as cargo on your flight. So anyone who is researching this issue from this post knows about this.

Also, I have read now that I need a certified Hungarian translation for my licence OR an international drivers permit. I have checked at the CAA website (Canadian AAA) and it is $25 for this.

Unfortunately, I do not have my full motorcycle licence. In Canada there is the M1 licence which is a written test only (you can't get insurance with only this, or ride at night), then there is the M2 licence which you get from taking a road test or safety course (most people take the safety course for reduced insurance), and it has two restrictions: blood alcohol level zero and no passengers, then there is the full M licence which you get after 18-22 months of experience.

I have my M1 now and was planning to get my M2 next weekend, but you can not get an International Drivers Permit for a learner's class licence according to CAA. Maybe they only count the M1 as the learner's licence and the M2 can be used in Hungary, or maybe I will just have to use a bicycle to explore rural Hungary. I wouldn't mind the exercise.

I will call CAA today and report back to the forum whether they consider only the final licence class for the international drivers permit.

Does anyone know where I should buy a bicycle with storage for touring in Budapest?

So far I found this article:
https://welovebudapest.com/en/toplists/ … -budapest/

I cannot post with a quote for some reason.

Alcohol and driving in HU is giant no-no.  Absolutely forbidden.  Just don't do it.  People are used to it.

You can often take a bike on the train.  So cycle to the station, put the bike on, travel to wherever, cycle around, back on the train. It's not so expensive either.  You can easily buy a bike in Hungary - Google Decathlon.  You can also get one delivered mail order.  Google Evans Cycles (in the UK but they will ship anywhere).

I'd be surprised if you could ship a motorbike as cargo on a plane but maybe with special treatment.  It's need the fuel drained, battery disconnected, oil emptied out etc.   It's not uncommon to ship cars but they come by sea normally.  Then you go to the port and pick it up and drive it away.

International driving licenses are easy.  And yes,  your auto club will do it usually.

We shipped over a Mercedes for a friend in 1989, actually was the first car this man sold before opening up a real nice Mercedes car lot in HU, located between Lake Velencia and Balaton... He bought nice second hand cars first then opened up a dealership, he's passed now...
We seem to always be helping people make a business but for ourselves our endeavors never work out.
We later shipped over from Ca. to HU a total of 3 more cars.
4 cars in all.
The reason we kept our US plates on our car in HU was because although the car was nice and ran great it was slightly too old to do some legal stuff here in HU as a resale. We had it stored for years in my MIL's garage and only used it for very short periods when we visited HU.
It would of cost more then it was worth to change the lights, windsheild/windscreen etc. that was required to get HU plates on the car. We just paid out the nose for insurance for a car with US plates for a few months a year then put it in the garage. Was nearly 20 years ago so rules are probably even stricter now.
At the time 20 years ago it cost $100. per foot of car to ship, the Audi was 17feet long so cost $1,700 to ship to Germany.
I'm sure those fees are more now as well.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

We shipped over a Mercedes for a friend in 1989, actually was the first car this man sold before opening up a real nice Mercedes car lot in HU, located between Lake Velencia and Balaton... He bought nice second hand cars first then opened up a dealership, he's passed now...
We seem to always be helping people make a business but for ourselves our endeavors never work out.
We later shipped over from Ca. to HU a total of 3 more cars.
4 cars in all.
The reason we kept our US plates on our car in HU was because although the car was nice and ran great it was slightly too old to do some legal stuff here in HU as a resale. We had it stored for years in my MIL's garage and only used it for very short periods when we visited HU.
It would of cost more then it was worth to change the lights, windsheild/windscreen etc. that was required to get HU plates on the car. We just paid out the nose for insurance for a car with US plates for a few months a year then put it in the garage. Was nearly 20 years ago so rules are probably even stricter now.
At the time 20 years ago it cost $100. per foot of car to ship, the Audi was 17feet long so cost $1,700 to ship to Germany.
I'm sure those fees are more now as well.

Wow, that was quite a lot. 

I think when I shipped a car to HU from over there, it cost me $1200 but it was 24 years ago.  But even so $100 a foot sounds about right. 

You could have got away with registering it nowadays with the EU.  There's mutual recognition on things like windscreens and spare parts.   If it was an Audi you'd have easily been able to get spares for it in Europe but Audi is a premium brand so $$$.

The US insists on plastic headlights but in the EU, they can also be glass.  Or vice versa - don't recall but it's one or the other.   It's one of those obstacles they put in the way to stop trade.

Yes, overall the cost of doing the "fixes" needed in HU at the time weren't worth doing since we only used the car a tiny bit.
Sold it later for parts...
When we bought that first Mercedes for my husband's friend he just sent money with a guy who was visiting the US and let us find and buy the car for him and send it over.
Just a favor we did, was sort of fun to shop with someone else's money, got him a good deal for about $4,000.Plus shipping costs.
Later we sent another Mercedes for someone else, weird to think now that it was cheaper to buy a Benz in the US then in Europe.
They guy opened up a large dealership later with brand new nice Mercedes. We got him started with that first car.
Not sure why people trust us with their money, once we held $67,000 cash money, green backs for a day for another HU guy who was doing a deal with someone else.
The thought of running away from home with the bag did cross my mind for a moment.

fluffy2560 wrote:

You can often take a bike on the train.  So cycle to the station, put the bike on, travel to wherever, cycle around, back on the train. It's not so expensive either.

Correct. And it is a very useful service.

Also, rather than using a bike or train, buses go to most every city, town and village in Hungary. You can go to a lot of places, and see a lot just by riding the bus.

Bus and train schedules here:

https://menetrendek.hu/

fluffy2560 wrote:

You can easily buy a bike in Hungary - Google Decathlon.  You can also get one delivered mail order.  Google Evans Cycles (in the UK but they will ship anywhere).

No need to buy from the UK. Plenty of mail order options in Hungary, just search for "kerékpár":

https://www.argep.hu/main.aspx?suche=ke … =0&y=0

There are even online sites in English:

https://ebike.hu/products/bicycle/

And there are plenty of local brick and mortar bike stores around where one can walk in and buy a bike.

klsallee wrote:

....

Also, rather than using a bike or train, buses go to most every city, town and village in Hungary. You can go to a lot of places, and see a lot just by riding the bus...

fluffy2560 wrote:

You can easily buy a bike in Hungary - Google Decathlon.  You can also get one delivered mail order.  Google Evans Cycles (in the UK but they will ship anywhere).

No need to buy from the UK. ......

And there are plenty of local brick and mortar bike stores around where one can walk in and buy a bike.

Oh for sure.....

When shopping, we all know sometimes things are cheaper elsewhere than HU and there is larger choice in larger economies.  Depends what one is buying.   As usual, one should shop around.

That said I bought my own mountain bike in Decathlon in Hungary.  It's a Decathlon own brand, generally OK and seemed quite expensive at the time.  I think it's getting pretty worn out now. 

So I've been thinking for some time about a new bike and I'll probably get it shipped from somewhere as it won't be an ordinary bike. I'm thinking carbon fibre and/or aluminium and possibly electric assistance.  Probably it'll be a known brand like Specialized.  I think choice in HU will be quite low and discounts far between.   

Not sure there are many buses that take bikes although I believe there are increasing.  Never used one myself but I take my bike on train 60 in Budapest (train 60 is the cog wheel railway).  It's popular with mountain bikers and downhill racers.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....
Sold it later for parts...
When we bought that first Mercedes for my husband's friend he just sent money with a guy who was visiting the US and let us find and buy the car for him and send it over.
Just a favor we did, was sort of fun to shop with someone else's money, got him a good deal for about $4,000.Plus shipping costs.....
Not sure why people trust us with their money, once we held $67,000 cash money, ....

Problem with cars like Mercs is they are so expensive on spare parts.  If you get a Suzuki or a Lada, then the parts are going to be a 1/4 or less of the Mercs (might even be cheaper with a Lada).   Same pricey problem with BMW. Maybe you just get what you paid for. 

I've been wondering about an electric car for short journeys recently. Costs make me think  - the battery constitutes say 30% of the cost.  On a 5 year old car, if the batteries fail, then it's scrap metal as the costs are just do high, it's not worth repairing.  And then it's a serious problem for recycling and someone has to pay.   Basically it's creating more problems with recycling and more energy demands over the life of the vehicle.   The investment is rather high - to get the best from it, I'd have to get solar panels to charge it and the return must be really low.

My husband was talking about those electric cars for rent for 66 forints a km. Not a bad idea if you only use a car once in awhile.
The thing is if you do buy a used car in HU be sure the safety stickers are good for awhile.
Every 2 years the car must pass a safety test and it is strict, they shake the car like crazy to test for rust and loose parts.
Hard to resale too if the safety is about it expire.
Same thing in the US we never buy a used car unless it has just gone through a smog test.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

My husband was talking about those electric cars for rent for 66 forints a km. Not a bad idea if you only use a car once in awhile.
The thing is if you do buy a used car in HU be sure the safety stickers are good for awhile.
Every 2 years the car must pass a safety test and it is strict, they shake the car like crazy to test for rust and loose parts.
Hard to resale too if the safety is about it expire.
Same thing in the US we never buy a used car unless it has just gone through a smog test.

Oh tell me about it.  Mrs Fluffy's car needs to go for the sticker soon and I am pretty sure it needs an exhaust (US: muffler?).  Fiddly and dirty job I could do myself but pfff....needs a proper lift to get the car into a comfy position.  Luckily Mrs Fluffy's car is not that old (5 years) so I don't think it'll have rusted away yet.  At least the HU sticker lasts 2 years.  In the UK, it's renewable every year which is an expensive PIA in time and money. 

I'm  going to rust proof my ancient imported car.  Hopefully no-one will notice the obvious signs of age.  Only thing is that it needs steam cleaning underneath.   Where can I get that done?  I don't mean jet wash with water.  I mean real proper steam.  I have to clean down the cross members etc then inject anti-rust goo down there when it's fully dried out.

I do think for someone just visiting HU for a few months that looking into those electric rental cars is a good idea.  No insurance extra to pay out, no hassles with safety checks, registration etc.
If they live in the city they probably don't even really need a car.
In Vegas my son's big Ford car didn't pass the smog so my husband changed the whole system out, made a smoke machine himself to see exactly where the leaks were and ordered parts and did the job himself. Was not easy at all though. He was on U tube for weeks everynight trying to figure out what was wrong with the car and what to fix and how.
It was great having a garage and a second car because the car was down for a couple of months while he was working on it.
Was able to sell the car before we moved . If he didn't fix it a pro would of cost thousands of dollars. Our son ran the car into the ground and my husband made it better then new.
His other car a Mazda started to smoke like crazy, my husband changed allot of wires, tune up and a fuel injector. That to would of cost a ton in the US to change out in a shop.
Not many people have the know how , time or skills to fix their own cars though.
I'm sure you can make a steam machine to clean the underside of your car, U tube has it all.
The smoke machine my husband "jerry rigged" cost perhaps $40. a pro machine is in the thousands and they don't rent them out to the public.
Those electric cars seem easy, you just go online and see where the closest car is . They send you a code to open the door and start the car up. You don't have to hassle with parking fees etc. as you just sign out and leave the car . We may do this ourselves if we ever have to let our cr go.
We paid for 6 months of indoor parking when we were in the states and even so it's a hassle.
We have gone in 3 times to find out why our deposit has not been returned yet. 3 people quit this month and they are slow in refunding our deposit, like it's our problem? With a rental and no big deposit youcan just lock the door and forget about it.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

....e has it all.
The smoke machine my husband "jerry rigged" cost perhaps $40. a pro machine is in the thousands and they don't rent them out to the public.

I think I could find one at a car valet/cleaning place.  These would be industrial machines they'd use for say, cleaning trucks or buses.  Making one would be very difficult, possibly even dangerous.  It would need a very high power heating element and a boiler under pressure.  Steam of course is very dangerous and can easily burn your face off. 

I think I need to find a professional place for it.  Hot water is not what it needs - I could jetwash it myself with hot water but that would make everything very wet.  I need it to be totally clean and dry, including down all the nooks and crannies otherwise I'd be sealing in the moisture with the spray anti-rust goo. This is sprayed on via a compressed air gun and the goo needs to be warmed to make it thin and therefore sprayable)

Smoke should be easy to do.  Just a smoke bomb and blow down the pipe.  Wouldn't be really hot unlike steam.   Bit like a bong.

We tired a bong with a cigar but it was more complicated to find the tiny leaks in the system. Had to change out 9 rings and a few other parts, all computer now with the system so it wasn't easy to figure out what was wrong. Check engine light would come on after 50 miles, finally got done and car ran fantastic.
My husband bought some small kit and adjusted it to blow smoke while the engiine was given gas.
I'm not sure what the guys did, didn't want to know actually because it was getting desperate for a bit.
The good thing in the US is we were able to pay every 10 days for up to 90 days to get the car fixed and still not be illegal.All done online too, don't think HU is so liberal with these sorts of issues with cars.
Sold 2 good car befo.re we left Vegas, wouldn't feel right knowing either car was bad, we have a"code" don't like to mess people over on purpose.Only wish we could find such good used cars when we look for one.
Our Toyota here in HU passed safety clean and clear 2 weeks ago!! Open the bubbly!!!! It is a 1989 so we are very lucky, car runs great but we hardly use it much either.We tipped the inspection guy 10,000 after he handed over the passed paperwork. We never tip beforehand and maybe that's the secret here, to tip first to be safe?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

We tired a bong with a cigar but it was more complicated to find the tiny leaks in the system. Had to change out 9 rings and a few other parts, all computer now with the system so it wasn't easy to figure out what was wrong. Check engine light would come on after 50 miles, finally got done and car ran fantastic.
My husband bought some small kit and adjusted it to blow smoke while the engiine was given gas.
I'm not sure what the guys did, didn't want to know actually because it was getting desperate for a bit.
The good thing in the US is we were able to pay every 10 days for up to 90 days to get the car fixed and still not be illegal.All done online too, don't think HU is so liberal with these sorts of issues with cars.
.......

Sometimes one can get a specific error code by turning the ignition key on off on off on within 5 seconds.  Count the number of flashes of the check engine light which gives then the code for that vehicle.   First it blinks the first digit, then there's a gap for the second.  That's if you don't have a plug in diagnostic device.  They are pretty cheap some of them.  Otherwise, it's going around replacing sensors.  I've got to do that at the weekend actually - cam sensor. Bit awkward on my car and rain's expected. 

I don't think Hungary allows you to postpone any testing.  We've never got that far as the testing people usually phone us up to remind us. I think our car was there today but Mrs Fluffy is out dealing with it in my absence.

As an amateur mechanic, I'm prepared to research solutions, track down parts and spend lots of time getting things right.  Professional mechanics don't usually bother with that kind of love and attention, they want cars in and out and the cash in their hands!  Don't really blame them.

You could have tried a bee smoker to generate some nice smoke. Or got a friend with a super bong aka hookah pipe possibly with a fruity flavour! Might have been interesting for the neighbours!

Should move this over to another site... No problem in Vegas the smoke was coming everynight from the house across the st. and the home next door. They were so bold to have a couch set up in the garage and had the door open... Hmmm. that smell...

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

Should move this over to another site... No problem in Vegas the smoke was coming everynight from the house across the st. and the home next door. They were so bold to have a couch set up in the garage and had the door open... Hmmm. that smell...

Yup, segue into Absolutely Anything Else - bongs and hooklah included. <- Click here!

fluffy2560 wrote:

When shopping, we all know sometimes things are cheaper elsewhere than HU and there is larger choice in larger economies.  Depends what one is buying.   As usual, one should shop around.

Yes, shop around. I took 6 months to buy my last bike. Did a lot of shopping around. Don't think the OP has that much time, however....

Rock Machine bikes are pretty good. But decent ones have a starting cost of 225,000 HUF and up such as the Heatwave or Torrent -- and those are both hard tails -- will cost more if you want full suspension. Personally, I prefer hard tails. But each to their own.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

We tired a bong with a cigar

As a cigar lover..... why... oh god... why?

klsallee wrote:

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

We tired a bong with a cigar

As a cigar lover..... why... oh god... why?

We bought first a $5. cigar then a box of 5 for $5. at Walmart....
Took many tries to get the smoke machine thing to show where the leaks in the exhaust system were.
A professional smog machine cost thousands of dollars and the auto zone didn't loan them out.
We looked on U tube and the used cigars to blow smoke into a Jerry rigged make it yourself testing machine. American ingenuity.
We did engine compression tests and a few other serious diagnostic tests on our sons 2 cars before we could figure out why check engine light kept coming on, wouldn't pass the smog test.
Finally fixed it, should be a great car for the next 10 years or longer now.
Dang though when they were smoking the car the fumes got into the house, we all smoked a cigar that day.
Auto Zone in the US is great for a few hundred bucks deposit  they loan out diagnostic testing equipment for a month or longer, give back every penny right away when you return the machines too, no waiting for ever to get your money back.
Don't believe they do anything like that here in Hu for the weekend do it yourself mechanics.

Getting so off topic,yesterday we walked past the MOL gas station and noticed those electirc cars for rent.
I was mistaken .It's not 66 forints a km but a min. Still  a good deal if you don't need a car all the time.
If you move to HU for only 3 months it probably more hassle to look for, buy, insure ,register a car for a short time then it's worth.
Like yesterday we opted to walk to Tesco rather then drive. I force my husband to walk 5 or more times a week unless he is swimming instead.
So much traffic anyways on Fridays that I can walk faster then drive.
If you move into the city a car is more hassle then it's worth. Parking is costly and you only can apply for a parking sticker at city hall in your own district and you need a address card first to get the sticker.
If your doing a short term rental I highly doubt you will get an address card and be able to buy the district parking sticker for low cost. You will be running to the parking meter every few hours if you can't get the sticker. Private parking spaces cost around 19,000 to 29,000 or so a month.
Our niece owns a apt. rental in the 5th district . She doesn't live there and for some reason even she can't get a parking sticker for her flat. It's in the area in the 5th that is really stirct about parking, only residents can get a code to park, they have electric barriers to get out of the area so no code and you are stuck.
I'd first see where I was going to live before considering looking into buying a car.
In the mid 1980's a senior citizen married couple from my helath club in Ca. used to visit Hungary every year for 6 months. They sort of gave us the idea to try doing that later on ourselves.
The women was interesting and a Hungarian Jew who left during 1956. Her husband was American.
They would buy a car for 6 months every year in HU and resale before they left. The thing is they could purchase a car for under $500 back then and really got away somehow without even buying insurance.
Can't do that any more.
The lady was very smart and good with handling all the details and of course spoke fluent Hungarian, much easier to find a deal if you understand everything.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

When shopping, we all know sometimes things are cheaper elsewhere than HU and there is larger choice in larger economies.  Depends what one is buying.   As usual, one should shop around.

Yes, shop around. I took 6 months to buy my last bike. Did a lot of shopping around. Don't think the OP has that much time, however....

Rock Machine bikes are pretty good. But decent ones have a starting cost of 225,000 HUF and up such as the Heatwave or Torrent -- and those are both hard tails -- will cost more if you want full suspension. Personally, I prefer hard tails. But each to their own.

I've got a Rockrider which is Decathlon's own brand.  I thought long and hard about the FS (Full Suspension) and decided just to try it.  I was pleased I did.  The major of the discussions I read seemed concerned with this bobbing action using valuable energy with that being absorbed in the suspension components.   I think at my amateur and bordering on learner level the discussion made no difference but I hope it does my back and rear end good having just that bit more comfort.

OP could always take the bike back home. It's surprisingly cheap to take sporting equipment on the plane.  I've thought about doing it several times but the costs ancillary to it can push the price up - like getting a hard case for it.  But one can stuff it with other personal items as it's just oversized checked in baggage in the normal allowances.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
We bought first a $5. cigar then a box of 5 for $5. at Walmart....

Cuban cigars?  Get them while you can!

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
Took many tries to get the smoke machine thing to show where the leaks in the exhaust system were.
A professional smog machine cost thousands of dollars and the auto zone didn't loan them out.
We looked on U tube and the used cigars to blow smoke into a Jerry rigged make it yourself testing machine. American ingenuity.
We did engine compression tests and a few other serious diagnostic tests on our sons 2 cars before we could figure out why check engine light kept coming on, wouldn't pass the smog test.
Finally fixed it, should be a great car for the next 10 years or longer now.

So what was actually wrong with it?  O2 sensor?  Fuel or air sensor?  Injector?

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

...
I was mistaken .It's not 66 forints a km but a min. Still  a good deal if you don't need a car all the time.
If you move to HU for only 3 months it probably more hassle to look for, buy, insure ,register a car for a short time then it's worth....

66ft a minute is actual driving time or idle time?  I mean paying for it to sit in the car park while shopping would be a bit much.  Not like small aircraft or professional boats which is usually paying for engine hours.

Electric cars seem quite popular. I flew in from further East this morning and on the way back from BUD airport, we saw two Teslas.  That's a nice looking car but mega-expensive - over $100K.  You gotta be loaded to have one of those. 

Saw smaller electric cars too - with the green plates.  For short journeys it'd be good but hopeless for anything more than 200 km in a day.   I'm thinking Mrs Fluffy could actually use it but we'd need a proper car to go to Balaton.

i suppose you could log out from renting the car if you were in a remote area and no one else was going to rent it then log in again and use the same car.,
I know one car needed a tune up, new wires and a new fuel injectior  and the other ran really nice but the check engo=ine light came on ever 50 miles. My hubby had ton really overhaul the system and change out a ton of O rings and a few other things. Bought allot of parts from the dealer to make sure they fit right. Not a project that most people would undertake. Our son is a "space case" and was willing to junk out" his cars and walk away from fixing them but my husband and I are far too frugal to let a minor kink get in our way. We fixed them but alas it took months to do.
Difference is a few thousand bucks in profit plus being able to sell a quality car.
All I can say is my HU husband never gives up while 99.9 % of the general public would just walk away rather then figuring out what is wrong. Never again for sure though, way too much stress on us.

Marilyn Tassy wrote:

.... my husband and I are far too frugal to let a minor kink get in our way. We fixed them but alas it took months to do.
Difference is a few thousand bucks in profit plus being able to sell a quality car.
All I can say is my HU husband never gives up while 99.9 % of the general public would just walk away rather then figuring out what is wrong. Never again for sure though, way too much stress on us.

I think I'd join your hubby diagnosing the car just for interest.  I like fiddling so long as it's a hobby and not work.  I always wonder why people aren't persistent in fixing things just out of sheer interest.   

If you look on YouTube there are loads of videos of people bringing abandoned vehicles back to life.  Seems like quite a hobby and strong demand for these videos. The Mustang video below has over a million views!

Here's a typical car starting video: 1965 Mustang

For me,  the best ones are them getting 40-50 year old abandoned cars restarted in the woods and then driving them out.  Often retro pickup trucks for some reason.

fluffy2560 wrote:

For me,  the best ones are them getting 40-50 year old abandoned cars restarted in the woods and then driving them out.  Often retro pickup trucks for some reason.

I am not a car guy. Might make for popular videos, but I always wondered how much that tears up the engine, drive train, bearings, etc. And might it actually do more damage than doing proper tow (or removal on a flatbed), and then a garage tear down and repair. But again, not a car guy, so I don't really know. Just me wondering and trying to apply common sense to maybe an uncommon problem.

klsallee wrote:

fluffy2560 wrote:

For me,  the best ones are them getting 40-50 year old abandoned cars restarted in the woods and then driving them out.  Often retro pickup trucks for some reason.

I am not a car guy. Might make for popular videos, but I always wondered how much that tears up the engine, drive train, bearings, etc. And might it actually do more damage than doing proper tow (or removal on a flatbed), and then a garage tear down and repair. But again, not a car guy, so I don't really know. Just me wondering and trying to apply common sense to maybe an uncommon problem.

Well, not really that much damage.  It wouldn't be interesting to see some guy just drag it out.

The main interest I think is to see how to get such an old wreck going - technicalities of bodging the electrical system, fuel system and unrusting the main rotating components.  Getting the engine just to turn is interesting.  Some cars have got really rusted up engines but they can still be brought back. Like they put power steering fluid down the cylinder bores and let it sink in for some hours. Then they can get a seized engine turning. 

It's almost like resurrecting a Mummy from the dead.  Like the thing was alive.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Well, not really that much damage..

So.... still some damage.

fluffy2560 wrote:

It wouldn't be interesting to see some guy just drag it out.

So purely for public consumption and entertainment.

Sighs..... Youtube.... the new Colosseum? 

I am more the loving restorer type. Any damage, especially for the pure sake of public consumption, is abhorrent to me.

fluffy2560 wrote:

Some cars have got really rusted up engines but they can still be brought back. Like they put power steering fluid down the cylinder bores and let it sink in for some hours. Then they can get a seized engine turning.

I guess someone could also spend a few hours kicking a tired mule to its feet and it would get a lot of views. Each to their own... I guess.....

I am also not into public executions. Or beheading videos. Or demolition derbies. But I do understand they are also quite popular. For some people.....

But that is just me. But maybe I am weird. 

klsallee wrote:

....

I am more the loving restorer type. Any damage, especially for the pure sake of public consumption, is abhorrent to me.
....
I guess someone could also spend a few hours kicking a tired mule to its feet and it would get a lot of views. Each to their own... I guess.....

But that is just me. But maybe I am weird. 

Nothing wrong with being weird.  Crazy is more objectionable.

Well, it's not an animal so the mule thing is a bit moot.  I guess we all (as a species) tend towards anthropomorphising objects.   Look at Miss Piggy or Top Cat.

I seem to recall a story that a US military officer was being demo'd a robot dog or mule that wasn't working too well - dragging it's leg or something - and he said "someone should put it out of its misery".  I am sure someone can look that up.

Rusty old pickups with trees growing out of the engine bay, it's great technical challenge to get operating.  It's already damaged but it can "live" again and they do get restored!  They don't just get them going and dump 'em, they usually fix them up in a loving way.    Then they start calling it a good 'ol gal a bit like ships.