'Here, look what I bought!´
Martin shows me a picture of an advertisement. An orange Volkswagen Beetle.
"What do you need that for?" I ask him.
"Driving, of course! What else?"
“Man, you don't even have a driver's license!” I throw at his feet.
That was true. We were both 16, somewhere in the mid-80s.
Secondary school in Arnhem.
I had nothing to do with mopeds.
And cars? I was too young for that. Or so I thought.
Martin bought a car. He'll show it to me this afternoon. After school I'll cycle home with Martin. But of course the car isn't at his house. That only causes problems with his parents.
The car is at a gardener's, at the edge of the forest. Then you don't have to go on the road, and you can drive straight into the forest. Smart guy, that Martin!
And yes, there stands the orange Beetle, shining in the sun. Well, shining. It had become quite dull.
Inside, brown, imitation leather upholstery. I can still smell the scent of a car from the 70s that has been run in nicely.
Radio-cassette player. Sunroof.
Hey, the floor is also partly open. In some places you can see the street right through the floor. Clearly a car that was still allowed on the road before the APK existed.
"Shall we drive for a bit?" Martin asks. "Nice, good idea!"
We drive into the forest.
We ignore the surprised looks of passers-by. We hope they don't call the police.
That was a nice effect, driving in a car with holes at the top and bottom. You also had to hold the right front door, otherwise it would fall open while driving. A real experience we would call it nowadays.
The next day at school Martin comes straight to me. He had gotten an incredible beating when his sister told him at home that he had bought a car.
If I wanted to buy the car? The previous owner didn't want to buy it back.
***
I bought my first car before I had a driver's license.
An orange Volkswagen Beetle.
I paid fifty guilders.
What do you need a Beetle for if you're not legally allowed to drive it yet?
I knew a few guys who already had a driver's license.
I asked each of them if they were interested in a special bargain.
An orange Volkswagen Beetle. 150 guilders, and it's yours!
That didn't work for 150, but that same day it did for 75 guilders. 50% profit on my first car!
I didn't get to enjoy my first car for long. But I also never made that much profit on 1 car (in percentage terms). And my sister didn't have a chance to tell her at home that I had bought a car...
In the meantime I have bought a few more cars.
For myself, and also for Adrem Car Rental.
There were some terrible bad buys among them, but also some very nice lucky cars.
Are you looking for a specific car in the Sittard region?
Please let me know.
I'll gladly help you find it. New or used, classic or sporty, it's all possible.
On this page you can fill in your details: https://adremlimburg.nl/contact/
I like to hear from you!
