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@antonioggriffin

Are you thinking of importing a car into Brazil? Anyone doing this should just be aware of the laws and taxes if the car is not 30+ years old... I hate to think about the cost of maintenance, parts, etc, and no AC...!

@Peter Itamaraca

Not importing this vehicle.  This is made in Brasil😎

I don't want to even think about the money for importing a vehicle

@antonioggriffin

There are Opala owners forums where I see discussed that topic and a quick look at MercadoLivre shows that there are kits. As you're buying a collector car I'm hoping you have mechanical skills or o good mechanic at your calling. Sounds like a fun project.

MattB

@antonioggriffin

I bought a 1969 fusca a few months ago as we needed an extra car to get me to my office. I had always wanted one (more a kombi) so I knew the disadvantages of owning such an old car before hand such as no aircon, airbags, comfort or really any security. Now the weather in Foz is cold (8-20c), driving in the morning and evening is painful without a decent warm up of the engine, but again, all things I knew before hand so live with.

I've had a fair few hot days with it as well, but to me part of the charm of the older cars is to drive with the windows down and some wind in my face, so I just get a nice blast of warm air to the face while putting along. In the case of the fusca, you can retrofit aircon to the car, but will run you about R$15k to do so, and you'd be sacrificing a fair amount of engine power if staying stock.

An Opal would be pretty sweet!

I want to get a Fusca as well. Lots of nicely restored examples being offered for R$20-30K..........

    In the future I will buy a 1975 Chevy Opal.
My biggest concern is A/C.
I don't think these have air conditioning.

Any expats have older car models?

Any advice welcome,  off-topic advice also welcome.
   

    -@antonioggriffin

Had a 1975 Opala Sports Wagon ( Caravan ).  Four banger, 2,5.  Decent but not impressive.  Three gears on the column. From time to time I had to pop the wood to reset the gear shifting linkage, as stuck as it was.

And a two door station wagon, what a joke.  Only in Brazil

    @Peter Itamaraca
Not importing this vehicle.  This is made in Brasil😎
I don't want to even think about the money for importing a vehicle
   

    -@antonioggriffin

Opalas are sought after by tunners, collectors, and dragsters. For as long as you do not buy as a everyday beater, you should be fine. And have deep pockets. 

    @antonioggriffin
I bought a 1969 fusca a few months ago as we needed an extra car to get me to my office. I had always wanted one (more a kombi) so I knew the disadvantages of owning such an old car before hand such as no aircon, airbags, comfort or really any security. Now the weather in Foz is cold (8-20c), driving in the morning and evening is painful without a decent warm up of the engine, but again, all things I knew before hand so live with.

I've had a fair few hot days with it as well, but to me part of the charm of the older cars is to drive with the windows down and some wind in my face, so I just get a nice blast of warm air to the face while putting along. In the case of the fusca, you can retrofit aircon to the car, but will run you about R$15k to do so, and you'd be sacrificing a fair amount of engine power if staying stock.

An Opal would be pretty sweet!
   

    -@English Penguin

Kombis are for hippies. Those things are a " coffin on wheels".  No front collision protection against your knees, and they rollover just as much as your old Ford Broncos II. High Center of Gravity against a relative short wheelbase. 

Plus the noisy power plant at the rear is a whimpy one.  It's a 1,5 Litter,, well short of 100 BHP

A freind of mine, back in the 80's had a coleague who worked as a product designer for Kombis. That was a career ending gig.  No significant improvements or sound engineering. 

That think was meant to bail out Germany after WWII, and was a trade in chip for the hot selling Beetle. 

Let the hippies have it. 

If you do not mind the lack of balls, and seek an everyday beater, that you can implement mods on your own...

1.Ford Del Rey. Specially the late model ones, that came in with the AP Engine ( VW Engineered ). Ford Power Plants were woefully devised.

2.Better year. Get a Ford Escort, IMHO way b etter engineered than the ones in America. The Escort DNA assembled in Brazil is from the UK.

3.If you have cash to spare, get a Ford Maverick ( either the 6 cylinder or V8 ), coupes only. They are scarce, and way more cool than Opalas. They were assembled in Brazil for about 5 years , during the 70's

4.Definitively, 80's VW Gol/Parati/Saveiro. A tunner's dream ride. After the late 90's forget about them.  Poor rubber mounts, upholstery.

5.Fiats.  They are decent, but the early models were pretty much substandard in all benchmark items.  Forget Unos.  Go straight to Palios for a reliable everyday ride.

6.Chevy Chevettes.  Pretty decent, actually they had pep than the ones sold in North America. Get an ethanol one.

7.Exotics.  Toyota Land Cruisers here were name plated as Bandeirante. You want the ones with the Mercedes Benz  Diesel Power, yet the Toyota Gas Powered ones ain't shabby either, if you don't mind the gas bill.

I am not a car guy

09/14/23 I bought a 1969 fusca a few months ago as we needed an extra car to get me to my office. I had always wanted one (more a kombi)     -@English Penguin

I learned to drive a stick in a Kombi, on the roads of Sergipe in the mid '70s. 😂

How about a Maverick ? Kkkkkkkk

Go all the way !!!