I Bought A 1984 Trabant 601S - My Dream Car! How Did I Buy It Twice?

In this video, I show you guys around and the story of my 1984 Trabant 601S, a car I have been dreaming of owning since I was six and ended up buying it twice!
Zwickau P70 footage borrowed from @MovingOurWorld
Trabant factory footage borrowed from @Schule04 and @HB45175
Soundtrack:
Pop Metal - Jason Shaw
www.audionautix.com
Hope - Ilya Marfin
Someday - Alexander DeLarge
www.icons8.com/music
No copyright infringement intended, published for entertainment purposes only!
Subscribe to Moving Our World, Schule04, HB45175 and McElroy's Motors TODAY!!
#trabant #ddr #twostroke #rarecars #autism #cerebralpalsy

[@diegosilang4823]

I am usually in to classic American muscle, but lately I grew fond of old quirky little European cars, they got their own charm.

[@McElroysMotors]

As an owner of a Trabant, I definitely want an MG.

[@NZotyoka81]

I’m a Hungarian and i hate these cars with passion because once they were poorly made and second we had to wait for these craps for 5-7 years with no color or any other options. American people are looking at these cars with smile and finding them fun because they did not have to live through those times what we had here. Dispite my bitter memories i’m happy to see you find your happiness in this junk. I wish you health and many happy miles with it. Go to Cleveland with it because there is a pretty big Hungarian community who will certainly showering you with their love. Especially because you have put a copy Hungarian license plate onto it. 👍😀✌️Greetings from Budapest-Hungary

[@McElroysMotors]

Granted, this car divides opinions. It really does. Those who know what it is often ask me why I have it or what's wrong with me. Those who don't know are often asking what it is. As an American, I find this car fun because there is no car like it on our roads. People wave, smile, and take pictures. However, I also salute the people who lived through the times of Germany split by the Berlin Wall and communism's rule in the former Eastern Bloc countries.

[@Mickhanic-garage]

I live in the UK and want a Trabi.. I have a Wartburg 1.3 which was imported from Hungary.. gets a lot of attention here

[@McElroysMotors]

@@Mickhanic-garage Hey Mick! It's your pal Nicholas McElroy from Facebook! Great to see you here!

[@Mickhanic-garage]

@@McElroysMotors I found your channel and subscribed, tough to hear the story about the car mate

[@McElroysMotors]

@@Mickhanic-garage You can imagine that it's not just a car.

[@andrewhallett-patterson9778]

Just subscribed. Your story of life at the end floored me, bring me to tears. No one should face the challenges you have. Wishing you all the very best in the future. Stay strong bro ! Greetings from Woomera in South Australia.👍👍🇭🇲

[@McElroysMotors]

YOU ARE AWESOME!

[@iana6713]

The Trabi is a unique thing, isn't it? You either love them or wonder what on earth they are - I like them so much, I bought one about 15 years ago after seeing one of my teachers turning up in one when I was at high school... Yours looks to be in far better condition than the one I had. Your personal bit at the end really hit me - that car really means so much to you.

[@McElroysMotors]

It has been a dream of mine to own a classic car since I was six. I wanted something to make my grandfather proud as he used to take me to classic car shows all the time when I was a kid. He was also born in Portugal, lived in Morocco and the UK before coming here in 1962. Fun fact about him. His first year at Dover College in the UK was 1959. Simon Cowell was born that year and attended the same school 14 years later.

[@iana6713]

@@McElroysMotors I'm in the UK myself. I would love another Trabant but circumstances mean I can't at the moment. One day - I'd quite like to try a 1.1 but they're far rarer than the 601.

[@McElroysMotors]

​@@iana6713I can understand the appeal of the 1.1 and there are a few of them here in North America. But to me, they don't have the "charm"

[@McElroysMotors]

​@@iana6713I wish you the best on getting another one. If I can get mine back while battling my health (which is declining), you will break down the walls and get one again. I believe in you.

[@iana6713]

@@McElroysMotors Best wishes to you on the health front - my ex-partner has cerebral palsy so I'm aware of some of the issues that can bring.

[@TheTotti67]

Thank you for sharing the Trabant and your story. Being German they aren't too rare over here. There's still a huge Trabant community in the former DDR (East-Gewrmany). So, in case you need help finding parts or such, feel free to contact me. I will try to help you. Got just a remark on your German history lesson. Googomobil, Isetta and Messerschmidt were built in the 50s in West Germany. Before Trabant was the IFA F9 which based on a pre-war car. And an IFA F9 frame was also the base für the P70. The first car with Duroplast body parts. The P70 was never supposed to be a mass product. So little Trabant 500 was the first GDR-peoples car. Plus there was the bigger Wartburg, built in Eisenach. With real metal. 🙂

[@McElroysMotors]

A buddy of mine in Virginia has two Wartburgs, both 353. One was converted into a polizei replica.

[@Hammer0165]

A very good friend of mine owns one, every summer when he goes to work abroad for a month or 2, I take care of it and help him fix some issues on it while it's in my care. It's always such a joy and a privilege. I fully understand why it means so much to you. They have a soul, they really do.

[@McElroysMotors]

Yeah, since I made the video, her fuel switch broke. But even though getting parts for it here in Ohio can be tricky, she still makes me happy to have her back.

[@vanceblosser2155]

I'm glad you found happiness with a unique vehicle. I have owned some unusual vehicles myself (a local garage owner dubbed me "The Saint of Lost Cars) so I can relate to your appreciation of the Trabant. I wish you the best on your other struggles.

[@marcischneider9093]

You're a legend man, love this stuff and love your little Trabant

[@McElroysMotors]

Thank you! :)

[@dutchyjhome]

I salute you my friend! You have the guts to be you and acknowledge who you are and follow the dreams in your life which matter to you and to you only. Do not ever get off the route you've chosen, because this is the right path for you. Do not be surprised when you meet people along your path who have (partially?) chosen the same path and may become valuable friends for life. Do not ever get intimidated by people who do not agree with your choices, just wish them luck on their own journey. I have an enormous respect for you and your choices. Do not get cocky over this, just be you as you are and your life will get better and better while you're going on your path. It is after all an impossible mission to please everybody in this world. And you've chosen the right person to please at first: You, yourself. This is the person you will have to deal with your entire life, so you've made an excellent choices here. Now my personal advise to you is: If you really enjoy these eastern German car so much; why don't you specialize in these cars and gather fellow enthusiasts around you and get into contact with East German car enthusiasts in former East Germany, or even a Trabant club. You will be surprised how many enthusiast there are...👍😊

[@McElroysMotors]

There is a Trabant club here in the US and they have a gathering at the International Spy Museum, located on L'Enfant Plaza in Washington DC, usually on the first Saturday of November. I was there for 2017, 2021, 2022 and 2023. I plan to be there this year as well. In the video I linked below done by my friend Catalin Dan of Detroit driving a Romanian built Oltcit, you can see a blue Trabant owned by my friend Mike of Princeton, West Virginia hauling my ex-fiancee and I to the museum. I have lost friends who didn't agree with my choices in my life and I wish them well on their way to finding success in their lives. If I were to list what all I went through, people will often ask me how in the heck I am still alive but that is something that I do take as a compliment. I may be sick internally but being afraid is something I am not. It takes guts but it's up to the person to make it the glory that lights up the dark, beaten path. We have about 350 Trabants on this side of the pond and I am friends with Martin Heinz of Germany, owner of IFA-Service Heinz in Harthausen. He helped me get a new engine and got it to clear US customs. How? That remains a mystery but I am thankful for him to be able to deliver a new engine to me...in a suitcase!! These Trabant owners here have become some of the best friends I have ever had! Link to video! kzbin.info/www/bejne/opCkY4OulLGDpa8&pp=ygUOIHRyYWJhbnRzIDIwMjM%3D

[@dutchyjhome]

@@McElroysMotors The Romanian (Blue) video car I think I recognize as a Citroën Axel. They were actually sold in Western Europe (where I am from) as well. Just as de dark Blue Lada; they also were sold here brand new. But if you guys really enjoy these Ost-Wagens (Eastern Cars) then there will be so much more to explore like Polonez, Zastava, Polski FIAT, Volga, Zas, Ural, Skoda, Yugo, Dacia, Moskvich, Wartburg, Tatra, Zil and motorcycles like Cz, Mz, Jawa, Ural, Dnjepr, Junak, Zipp, Voshkod, KMZ, and more...

[@McElroysMotors]

@@dutchyjhome The video car is an Oltcit Club. A licensed copy of a design Citroen had for the Axel or Visa.

[@BobAbc0815]

Pushing the Trabant also helps if it wont start.

[@NATOLLorg]

Hope to see more of your Trabi. I have a 1976 Trabant 601s in the color "Gletscherblau".

[@McElroysMotors]

That is my favorite color offered with the Trabant. I always wanted mine to be in that color. I'd repaint mine but as it is all original, I am stubborn about any modifications on a classic car.

[@nygelmiller5293]

To NATOLLorg. In 1970, I was 17, and our school was one of several from other countries that met for a youth conference in West Berlin. (The city was still divided). There was still the WALL dividing it up - but people WERE, by then , allowed to visit EAST Berlin for a day - and we went to the GERMAN THEATRE, to see an opera. In those days, Vladimir Putin - (the old communist!), was in charge of subjugating the East Germans to Russian influence. I reckon it must have been because of him, that we only saw DREARY Trabants in East Berlin, ina filthy grey colour in the capital. Under Russia's thumb!

[@NATOLLorg]

​@@nygelmiller5293 Well, they didn't have a lot of colors in 1970. It wasn't until 1976 that really varied colors appeared. Here you can lookup the colors: trabantteam-freital.de/extra/trabifarben/pdfs/trabifarben.pdf

[@NATOLLorg]

@@nygelmiller5293 Well, they didn't have a lot of colors in 1970. It wasn't until 1976 that really varied colors appeared.

[@robertngreen6]

Hello! I enjoyed your video and I love your little car!

[@f.p.1308]

Dear young man, You need to be clear about a few things. 1. When the Trabant was intruduced, seat belts were not mandatory. Later on only on the front seats... Nobody would have used seat belts if they didn't have to. 2. You can install a normal radio in the Trabant, which has the usual slot dimensions. The Trabant was also available ex works with various car radios. Simply install a stadard car radio. All you have to do is unscrew the dummy plate. This can be done without any tools. You just have to reach behind the dummy plate from below and unscrew the two thick grooved "plastic screws" by hand. Loudspeakers can also be installed very easily. Here, there are installation kits especially for the Trabant too. 3. You can easily unscrew the radiator grille by hand. The two screws come off easily and it is also very quick. 4. The normal fuel gauge (plastic ruler) is really not that great for checking the fuel level. Later, a fuel gauge was also fitted ex works, from the Trabant 601 LX version onwards (internal designation of the factory). You can retrofit this fuel gauge yourself. There are also many instructions for this on KZbin, maybe most in German. 5 The Trabant was designed so that a young family could easily fit a baby carriage and luggage in the trunk. Two children could fit comfortably in the back of the car. 6. The aim was, that the vehicle should be easy and inexpensive to maintain. 7. Two-stroke engines are low-maintenance because they have fewer parts and complications than four-stroke engines. However, oil must be added to the gasoline to prevent the engines from seizing up. (Without adding oil in a sufficient mixing ratio, the two-stroke engines would seize up immediately). 8. You can do everything on the vehicle yourself. You just have to know what and how. For example, you must not forget to apply grease to the grease nipples. This should be done twice a year in the fall and spring. This used to be quite normal. 9. If the vehicle has an ignition system with mechanical contacts etc., then you should urgently replace it with an electronic ignition. The maintenance and especially the adjustment of the electromechanical system is a real job. The thyristor ignition was later available ex works. 10. up to 100 .... and, and, and... Have a good ride at all times!

[@McElroysMotors]

I have had friends installed electronic ignition for me and it's been great. I honestly prefer the stick over the gas gauge as not only does it give people something to admire, but it keeps the simplicity of the car.

[@f.p.1308]

@@McElroysMotors Your Trabi doesn't even have the fuel tap extension, where you operate the fuel tap on the dashboard. On your Trabant, the fuel tap is located under the dashboard. If the engine starts to stutter, you have to reach under the dashboard with your right hand, find the fuel tap and then move it. That's dangerous. I think you need the fuel gauge, because safety first. With the fuel gauge, you know when you have to switch to reserve. You should also urgently install the fuel tap extension. Don't put yourself in danger. Safety first!

[@McElroysMotors]

@@f.p.1308 I appreciate you looking out for my safety but I am okay with how the car is with it's quirks.

[@nygelmiller5293]

To t.p.1308. Did you know they didn't even DO the seatbelts properly! As it's not metal, the seatbelts needed a METAL backing plate to re- inforce the fixing. But they didn't get that, so instead, they just RIPPED OFF in accident!

[@f.p.1308]

@@McElroysMotors Hello friend! A movie tip for you: "Go Trabi go" (1991). Currently (but certainly not for long) available on KZbin. However, this one is in German. (Another movie version on KZbin is with English subtitel but in 4:3 screen format and bad quality.) Note the scene from 09:30 (switch to reserve on the Autobahn/interstate). (The movie is only my recommendation for Trabant friends). Good luck!

[@MB-ti1jz]

I really enjoyed your video, thanks! I love these cars and dream of owning one myself. I'll stick around to see what you do in the future. All the best!

[@McElroysMotors]

If you are in the US, come down to the Parade of Trabants in Washington DC.

[@MB-ti1jz]

@@McElroysMotors unfortunately not, I'm British in Korea

[@Citizen5000]

My uncle used to have his tricked out with an led rpm gauge, apparently these were sold as aftermarket parts. Loved the little blinkylights as a kid. They were not common at all. (grew up in the DDR)

[@RobG1981]

My grandfather got his Trabant very late (summer of 1989) and it had the rpm gauge ("Mäusekino") as standard. After reunification, he had to install seat belts in the rear. The car did its job until he replaced it with a new VW Polo in 1996, because he wanted a four door. Compared to the Trabi the Polo felt like a luxury car. And it even got warm in the winter. 😅

[@user-zj4wo9rm3i]

Wonderful video and interesting history of this car. Subscribed to the channel and looking forward to new updates! Good luck on your way

[@McElroysMotors]

Thank you! 😊😊😊

[@f.d.3595]

You should get in touch with one of the Trabant clubs in the former GDR, e.g. Trabant-Club Zwickau e.V. (the Trabant was built in Zwickau). You can get all the information you need there. You should get your Trabant into proper shape (technically and visually). Your seat belts are more of a safety risk than a help to the occupants. You should get the automatic seat belts that were installed in the Trabant (also in 1984).

[@f.p.1308]

He can register his Trabi to at the INTER TRAB e.V. Internationales Trabant-Register.

[@co20ca05]

Thank you for sharing the car and your story! I had honestly never heard of a Trabant before your video, but they seem like really interesting machines with a powerful history-of all the oddities about the car, the plastic gas gauge is my favorite. Best of luck!

[@McElroysMotors]

My grandfather got me hooked on the stinkers. I wouldn't be a car guy, or as much as I am now without him.

[@billyhensley7770]

Cool car great video thumbs up my friend God bless you

[@McElroysMotors]

@@billyhensley7770 :)

[@touraneindanke]

Dude you would fit in perfect in the DDR. Your facial hair and glasses are a young Walter Ulbricht 2.0 (leader of the DDR that famously stated ‘niemand wiil hier eine mauer bauen’) ❤🎉

[@peterbonnez]

Excellent..

[@McElroysMotors]

Thank you!

[@83erKarsti]

greetings from the Chemnitz(formerly Karl-Max-Stadt).. the city, where the engine of your car came to life

[@McElroysMotors]

Was the engine in the Wartburg 311, 353 and Barkas B1000 made in Chemnitz too or am I mistaken?

[@davidgrisez]

I have seen a few KZbin videos about the Trabant 601S. There are not many of these Trabants in the United States. They were a unique, unusual very basic car made in Communist East Germany. A KZbinr who has the name Aging Wheels for his videos has a Trabant. This person also has videos of him rebuilding his Trabant engine and transmission. There is a company in Europe that still sells parts for Trabants. The Trabant is one unique very quirky low powered car.

[@McElroysMotors]

I have met Aging Wheels. :)

[@superchargedautism7693]

Dang bro I'm friends with you on Facebook and now I just randomly found your KZbin crazy

[@McElroysMotors]

Yo Toast! How ya been buddy??

[@superchargedautism7693]

​@@McElroysMotorspretty ok

[@youtubecarspottersguide1]

Doug demero did a road test few yrs back only seen one in person

[@McElroysMotors]

I will be mentioning you in the next Q&A video I am releasing on the 20th. You'll see why! :)

[@johannieuwoudt-mz9ih]

cool

[@oliverpetroski4205]

Its s very minimalistic car due to the restrictions. I think the last models also had fuel gauge. It kinda reminds me of a cheap copy of Peugeot 404. I've seen them turning into pancake after colision. For some reason pigs like to eat them, so avoid pig farms or forests with wild boars.

[@buffdelcampo]

I just found your channel and I subbed. I've like old commie cars for a long time. I thought I knew a lot about the Trabant, but I learned a few things from you today. For interest, I have done a lot of fiberglass work in the past. Recently I started making a few things from old cotton cloth and epoxy. I'm amazed at how strong it is and the cost is low. I lived in northeast Ohio for many years but now in Tennessee. I hope you attend some car shows in your area. If I know you will attend a car show, maybe I'll go back to northeast Ohio to see your car. Take care!

[@McElroysMotors]

I was originally born in a small town in Georgia, about an hour east of Atlanta called Madison.

[@1marcelfilms]

I used to want one. Then I test drove one. Then I had a headache the rest of the day.

[@McElroysMotors]

It's not for the faint of heart but it's definitely one of those things where you either love it or hate it. For me, the smell, sound and looks I get are just plain awesome.

[@apj341]

Enjoy your microcar 👍😊

[@McElroysMotors]

I love it!

[@f.p.1308]

This is no micro car.

[@McElroysMotors]

@@f.p.1308 The engine is smaller than the engine in most Japanese kei cars. 595cc as opposed to 660cc.

[@f.p.1308]

@@McElroysMotors It is not a mini car. It is compact or sub compact. It depends on the size of the car. It doesn't matter what kind of engine is in the car. Furthermore, you cannot compare the displacement of a two-stroke engine with that of a four-stroke engine. A two-stroke engine does not need as much displacement (cubic capacity) as a four-stroke engine. You also have to consider the time in which the Trabant was developed. All small cars had an engine capacity of around 500 cc. Your trabant 601 has 600 cc. Note that when you drive the Trabant, the displacement increases over time due to friction. You then have to grind out the cylinders and fit oversize pistons. The previous owner has probably already had this done. After all, the car has been running since 1984 (40 years).

[@SchnelleKat]

Very cool, that you have now your very own East German / DDR Trabi! I'm in MI Btw... and too a Smaller dude. Around 115lbs. lol I hope to find a Wartburg 353 deluxe sometime here soon. probably a 1987-90 model year. I know they are rare... Do you think your friend from the FB group could help me out?

[@McElroysMotors]

I know of someone in Virginia who has a couple.

[@McElroysMotors]

But yeah, I can definitely see what he can do.

[@Watermelman]

Cool car would be cool to have one of my own not as a daily driver though.

[@McElroysMotors]

Although I know a friend who has one in Connecticut who daily drove his in high school but for me, she won't ever be my daily. She is reserved for nice days once I get everything on it fixed. I drove her to work once and everyone couldn't believe how tiny it is, let alone being made of cotton.

[@Watermelman]

being made of cotton does make it very interesting car

[@McElroysMotors]

​@@Watermelman My plant manager couldn't believe it, he is simply mesmerized by that, as am I.

[@f.d.3595]

Travel to Germany and buy one in good condition. Or go to Hungary, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania or Poland and buy a cheap one that will give you a lot of work. There is a guy in the US too, who imports Trabants from Hungary. Good luck!

[@fisqual]

I've always wanted one of these but owning 5 cars is already too much. haha

[@McElroysMotors]

Get one! Make room! You won't regret it!

[@beanwithbacon]

I know you're struggles. #autisticforacureorprevention

[@McElroysMotors]

My grandfather has a shirt that uses autism as an acronym. Always Unique Totally Interesting Sometimes Mysterious

[@boilerhousegarage]

Liking the Trabant is one thing, but the "DDR" drawn on your arm is like having a Nazi swastika there.

[@McElroysMotors]

I am aware of that. I have it tattooed to pay tribute to those who lost their lives trying to escape.

[@rainbowboa100]

ur dreams must be nightmares! ha ha

[@McElroysMotors]

Depending on who you ask. :)

[@Schlipperschlopper]

classics will be banned from public streets in entire EU and Scandinavia :-( In Germany the Green Peoples Party gave order to shorten fuel supply from 2025 on by reducing all conventional fuel stations to only one state operated central gas station per city or county. Now they even want to slow down all the gas pumps from 20 litre per minute to 2 litre per minute...From 2027 on in the EU certain car spare parts will be banned too....as exhaust systems, turbo chargers and even some engine and gearbox oils...California and New York will do the same from 2027 on.... So no investments should be done in oil burning cars any longer....They even created a new kind of crime here, called emissions and smoke crime. Called Bundesabgasbespaßungsverordnung in German.

[@oliverpetroski4205]

If that happens 98% of the people will loose their jobs. And you can forget about ambulance or firetrucks when they are needed. Also think about the aviation industry.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

@@oliverpetroski4205 thats sadly the plan of the WEF

[@RobG1981]

Oh my. This is not true. 😴

[@boesespferd]

Total stupid BS, there isn't even a party called Green Peoples Party here in Germany.

[@boilerhousegarage]

Environmentalism is an evil ideology. It calls for the eradication of mankind and must be resisted by those who wish to continue living in an industrial civilisation with private property and enterprise.

[@BitchinSpectre]

Single tank of kerosene