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turboscotty
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:33 am    Post subject: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

I may have put this in the wrong spot before and I did a search but wasn't able to find anything. Has anyone had experience with getting a bus shipped over. Any suggestions and/or help please?
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Buses n Bugs
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:24 am    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

For those asking for references of previous customers I have received this video from a customer in California.

https://www.facebook.com/vwbusesnbugs/videos/497539484176048?sfns=mo

If you would like to reach out to him please send me a private message and I will be happy to share his contact and also from other previous customers that became good friends.
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tkgeorge_99
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PostPosted: Sat Dec 07, 2019 8:49 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

I am curious as well. I have emailed back and forth a few time with Gustavo and he seems legit but I worry at lack of feedback or reviews. He has one review posted on facebook but for the volume he advertises, you would think there would be more feedback. I have also noticed that the same buses are listed over and over which suggests lack of sales or ? I recently contacted him about a bus I really like and he said it just sold but then relisted it on the samba a few days later. I want to believe its a legit business but feel a little uneasy. I wish there were a few more success stories/reviews available. I am seriously considering buying a bus from him but need some reassurance.
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Buses n Bugs
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 09, 2019 4:21 am    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Hi Taggart. If you need some references in northern CA, please send an email and will be happy to share the contacts of previous customers. About the sales, we sell an average of 12 buses monthly and we have over 500 listed, so it's completely reasonable that we have many buses relisted. Please check with my references and ask them about my work, and if you still uncomfortable to move forward we can do the transaction using an escrow account. This way you only pay when you receive the vehicle. For more info about the escrow please check on www.escrow.com. It is a US company that secures online and overseas transactions.

Regards,

Gustavo.
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SteinarE
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PostPosted: Tue May 12, 2020 5:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Anyone with any experience with this company?
Anyone who have bought a car from them?
I can’t find anything on web either positive or negative, and that’s bugging me then they have had over 800 ads at The Samba last 18 months.

A pm is appreciated
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PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2020 4:15 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Feedback of a Bus that was already imported into the USA, in Florida, in another thread:
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9360352#9360352
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SteinarE
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PostPosted: Tue May 19, 2020 11:36 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

But still no one has actually bought a car from them with the last 18 months, having anything positive/negative to say, despite over 800 announcements at this time.

They are off my short list.
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chioppo
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:34 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

I just took delivery on a single cab I bought from Gustavo. It has been a good experience. The vehicle was exactly as described. Here is a summary of my experience. I've been looking for a single cab to use as a delivery vehicle for my sail cleaning and repair business. I didn't want a huge project but I didn't need a Concours ready machine. I started to look at Brazilian Single Cabs and there seemed to be lots of vehicles that would work for me. I contacted Gustavo and he sent me links to several options. None of them were quite right so I gave him my wish list and he found me one. We agreed on a price that included shipping to Houston and duty. I put the money in an escrow account and he set up shipping. Be forewarned that the process took over two months to complete. Two hurricanes and a tropical storm later it arrived in Houston. The bus spent 3 1/2 weeks on the freighter. Once it got there and the flood waters subsided I flew down and inspected it in the customs brokers warehouse. It was as advertised so I contacted Gustavo and told him we were good to go. He had the customs brokers send me all the paperwork I needed to get it titled in Illinois. In Il this includes the Brazilian title, Bill of sale (in English), Customs release, EPA waiver and DOT waiver I went to the Secretary of State and they issued a title and Antique vehicle plates no problem. I released the funds to Gustave from the escrow account then I arranged to have it shipped to Chicago. Gustavo was available and answered questions whenever I reached out to him. He was a good broker and calmed my fears whenever I needed to be reassured that I had not dumped 15K in some Russian Internet scammers bitcoin account.

As advertised

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As Delivered

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94touring
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 24, 2020 9:27 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

chioppo wrote:
I just took delivery on a single cab I bought from Gustavo. It has been a good experience. The vehicle was exactly as described. Here is a summary of my experience. I've been looking for a single cab to use as a delivery vehicle for my sail cleaning and repair business. I didn't want a huge project but I didn't need a Concours ready machine. I started to look at Brazilian Single Cabs and there seemed to be lots of vehicles that would work for me. I contacted Gustavo and he sent me links to several options. None of them were quite right so I gave him my wish list and he found me one. We agreed on a price that included shipping to Houston and duty. I put the money in an escrow account and he set up shipping. Be forewarned that the process took over two months to complete. Two hurricanes and a tropical storm later it arrived in Houston. The bus spent 3 1/2 weeks on the freighter. Once it got there and the flood waters subsided I flew down and inspected it in the customs brokers warehouse. It was as advertised so I contacted Gustavo and told him we were good to go. He had the customs brokers send me all the paperwork I needed to get it titled in Illinois. In Il this includes the Brazilian title, Bill of sale (in English), Customs release, EPA waiver and DOT waiver I went to the Secretary of State and they issued a title and Antique vehicle plates no problem. I released the funds to Gustave from the escrow account then I arranged to have it shipped to Chicago. Gustavo was available and answered questions whenever I reached out to him. He was a good broker and calmed my fears whenever I needed to be reassured that I had not dumped 15K in some Russian Internet scammers bitcoin account.

As advertised

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

As Delivered

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


Our buses were ship mates then. I also imported one from Gustavo without any issues, aside from a lengthy importation process. Everything was as pictured and described.
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chioppo
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 28, 2020 12:35 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

There were a few other VW busses in the customs warehouse when I inspected it. They looked nice but I didn't really have time to check them out closely. Congrats on your purchase.
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94touring
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:46 am    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

chioppo wrote:
There were a few other VW busses in the customs warehouse when I inspected it. They looked nice but I didn't really have time to check them out closely. Congrats on your purchase.


Thanks, same to you. I will at some point remove the vinyl stripes and do a respray in diamond blue/white. I primarily do restorations and paint jobs on classic minis so changing things up are easy for me to do. I contemplated buying a project stateside but I don't need another full blown restoration of my own. The body on this bus is very solid, not bent up, no rust, bodgery, ect.. Paint job is mostly good but I'm obviously critical there. Interior is all redone as a camper and very nice but I did redo a fair amount of their handy man work on cabinetry. Some of the overhead cabinets that looked cool in the pictures for example were simply in the way for real life.

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chioppo
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:08 am    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Nice. Your paint plan sounds good. A little less groovy seventies look. Mine was lowered and I am currently restoring it to stock height. Also, since I own a canvas shop I am making a custom canvas enclosure on the back. I'll post some pics when it is all done and installed.
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 02, 2020 3:16 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

One of the first things I did was shocks. The set on it looked original and sure enough when I pulled them off the dampening was no longer there. Went stiffer on the rear and less stiff on the front for an improved ride quality. I would think a stock height would help as well with yours.
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adronm
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 14, 2020 6:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

I had a rough experience with VW Busses and Bugs. It all started out well. We were helped promptly and found a great bus that was able to be registered in California. I paid for the bus on escrow.com and everything seemed to be going well. I asked for some pictures of my bus when it was being picked up just to see it through the process. Gustavo said he would send them to me but that never happened. I asked a few more times over the coming weeks and each time I was told they he would send some very soon. That never happened. Then when I was asking about something one day all of a sudden the bus had been in an accident in their warehouse and was totaled. Gustavo did offer to refund the money right away which was good but at this point I was still considering doing business with them. I asked to see pictures of the damaged bus and was told I could but again several weeks went by with nothing. We were still looking for a bus but it seemed like every time we found something we liked it was “just sold”. Gustavo seemed to be pushing a select few busses to us. We eventually found another we liked but we insisted they we see pictures on the wrecked bus, or at least some insurance paperwork or something to prove to us the story was legit. At the end we were told that the second bus had another offer and were pressured to take it. We stood strong and insisted that we have some proof that our bus was wrecked and were not provided that. We canceled and our money was refunded. It was good that we got the money back but the whole situation felt totally like a bait and switch. We were really disappointed that this was the outcome.
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Adam47374
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2021 3:06 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

I did end up buying a bus from him https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9360352#9360352

Overall happy with the bus for what I spent. In the past year I have taken it out for a few drives, but still attempting to getting around to fixing a few minor issues.. loose shifter, and one of the gearboxes is leaking (I rebuilt both boxes, and screwed something up). Overall the experience was good. I was planning on doing some major work on it over the winter, so I could have some fun in it this year, but ended up buying two run down houses, and in the process of getting them rentable first.

The only regret that I do have with the bus is it was hit in the rear at some point in time, and I missed that when I picked up the bus. It's not horrible, but just not 100% right, and would take a lot of work to get that area fixed exactly right. Considering what I paid for the bus, I'm not worried about it at all, that's just part of owning a 45 year old VW to me. Considering a nice German bus would have cost me four times as much, I can't complain.

If I am ever in the market again, I would 100% consider getting another bus from him.

One thing that you HAVE to think about when buying one of these busses, is that they are built using a lot of different years worth of parts. Plus a lot of them have been driven as a daily drivers for the past 45+ years, not parked in someone's garage for the last 20 years. 99% of the parts are easy enough to get, but you really need to figure out what is the right year "German" part to buy. One issue that I had was the ignition lock was broke, and I had a hard time figuring out what the right lock was, and then who to get it from, since it was a Brazilin only part. However that is one of the only parts I have found so far that doesn't have a German matching part for. The taillights have two different versions for that size, so make sure you are ordering the right ones. Most parts for the 1974 bus that I got are 1963 "German" parts.. I was working on a spread sheet that has the conversions of what parts fit, but the work on that stopped when the work on the bus stopped. Hopefully next winter I can get in the garage and finish the interior and the few mechanical issues that still need addresses, and get back to driving it.

Not sure what the back story is on the one I got, but it was already at his friends/families garage in Florida. I'm guessing someone bought it, then turned it down once they inspected it? You get what you pay for, if the bus you want (German version) is $100,000, but you only have $20,000 to spend, then these buses might just be what you are looking for. The amount of looks this thing gets is absolutely crazy. DO NOT buy one of these if you don't want to deal with every stop you make at least one person if not five people wanting to talk to you about the bus, and take photos, and all that crap. My brother was complexly blown away how many people stop to talk with us when we towed it home. So if you can't stand people asking questions, go buy a Prius.

I maybe wrong on this part, but this is how I THINK it works... I'm fairly certain he is just relisting buses that are already for sale in Brazil, and then when he gets a buyer, he buys the bus, and then works on getting it shipped up here. He is also dealing with multiple other guys doing the something, and whoever gets it done first, get that VW. So I would not be shocked if you find a listing for a bus that he has for sale, and that bus is no longer available when you go to buy it from him. He is just trying to make some money, and is providing you a service of getting the bus delivered to wherever you are. It's not cost effective to fly down there, buy a bus, then find someone that can take care of all the paperwork, then get it shipped back to wherever you live at... This is the best solution, he is the middle man, and that's fine. You don't have to work with the seller that doesn't speak English, not has the ability to handle an out of country transaction like this you NEED a middle man to make it happen. So if you are looking for a particular modal, color, condition.. I suspect that if you work with him, he might be able to track down something closer to what you are looking for... but at the same time, respect the guys time, and give him a break, he can't work magic, and he is only selling what he can find.

Guisto, thanks for the bus.
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 3:59 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

I purchased a bus from Gustavo. In short, what he sold me was misrepresented and the engine blew on me a few days after delivery.

Upon further investigation, what I bought was trash. He doesn't respond to my emails and has completely ghosted on me. You can see what happened in the link below, but in short, my motor blew after a few days from purchasing and the experts in this forum have spotted out that the motor that came with my bus is trash.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=777836&start=0

BUYER BEWARE - Gustavo Schmidt should be banned from advertising on The Samba and should be held accountable to his poor business practices.

PM me if you'd like to hear more. If I could just save ONE person from making the mistake I made in engaging with Gustavo, I would feel a little better about. the whole situation.
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PostPosted: Wed Feb 22, 2023 4:05 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

adronm wrote:
I had a rough experience with VW Busses and Bugs. It all started out well. We were helped promptly and found a great bus that was able to be registered in California. I paid for the bus on escrow.com and everything seemed to be going well. I asked for some pictures of my bus when it was being picked up just to see it through the process. Gustavo said he would send them to me but that never happened. I asked a few more times over the coming weeks and each time I was told they he would send some very soon. That never happened. Then when I was asking about something one day all of a sudden the bus had been in an accident in their warehouse and was totaled. Gustavo did offer to refund the money right away which was good but at this point I was still considering doing business with them. I asked to see pictures of the damaged bus and was told I could but again several weeks went by with nothing. We were still looking for a bus but it seemed like every time we found something we liked it was “just sold”. Gustavo seemed to be pushing a select few busses to us. We eventually found another we liked but we insisted they we see pictures on the wrecked bus, or at least some insurance paperwork or something to prove to us the story was legit. At the end we were told that the second bus had another offer and were pressured to take it. We stood strong and insisted that we have some proof that our bus was wrecked and were not provided that. We canceled and our money was refunded. It was good that we got the money back but the whole situation felt totally like a bait and switch. We were really disappointed that this was the outcome.


Be glad you didn't end up getting a bus from Buses N Bugs - Gustavo might have taken you to the cleaner the way he has with other customers.
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24ramirez
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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 11:26 am    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Hi everyone, please don't buy or pay Gustavo fir any vehicle unless you have fully inspected vehicle in person,I don't want you to make the same mistake I made...Gustavo agreed he would send the bumper strips and jail bars as we had agreed. He never sent them after I paid for bus and avoided my text/calls. I have pictures of everything that was wrong with bus,you're welcome to email me and I will share that information before you buy. After I fixed everything that was wrong with bus I am happy with it,but I was told the bus was fully restored. I take blame fir sending payments before fully inspecting bus,please learn from my experience. Thank you.
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Buses n Bugs
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PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 11:37 am    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Our cars can be inspected on site and also we offer the escrow service where the customer funds an escrow account and the funds are release to us after two days inspection. In case you are not happy with the purchase the payment will be refunded. For more information on how the escrow transaction happens please visit their website at www.escrow.com.

Another important information - Before we ship these cars we are required by law to remove the battery and drain all the gasoline and oil (flammable items not aloud in the shipping container). We always let our customers know about that so engine problems caused for cars running without engine oil will not be refunded of course.
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 4:22 pm    Post subject: Re: Buses N Bugs - [email protected] Reply with quote

Fair warning!!!! Don’t purchase a bus from Gustavo Schmidt of VW Buses and Bugs!!! Learn from my mistake!!! Why you ask??? Well, when you’re unable to get it titled because your paperwork doesn’t meet your state requirements/standards and when he won’t answer your calls, emails, voicemails, etc, he totally ghosts you. Imagine having over $40,000 invested in a bus and you’re unable to get a title. My state DMV required a Bill of Sale with an original signature, he sent me his docu-signed version and I explained to him that I needed an original signature. He got angry and said he’s never had to deal with anything like this in six years and said my state didn’t know what they’re doing. That was it, that the last I ever heard from him. He doesn’t care about making his customers happy or going above and beyond trying to make sure they have what they need for proper registration and obtaining a title. Of course, you won’t find this out for about three months after your state reviews it and sends a rejection letter to you. By then, he’s already received his money, so he just doesn’t care and won’t answer your call. I sent him documentation that all he had to do was put an original signature on with the postage prepaid, so he could easily send it back to me and nothing!!!! I’m beyond furious!!! I sent my correspondence to his business address that was on the paperwork he originally sent. It was a Florida address. Where is this guy out of??? I have my sneaking suspicions that he’s in Brazil pretending to be in the states. His phone number is a Vermont number which I think is used to throw people off when they call his number . He answered all of my calls and emails when he was trying to sell it to me, now he won’t answer, calls, emails or voicemails now that I’m having a problem. He didn’t tell us until after the vehicle was shipped that we needed to put a battery and oil in it when we received it. He doesn’t have any of that information on his listings, so that came as a big surprise to us. He’s supposedly receiving the shipment from Brazil, why isn’t he putting a battery and oil in it to ensure it runs before he ships it??? I guess that would cut into his profit!!! The whole thing felt creepy and now I know why. Trust your gut and purchase something that’s already titled in the US or someone who’s a reputable broker. I wish there was more information online about this guy. I’m filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau and the Texas and Florida Attorney General’s Offices. Oh, and the title is in Portuguese and you will most likely have to hire a translator to transcribe it into English and notarize it like I did. I’m going to have to speak to a lawyer in Florida(supposedly where his business address is)to find out if I have any recourse. Don’t do it!!! Don’t purchase a bus from him!!! I haven’t even gotten into all the things that are wrong with the bus.
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