Some of you folks reading this now, we may have already had the pleasure of meeting you. If we have not met you personally, we're confident that you may have seen us at a VW show or gathering. For those of you that have not met us, this page will tell you a little about who we are and with whom you may be doing business. Although we have been in the VW industry for over 25 years, some folks know us as the Disney guys due to our Disney ties.
We look forward to meeting you soon.
Dave Omel, a native of Long Beach, California retired from The Walt Disney Company after 30 years of service. Dave held many positions throughout the Disney organization but was best known as the Director and General Manager of Disneyland Park. Dave's first car was a 1971 VW beetle, and since then has had many different VW models including his favorites: 1966 Sundial camper, 1966 double cab, and 1966 Deluxe bus. Dave enjoyed driving his 36 horse-powered 1959 Ghia while his 1961 SO23 was in line to be restored. Aside from Eddy and Dave's Garage, Dave was the Vice President of VisionMaker, a company dedicated to building theme parks and resorts worldwide. Unfortunately, we lost Dave in 2013 to a very tragic car accident. He is missed every day! R.I.P.
Eddy Collins, "made in California" and "assembled in Guatemala, Central America", has been with the Walt Disney Company for over 28 years and is still going strong as an on-call Spanish spokesperson for the Disneyland Resort. Eddy has been around VWs since he was just a kid. Having ridden around Guatemala City in his uncle's 1965 panel bus and his aunt's 1966 beetle, Eddy has a love for commercial busses especially but enjoys all VWs alike. Eddy's first VW was a 1967 Deluxe bus, and has since had many different models and years of vintage Volkswagens.
Needless to say, many VWs have been wrenched on over the years which has given insight toward what works and what does not when it comes to parts. Like most enthusiasts, we have done the long haul drives to car shows, slept in gas station parking lots after driving endless hours in a crusty old bus that has no heat. We've broken down along freeways, run out of gas, and have made throttle cables out of thread while breaking down in Southern Mexico. We've blown wheel cylinders and have lost all brakes, not once, twice, but three times. We have also purchased our fair share of vehicles that didn't quite meet the specs that were given to us at the time of purchase. What we're trying to say here is that unlike some other folks, we have experience when it comes to buying cars online, sight unseen, and just for kicks. Need advice, give us a call. We'll do our best to guide you.
Having made friends from around the world, one of Eddy's dreams was to visit Japan and drive his personal car to a car show. In 2005, that dream became a reality with his 1967 Beetle. The bug had 138,365 original miles. The rims/tires had been replaced by a friend who thought the original wheels were "unsafe". The tires were from the 70s. :)