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Wed Oct 08, 2003 10:45 am

Hi everybody. It is great to be a new member of this wonderful site. I am currently the owner of a '98 New Beetle and I am looking at purchasing a classic Volkswagen Beetle or Super Beetle for myself to restore. I am only in high school right now. I am a senior and I'm 18. I have a couple questions I hope you can answer for me. Here they are in no particular order:

1) What are to do's and don'ts when buying a old Beetle?
2) What should I look for to tell if the car is in good shape?

Anything else will be helpful. If I think of anymore questions, I will post them here.

Wed Oct 08, 2003 11:07 am

lamer98 wrote: I am currently the owner of a '98 New Beetle.

We'll try not to hold that against you.

lamer98 wrote: I am looking at purchasing a classic Volkswagen Beetle or Super Beetle for myself to restore. .

Now you've got the right idea!

lamer98 wrote: 1) What are to do's and don'ts when buying a old Beetle?
2) What should I look for to tell if the car is in good shape?

Anything else will be helpful. If I think of anymore questions, I will post them here.

Most importantly, I believe, is buying one with NO RUST! Most other things can be overcome by the average mechanic, but momma always told me RUST IS THE DEVIL!
Usually, you get what you pay for. Try and find the most complete, running, driving bug you can, to tear down for a restore. Project bugs (<$500) will end up costing you more in the long run. Decent runners can be had for well under $2K. This site is probably your best resource. Scan the classisfieds for bugs, different body styles, etc, to see how far your money can go. There's pro's and cons for each year, and only you can decide which bug is the best for you. Read the forums, ask questions, and if you find a bug that seems in your price range on the site, ask about it in the forums, with a link. Usually everyone is very helpful, most definitely brutally honest.

Good luck.

Wed Oct 08, 2003 11:22 am

As you are in Ohio, land of rust, you may consider finding beetles out West in the dry states. The transport cost can be easily justified by the improved body condition to be found out there. You know, California, Arizona, Nevada. Try these states first.

Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:15 pm

welcome to the aircooled world. Water is good for washing car, not cooling them! Anywho, a rust free car is gonna be hard to find- if you know somewone with a welder, and you are willing to get dirty, you can probably locate a local car that is worthwhile- (I live in PA-- the OTHER land of rust). If not, they are right, much easier to get one from the land of 80 degree Christmases. Hey, they elected Arnold, they can't be all bad!

Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:18 pm

buy what u like i got a 55 oval and it was only 250 but it was bajaed in the prosses of fixin it back to og an the #match yipee :lol:

Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:46 pm

Hey, here's one of the best sites I've seen for someone thinking of buying a beetle: http://www.thebugshop.org/

Never mind that I read all that stuff, swore I would do just what it said, and then went out and bought the first bug I saw. But at least I knew all the stuff I did wrong. :roll:

Wed Oct 08, 2003 12:46 pm

lamer98 wrote: ....purchasing a classic Volkswagen Beetle or Super Beetle

Just as a note, Super Beetles are not considered classics by lots of VW enthusiats. So, spending time/money restoring them, may not result in a worthy vehicle.

Wed Oct 08, 2003 3:20 pm

Thanks everyone for your help! I really appreciate it! I'll check out the site that was listed!

Wed Oct 08, 2003 9:30 pm

Super beetles are in the same class as new beetles so go with an older classic bug

Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:47 am

How can Super Beetles be in the same class as the New Beetle? Isn't the New Beetle completly different from the Super Beetle? What do you guys think about 1969 Beetle with the Automatic stick shift?

Thu Oct 09, 2003 7:52 am

In the eyes of the general public (and potential non-enthusiast buyers), all Beetles are the same. Among enthusiasts like on TheSamba, there's a distinct pecking order among models, and generally, the older, the more valuable. Supers being the newest and most modern of the aircooled Beetles, are held lowest in esteem by these enthusiasts.

If your objective is to have a "correct" and "authentic" and "awesome" original Beetle, go for the non-supers. If you just want to have a Beetle for fun that the general public will smile at, anyone will do but the Supers drive better in modern traffic as long as their front ends are well maintained. The Supers are also cheaper to buy.

As regards the autostick, you're probably better off avoiding them because even though they are historical curiosities they are relatively rare and their extra parts make them harder to keep in good repair.

Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:09 am

I know parts will be rare for the autostick, but are they expensive to buy? I'm just a high school student who currently drives a '98 New Beetle and at my school (vocational school), the teacher who teaches Auto Body Collision repair (I'm in Broadcasting & Video Productions) he was telling me he is buying a '69 Beetle autostick that is in near perfect condition and he said he would turn around and sell the car to me for what he bought it for ($1000). He said the current owner does not know how to fix the car (the car won't go into 1st) and he said he knows all the car needs is fuse, he will put it in the car, install a new headliner and sell me the car in perfect condition for $1000. That's the best deal I've heard since I've been looking and I am going to take him up on the offer. What do you guys think? Because autostick is so rare, will that boost up the value of the car?

Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:25 am

An autostick is rare because they suck and few people wanted them. Its even more rare because when they died, a lot of them got left in fields. If the car is as nice as you say it is, it might be a good car but don't be thinking it will be easy to get rid of that autostick trans...it isn't easy and when it dies, you'll be wishing you didn't have that car. Just my opinion

Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:29 am

The most important thing is Rust Free.

Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:42 am

pans...come on gusy...tell him....CHECK THE PANS>

Thu Oct 09, 2003 8:57 am

Here is my .02...I have owned a 70 beetle that was my first car in perfect condition. Had a 68 that was totally tricked and couldnt sell it for nothin. I recently bought a 66 that runs like the wind, rust free...other than the battery tray has minor, but needs some body work/interior. I drive it everyday 55 miles round trip. I could have purchased a damn nice 69 for the price ($1600) for my 66. Ultamately, I would and will be happier with the results of my 66 when I am done. Do yourself a favor, young jedi, go pre 67. They are funner, look better when finished, and there is lotsa lotsa parts available for cheap. But, that is just my opinion.
Go to your local aircooled supplier(s) and check out the ads on display (if they have any) and talk honestly to those type of guys. Find an aircooled club in your area, if there is one. Good luck! :)

Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:00 am

As the others stated I would not buy an autostick. Noone wants them, and it will be hard to sell it you ever decide to. Also if you notice the prices on the samba classifieds, ebay, autotrader, etc, the prices for the pre 67 cars are better since they are more desireable. Some others mentioned no super beetles, I totally agree with that, but not only would I stay away from supers, but from an investment standpoint a pre 67 would be a better choice. The prices of early VWs are only going to go up, and since classic VWs of the same years are drasticly lower in collector value than their American counterparts, VWs are a good value. So to spend a little extra money now for an earlier more desireable car can only benifit you more in the long run.

Well thats my two cents!

Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:02 am

autostick should be called autosuck

Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:34 am

I'm not a mechanical person by any means..my step-father would be doing the work. Major Woody said it isn't easy when it dies..what would happen? How do you know when it dies? The year of the car isn't important to me, as long as it is a air-cooled Beetle, that's all I care about. I'll get a '67 or older if I find one that I think is a good deal. I just happened to run across this '69 and the more I think about it, the more I am leaning towards it. And, even if they aren't easy to fix, what's it cost for parts or for a brand new auto transmission in one of these?

Ryan

Thu Oct 09, 2003 9:57 am

Well, don't say nobody warned you against the autostick.

They are difficult to repair IF you can find someone to touch it. Parts are hard to find. You will NEVER be able to run any motor much bigger than stock. They are SLOW. Mopeds will smoke you in the 1/8 mile.

BUT, if it truly is a 'perfect' 69, no rust, great interior, I would buy it, and switch the pan out for a manual. Good chassis can be found for BEANS. And, since you're in autobody class, it would be a fun project. Not that big a deal.

I still believe, for a first air-cooled bug, the most important thing is NO RUST, best condition.