"Brian, The Life of" (familycar)
08/31/2016 at 11:58 • Filed to: None
1
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"Brian, The Life of" (familycar)
08/31/2016 at 11:58 • Filed to: None | 1
| 18 |
Howdy cats, so my kinda weird but cool hermit-y lady neighbor has a late-model convertible bug that’s been under a torn tarp being overgrown by Japanese maples. I’ve been curious about the car but not enough to ask her about it - besides I hardly ever see her out even if I wanted to. Last night my wife tells me she is calling St. Vincent de Paul to come haul it away. This obviously peaked my interest. A late model bug isn’t exactly the project I was looking for but for the right price ...
Anyway, we go knocking on her door asking to see it. My guess just seeing the exposed few bits and general shape was mid-’70s. She said it was a ‘78. Strike one for a CA project car. I would not want to deal with a car that required smog passage. As I started to crawl around and expose the panels, I noticed theree is mild surface rust but no holes on any external panel. When she parked it (it had “engine troubles”), someone had cut the top and over the years since the failing tarp let in all the rainwater San Diego manages and the rear of the floorpans on both sides have rusted through. Strike two but not a deal-breaker since replacements are cheap and I need to brush up on my metal working skills, anyway.
Now to the price. I’m pretty sure I can pick this thing up for $500 but, the question is, should I? The rust remediation and restoration needed are not the troubling bits, it’s dealing with getting it to pass smog and having to keep it stock so it can continue to do so.
What do y’all think? Run away? Dive in?
SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:01 |
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For $500, may as well.
For Sweden
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:01 |
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Doesn’t it have to meet 1978 smog standards? That shouldn’t be too difficult.
S65
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:04 |
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I would go for it
HammerheadFistpunch
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:06 |
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Do you know what it is? or you just keeping us in suspense.
jkm7680
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:11 |
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You will need a welder for floor pans.
But otherwise, why not. If it doesn't work out, you can probably scrap it or sell it with little money lost.
Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:11 |
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*Comment redacted* :)
vicali
> Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
08/31/2016 at 12:15 |
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Beetle sales ended in 78, with convertible leftovers selling into 79.. so ‘late model’ aircooled beetles would* be 78 or 79..
*unless you are in Brasil or Mexico..
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Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
> vicali
08/31/2016 at 12:18 |
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Lol fair enough. I guess using the term Bug made it correct. I just immediately thought of the newer Beetles, since I still hear some people call them Bugs.
just-a-scratch
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:19 |
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So, the floor pan, engine, and soft top sound like they need replacement.
This is not a car you will make a profit on.
You could easily spend a couple hundred dragging another car to you.
If you’re looking for a project, Congratulations! If you’re looking for a car you could drive soon, keep looking.
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vicali
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:21 |
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Is it a super? (spare tire stored flat in the front trunk?) if yes then strike three!
Another thing to think about is rust on the floorpans probably means rust in the heaterchannels, and on a convertible those are more important than ever. Open both doors and give one a wiggle; noodley = nightmare. Check under the door sills and in the corners behind the wheel/under the fenders for rust.
Myself I would walk, it’s nice that it’s close and cheap but if you want a beetle project a 78 vert in the neighbours yard is pretty low on the desirable list.
NostalgicCarLife
> vicali
08/31/2016 at 12:36 |
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All convertibles made after ‘71 were Supers. Don’t know why that would be a strike though since the Supers actually came close to being real cars, unlike the standard beetles which were hopeless.
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vicali
> Chris_K_F drives an FR-Slow
08/31/2016 at 12:37 |
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Aircooled people are weird that way.
We get all spastic when we here ‘beetle’.
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vicali
> NostalgicCarLife
08/31/2016 at 12:38 |
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touche!
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NostalgicCarLife
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 12:39 |
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The truth is, you could pull it out of the weeds and flip it without doing anything other than cleaning the dirt and cobwebs out, and make a profit.
Once you actually start fixing things, your chance of making a profit goes down. So unless you really want to have a convertible beetle (or earn maybe $200-$300 for your time pulling it out of a shrub), you may want to pass.
Forge Crown Victor!
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 13:02 |
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Only if it’s a k-jet or l-jet. Fuel injected beetles are exceedingly rare because they only made them for 2 years (I think 78, 79. I’m no count in beetle history) if it’s carb’d, nah. Carbs suck. I’ll leave you on that.
Viking03
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 13:42 |
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Sounds like a fun little project. Restoring a Bug shouldn’t be all that difficult. Do a little research on parts, come up with a realistic budget and then double it because that is what it will cost.
Joe6pack
> Brian, The Life of
08/31/2016 at 22:00 |
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I had a buddy with a convertible Beetle and from what i remember, the top replacement is very expensive. I think the convertibles were all hand made by Karmann.
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Joe6pack
> Joe6pack
08/31/2016 at 22:01 |
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Oh, I think he was quoted $2,500, but I can’t remember for sure.