1973 vw beetle

manta mad

anyone interested in a 73 beetle ? i havent seen it yet but im told its very clean with no rust . it has a 1.6 engine with out starter .
going to look at it on tuesday evening will take pics if anyone interested, think hes looking around 1200 euro. will find out.

Silvera

I've always like the 'ole Beetles.

Will you let me know what she's like manta mad?

manta mad

had a look at the beetle today it looks in good nick.
wouldent take a lot to put her back together & having her mint. alright for 1200 euro. heres a few pics.

green-blood

no rust

which one of those 2 words was a lie

Henry Ford III

No panel without serious rust!

PaulK_CCI

manta mad wrote:

had a look at the beetle today it looks in good nick.
wouldent take a lot to put her back together & having her mint. alright for 1200 euro. heres a few pics.

ffs MantaMad :eek: , how on earth can you say it's in good nick, and 'alright for 1200 euro's'. This car is not worth that by a VERY long stretch!!!!
I would normally not respond to these sort of threads, but I am concerned if any aspiring new classic car owner would be tempted to spend his or her hard earned 1200 euro's on this car after possibly being put onto the wrong foot by these very 'positive' words, without realising the extent of the project that they would take on. Sure, beetles are cheap to run and do up, but if a lot needs to be done, all these costs can still add up to a very serious amount of money.
From what I can judge knowing beetles inside and out, literally EVERYTHING is damaged, missing or not standard and that's without even considering any of the mechanics, but if the outside is like this, you can safely assume, the mechanics are in the same sorry state. From what I can see this car has already been very generously used as a donor, with all the important bits stripped, missing and gone. The fact that the starter is missing, would only confirm this fact. So to bring a car like this in 'mint' condition, you will be looking at spending at least 8k but most likely over 10k !!! I would normally say, these sort of cars would be great as donor cars, but this car has already been used as a donor car, so doesn't have much to give left...

Kersh

May be interested in the engine/box.:)

manta mad

PaulK_CCI wrote:

ffs MantaMad :eek: , how on earth can you say it's in good nick, and 'alright for 1200 euro's'. This car is not worth that by a VERY long stretch!!!!
I would normally not respond to these sort of threads, but I am concerned if any aspiring new classic car owner would be tempted to spend his or her hard earned 1200 euro's on this car after possibly being put onto the wrong foot by these very 'positive' words,


at least its not a very dear & over priced lhd import.:p

jesus your quick to leap on a fella aint ya.:mad:

we cant all be experts i suppose.

kadman

Hi Manta mad,

That beetle doesn't seem to be too bad. I have recently restored worse. Just because a few bit's are missing , it doesn't mean whats left is useless.

If the engine , gear box, front axle , and body are there, you have something to work with. A closer inspection is whats needed , to determine how viable the project would be. Heater channel replacement, and panels ect , are labour intensive, require some skill, and most of all time.

If some one is willing to put in the time, which after all is what classics are about, there is the possibility of a nice vdub there ( maybe ).
No one expects to get paid for their hobby. Panels and parts for the vdub are cheap, and readily available. And there is a ready supply of tips and expert advice on the web, if you are a novice restorer, or working on your first project.

To bring a car like this up to spec, need not cost you 10k, if you are doing most of the donkey work yourself.

After all that , I would be interested in giving it the once over. Where abouts is it. I recognise the sticker on the back window, and our family has bought many vdubs from them, back as far as 70's.

So let me know.

kadman

kadman

The queue starts here then Manta mad, as I hope to go saturday for a look.

Sure a little bit of rust is nothing:D

kadman:)

kadman

Hi Manta,

I just got off the phone , and I will be heading down saturday for definite,
so I will keep you posted.

kadman:)

Abelloid

I've seen a lot worse restored and this could be a good project, it just needs negotiation on the price IMHO
after all it's not a rare car or even model. :rolleyes:

Sometimes people are misguided when it comes to putting a value on an old car, for example look at this -

http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=382844

Sorry if it belongs to somebody on here, but that's just crazy.

junkyard

I'd say more like 2000euros would be a more realistic price. They're only wasting their time if you ask me.

Blue850

20K for a Beetle You could have this for less
http://www.carzone.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=Car&carID=408197

PaulK_CCI

manta mad wrote:

jesus your quick to leap on a fella aint ya.:mad: .

didn't mean to take it out on you personally mantamad , but I guess it's just that I just can't stop wondering why everyone seems to aggree that the car in the pics could be worth anywhere near the 1500 as a reasonable price... Maybe, it's because I am spoilt with the amount of cars that are out here on the continent. For 1500 euro's I can get a good little runner, with MOT, with all the important bits still on the car, tidy but would need a bit of slight attention here and there, but no where near as much as the one above.... Cars in the condition as you've shown us in the pics would be around the 200-300 euro mark here, if advertised at all... I guess because there aren't so many cars around in Ireland, generally every beetle is considered a viable project worth saving, but in my mind any potential buyer will need to be fully aware it's a definite restoration project and they will need to spend a lot of money and time, to get it into some sort of presentable shape, and in view of the model and rarity, it's not worth it unless you have strong emotional reasons to save that car in particular.

manta mad wrote:

at least its not a very dear & over priced lhd import.:p .

You may think all the cars on my website are overpriced , but I truly believe that it's better to go for a car that is in good condition (and I mean GOOD condition, not the 'just needs a bit of TLC here and there' condition). Unfortunately you don't generally find them in Ireland (or they ask 20k for them!!! but I'd say that is a typo,... but then if it were, 2000 would be very cheap for a 50k miles original beetle!!! ). My prices include transport and delivery, and that does boost up the price.
But essentially you have to look at the following comparison: I sold a wonderfully original 1302LS for just over 6k a few months ago. Even if you'd manage to buy that beetle for 1000 and then spend 5000 on it, you still wouldn't be able to get even close to the sort of condition as that original 1302 was...

kadman

Hi Paulk_CCI,

Labour is the most expensive part of a beetle restoration, and if you can do the labour yourself, any vdub resto is a viable project, if you have the time to do it. And it wont cost you 10K+.

The parts for beetles are very reasonable , and readily available.
Oh yeah.....and the steering wheel is on the correct side of our beetles..:D

kadman

Abelloid

LOL, the left is the right side for the wheel, VW didn't switch the wipers over for RHD which leaves a big blind spot
and the chassis tunnel means you have nowhere to put your left foot

Abelloid

Oh yeah, and I've been informed the 20k isn't a typo......

Dades

I'm inclined to agree that €1200 is a very "Irish" bargain for that car. In the same way a two bed gaff for half a million is a "DIY enthusiasts dream".

And LHD is a plus for city driving IMO.

kadman

I reckon I could restore 2 beetles for 20 grand , and have pucks of cash left.

The beetle in question is worth what ever a buyer is willing to pay for it. Any resto project is based on how viable the project is. And you cant assess it from a photograph, thats why I'm going for a look.

Hard work is what car restoration is about , and the satisfaction of saving a poor old bug from the vdub graveyard:(

Sure any one can wash a new car, no skill in that. Give me a knackered old bug any day, more challenge in that:p

kadman:)

dlofnep

1200 is too much. It's a restoration project.. If you've restored a beetle before, it doesn't need an awful amount of work, but still some time to put into it and the annoyance of scouring for parts.

As for anyone wondering why people would pay so much for a beetle (other one listed) - It's an original beetle, with original parts in original but mint condition. Very rare to find. Beetle fans are many, but unless you're a fan of the car - no point in commenting on why someone would want one. Same way I question why these 18 year olds stick stupid body kits on fiat puntos and honda civics. It's all about personal taste. A beetle is a unique car, a beautiful car and is loved world-wide.

kadman

No scouring involved , I know where to get all the parts without leaving my house. Internet is all I need, as I said before parts are very cheap. I have worked on vw beetles for 25 years on and off, all the family has. So they hold no surprises for me.

I 've restored beetles before, variants , fastbacks too. So i'm quite happy to do the surgery on this one:D

Then I could stick it on here for 20k:p

kadman

kadman

Hi dlofnep,

I see you are anti vdub then , by your webpage.....:D

Glad to know you wont be bidding for the car then;)

kadman

PaulK_CCI

I aggree that if you have the time on your hands, and you have the skills and room to work on the car, sure, I have nothing against restoring a car, but I always say "time is money too", and I would still say that the purchase price of the car you'd start off with should be realistic. I feel 1200 is not realistic for the car.
If it had been a very special example the price could perhaps be justified, like if it was the first of a series or the last of a series, or the first one in Ireland, like the Manta A series MantaMad is planning to do up, then maybe...

To put it into perspective, for example, this is what I can get for 1500 euro's (ex transport) right now at my regular VW guy here in Holland: needs two small sections let into the battery tray and a repair on the front jacking point. Not a concourswinner but a tidy, presentable, excellent runner.


I would say, miles and miles away from the amount of work needed on the other car.

As for the 20 grand for the original Beetle, that's just plain rediculous! :eek: I have never ever seen that sort of money being paid for a Beetle, no matter how original and clean it was. The max I would see being paid for a superb, concours Continental, 1 owner, low mileage example is generally up to 12-13k... but that's "really as good as it gets". 20k is from another planet

Abelloid

Here's one for you, this has created a little bit of a stir in VW circles recently-

http://www.oldbug.com/gates.htm

This is car is a benchmark in terms of quality, performance and attention to detail, and has reduced some VW owners to tears.
If Carlsberg built beetles..........:D

turbop

Jesus theres some detail there,

ta2kev

That car is something else. I think if I had the patience and attention to detail and skill to build something of that quality, I wouldn't want to sell it. Although you can't ignore $75k

kadman

I'll gladly give you 1500 for that old bug:D

But that model was far more prone to the old rust, as you well know.
So I think we will have to haggle a bit.:p

kadman