TheSamba.com :: View topic - 3rd Try

Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:20 am

Ok, after my last two craigslist disasters, I'm hesitant to make any positive proclamations, so why don't I just stick to the details and I'll let you all tell me 'yay' or 'nay'.

Quote: http://wenatchee.craigslist.org/cto/1358804131.html

1970 Baja good condition. All receipts on recent upgrades/repairs. Second set of tires for mudding.

Then in an email:

Quote: it has an 1600 with new piston and rings. I had the heater reinstalled last winter. It bakes. I do have all receipts of the work I have had done.

Thoughts?

Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:46 am

it's nice looking and 100% show. so it all depends on what you want. most people don't like the cali windows and most of those are plastic not glass, you live in rain country that exhaust will fill with water.

Have you even gone and looked at any ?

Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:24 am

how much?

Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:33 am

I'd pay $1500 for it. Not too much more.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:14 am

towd wrote: it's nice looking and 100% show. so it all depends on what you want. most people don't like the cali windows and most of those are plastic not glass, you live in rain country that exhaust will fill with water.

Have you even gone and looked at any ?

It will probably be spending most of it's time on roads, so I am looking for something decent looking. By "100% show" do you just mean it looks nice, or that there is something about it that will prevent it from working off road, or from being built up in the future?

What's wrong with the Cali windows? Or is it just a style thing?

As for the exhaust, that would be a problem with any vehicle with an upright exhaust, no? I plan on buying a Baja as a good weather car mostly, it will be kept in a garage, and also I've seen people here put exhaust flappers on, would that not work?

I've still yet to go look at any in person, because there haven't really been any locally worth looking at. There have been maybe one or two that are half decent, I should probably go look at them even though I'm not actually interested in them just to get some reference points I suppose.

Quote: how much?

$2900, which is above what I'm hoping to pay...

Quote: I'd pay $1500 for it. Not too much more.

Jesus, are Bajas free where you live? I think I've yet to find one in either Washington or Oregon around $1500 that is worth anything. For example:

$2000 -

$1600 -

$1000 -

$900 -

$2000 -

Those five are EVERY baja $2000 and under in Washington State on craigslist. Out of those 5, only 2 are even running.

But believe me, I'd love to find a good one for $1500!

Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:27 am

looks like the front end is out of alinement. the whell on the passenger side looks to have been toe'ed out. Just l;ooks that way you need to check it.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:09 am

ninefivezero wrote: What's wrong with the Cali windows? Or is it just a style thing?

They never work right. In a car without AC (or defrosters), the vent windows will pull in alot of air.

Quote: As for the exhaust, that would be a problem with any vehicle with an upright exhaust, no? I plan on buying a Baja as a good weather car mostly, it will be kept in a garage, and also I've seen people here put exhaust flappers on, would that not work?

The flapper at idle will drive you nuts. You can put a u-bend on a stinger to keep water out.

Quote: Jesus, are Bajas free where you live?

Some times... My buddy picks up free ones all the time. Non-running junker baja's like those go for $500-$1000. Remember, asking price is just the "asking" price.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:24 am

Looks like a very reasonable starting point for what you plan to do. Remember 2900. is the asking price. What you actually pay depends on your negotiating skills.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:46 am

being a 1970 I wouldn't pay more then 2k for it as a baja...

Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:53 am

I have an exhaust flapper like that and mine seems to run fine. I don't have any problems with it clinking at idle, but my buggy idles around 1100 rpm's so that might be why for me.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:11 pm

by 100% show or street, the meaning is, The car is a bug with bolt on baja parts, all bone stock under the fenders, yes it can be upgraded. This is were they all start. what makes this look better than what you have posted is the paint, who knows it could be a $2000 job or 40 bucks worth of rustoleum.

You can run a stock bug offroad, on this car if you went into anything really rough the rear tire will hit the fenders and that rear cover would fall off

bottom line what ever you buy you WiIL have to work on it, something will break down. So start at the top with a car like this and fix it or start with a rag car and fix it. without building acar yourself you have no idea of it's condition. They can look great and still be a total POS.

take items like the shift rod bushing, cost a buck, but can take up to 4 hrs to replace,often the fiberglass front piece hangs to low and you can't get the shift rod out. cost for work at a shop $260 @ $65 per hr. what about the hook for the clutch cable on the peddles again cheap parts but many hours..

A guy reads these site getting the impression everyone spend big bucks every day on these. NOT so .. These cars are very hard to sell.

with a $4000 budget and having a place to work, you could buy a rag and build a very nice car, as good or better than any posted so far.

tools you don't have buy used or cheapo's. paint jobs use rustoleum 25 to 30 a gallon and use a roller comes out better than you think it will

Not sure if I have shown this car to you. it started out as a $175 buy, no engine. I got it for the 4;37 single side plate trans, used that for 2 yrs, Then sold the trans for $300 and the car sat to be used for parts.. Then decieded my kid wanted a Baja the cage/frame was built and v6 install, project ended again and it sat. This spring I said enought and am finishing this up. now if you saw any baja close to being what this car has it would be listed well over $5000. If I tried to sell this I'll I couldn't get 2000 for it. it has every thing these $20,000 have.

This is 69, when bought was a legal street driven car in fact it came from a Kia dealership, about the only parts left of the OG car is the body and pan. Yes I have parts up the butt to use. This is an example of what can be built on a low budget. I didn't keep track of the copst, but I know it's around $1000 to 1200. There's many many hours and one hell of alot of sand paper. The paint is Rusty O but sprayed on

Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:33 pm

i think it is a decent looking car to start with. it has 4 lug wheels so should be a irs car. right? didnt catch the year. i would ask the owner to let you have it checked by a mechanic. check the brakes, ball joints, steering, and if you can get it on a rack definitly look for rust in the pan. yes i know most vw's will at least have rust under the battery. but you can use any info to talk the owner down. most of us could find a cheaper car or even freebies that need a ton of work. but, i think if you could talk him down to $2000 it would be a good deal. look at it this way it has a lot done to it already. all you would have to do is finish it to how you want it. 8)

Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:29 pm

This last one ( red ) looks like more of what your after. I would go any more than 2500 to 2400, mainly because from the looks of it there hasn't been any quality care on the motor. see with all the bling on the body and inside the guy would have add goodie to the engine and the mud flaps look like a 2nd owner one day add on

try blowing up the photo with the for sale sign, see if you can make out what on there

Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:21 pm

I'll get a few more pictures, and if I do the drive to check it out I think it's a good idea to have it checked out at a shop. That should cost what, like $70?

No way I'm paying $2,900 for it though, maybe I'll set my MAX at $2,400/$2,500 if everything checks out with the mechanic, but I imagine that will uncover some issues that ought to bring the price down more possibly...

My goal for this car at the moment is to have something that works good on roads for now, then build it up from there. Being totally new to working on cars, honestly I'm kind of worried if I buy a junker that doesn't run and needs a ton of work I may get discouraged... But as I've said before, I'm not looking for a hardcore baja, and whatever I end up with will spend most of it's time on the roads, with weekends on trails and dunes in the summer.

Oh, and all the 'for sale' sign on the car says is "1970 Baja Bug $2,9000" then two phone numbers.

Thanks for the advice so far everyone, it is very helpful.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:46 pm

Not usually free but almost.

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/1354237885.html

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/1351543315.html

There are more but these seemed to be relatively equilivant to what you are looking for. The blue one has some nice parts. And it's 2 blocks from my house, i drive by it everyday.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:39 pm

If that blue one wasn't 1,258 miles away, I'd be all over it.

And in the ~2 months I've been watching craigslist, I've yet to see a Baja even that built in the entire state, except for maybe one or two around $5000....

Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:30 pm

baja5 wrote: http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/cto/1354237885.html

.... The blue one has some nice parts. And it's 2 blocks from my house, i drive by it everyday.

I have thought about dumping mine and buying that one ever since it came up for sale. I can't believe it's not gone yet. It's been up for 2 weeks now. Something has got to be wrong with it.

Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:23 pm

ya, go look make sure you go there with time to go for along drive. longer the better

when you first get, before the motor is started feel it for temp to see if he has been running the engine, often a seller will run the engine to get them to warm up and run right before the buyer shows. not good for you as a buyer. also grad the crank pulley check the in and out movement, jerk it hard about 10 times. I mean jerk it and push it back in. This will push the oil out of the flywheel shims and show the true end play. you should feel almost no movement just a tick tick feeling. if you get 1/8" 1/4" or a cluck cluck sound the bearings are shot.
I'm sure you have read about rust, make sure the front axle isn't going to fall off.. LOL and a 70 is one of the better yrs, they don't have the crescents at the rear side window, crescents caused rust

Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:08 pm

Got two more pictures, see anything to be concerned about?

(I'm wondering what that expanding foam by the gas tank is about myself...)

Wed Sep 09, 2009 12:33 am

I'm in Everett and I got one for $500 off there, but I searched awhile for it. The owner thought it had a knock and it was just rebuilt by the Audi dealership. It was just a rocker came loose. $25 worth of parts for me to fix. It cam with bugpack heads, baja kit and decent tires. I since added a roll cage, engine bumper/cage, winch & lights. The roof was a little beat up, but very little rust overall. Don't be afraid to look for awhile. The more you see, the more you'll recognize a good deal. I set a price and what I wanted then bought it 20 min after finding the ad. With the economy there are ALOT of people selling toys. If I did another, I'd get a solid shell, and build a good motor myself. But I have many years experience working on motors too.