I had forgotten

[Westy Steve]

So about 10 years ago, everyone was into bugs. Then they started doing buses and I got sucked into that too. Now i have a bug again and I had forgotten how great they are. Easy to fix and peppy. I see what seems like good deals on bugs again. Old covertibles and ragtops seem way cheap now compared to about 10 years agoafter adjusting for inflation. You can buy a nice bug for a months wages and drive it anywhere. Glad to be back to beetles.
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Have nice 914, want nice Bug

[Danwvw]

I try to keep an eye out for a cheap bug on here. And it seems to me that it's hard to find a deal in the cheap ones. Most under $5000 aren't even something you can drive off in. I liked the 67 I used to have, Nice year, The 66 too if you like the early look. But the valve is probably in the pre 58 bugs.
Pictures?
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1960 Beetle And 1679cc DP W-100 & Dual Zeniths!

[grandpa pete]

Hi westy steve ...welcome to the bug forum...I traded my 69 bus for a bug and haven't looked back

danwvw ; check local classifieds on craigslist for local deals ; several postings lately about craigslist bargains.....the best one was an early bug ( 63 I think ) with 19000 miles on it
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63 two fold rag
66 sedan delivery Type 6

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569619&highlight=sedan+delivery

[Westy Steve]

[bluenellie]

I haven't come across many "deals" either....most sellers know the value in a nice original or restored Bug especially when they're truly rust free. I see a lot of posts on here where people bought a "great" bug for under $3k but they never follow it up with pics after stripping the car and finding rot...some even do and then say "luckily it just have some surface rust" while I'm looking at the pics and thinking to myself "just surface rust??"...start poking around most of the cheap cars with a screwdriver and a magnet and you'll quickly find out why those cars sell for so cheap!

Just my 0.02 of course

[Westy Steve]

This topic opened a can of worms. A couple of points:

Even if you have to pay a fair price for a bug, they seem to be a good deal to me. Especially in comparison to buses.

There's a guy in our local car club who has bought more than one VW over the years and completely disassembled them in his quest to kill all rust. The net result is that he never has a running VW. There has to be a middle ground between hoodrides and stripping a car down to bare metal. IMHO, it's OK to arrest the rust as long as it is non-structural, and then roll the car when you're happy with the appearance. If you can buy a car for $3K, arrest the rust, make it look good, drive it around for a few years, and then sell it for as much as you paid for it with full disclosure to the owner, then what have you lost? Seems like you just rented a car for almost nothing and had great fun doing it.

I tell new club members (with their new "old" cars) not to take their cars apart for at least a year. Bond with the car. Enjoy it. See if you like the lifestyle. Then, and only then, strip it down. And ideally, after you bought another one to drive while you're fixing up the first one.

Steve
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Have nice 914, want nice Bug

[dc]

I agree with the idea of finding a driver. I spent more than three years restoring my Type 3 and while that was fun in it's own way when I was done I wanted a project that wasn't much of a project...a driver

Found my '61 after selling some stuff to raise the cash. It wasn't that cheap but it was the earliest decent driver I could afford. It runs and drives great and looks pretty dang good. There is some rust- in the rear of the pans and the driver's side inner fender, but it's not too bad and I am loving just driving it.

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1963 Karmann Ghia

[rcooled]

[Insaniac]

Most cars here in Cali are rusty just like anywhere else. Good cars demand a premium, everyone in the world wants a "rust-free California car" right? I've noticed prices have increased by maybe 50% compared to a few years ago, maybe the economy? I dunno. Sometimes you see a good original survivor for a fairly low price, but they're few and far between, and usually not (or barely) running. And try finding one without stupid mods or atleast a hacked dash.

I used to see good original fastbacks for sale for pretty good prices, if I had the money I would have picked one up. It seems people don't care about them as much (people would rather have a squareback) and they were usually very original. Not the type of thing you see in online listings tho'. It's the type of thing you see for sale when driving down the street, sitting by the curb or in someone's driveway.

[67 Sunroof]

I'm starting to feel I overpaid for my bug. I paid $3500 for it and it was a CA bug. Rust was minimal but I picked it up in pieces not knowing if it was all there. $4,000 later and I have a chassis that's finished but the body needs some small bondo work, interior, LOTS of misc stuff that the PO raped off of my one year only bug and a paint job. (Yes, I was an uneducated buyer when I purchased it) I guess I'll easily be $10,000 or more when I'm finished. And I don't imagine I'll ever get my money back on it...
Even though I don't INTEND on selling it-just good to know I could sell for a good profit-but I don't think I will be able to once I'm done:(

[*Darren]

[eyetzr]

I would agree with Darren on the rules. I will add this remember this is a business transaction, you need to look at with your brain & look for all the bad stuff then look at the good, also look in some other places as well as the classifieds. I dragged my type 3 out of a wrecking yard, the bad stuff was a long list, all I was looking for was a rust & rot free car. Interior easy, going to build a new motor, trans rebuild, you get the idea. I still have the car (25 plus years) needs a repaint & interior, rest is golden