How far would you drive for a 1966 VW project?

mikec4193

Hi everybody

I am going to be taking a little road trip this weekend to go look at a possible VW project. It is a running and yard driveable with use of the e-brake. Looks like from a quick internet map search it is about 75 to 80 miles. the price is affordable (not cheap but I think a fair market value) compared to some I have looked at. It will need floor pans and heater channels and I would assume all the brake lines and fuel lines replaced too. It is sitting in a garage so that is a plus for me. I gotta flat bed guy hired if I like it for $250.00.

So how far do you guys travel to pick up projects? It seems like around me (Albany NY area) most of the stuff is hours and hours away.

Any insight would be awesome.

MikeC
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Dad bought his first Beetle on Dec 17, 1953.

67jason · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:10 am Post subject:

I drove about 550 miles one way to get my bus. I'd go as far as I needed to for the right vehicle. 75-80 miles aint bad at all, hell some folk commute that many miles and more one way to work. if you decide you dont want the bug its not a huge deal to turn around and head back home and continue the search.
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64 bug

VolkswagenVMan · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:32 am Post subject:

I would have gotten it already. Go get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!11
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1967 EMPI GTV
1966 Bug early
1966 Bug late
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irvanm · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:33 am Post subject:

I drove 78 miles to buy my Ghia vert a couple of weeks ago, cost $270.00 for a rollback to go get it. Fighting the urge to drive another 80 miles to buy a 66 sedan.

rcooled · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:41 am Post subject:

I traveled about 650 miles to take a look at the '63 ragtop that I now own. You're lucky to have found a decent car so close by. As 67jason said, a lot of people around here have one-way commutes of 75 miles or more. I also had to drive more than 70 miles to to check out the '67 Ghia that's now in my garage.

And this is here in CA, where many think that there are old VWs on every street corner.
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'63 Ragtop (current)
'65 Ghia coupe (totaled)
'67 Ghia convertible (current)
'69.5 Ghia convertible and
'62, '63, '65, '69 Bugs (all long gone)

inzel · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 7:58 am Post subject:

I went from eastern washington all the way down to LA to get a bug I now drive nearly every day
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--inzel--

66 Bug
69 Fasty
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bigdog1962 · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:02 am Post subject:

Any distance for the right car. Just don't feel committed to buy it once you get there. Sounds like a real project - floor pans and heater channels would scare me away - I'll bet that's only the beginning....

Eric&Barb · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:42 am Post subject:

Go down to U-Haul to have a hitch put on your modern daily driver and buy a VW tow bar.
Even if it costs the same for the one time tow now, you will have the equipment to tow it yourself in the future.
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panicman · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 8:51 am Post subject:

I drove from Portland, OR to Walla Walla, Wa (260 miles each way) to grab my current car. I took a trailer (which I left at a nearby parking lot for the initial inspection and negotiation) and made a day of it.
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WD-40 · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:18 am Post subject:

iowegian · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:31 am Post subject:

4 mile round trip for my '61 Ghia.
2050 mile round trip for my '66 Beetle.

WD-40 · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 9:37 am Post subject:

gt1953 · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 10:57 am Post subject:

Went about 600 round trip only to find out it was misrepresented. Made a low ball offer and drove home without it.
Get a tow bar and tow vehicle. 70~80 miles is nothing where I live.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

72 type 1
72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

CWAVE · Samba Member Joined: September 18, 2008 Posts: 510

I drove 20 hours round trip in January in Canada, snow storm all the way and black ice everywhere for the right car... Some would call it stupid (everyone actually told me that, even the seller!).. Laughing

But it was worth the trip for me...
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raycer60 · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:03 pm Post subject:

[quote="bigdog1962"]Any distance for the right car. Just don't feel committed to buy it once you get there.[quote]

Feeling committed to buy has been my problem. I have ended up with cars I should of walked away from. You think one would learn, but I did it a few times.
The distance you are traveling, as said before, is what many of us commute.
I second the idea of towing with your own tow bar.
Good luck and choose wise.
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59 De Luxe Sedan with grafted ragtop

Brian Anthony · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:07 pm Post subject:

I flew from Longview TX to Seattle WA to look at a '67 Bug Convertible. Bought it and drove it back 2600 miles to Texas. Only problem I had was running out of gas one time due to the fuel gauge not working.
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1965 Double Cab
1967 Bug, Sedan
1967 Bug, Convertible

I’m not old, but I once knew a man who was alive during the Civil War, and he once knew Revolutionary War veterans.

mstevens · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 2:08 pm Post subject:

About ten years ago, I bought a Meyers Manx from a guy in Phoenix, (I live in Idaho), did the whole sale over the phone and emailing pictures. Had the guy drop it off at a storage unit that I had to rent for three months until I could drive down the 857 miles to get it. Long drive and long wait to see my purchase.

Then about two years ago, I purchased another Manx in So Cal and made the drive down to pick it up. Luckily I added in seeing some of my wife's relatives as that would have been a lot of explaining why I was driving so far for a project.

Now I am looking all over the west coast for the right ragtop, so who knows how far I will drive to get it. I have my eye on one in Seattle which is about a 10 hour drive each way.

So yeah drive as far as it takes for the right car. Drive once, pay once, and cry once......then enjoy

Scamp · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:08 pm Post subject:

I drive a couple of hundred miles a day for work, so driving doesn't bother me. I made a 300 mile round trip to get my '61.
I have a one ton Ford and several trailers, so hauling cars has never been a problem.
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Leben für heute!

1961 Beetle

I don't believe that flawlessness equals beauty. Beauty is when we're able to see something as it really is. There are lots of quality cars that are really beautiful not in spite of, but because of the masks life has given them.

payin_vw · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:13 pm Post subject:

4 blocks for a free 61 Beetle and a bunch of early parts.
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61 work in progress restoration, more work than progress actually.

umphorever · Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2014 3:15 pm Post subject:

you can rent a uhaul auto transport for about $54. They come equipped with straps and everything! I'm so glad I used one. I had about a 600 mile round trip.


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