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Wed Apr 02, 2003 10:31 am

I need some help here...

My wife wants a Ghia for her birthday. I've come across a 1956/57 Ghia. It's complete, except for the trim. It has the original engine that isn't running as of yet. The nose has been bondoed up pretty bad, but could definately be fixed, if not replaced. It has a cheap paint job, but if you scrape the paint, the original is still underneath (red/black). How much would YOU sell this car for?

Wed Apr 02, 2003 11:31 am

So theres bondo in the nose.....I would get a magnet and drag it over the whole car. especially on the rockers (under the doors) and the bottom rear corners.
-how are the pans
-whats the car like in general do you have any pictures we could see? Its hard to determine a selling pricew with what you have told us. What has the owner told you they want for it?

Because its a 56 it will command a higher price. But correct pre 1960 parts will cost more too. IMHO earlies are the nicest ghia's. If your wife just wants a ghia you may want to consider a 69 or later.

Wed Apr 02, 2003 1:01 pm

The car is in pretty straight condition. I looked around the vehicle and didn't see anymore bondo that was too obvious. I did look under the car and it had it's typical rust. Rockers looked alright, there was some rust on the pans, but overall in good condition. The young lady will sell it to me for $1000.00. So I'm thinking that's pretty reasonable. Thoughts? :)

Wed Apr 02, 2003 2:16 pm

IMO, you almost can't go wrong at that price no matter what the condition, assuming it can be made roadworthy. I'm talking about a scenario where, say, the car was driven until last summer when the generator went, or some such similar circumstance. Figure on spending $5K to get it reliable and presentable.

Wed Apr 02, 2003 2:47 pm

yeah for 1k it sounds like a good deal. How much you spend fixing it depends on how nice and how original you want it

Wed Apr 02, 2003 3:42 pm

But remember, restoring a KG is WAY more than a bug. More $$$, expertise, time. Do as Erik says with the magnet. My KG didn't look too bad when I got it. I later found out that only the glass & engine didn't have bondo!