Newbie thinking of buying

[ldm07]

Hello everyone and thanks for all the advice in advance. My wife wants a run around car for the summer and I found a 68 convertible with an auto stick. It is by no means a show car and I'm perfectly fine with that. It has a rusted out floor pan on the left rear and some minor rust on the rear quarters. My question is, being a convertible is there any particular spots to look for other problems and what kind of real problems can there be with the autostick?

[vamram]

Samba search has all your answers.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/search.php?searc...=titleonly
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[gt1953]

Hmm Rusted convertible for me is a pass. Keep up some reading here to narrow it down.
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[Tim Donahoe]

If the rust is only in a few spots, and the motor runs well, and the car shifts well--and it's priced accordingly--then why not buy it?

I haven't heard of too many dire issues with autosticks. And if you run into one, this forum has a few folks who know them pretty well.

Check out the rust thoroughly, not just the rust that's obvious. A partial pan is no big expense. If the damage includes heater channels and other nearby metal, you might want to pass.

Tim
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[VW_Jimbo]

In my experience, the rust you can see is typically about 40 percent of what is hidden, out of sight. Be careful, unless you have the tools, time and money to correctly repair rust issues.

I think the first item to figure out is why did it rust in the first place. My current project had no visible exterior rust damage. But when I removed the carpet from behind the rear seat, I found a rusted out luggage shelf. Extensive repair! Parts for me ran in at $450.00. The time was in excess of several days of solid work, part of it crouched in the car facing the rear window area. The entire interior had to be removed, so that the sparks from cutting, grinding and welding did not catch on fire. The windows also had to be removed to keep the molten metal from pitting the glass. It is a big job, but anytime welding is taking place, it is a large job.

On top of all of that is the experience and knowledge in completing these types of repairs. Most people, even experienced restorers, seek outside service person, to weld in fresh metal. It is an artform.

You should look at the front fender wells for rust, right at the weld seam, directly above the pan.
Look at the door sill area, at the weld points that secure the door pillars to the sill.
Look at the underside of the car, every where. Look for rust and holes. Look for weld beads and out of place looking metal.
Look at where the top clips onto the body, for rust. There is always some there, but none or a bunch is a red light.
Then go around and tap on all of the panels. Listen to the way the panel resonates, compare similar panels for the same sound.
Shake the bumpers. Shut the doors hard and listen to the resonation. Be sure it all sounds solid.
Good luck!
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[heimlich]

All cars of this age have problems.
Do you own an older car?
Are you willing to do the mechanical work or have someone your are willing to pay to do the work?

There are many options for buying a Beetle. Just because it's old doesn't mean you have to buy one that is rusted although your fellow Beetle lovers would like you that much more for saving it.
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[wcfvw69]

My strong advice is to have someone who really knows VW bugs go over this car carefully. A PPI from a shop would be a great idea.

Rusted out VW's are a nightmare of time to repair and the cost associated with it.

Here's my 69 way back when I had to replace a 1/3 of the lower section. It didn't look that rusty when I bought it though I knew it was rusted.

The take home value for me from that project is to avoid rusty VW's like the plague. Any that have been exposed for years to salt on the roads are a major no to me.
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[ldm07]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to look this weekend, I'll update as I go.🙂

[heimlich]

Take your time. Get to know the market.

If you tell the folks here your price range and the year you are looking for they can give some recommendations.
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[hitest]

If the price is right and it's fully functional- buy it. It's a good ownership experiment for your wife and you'll always get your purchase dollars out of it if bought right and not heavily "improved."
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[ldm07]

After looking into the convertible we decided against it and went with a different one the guys uncle had. We ended up with a 61 w/ manual trans, and a 1500 sp. I hope to add a few things a little bit at a time while we are driving it rather than fixing for a long time before we get to drive.

Thanks for all the advice!

[heimlich]

61? That's nice. Lucky wife.
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Classic Brands. Classic Quality.
Not all parts are made the same. NOS OE/OEM parts made mainly in West Germany, Early Germany, and Early Brazil are where VW produced the best quality parts and best fitting products.
5% Off your order with coupon code: 5%OFF
Restored Distributors Available (<--Click here)