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ever purchase a bug, not in person?
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zozo
Samba Member


Joined: October 15, 2005
Posts: 5217
Location: South of Ol' San Antonio
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 1:58 pm    Post subject: Re: ever purchase a bug, not in person? Reply with quote

I took a leap of faith and bought my bus without a picture or more than a 2 line description in a craigslist ad. The guy was reluctant to sell it to me without seeing it. I asked him if he was honest in his ad and he said yes. We sealed the deal over the phone and that was 12 years ago. I still have it and have no intentions of ever getting rid of it.

When I first saw it the day I bought it and drove it home about 40 miles, I've since cleaned it up, new rubber, etc etc (I think the paint cleaned up fairly well.):

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oc92
Samba Member


Joined: November 30, 2005
Posts: 521
Location: NC
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PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 12:21 am    Post subject: Re: ever purchase a bug, not in person? Reply with quote

... conversely, I bought a car twenty-five some years ago sight unseen and it was a rusted out hulk. Sure I didn't pay shit for it but back then I thought I did.

I asked questions and all that but it was before digital pics via email or hell, now, via cell. I thought it was too good to be true and it was...

Use the technology... get pics and talk to the guy. The areas that are of concern are well know and documented.
_________________
" ... he walked the pavement of the city- a beggar and a king. Has it been otherwise with any man?" WOLFE

72 bus
70 bug
96 mx5
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helowrench
Samba Member


Joined: August 27, 2003
Posts: 567
Location: dallas texas
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:16 pm    Post subject: Re: ever purchase a bug, not in person? Reply with quote

Late to the party here, but I will add my stories.
I bought 2 cars off Ebay over the course of 60 days.
1st: 1970 Beetle Convertible.
I asked a lot of questions and got a bunch of photos.
I went down and drove it back.
Unfortunately, through crafty angles and me not asking the most basic questions, I did not find out the #1 it ran very rough. #2 The top was not on the car.
#1 was solved, as I brought a full tune up and carb kit with me, and did a quick fix in a Home Depot parking lot before the 200 mile drive home.
#2 sucked since I had no way to correct it, and the temps were 40ish F for the ride from Houston to Dallas.

Armed with that experience, I asked better questions when I purchased my 2 owner Ghia, and then found a smoking deal to have it transported.
A few days later, it showed up at my house, no muss, no fuss.

No troubles with either of the titles, or any of that.
_________________
Current VWs:
70 bug vert for wifey
73Thing bucket o rust
73 914 1.7
12 Passat 2.5 Highway cruiser
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zzic2017
Samba Member


Joined: October 09, 2017
Posts: 2
Location: MN
zzic2017 is offline 

PostPosted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 3:10 pm    Post subject: Re: ever purchase a bug, not in person? Reply with quote

Just worked for about a month to purchase a van from this Samba site - sent a deposit and worked with the seller, and based on a few phone calls, texts, emails, felt he was trustworthy and upfront about the vw and the condition as stated in his samba ad. Wanted him to trust me too through this process so I sent him the deposit right away. He did a lot too since the bus is in CO and I am in MN.

The inspection turned up a lot of issues that would make driving the van a safety risk (see below)...my mechanic (who is a VW nut) was surprised the seller was not honest with the actual condition of the van. Especially since h said he had just taken it to an expert and paid a mot of $$ to have some things fixed (e.g., clutch) - the seller never did send me a copy of those repairs. Although it is very low priced ($8000obo for a 1973 sunroof bus), the repairs were going to be at least $2300 to have it in safe running condition for highway driving, which is one thing I asked him about and basically he said no worries.

Outcome - did not buy the van, this SAMBA seller (who has since re-posted the van) refuses to return my deposit because of all the time he spent trying to sell me the vehicle. His last email stated that the mechanics who did the inspection thought the van was running and driving well -- funny, how that is not what they told me when I called them within hours of receiving the inspection report. His main line was, and still is basically - it's an old vehicle what do you expect? My thought - honesty up front, in the ad, so no one is wasting their time and money.

My expensive lesson learned - have more in writing, buy closer to home if possible, and hope the person is more forthcoming and honest. Hope this keeps others from an experience that I just had.

The inspection was done about a week ago (nov 27, 2017)- not listed, the heater added to the van does not work. So if you are interested in this van, please take note...the seller has $500 from me, and said he would go down $200 more, so offer at least $500 as a favor to me - thanks!

The Good
Drives OK - good power
Has new front brakes - Stops good
Has less rust than most vans this age.

The Bad
Needs ball joints, shocks, CV boots maybe joints
Needs clutch, Slipping in higher gears
Has no heat exchangers or heat bellow tubes.
Missing engine shroud tins
Exhaust leaks
Speedometer needs repair
Oil pressure switch leaking
Left brake light not working
Slider door not working correctly
Wiper motor noisy, need wiper blades
Tie rod boots are bad
Battery not bolted down
Rear hatch door hinges loose
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Joe 20
Samba Member


Joined: August 27, 2005
Posts: 655
Location: Ohio
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PostPosted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 8:32 pm    Post subject: Re: ever purchase a bug, not in person? Reply with quote

I said I'd let you know about my recent west coast purchase. Came in tonight...very pleased. 1963 Beetle ragtop.
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