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DrakeB
Samba Member
Joined: July 26, 2010
Posts: 243
Location: Here, obviously
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 Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:03 am Post subject: The official Karmann Ghia Ignorance Thread |
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I figure that since there is already a thread for overpriced parts that maybe we should have a thread for the idiots who think they know what they are talking about.
( Hopefully the idea is to consolidate all future threads regarding uneducated owners into one spot just for laughs and giggles. )
I would like to christen this thread with one that caught my eye just a little while ago.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=1306381
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| Karmann Ghias were produced between 1956 and 1974 in the Porche plant at Karmann, Germany. These sporty models were designed by a prominent Italian Company named House of Ghia, hense the name Karmann Ghia. Approximately 87% of Ghias are 2 door coupes, and convertibles accounted for less than 13%. An extereme few were converted as sleek 2 door hardtops. Ghis Topless roadsters were quite expensive to acquire. |
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Bondo? Bondo? We don't need no stinking Bondo!
How is it 'NOS' if it has been modified?
The Thread Killer. |
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matt.white
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2009
Posts: 36
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:32 am Post subject: |
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Ha ha ha - great idea and what makes it even funnier(!??) is this is the guy I bought my ghia from - what a clown he turned out to be!
He runs a "respectable" VW garage and when I did my research, as i was buying the car from the UK, the owner of the garage had a good rep - but he has retired and this guy now runs the body shop! What a jerk! Not only does he not know what he was talking about (as the quote above proves) I was lucky enough to know enough (and some of you guys answered a few other questions for me at the time)......but once I got the car back to the UK it was apparent he didn't know anything about bodywork either! I was planning to leave some trader feedback to warn others - but got too busy having to undo all his poor workmanship!!
Buyers beware.......not only is his knowledge laughable.....but if he has done any work on the cars he is advertising.....it will be as funny as his quotes!
Keep up this thread......it should bring out the other idiots! |
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John Moxon 
Samba Moderator
Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13957
Location: Southampton U.K.
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sirzo
Samba Member
Joined: December 12, 2007
Posts: 170
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 4:19 pm Post subject: |
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I saw the add a while ago! I didn't notice the deleted torsion bar covers!
I thought "what a crocky presentation over priced and marketed". I thought it was kitsch the way the cars were presented in the add - side by side in a 2 car "barn" - partially unveiled under tarps. |
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mstencel
Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2009
Posts: 111
Location: Texas
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| Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 7:00 pm Post subject: |
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| So funny that you called out that ad. I saw it awhile back and just thought the way he described the cars in the ad was so weird. And I'm sorry, if you're asking $20,000 for a pair of cars, put the damn quarter windows back in. I can't wait to contribute to this thread. |
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mstencel
Samba Member
Joined: July 11, 2009
Posts: 111
Location: Texas
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Rome
Samba Member
Joined: June 02, 2004
Posts: 9653
Location: Pearl River, NY
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| Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:12 pm Post subject: |
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Ignorance by native Germans: In my office building about a quarter of the employees are native Germans; working for a German automobile manufacturer (not VW). An American colleague at work finished a very well done '70 Ghia cabrio and drove it to the office. At lunch break some Germans walk over, admire the car and pronounce Ghia as "Gee-ah" (with a "soft" "G" rhyming with "gee-whiz" or Jetta)   . Crap- the car was built in their own country. |
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Altema
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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| Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 9:19 pm Post subject: |
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Well it looks like it could be a Ghia... the seeing eye dog said so!
Also related to this thread is an incident I had a few months ago. I pull into a gas station for a snack, walk in the door, and the cashier's mouth drops open as he notices at the Ghia. The other customers do likewise, then the cashier blurts out "Oh my G*d! It's an Alfa Romeo!"
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Yellow_Submarine
Samba Member
Joined: November 22, 2011
Posts: 69
Location: Miami Beach
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| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 7:23 am Post subject: |
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| Altema wrote: |
"Oh my G*d! It's an Alfa Romeo!"
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Wait, Ghia isn't an Alfa? CRAP! I was hoping to have electrical failures!  |
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Volfandt
Samba Member
Joined: March 15, 2012
Posts: 500
Location: Knox County, East TN
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| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:32 am Post subject: |
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When I 1st got my 72 and was trying to get it running, I went into an Advance Auto Parts store and asked for a set of points and condensor for a 72 Karmann Ghia, the parts gal looked me straight in the eye and asked "whats that?"
I said it's a VW and she still had a blank look on her face. Luckily an old timer (maybe in his 30's) knew what I was talking about and we both had good laugh at the young gals expense. Ends up the points were for a DVDA dist and I had an 009 but thats another story 
Dave
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1972 Karmann Ghia, the Dragon slayer.... |
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NOVA Airhead
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Joined: July 20, 2005
Posts: 5221
Location: Richmond, VA
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| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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It just goes with the territory.
Most people do not have a clue what a Ghia is. I had someone start telling me once about the MG they once owned until I realized they were telling me because they thought my Ghia was an MG.
The last Ghia produced was almost 40 years ago at this point and they never made many to begin with. Production was far eclipsed by the Beetle and the Bus, that most people know. Its just the nature of owning one.
I also own a Thing and trust me its much worse than the Ghia as they made even fewer and only offered them in the US for two years - '73 and '74. When I went to first register my Thing at DMV the woman had never heard of a model called "Thing". She thought I was joking. 99% of the people I meet think it a Jeep.
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Ghia Owner Emeritus |
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(o)=!=(o)
Samba Member
Joined: September 22, 2011
Posts: 31
Location: Cary, NC
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| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:13 pm Post subject: It's always 5 o'clock |
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The clock didn't work in my '70 coupe so I set it to 5:00. I would always say "it's always 5 o'clock in the Karmann Ghia." For my birthday my better half made up a t shirt that had my quote.
I wore it to Disney World & had about 20 people start telling me their stories of this old Ghia they used to have or their friend had.
Of course, the younger people would ask "where is Karmann Ghia?"
I replied Cary, NC.
On a side note the local MG club invited me to their monthly breakfast. I love to discuss fine German engineering with them:D |
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Steve22
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2004
Posts: 1389
Location: the wild unknown
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| Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 6:21 pm Post subject: |
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| Volfandt wrote: |
| ... Luckily an old timer (maybe in his 30's)... |
I feel so old now....
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'65 Karmann Ghia 'vert
'73 Super Beetle
'59 Beetle ragtop
'73 Sunroof Transporter |
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Altema
Samba Member
Joined: June 20, 2010
Posts: 2904
Location: Lower Michigan
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| Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 3:59 pm Post subject: |
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| Steve22 wrote: |
| Volfandt wrote: |
| ... Luckily an old timer (maybe in his 30's)... |
I feel so old now.... |
And I feel like I should have inside info on construction of the pyramids!! |
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Gary
Person of Interest
Joined: November 01, 2002
Posts: 17069
Location: 127.0.0.1
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| Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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I had someone tell me, "That looks like that car from the movie 48 Hours, but different".
While hauling a Ghia that I sold to Colorado, someone pulled up to me and asked, "Is that a Studebaker? It looks like one, but something isn't right."
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943) |
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Bobnotch
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2003
Posts: 22431
Location: Kimball, Mi
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 4:27 pm Post subject: |
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| NOVA Airhead wrote: |
It just goes with the territory.
Most people do not have a clue what a Ghia is. I had someone start telling me once about the MG they once owned until I realized they were telling me because they thought my Ghia was an MG. |
Yup. I've got a T-34 Ghia, and it's frequently called a Corvair. Even with the big Karmann Ghia logo on the rear decklid, or the Volkswagen 1500 on the rear tail light panel, it still gets called a Corvair. But then my wife's 70 T-3 Fastback has been called a Karmann Ghia many times. As a type 3 owner, I have very thick skin. I think it started from when I went to my first Vintage VW festival at VW North America headquarters in Auburn Hills, and was placed in the T-4 and Thing catagory, but had to park next to a new Jetta. So much for being with the rest of the air cooled VWs at the show. 
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Bob 65 Notch S with Sunroof
71 Notch ...aka Krunchy; build pics here;
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=249390 -been busy working
64 T-34 Ghia...aka Wolfie, under construction... http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=412120
| Tram wrote: |
| "Friends are God's way of apologizing for relatives." |
| Tram wrote: |
| People keep confusing "restored" and "restroyed". |
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Steve22
Samba Member
Joined: March 05, 2004
Posts: 1389
Location: the wild unknown
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Altema wrote: |
| Steve22 wrote: |
| Volfandt wrote: |
| ... Luckily an old timer (maybe in his 30's)... |
I feel so old now.... |
And I feel like I should have inside info on construction of the pyramids!! |
You mean you don't? I think I kept my second copy.... I'll look and send it if I did. 
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'65 Karmann Ghia 'vert
'73 Super Beetle
'59 Beetle ragtop
'73 Sunroof Transporter |
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John K
Samba Member
Joined: January 10, 2010
Posts: 85
Location: NORTH CAROLINA
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| Posted: Sat Aug 04, 2012 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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I was driving my 71 Ghia from a monthly VW club meeting and I had to get some gas. When I walked in to pay for it, the young clerk saw it through the window and said "Wow Beautiful car Is that a BMW?" i said no, its a VW Ghia He had to go outside to take a look at it, giving me about 3 high fives
Nice kid, young, thats why he never even heard of it. I think now he wants to get one because he is always asking me (when I get gas there) if I know of one for sale |
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Basketcase
Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2011
Posts: 636
Location: Ohio
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| Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| Gary wrote: |
I had someone tell me, "That looks like that car from the movie 48 Hours, but different".
While hauling a Ghia that I sold to Colorado, someone pulled up to me and asked, "Is that a Studebaker? It looks like one, but something isn't right." |
we had that happen Sunday while on a doughnut run. a little small for a Studebaker.....
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'72 Karmann Ghia Coupe (the Boss's) |
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John Moxon
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Joined: March 07, 2004
Posts: 13957
Location: Southampton U.K.
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