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KarmannMarco
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2010
Posts: 263
Location: Woodland Park CO
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 Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 2:19 am Post subject: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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Hey guys! Been a couple of years since I posted. I sadly had to sell my 69 Ghia a couple of years ago but now a deal came up on another and I'd like you guys to weigh in on it.
A little backstory. I bought my 69 in 2010. It had been wrecked on the front and the floor plans were Swiss cheese. In a couple of years I tought myself to weld and do bodywork. I grafted a whole new nose , replaced the pans and tons of other rust repairs. By the time I was done it was rust free and 95% body wise with almost no filler. Also refreshed the engine , dual kads , interior , brakes etc ... Was a work of love.
Now this other 69 comes about. 100% all original and needs a full restoration but it's all there. The headlights top sheetmetal and rockers are shot. Also it does not run but it does turn over. The part that concerns me the most is the title is lost but getting a new title seems possible here in Colorado. The best the guy can do is $700 and I think that is fair considering it's a complete car but maybe I just miss my old Ghia too much and I'm blind. What do you guys think?
_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1969 Karmann Ghia Coupe (SOLD)
1981 BMW 633CSi |
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sputnick60
Samba Moderator
Joined: July 22, 2007
Posts: 3916
Location: In Molinya Orbit
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12858
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 3:29 am Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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Dude, walk the fuck away. It’ll be the best money you never spent.
It’s complete alright, a complete POS.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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PolarBearVW
Samba Member
Joined: June 26, 2013
Posts: 291
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 5:01 am Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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My 30 second scan of the pics puts you at $14-16k to get it to a place where you will be happy.
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1974 Ghia Coupe |
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andk5591
Samba Member
Joined: August 29, 2005
Posts: 16758
Location: State College, PA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 5:09 am Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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| tjschmidty wrote: |
| My 30 second scan of the pics puts you at $14-16k to get it to a place where you will be happy. |
And that's if you do most of the work yourself. To have a shop do it correctly, start at $35K and plan on more than that.
_________________
D-Dubya Manx clone - 63 Short pan,1914.
Rosie 65 bug - My mostly stock daily driver.
Woodie 69 VW woodie (Hot VWs 7/12).
"John's car" 64 VW woodie - The first ever
Maxine 61 Cal-look bug - Cindy's daily driver.
Max - 73 standard Beetle hearse project - For sale
66 bug project - Real patina & Suby conversion
There's more, but not keeping them... |
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iowegian 
Samba Curmudgeon
Joined: February 16, 2005
Posts: 9829
Location: Somewhere between Dubuque and Keokuk
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 6:02 am Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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| It is hard to believe that a car in Colorado could be that rusty--------unless somebody dragged it there from Wisconsin. Part it out. |
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Braukuche
Samba Member
Joined: September 03, 2004
Posts: 11005
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 7:17 am Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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I feel it were a lowlight or early convertible I'd still walk away. And I also do all my own work.
That looks like wet rust and with all that double walled construction it's going not require complete panel replacements.
Walk away, there are plenty of low priced late 60s Coupe projects.
_________________
Go Reds! Smash state!
Retirement is here!
1956 Ghia
1959 SO-23 Westfalia
1960 double cab
1960 Baja Bug
1963 stretched double cab
1962 Golde sunroof Ghia
1963 356 B coupe
1963 Notchback
1967 21 window less rusty now |
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kiwighia68
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2013
Posts: 2876
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 11:22 am Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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The seats are '68.
_________________
Festina lente - hasten slowly
1968 Ghia named Emiko
Resto completed Dec 2015 |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32632
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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KGCoupe
Samba Member
Joined: July 01, 2005
Posts: 3580
Location: Putting the "ill" and "annoy" in Illinois
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 12:04 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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| TDCTDI wrote: |
Dude, walk the fuck away. It’ll be the best money you never spent.
It’s complete alright, a complete POS. |
 It's OK TDCTDI, no need to hold back for politeness sake - he did ask what the forum members here thought about it, so go ahead and tell him what you really think about it.
While you could possibly recoup $700 from that Ghia by parting it out, that wouldn't take into account your efforts to dismantle it, and the space necessary to store all the bits and pieces while you wait for the next miserly vintage VW enthusiast to come around for a single part and haggle down the selling price to a small fraction of what you had originally hoped to get for it.
Admittedly, I don't have any personal experience with welding and bodywork myself.
However, ... I really wonder if you spent even as much as an additional $5k on a Ghia with a body that didn't resemble swiss cheese, could you actually end up saving thou$and$ in the final tally even if you value your own time at $0/hour?
Of course, if it's a challenge and a potential tremendous sense of accomplishment you're looking for, then buying that very rusty Karmann Ghia could be pricele$$.
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rbsurfguy
Samba Member
Joined: August 10, 2008
Posts: 1757
Location: Fairfax, Northern Virginia Formerly Huntington Beach, SoCal
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 12:49 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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I'll take the nose badge if it's in decent shape and not too overpriced. So you have at least one sale!!! 
Jeff
_________________
1971 Ghia convertible (Body off rebuild)
2019 VW Atlas 4Motion
2012 Passat-Sold
See my build on The Samba at:
Jeff's 71 Vert Restoration/Reassembly http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6...highlight= |
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TDCTDI
Samba Advocatus Diaboli
Joined: August 31, 2013
Posts: 12858
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:12 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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| KGCoupe wrote: |
| TDCTDI wrote: |
Dude, walk the fuck away. It’ll be the best money you never spent.
It’s complete alright, a complete POS. |
It's OK TDCTDI, no need to hold back for politeness sake - he did ask what the forum members here thought about it, so go ahead and tell him what you really think about it.
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I WAS being polite. Crush value on that thing is probably less than $200, if the seller "can't take less than $700" then he's a complete & total idiot for getting that deep in it & should part the thing out himself. Technically, it's illegal for him to sell it since he does not have a title for it. Yes, you can probably recoup your money out of it, over several years of dicking with the low ball offers, no shows, the picture collectors, & the "I gotta have it" until you go through the BS of trying to get whatever item boxed & getting shipping quotes only to never hear from them again.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.
GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!
An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.
Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it. |
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bugpowered
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2004
Posts: 279
Location: Oil spot on the garage floor, Michigan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:22 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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That's a extreme amount of bodywork. Pass....there will be no immediate gratification.
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the parts that you buy from me today, will fund my projects tomorrow... |
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Ant B
Samba Member
Joined: December 24, 2019
Posts: 157
Location: surrey, UK
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 1:51 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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you guys are spoilt for choice. 
in the UK that would be selling for 4 times the asking price and we would pay it as Ghias are rare as hell over here.
Tony B |
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rcooled
Samba Member
Joined: September 20, 2008
Posts: 2507
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 2:11 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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| KarmannMarco wrote: |
| ...maybe I just miss my old Ghia too much and I'm blind. |
Even if the guy gave you $500 to haul it away, it wouldn't be worth restoring that rustbucket. You'd have way more money into it than it would ever be worth. But if you really want/need a project that'll take up all your free time for the foreseeable future and put a major dent in your bank account, then go for it.
On the other hand, if what want in the end is a decent-looking and reliable car to cruise around in, keep looking...there are way better cars available out there. It's usually more cost-effective to spend the money up front and buy the very best car you can afford instead of trying to save some hopeless piece of junk like this.
_________________
'63 Ragtop (current)
'65 Ghia coupe (totaled)
'67 Ghia convertible (current)
'69.5 Ghia convertible and
'62, '63, '65, '69 Bugs (all long gone) |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32632
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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J1
Samba Member
Joined: February 10, 2014
Posts: 698
Location: SoCal
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| Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2020 2:42 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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Calling it “complete” is generous when you’d have to buy good metal for half the car.
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1971 Ghia coupe. Assume I know nothing and you'll be pretty darn close to the truth. |
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c21darrel
Samba Member
Joined: January 22, 2009
Posts: 8211
Location: San Dimas
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KarmannMarco
Samba Member
Joined: January 03, 2010
Posts: 263
Location: Woodland Park CO
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| Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2020 12:54 pm Post subject: Re: Need advice on a Ghia purchase |
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Thanks guys. Point well taken. I think I was thinking out of missing my old car. I passed on it.
_________________
1962 Karmann Ghia Coupe
1969 Karmann Ghia Coupe (SOLD)
1981 BMW 633CSi |
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