Am I crazy or should I go down and buy this?

[69calibug]

After seeing a few Type 3s at a local show I was reminded of how much I liked them. Being in NY state there arent many left, so I searched here now and then. I saw a really cool square for sale for the right price and it was EXACTLY what I wanted, but 600 miles away. It's a daily driver with an engine that was rebuilt a few years ago, and regularly makes long commutes. So I have some family down that way, so I thought I might fly, or take the greyhound down and pick it up, and drive it back to NY.

So have I finally lost it, by buying a car sight unseen (I've done that many times sucessfully) and driving it about 10-12 hours home from the hot south? I have some knowledge but I'm no expert, but with the right spare parts and my AAA card, phone, and a prayer, I may make it I've also never even driven a Type 3, only my '69 Beetle. That car is getting torn apart for a total mechanical and body resto, so it wont see the road until at least next year, and I want a cool daily I can drive year round. Since the body isnt mint I would'nt feel bad for driving it, properly protected and oiled of coarse.

So has anyone driven a 35 year-old car they've only seen pics of a distance that far? Or am i as crazy as my friends and family say i am? Hey, it could be a cool adventure!
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'69 Beetle, '69 Beetle Convertible

[Mr. Bubblehead]

Sounds like something that I would do.
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OGST
Samba Member #4862

[Mead]

I just did the same thing to get mine, but half the distance and I took a ferry and a cab instead of a bus or plane.
Of course i ended up being screwed and it has pretty severe rust damage that had been cleverly hidden from me via pieces of tin and rust proofing.
On the upside it ran great and i had no problems driving it back around lake michigan home from milwaukee.

[karenw]

Oh yeah, you're nuts. Just like me. I did the same thing, although mine was only 3 hours away in Indianapolis.

What made me feel good about the whole thing was that the previous owner sent me emails and photos throughout the whole resto process -- from October to May -- so that by the time I bought it I felt like I was getting a "known" entity.

Plus I was hopelessly in love with the car. You look at something for months and watch it come together and, well, I couldn't NOT get it by the time it was finished.

My husband, though, thought I was completely crazy. I remember distincly him saying, "you're buying a car, sight unseen -- you've never even driven it once -- from someone you met online, who could wind up taking your money and running???"

Yes I could have gotten screwed, but I didn't (whew). Try striking up an email relationship with the seller. Find out about their job, their family, etc. It's hard to screw someone over once you've gotten to know them.

Good luck! Let us know what happens!

[Air-Cooled Head]

[67 squak]

DO IT. I bought mine pretty much the same way. :mrgreen:
Oh and hello everyone I stumbled across this page while on another site and man do I feel lucky

[69calibug]

Well I think I'm going to do it Havent decided on mode of transport yet, I guess whatever is cheapest and the least painful. The owner seemed cool and has had a lot of aircooled and watercooled VWs. One concern i have is getting it legal for the trip home, does NC offer temporary plates or anything? I'd rather not sign anything until I get there, just in case. I'm going to check on rental cars, but I dont know how many companies will rent to someone who is 19. So probably in the next week or 2 I will be joining the type 3 club
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'69 Beetle, '69 Beetle Convertible

[Air-Cooled Head]

When I did my drive, I took temp plates for IL with me. Never got stopped, even tho various state boys were behind me, often.

I just re-read your original post.

[karenw]

[Johnny Wishbone]

I am in Charlotte, NC. I have looked at the NC DOT website and I did not find anything about temp plates. If you come down, I would get temp plates from NY. By the time you screwed around here to get temp plates, you would already be 2/3 of the way back home. The do have 30 day plates here but you have to get from a dealer. If this guy is an individual, you probably would not be able to get one. I bought mine on consignment from an individual who was selling on his buddy's car lot. The car lot owner did not want to give me a temp plate cause he did not technically sell me the car. Had me register it before I drove home. Check with the laws there in NY to see what you best bet is. You may be able to swipe the plate from your type 1 and use it for the drive home and get the type 3 registered. Good Luck!
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'71 Fasty-Stock w/82K unmolested original miles

[notchboy]

I bought a car in Germany and shipped it to the US to SoCal. Only went off pics. I think if were al nuts.
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[69calibug]

Thanks for checking that out for me! That raises a dilemma, since NY doesnt have them either. I hate to pay for and title a car I've never seen before. Crap. I'll call the DMV monday and research my options.
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'69 Beetle, '69 Beetle Convertible

[69calibug]

Well I dont currently have the pleasure of owning a type 3. Thanks Jeff, from Fayetteville NC, for lying to me, and selling the car out from under me the VERY DAY you promised not to. I kept in touch every other day, offered to send a deposit, and was told the car was saved for me, don't worry. Called to ask what day this week I should purchase plane tickets and fly down, and was told to call back Sunday. So Sunday came, I called, and imagine my surprise. It's a damn good thing I didn't buy a non-refundable ticket, or I'd be out $150 right now. I did however buy a type-3 radio, some tails, and a spare 8-spoke rim I happened upon. Plus I took 2 days off of work, so more money lost.

Luckily my current car didnt sell yet, as I would have been really out of luck. I love Volkswagens, and their owners to me are some of the greatest people I've ever met. I would NEVER do this to someone in the VW community. Actually, I have a person in Ohio who commited to buying a Rabbit I'm selling, the very same situation. No deposit, and he won't be able to make it for 2 weeks. And I've since had other offers. But no, I would never sell it on him.

Had this been an ordinary person, I wouldnt have been upset. But this was a person who has owned numerous air and water-cooled VWs. Like probably most of the people on here probably do, I had plans for exactly what this car would look like, planned on taking it to a show in a week, and had told the local VW-heads as soon as I was given word that the car was mine. This has put me into a horrible mood, and I havent felt like posting it until now. So thanks Jeff. If anyone knows him, show this to him, as I dont think he spends much time on the computer. Sorry to dampen anyones spirits today. I'll go cruise the classifieds in search of the perfect car, but I doubt I'll find it.
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'69 Beetle, '69 Beetle Convertible

[notchboy]

Come on now, look the classys. Their are many to choose from in the T3 section. But be prepaired to travel as I think its kinda a rule of thumb the closer to the west the less rust? At least based on the gripes Ive heard over the years. I know for a fact that if I had money, space & time alot of the samba sales would be mine. Nice clean cars have a habbit of being on the samba. I am currently on my second overseas purchase of a sight unseen car. Have faith brother.
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