'69 Beetle - Yes, a bidding war

Hi Sam
Wow, just like buying it myself! The mechanical check will tell you
more (post here as soon as you know...), but it does sound a
reasonable price from what you have described. I think its quite
nice to find an unadulterated original beetle to start with, even if
it needs a bit of tidying- there are a lot that have been hacked
around with varying levels of skill over the years, and can hide
some surprises you'd rather not have. Theres just not that many of
them around anymore Sam! Let us know what the check turns up.

cheers
Gerard

samf wrote:
>
>
> (Sorry, this is gonna be NZ-specific again...)
>
> Okay. I have been called up by the seller of the '69 standard I am
> hunting, and he says he has been offered NZ$3500 firm. Problem of
> course being that is maybe $700-$800 more than I wanted to pay...
>
> The story on the car is this, in a nutshell. It has a fair bit of
> surface rust that needs dealing to and it needs a repaint. Wheels &
> bumpers are rusty on the surface; interior is straight but has a few
> smallish blemishes. Most everywhere I look there are a few
> cracks/peeled chrome & other signs of age. It is basically all
> original.
> There isn't any critical rust at all, it seems to drive
really(except
> for some busted tyres and a bad headlight). There's 158,000 on the
> odometer with about 60,000 since the last engine rebuild (engine is
> tidy, again original and pulls well). Underbody and suspension look
> ok, muffler a little rusty. It is one owner since new and
> rustproofed by the dealer.
>
> And that's about all I can say for now before the mechanical check.
> I booked it in for tomorrow, which even at $100 will be better than
> paying 3 grand for a basketcase. Thing is, does it sound like it is
> worth $3000-$4000 from what I have been saying? Even at (supposedly)
> 1 owner, rustproofed from new etc etc, how unique a car in the NZ
> market is this?? Any help appreciated, I am tearing my hair out over
> the lil beast just now.
>
> Sam F.
>
>

Sean wrote:
>
> samf wrote:
>>
>>
>> (Sorry, this is gonna be NZ-specific again...)
>>
>> Okay. I have been called up by the seller of the '69 standard I am
>> hunting, and he says he has been offered NZ$3500 firm. Problem of
>> course being that is maybe $700-$800 more than I wanted to pay...
>>
>> The story on the car is this, in a nutshell. It has a fair bit of
>> surface rust that needs dealing to and it needs a repaint. Wheels &
>> bumpers are rusty on the surface; interior is straight but has a few
>> smallish blemishes. Most everywhere I look there are a few
>> cracks/peeled chrome & other signs of age. It is basically all
>> original.
>> There isn't any critical rust at all, it seems to drive
> really(except
>> for some busted tyres and a bad headlight). There's 158,000 on the
>> odometer with about 60,000 since the last engine rebuild (engine is
>> tidy, again original and pulls well). Underbody and suspension look
>> ok, muffler a little rusty. It is one owner since new and
>> rustproofed by the dealer.
>>
>> And that's about all I can say for now before the mechanical check.
>> I booked it in for tomorrow, which even at $100 will be better than
>> paying 3 grand for a basketcase. Thing is, does it sound like it is
>> worth $3000-$4000 from what I have been saying? Even at (supposedly)
>> 1 owner, rustproofed from new etc etc, how unique a car in the NZ
>> market is this?? Any help appreciated, I am tearing my hair out over
>> the lil beast just now.
>>
>> Sam F.
>>>>>>> FROM Sean ; 3500 American dollar,s is a lott for a buggy ? 1
> owner sound,s good ? But here in Cali ya can buy pretty cherry buggy
> for 5500.oo ? Question is ? will 2 grand cherry it out ? On motor
> rebuild i would definately check see ifn it,s dual releif case ? Hav
> ta be some cookie,s in the car for me ta pay that much , for a car
> that isnt at least 90 percent OEM and 70 percent restored ? Sean
>
>>
>
>
I agree with Sean. I got my 69 for $800 and my 57 for $1500. The 69
is a bastard since it has 67 doors with one piece windows, 70
something hood, and 75-79 rear apron. Had to redo the whole car. The
57' on the other hand is pure show car worthy. The dash is original
with the dash being perfect. This car needs a hood, right fender,
paint and upholstery to make it ready for shows. There won't be any
need to paint the inside since the paint inside is imaculate along
with under both hoods. The reason I bought this car is because of
the dash being in great shape. I also got the original engine with
it. There is a rebuilt in it right now. I plan on rebuilding the
original and putting it back in. The guy gave me two doors for it
and a brand new tow bar to take it away. Shopping around always pays
off. Here in the VW Meca we can afford to be picky. I don't think I
would pay 3K for a Beetle that needs that much work. I would pay
that much for a 57-59 Ghia that needs that much work, but then again
what would that Ghia be worth after I finish?
-Anthony

Sam: That makes the NZ$ 3,500 firm price about $2,360 for those of us
here in the US. Two grand for a fairly clean, straight and
relatively rust-free Bug probably isn't too bad of a deal. And we in
the US all know how the prices can vary widely between California,
the East Coast, the South, and the Mid West. My guess is that what
we would consider fairly common in the US may not be all that common
in NZ, so our advice needs to be "adjusted" accordingly. Good luck
in your Bug hunt!! Clancy

Sam

Takes some of these US lads a while doesn't it!! Well done Clancy.

Sam if you do decide you want this car don't dally. I have heard of
two other instances of "buyers from Amsterdam", obviously the price
is right if they think it is worth shipping to the other side of the
world. And as I said yesterday, there simply aren't that many of
these originals coming up now. If you want it, get over there and
negotiate, for the sake of the NZ Volkswagen fraternity! I wouldn't
haggle too hard over a few hundred if it meant missing out or
getting it... how did the mechanical check go?

Gerard

samf wrote:
>
>
> Thanks all. I am starting to revise my expectations of what to pay a
> little bit as well; a few more weeks pay might secure the car even
> at the higher price. And it does appear to be a bit of a find;
> especially with subtropical heat here in the North Island, rust can
> get its claws even into new vehicles. I simply hope that prospective
> buyer from Amsterdam tarries long enough for me to make the new
> offer... but we'll see.
>
> Sam F
>
> Clancy wrote:
>>
>> Sam: That makes the NZ$ 3,500 firm price about $2,360 for those of
> us
>> here in the US. Two grand for a fairly clean, straight and
>> relatively rust-free Bug probably isn't too bad of a deal. And we in
>> the US all know how the prices can vary widely between California,
>> the East Coast, the South, and the Mid West. My guess is that what
>> we would consider fairly common in the US may not be all that common
>> in NZ, so our advice needs to be "adjusted" accordingly. Good luck
>> in your Bug hunt!! Clancy
>>
>
>

The check was postponed as the man couldn't get it to Onehunga, and
neither could we. The Euro buyer has been in there for a while too
so I may make a (very) slightly lower cash offer to see if I can
secure it - dependent on a full check being done before I get it.
That may well be the way to go; just need to make sure I have the
cashflow to do what needs to be done, as a few uni costs are coming
through now as well. Busy time...

Sam F

PS: Just looked but couldn't find the other '69 at NZVWOC.

Gerard wrote:
>
> Sam
>
> Just looked at the Auckland club website, another '69 for you to
look
> at there.
>
> Gerard
>
>
> Gerard wrote:
>>
>> Sam
>>
>> Takes some of these US lads a while doesn't it!! Well done Clancy.
>>
>> Sam if you do decide you want this car don't dally. I have heard of
>> two other instances of "buyers from Amsterdam", obviously the price
>> is right if they think it is worth shipping to the other side of the
>> world. And as I said yesterday, there simply aren't that many of
>> these originals coming up now. If you want it, get over there and
>> negotiate, for the sake of the NZ Volkswagen fraternity! I wouldn't
>> haggle too hard over a few hundred if it meant missing out or
>> getting it... how did the mechanical check go?
>>
>> Gerard
>>
>>
>>
>> samf wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks all. I am starting to revise my expectations of what to pay a
>>> little bit as well; a few more weeks pay might secure the car even
>>> at the higher price. And it does appear to be a bit of a find;
>>> especially with subtropical heat here in the North Island, rust can
>>> get its claws even into new vehicles. I simply hope that prospective
>>> buyer from Amsterdam tarries long enough for me to make the new
>>> offer... but we'll see.
>>>
>>> Sam F
>>>
>>> Clancy wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Sam: That makes the NZ$ 3,500 firm price about $2,360 for those of
>>> us
>>>> here in the US. Two grand for a fairly clean, straight and
>>>> relatively rust-free Bug probably isn't too bad of a deal. And we in
>>>> the US all know how the prices can vary widely between California,
>>>> the East Coast, the South, and the Mid West. My guess is that what
>>>> we would consider fairly common in the US may not be all that common
>>>> in NZ, so our advice needs to be "adjusted" accordingly. Good luck
>>>> in your Bug hunt!! Clancy
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>