Buying a 72 super beetle

Plan on spending a lot of money to fix it up. Main problem is RUST so take a
close look at the floor-pan, header support for front suspension. Is the car
in a rust prone state?

"flotsam" <wanderrider.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fb8cd240.0312121308.170c22c1@posting.google.com...
 > Hi all. I came across a 72 Super beetle with manual transmission in
 > fairly good and running condition. Anything I need to know before
 > buying one? How much is a good price? My first experience buying old
 > cars. Thanks for the advice.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Buying a 72 super beetle 

First thing you need to know is that it's aircooled and not watercooled


Might want to ask the your question in RAMVWA ("A" for aircooled) ... will
probably get more responses and valid comments.

"flotsam" <wanderrider.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fb8cd240.0312121308.170c22c1@posting.google.com...
 > Hi all. I came across a 72 Super beetle with manual transmission in
 > fairly good and running condition. Anything I need to know before
 > buying one? How much is a good price? My first experience buying old
 > cars. Thanks for the advice.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Buying a 72 super beetle 

Well I guess you now know this is for water cooled.

In any case, I would say you are lucky it is manual. The only real
problems I would look out for are rust (Check the floor pan, heater tubes
and front suspension parts.) and the pollution control trash that was on it.
Once that stuff gets screwed up, it is next to impossible to get it right
again. If it starts and runs well, that is a very good sign.

--
Joseph E. Meehan

26 + 6 = 1 It's Irish Math


"flotsam" <wanderrider.RemoveThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fb8cd240.0312121308.170c22c1@posting.google.com...
 > Hi all. I came across a 72 Super beetle with manual transmission in
 > fairly good and running condition. Anything I need to know before
 > buying one? How much is a good price? My first experience buying old
 > cars. Thanks for the advice.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Buying a 72 super beetle 

Rust is bad. If you live where it gets below 50 degrees you will be cold,
the heater channels are part of the body. if there is any rust holes in
them. your minimal heat will be going out of the car . They rust in the
front wheel wells at the bottom rear. Are the running boards still on. If
not run away. The floor boards rot too. If they rotted off , run. if it runs
really good , that's a good start. See if the owner adjusted the valves
regularly during the oil changes. I would be less concerned with the engine
then the body. The engine can be fixed real cheap, compared to other cars.
the body cant.
"Woodchuck" <stv_euroski.DeleteThis@yahoo.comXXX> wrote in message
news:3fda633c$0$35833$4d5ecec7@reader.city-net.com...
 > Plan on spending a lot of money to fix it up. Main problem is RUST so take
a
 > close look at the floor-pan, header support for front suspension. Is the
car
 > in a rust prone state?
 >
 > "flotsam" <wanderrider.DeleteThis@yahoo.com> wrote in message
 > news:fb8cd240.0312121308.170c22c1@posting.google.com...
  > > Hi all. I came across a 72 Super beetle with manual transmission in
  > > fairly good and running condition. Anything I need to know before
  > > buying one? How much is a good price? My first experience buying old
  > > cars. Thanks for the advice.
 >
 ><!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Buying a 72 super beetle 

These cars can be a lot of fun. I have a 79 Vert and it's a blast. that
being said it doesn't have to cost a fortune. Rust is fixable - most
sheetmetal is available. Being handy with tools helps. Just consider it an
adventure. As for price - highly variable from a few hundred to a couple of
grand. Check E-Bay and Thesamba.com for going prices. Enjoy and good luck.
David
"flotsam" <wanderrider.TakeThisOut@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:fb8cd240.0312121308.170c22c1@posting.google.com...
 > Hi all. I came across a 72 Super beetle with manual transmission in
 > fairly good and running condition. Anything I need to know before
 > buying one? How much is a good price? My first experience buying old
 > cars. Thanks for the advice.<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
 >> Stay informed about: Buying a 72 super beetle 

In my experience rust is fixable, but is in not a permanent fix. My
family owned a body shop for 22 years. I did a LOT of repair and custom
work. Sure, you can weld in patches or replace panels, but that won't
last very long. The factory starts out with clean steel, spot welds the
panels together, and then DUNKS the entire car body in cleaners, acids,
and then primer. The primer seeps into every joint between 2 panels. It
is impossible to field duplicate this process. Once major components
like rockers, heating channels, floor pans, frame tube seams, etc. start
to go, you won't stop it. You may slow it down quite a bit in the repair
areas, but the rust you just repaired is only an indicator that the rest
of the car will soon show rust in other places. It just does not happen
in the one spot you can see. Car bodies rust everywhere, just at
different rates. rustproofing compounds require flawless and COMPLETE
application to be effective. Even then, the rustproofing will only stick
to clean primered/painted steel. Again, difficult to duplicate in the field.

Beetle restorers know this well. They try to find "pristine" units to
start with that have absolutely no visible rust on them anywhere. They
then remove the body from the pan and sandblast everything to get a good
look at the external welded joints and seams. They run long handled
mirrors down the heating channels to look inside. I saw one shop using
miniature cameras. Once done, some restorers reject vehicles at this
point because, upon this inspection, rust has already started up all over.

That said, it is fun for some folks to undertake these types of
projects. You can fix a bug up to look good for a year or two, and then
decide whether or not to repeat the process when the rust starts to
reappear. Just be sure to manage your expectations. Some sheet metal and
bondo won't yield a $20,000 show car.
Good Luck,
Mike

..stuff snipped
  > Rust is fixable - most
 > .other stuff snipped
 >
  >>Hi all. I came across a 72 Super beetle with manual transmission in
  >>fairly good and running condition. Anything I need to know before
  >>buying one? How much is a good price? My first experience buying old
  >>cars. Thanks for the advice.
 >
 >
 >


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 >> Stay informed about: Buying a 72 super beetle