VW Beetle for telescope

[DobDobDob]

I was going to do up a VW Beetle that I purchased and had some work done on it, I’ve run out of inspiration, actually it was a mistake from the start because I never finish anything I start and I have zero mechanical skills. The car can be painted and some mechanical work done and then registered and you have yourself a rare classic car.

Now not wanting to sound clever, but please don’t even begin to entertain this trade unless you satisfy the following criteria:

1. Have as a bare minimum $3,000.00 worth of perfectly good running telescope equipment, no part sets etc. It has to be complete and in good working order and you have to deliver it by hand when you come to pick up your car. I won’t haggle with anyone, this is an awesome opportunity for the right person.
2. Understand that you have to do some mechanical work to it and it needs to be painted. It is ready to paint and has 4 new tyres.
3. You cannot drive it away, it has to be towed away.

Unless you agree to those points, don’t waste both our time. I will dig up some images soon and display them if there is any interest. I’m not in a hurry to trade this car, because the longer it sits under cover the more valuable it becomes. I am honestly open to the telescope to be traded but it must be seriously worthwhile, no start up dobs etc.

Btw, I traded a car for a telescope via this forum about 3 years ago, both parties were happy, so it can be done.

[GrahamL]

Pics please :)

What do you know about the nature of the mechanical problems
you mention .. ie .. why do I have to push it . ?

[DobDobDob]

Hi, I purchased it from a woman about two years ago who assured me that her husband drove it before the battery went flat, they were in the process of doing it up when I made them a cash offer and they took it. I was buying it for my daughter to encourage her to get her licence which of course never happened.

It has a box of bits sitting on the front seat and it's in my next door neighbours place where they were going to spray paint it about a year ago but they suffer from the same disease as me, that is never finishing anything.

So, if you were mechanically inclined and fitted the parts back which were removed to work on the body and apparently the woman put in a new roof lining. Anyway, the bottom line is, don't ask me anything mechanical, I just drive them, I certainly don't fix them, but I am led to believe this is a restorers dream. It is no good to me, but does owe me money and to be honest I have enough of that, but don't have a current good telescope if you take out my rare ones that is.

There you go, total honesty and I really have no more to add about the car, I don't even know what year it is, someone once said it was either 64 or 74, not sure but it ended in a '4', I believe.

[Louwai]

Need to know the year to determine the value of the vehicle.
What type of front end suspension does it have?? If '64 it will have Torsion Bar, if '74 it will have McPherson Strut.

What type of rear suspension does it have?? Swing-Arm?? Or IRS??

What shape / size rear window does it have?? Rectangle shape?? Or Oval shape??
This also will have a huge impact on vehicle value.

What's the measured distance between the rear cnr of the bonett (either side) & the 'A' pillar. This will also help to determine what model it is.

VW Beetles were the most manufactured car in the world, & as such there are litterally millions of them.
For the vehicle to be valuable it would need to be one of the "rare" models.

[DobDobDob]

Thanks for the history lesson, most of the words you wrote have no meaning for me, however your objective no doubt was to ascertain the year of manufacture.

As soon as it stops raining, I'll endeavour to find that information out and post it here accordingly. It shouldn't take long, seeing I have the registration papers in the glove box ;)

[Louwai]

Basically what I'm saying Ron, is;
You are asking $3k value for a swap.
A 'common' beetle would need to be in absolute pristine, drivable condition to be worth $3k.
On the other hand, a more rare beetle, such as, say a '56 Oval Window model, would be worth $3k in the condition you are describing.

[DobDobDob]

Yes I know what you are driving at (no pun intended) but I never said I wanted 3K, I did say I wanted 3K's worth of telescope, this means that when you factor in the 'New' telescope price and reduce it down for a second hand telescope, it is obviously going to be far less.

This is not about money, it's about trading my unwanted car for someone’s unwanted telescope, however establishing the relative worth of the telescope is not as easy as looking up a trade price book :P

I can tell you for absolute certain that the VW is not the 56 model you mentioned, I'm sure someone would have mentioned this to me during the last couple of years.

Okay, so when are you flying down to take a peek :D

[DobDobDob]

Okay gang, I can see you are all keen to see an image of this beauty, so give me a couple of days and I'll grab one and post it here. :P

[DobDobDob]

Okay, here are some images, but hurry, I've listed this elsewhere now, so if you want a car for a scope, then act right now.

[Louwai]

Ron,
If this vehicle has had no body modifications, then it's a 1970, 71 or possibly a 72 model.

It's not a '64. They did not have the fuel cap in the side. It's not a '74, they had rubber bumpers, & the bumper mounts on this vehicle are not the type to accept the rubber ones.

Unfortunately that knocks me out.
All the best with your sale.
B

[DobDobDob]

Hi Bryan,

Thanks for all your help. Yesterday when I took the images I also dragged out the rego papers and can tell you that it is 1976, I'm not sure what I was doing back then, probably nothing legal ;)

[Louwai]

Really!!! :eyepop: A '76. Doesn't look like it. Must be the angle of the photos.

1976 models have a very long section of body between the back of the hood & the windscreen. Also, the windscreen on a '76 is quite curved, similar to "normal" cars. This one doesn't look like that, but must be the angle of the photos....

A '76 should also have a 1600cc or 180cc engine.

No worries.
B

[DobDobDob]

Hi, yes I also just got off the phone from the lady I bought it from and she said it was the last of the 1600's. I've listed it on Google and have some interest already, it's on for a week.

In all honesty what do you think it's worth, I know the photographs aren't great, but just some ball park hi and low figures :P

[DobDobDob]

Thanks for the private message estimates Bryan, much appreciated. For anyone that's interested, the car is now listed on Ebay also.

[GrahamL]

Not for me either .. I can't have any more stuff around home for now
I've been told...I don't know a lot about post 70s beetles ..earlier modles I used to be pretty good with .. A pic of the dash and engine bay would likely give a way its age in a second though Ron .. value ?
Pity it wan't going ? .. a mid 70s beetle down the road from me
( nothing special mags and average purple paint ) bumped around for a couple of years with 7 k on it before it sold .

Good luck .. don't sell out cheap :)

[DobDobDob]

Thanks mate, so far the highest bidder is $600.00 which when you look at it is better than a car sitting in your neighbours driveway, considering it has been there almost 2 years without anything really happening. The likelihood that I would do it up is remote, so really anything is better than nothing and of course I am resigned to take a loss.

I much rather would have swapped for someone with a second telescope they were not using very much, to be honest what can you do with $600.00 or a bit more if it goes up a little? Not much these days :P