So all in >8k for a 5k car? Sounds like all of my projects! The amount of money you spend doesn’t matter, money is made to be spent, The skills you learn, the sense of achievement you get when you look at it and the smile on you face everytime you drive it are priceless.
If you're in this hobby to make a buck , might as well leave. I have no problem dumping buckets of money into junk cars , it makes the time pass and idle hands are the work of the devil.
Restored my first VW (1973 Super Beetle) in 1991. I got it for nothing - found it in a pasture. The property owner said if I could get it out of the pasture, I could have it for nothing. A tree had grown thru the front right side floor and out the right side window. I literally had to take a chain saw and cut the tree out of it. Winched it onto a trailer, stopped at the property owner's home and picked up the title. In 3 months me and a friend of mine working mornings after work restored it and had it running great. We rebuilt the engine to 1850 CC with dual Weber carbs and a remote oil filter. We painted the car on a Friday and was driving it on Sunday. I drove the car for 6 weeks and a deer jumped out of a tree line next to the highway and killed my Super Beetle ! What did I do after that? I found another '73 Super Beetle of course ! lol
Thanks for sharing, and dang the heart break! Question, did you use a kit for the rebuild and if so do you have one to recommend? I’m working on a 74 Baja style I got in a similar situation but without the free tree. 👍
I just bought a newly painted, new engine, new interior bug in pieces. God help me put it together! What have i DONE??!! Been awake since 2am w/ major cold feet. I have my dad's model A to restore, what am I doing?! I just wanted a convertible manual cute car....Oh, Lordy... May RU-vid help me! Heavy sigh...
If it had no rust, I'd say it's fair. Of course I'm in a rust belt state, so you can buy a bug for 1500 if you're willing to spend weeks welding scrap metal to it.
@@draxthedestroyer1685 that's a good price here in California it's at least $1,000 for one that just rolls no motor no interior just rolls and depends upon the tech mechanic you're dealing with or the person you're buying it from I personally think they're not worth more than 500 as is now if you the motor itself is worth about a thousand out here hell if I had the money and the truck which we need a big truck strapped to the back of it and you can haul it out here 700 I can make some money not my
No clue on why people are so rude. Their egos are definitely shining. This is your baby and I bet you learned a lot and got tons of enjoyment and satisfaction out of the project. That’s all that matters in this life. Enjoy Brother✌️
this is also the best example of people saying you can't afford a cheap project car. I made the mistake of buying a project car for $900. my parts bill is currently 12k and counting. this is without doing any body work either on an american car with most parts readily available.
This is why when you see an "overpriced" bug for $16,000 in PERFECT restored and rebuilt condition, you should BUY it. That car was probably passed around by 3 owners with $28,000 total spent before it ended up the way it is.
it doesn't matter about the cost,if your heart is in it,just look at the end result,beautiful,well done,it must make you proud to drive it knowing you restored it,great job
My bug cost $1500 to purchase. Has cost about another $1000 to fix up mechanicals plus my own bodywork (weld and fabricate). Market value $7000 minimum (NZ).
@Fok Yu Patched the pans with new steel. Hand fabricated one heater panel section and fenderwell from stainless as well as several rusted areas throughout the body. Running boards hand fabricated from steel. Guards widened all round to accommodate the 7inch wide rims that came with the car (with 4 new tires!). My motor was removed and checked, replaced all gaskets and oil seal, cleaned up the heads, replaced the dizzy, rocker tips, spark plugs, coil and exhaust system. New fuel pump and hoses. New swing axle gaiters, rear brake cylinders and shoes. Two new inner steering joints. Good condition front seats forty dollars from a swap meet, Empi shifter five bucks from swapmeet, rear lamp lenses ten bucks from swapmeet, rear gas shocks unused $19 swapmeet. Doing stuff yourself, especially body, fabrication and paint, saves a lot of cash. The rest depends on exactly how much needs doing with your particular car and how far you want to go. I just wanted a safe legal fun car that looks and goes well. You can see before and after pics of the bug in this blog: uncensored.co.nz/2018/04/23/you-dont-own-me-evs-internal-combustion-and-freedom/ $7000 for a "good" engine and drivetrain? Define "good"? I run a stock single carb/single port1500 that came in the car and just needed gaskets and a tune up. It goes well, always starts first time and doesn't leak oil. I'd expect $7000 to get me a serious hot rod motor!
The 8.3K total is actually not too bad. In the US a clean and nice running 60s Beetle will go for $10k on the low end. In my area it's closer to 15-20K for a clean restore that is ready for the road. Much more if you've got a convertible or other non standard model.
That was a fun video and you did a great job. So many "arm chair" comments about "what you should have done" or "it's not restored"...pretty sad that the VW community isn't just embracing a very nice job.
the only problems i have with anything he did is the fiberglass floor, and trusting market price which is usually informed by what a dealer will buy it for rather than what actual people will buy for
Just watched one go locally for $2900 that already had a lot done to it. This was on Vancouver Island where the prices are usually higher then on the mainland. A Beetle is still one of the cheapest cars to restore.
Getting emotionally involved with a car is like getting emotionally involved with a woman: it's going to cost you half of everything you make over the course of your life, plus your sanity.
Your Bug looks and sounds amazing..the money you put into it pays for every second you drive and enjoy it..true value for money i say...1k to restore it or 10k to restore it the result is the same...companion for life😊🙏...
03:13, that fuel cut off solanoid valve switch could have been one possible thing that prevented it from starting. Could have failed internally or no power going to it at ignition turn (latter typically bad wire continuity).
The love for the bug its priceless. I got mine so far i lost the amount i put into it. All i can say it is that money comes and goes but my bug is my love.
++ AZMike.. Yeah, that's what the on line ads are asking. What they get is another story. I have a local guy who was offered $60k for a 23 window 65 VW van, which looks great on the outside and drives sweet. Looking closer it's been lowered with cutting welding, has the wrong engine, and the floor was borrowed from a donor vehicle, which you can only see looking CLOSE from the under side. It also has a "pearl" type two-tone pain job. IOW, looks great but not stock and certainly no attention to detail as a custom job. Might be worth $60k to a guy who really wants one but for fair market value it's going to be closer to the $25k the owner paid for it a few years ago. (I thought that was on the high side then) Basically we're talking about local supply and demand, not typical market value.
@@pprotory nobody does that for resale value. The do it because they love the car and want to drive it. Obviously this was not a plan to make money from upgrading a cheap vehicle.
Short answer, it costs more than the bug is worth when you are done. I know because I own a restored vw beetle. Nobody pays much more than 6 grand for a restored VW beetle in my area. You'll be out easily 10 grand restoring one, or 20 grand doing it to perfection and you'll never get the money back.
We have a 1947 Beetle in a museum very close to me (the first ever Beetle in Denmark) in a subtle grey, almost primer-like colour! People would probably fetch out mad money for something like that.
++ Jeff Zekas.. Some good points. Along the same lines it's only worth that kind of money based on supply and demand. Locally I have noticed a BIG decline in "brass era" cars at shows in the last 10 years. I'm sure the cars are out there but the owners are now in their 80s or 90s and can no longer drive them, which means everyone who really wanted one is also beyond the age of shopping for another. OK, I'm only in my 60s and would love to have a car from that period, but last I heard they are a dime a dozen and even the trusty old Ford model T or model A can be had for a few grand, in stock condition. We're back to supply and demand, regardless of what it costs to execute the restoration. In another 20 years there will be a glut of these older VWs out there to be had at fire sale prices because the next generation will be wanting a 50 year old car from the 80s.
No bad, I spend already over 15k in my oval window with 1776cc, pro street transmission, front and rear disc conversion, foose wheels over $1500, almost complete restore everything new and much more..... 😁✨ to be happy with the car you want, no have price 😁✨
Okay I'll fill this out now you can never have too many Volkswagen shop manuals but there's one that's a must for every bug owner it's a mega put up by John Muir it's how to keep your Volkswagen alive forever for the complete idiot don't take offense to the name I just want the best car manual out there are Volkswagens great video forget about other people complains about you learn it's priceless
Most of the clowns that are commenting have 0 clue what any VW under 1970 is worth. 4k is average, not a bad price, but the amount of work you did, i would have offered the owner no more than 2850, It's def not a cali bug.
That’s sort of a rare car. It’s very “transitional” as a 1968 it still retains a swing axle, small rear lights, non padded dash, short headliner much like its predissors. I like these later 60s car because of the availability of parts, and the up grades....like a gas gage, heat boxes,12 volt and the like. This is definitely a 68 it has a gas flap. Great restoration job. Thank you for your video
Very true video for people without experience and understanding. BTW, rusted holes in the bottom should be welded... not fiberglass... unless u re going to sell it soon
When you screw up the bumper of the old bug it’s just cost you 1 set tires,but if you has screw up the bumper of the modern car ,the costs will go from 1/4 to 1/2 of the car prices, now they making the bumper 、just made it seen like a car.
? cars made of aluminium are designed to compress at crash to absorb some of the power. i like this car as much as everyone else, but im not dumb enough to believe it is in any way better than modern cars. have fun dying in your steel car next time you crash.
That's why you #1 plan the costs BEFORE starting a project, #2 start with a good platform on a good deal rather than buying literally the first one you see, and (optional, but ideal) #3 buy as well a cheap parts car (folks wanting to get rid of the old car taking up space in the backyard may easily sell it for a bargain because it doesn't run and/or the chassis is rotten, but it pays off for spares).
++ André Fontes.. That's kinda the way my 64 Corvair van project started off, although I didn't have a grand total in mind at the beginning. My premise was that I was starting a hobby and that budget was $100 per month. (for parts) Labor didn't count and that was "as available" in my spare time. (hobby, remember?) I also run a fleet repair shop so misc and certain materials are always available. At the end of a year I was way ahead of budget and it was running so I spent the next hunk of budget on insurance / registration, driving it between various tasks. It wasn't pretty yet but I was having fun. I have had it for around 4 years and spent $200 in body supplies last year, but that a Rustoleum spray can job, which will keep me looking good from a distance till I can swing $5k for real paint. In the next year or so I plan to do the suspension, shocks, and some smaller stuff as time / budget allows. I do plan to hold the budget at whatever the total appraised value might be in a few years. That will likely be in the $7,500 range. OTOH, by then I will have had 10 years of fun driving it.... and maybe still sell it for the same money. BTW, insurance and registration is a bargain in most states. Here in CT they cap the appraised value on antiques so taxes are almost nothing. ($15 annually?) Insurance bill just came and that's another $120 for the year, with full coverage on glass and collision.
#1 if we did that we would never start #2 the good plat form is the correct model/year you want from the start, not the good deal of the car that is close but not what you actually want#3 solid advice
Put together a kit for emergency parts that you will need going down the road in addition to your standard jumper cables basic tools to do repair work you should always have spare fuses with you spare tire cable and if you don't have spare throttle cable always have a pair of vice grips they will come in handy real Handy if you use as a throttle I cannot even count how many times I thought you were broke go down the road and I had to use my scripts attached to the cable it works for a while then you get a replacement just make sure the vice grips are in front of the throttle pedal & Brakes don't put it behind it and I mean don't put it behind with a brake assembly I learn the hard way spare fan belt and if you don't have a spare fan belt keep a pair of pantyhose yes I said pantyhose you can use those as a spare emergency fan don't you don't go too fast but please if you haven't already bought it go to the bookstore go on eBay look for how to keep your Volkswagen alive for the complete idiot
Wicked good job! Beautiful little bug! That ain’t a 68 beetle though, looks more like a 62-63 unless it’s been heavily modified! Definitely worth more than 5k! Lol I’ve some of these go for 10k-20k restored! Heck even seen a couple sell for 30k! Lol
You can still find a good solid Beetle for around 2 to 3K here in the states. How much you put into it is irrelevant...it's the satisfaction of doing it. To those of us who have had a love affair over the years with this amazing car cost is no barrier. Nice job on this one!
I got a 1970 Bug for 3.5k USD. It runs and all of the engine parts are practically brand new. The only thing is the wiring needs work and the body has a few rust spots😔. But with patience and time I think it’ll turn out great :)
It's going to cost a lot more when you have to fix up all the rusted parts. When it was already apart it would have been worth taking it totally down and getting a used sand blaster station to clean it up and repaint.
Class like three times as much as it did when it was brand new and it doesn't look like you're putting any high performance parts in or anything like that that would Jack the price up twice as much. And I know you probably run into things like you got to send their hoods out to be rebuild and put new valve guides and seal valves in there I would hope that all came with your engine rebuild kit. But well done job I know I took forever as anything done quality like does a forever
I think vw parts in western are very expensive in egypt its very cheap parts for example carberator 100$ from denmark germany brakes new brakes front both from denmark cost20$ used whole engine from berlin 300$
As long as you don't buy cars Called "Classic" "Rare" RUN when you see those words. Beetles aren't that Pricey to rebuild. Unless your going with 2400cc like me. Also my dad has been working on bugs since before i was born in 74.
A proper restoration wil set you back way more, like engine and gearbox overhaul, and full body and frame restoration etc etc. Here you can see what a real restoration wil cost, if you will do a total restoration by a company: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H6zGGV7iaL0.htmlfeature=shared you can save on the hours, but not on a good engine gearbox overhaul, and professional respray. This is more ‘fixing up’ then restoring but still a nice job, except for bondo-ing the floorboard which is a big no-no especially if it is such a small piece to weld. A mobile welder would have had that fixed for $100, or could have used it to learn to weld yourself with a loaned or rented welding machine for even less.
The fenders are an easy swap. The dash at 4:36 has 3 fresh air vents , meaning its a 68 or newer. In 66 they added a single dash vent. also, Swing axle transmissions were used until 69, but started with 4 lug in '68.
Come Mr Tallyman, tally me Bug-nana! You could have put wheels on that piggy bank! I have a '71 SB, 20 yrs outta commission poor lil bugger. As inexpensive as I thought it would be to have & run...well, the restoration part was sinking me I hate to say. Really enjoyed the time working on it & learning though...Great cars! The vw comradery on the highway was cool too! Happy motoring!
Jeremiah Paris could be worse. I could be the fuck head putting fiberglass on a floor pan and calling the car “restored”. This video is a joke. Go visit TheSamba.com to see what real restored bugs look like. This is $3500-5000 car in California at best.
Bencredible, If a day ever comes that I do not see a restored bug at least twice, a stolen vehicle report on a 1963 two-toned Yellow & white Baja Bug with a Chrome Stinger exhaust and Retro Roof rack, will be filed with the police Immediately...(in addition to a request for a ride to or from work. ) You are right about the samba. I have seen some pretty nice VW's on that site since becoming a member 17 years ago. Actually just saw some pretty sweet restored VW's at Paradise VW (now Paradise Motorsport) here in San Marcos while picking up some parts about an hour ago. Your missing the point. I dont know why anyone would want to approach such a creative expression of a person experience with a Bug resto the way you seem to be. Everyone knows you never get what you put into a restored vehicle. You must have missed the part in the video where he very clearly realizes he is about to start throwing more money into the project than the vehicle will ultimately be worth. This video shows an example of how much a basic level restoration can cost. There are variable levels of classic car restoration. He doesn't clarify that it is a basic level, but the audience that this video caters to will know 2 min. into the video. Your perspective sucks man. I hope you're not a VW owner yourself already, but maybe you should take on a VW restoration project and join the community. It may help you mellow out. After completing a labor of love like the very respectable example +DrPlatypusMan documented and generously shared here, you may return to find that your statements are more than just unnecessary and ignorant. Aside from being Irrelevant and incorrect, I think you will return to find that this video is not ABOUT cost at all. You'll simply appreciate this individuals creativity in expressing his love for VW's bugs. Its infectious. Fiberglass floorplans are great options as they are much stronger than the rotted/rusted floor pan remnants you usually find in classic VW's and they are lighter than their steel counterparts. Im thinking about replacing mine eventually with fiberglass simply for the weight savings. No real qualms with your assessment of the vehicles value, other than it is completely irrelevant that is. I'd pay 5k for my son or daughter to drive this vehicle as their first car. Between you and I, if i was to drive this bug away from +DrPlatypusMan after handing him only 5k, I would be driving very vast and turning sporadically with my cell phone in the off position and would deal with my conscience at a later point. I don't usually don't rob people for more than 3K, much less 4-5K. Do you have anything up for sale per chance? Have a nice day.
I bought a 71 super beetle for 1500 bucks, non-running, sketchy wiring, dead trans, and a motor that won't start. is it practical as my first vehicle? god no. was it a horrible mistake? absolutely! would I change it for the world? not a chance. I love this car, and I will invest years of time and effort into it, simply because it's my dream to.
Great video. first: when someone go into a proyect like this, you can't wait for money back.People are complaint in the comments that they have found cheaper beetles. It depends on the area. You have purchased this one for about 3.490 €. Is not bad. Here in Spain, average cost of one in this condition go arround this, from this year. A restoration is a matter of satisfaction, It's a great job you had done. If i had money to buy one car to restore, it would be perfect, eventhough i know you are going to spend more money than the market value. In Spain a fully restored bug cost arround 8.000 to 12.000 € . Full disarmed , coated, painted , engine rebuilt, etc... They are used to rent for weddings, films, advertising, and so on.
When I have a project car I can always count on someone saying “You know your never going to get you money back out of it” I’m like dude if I wanted my money more then the car I’d just keep the money. That and I couldn’t care less because I don’t ever sell my vehicles so meh. Good video, sweet beetle.
I'm at 4.5 years and $7500, all new pans, luggage tray, front disc brakes (Ghia), 1641cc, dual Empi carbs, yada, yada, yada. Hopefully a debut this Sept. Id have paid twice that too. All the work myself (except welding and some muscle). At 75 yo it's one of things that keeps me sane and healthy.
I spent 25K for a full restoration on a 1969 convertible beetle...paint, weld heat channels, engine, top, seats, wiring, and everything else, full resto,...did 1/2 my self....good luck over 7 yrs.to do
This bug is quite a hybrid of many models. The engine cover is the type that went out in 1963, the light lights lasted until 1967, and the headlights look like the old 6 volt models. The 12 volt electrical system though is from 67 or 68 (depending on the country) onward.
It also depends on where you live. In Canada it's really bad and parts can sometime cost three to six times higher than in US thanks to sparsity of competition and uber greedy importers. I remember having to buy brake hardware for a VW Transporter in the mid nineties. It cost $360 from VW Canada. I also saw it selling for $60 in the US. A VW Transporter muffler for from VW Canada cost $1600! The gouging that goes on due to lack of competition is notorious up here. They will sometimes double the price when they think it's time for another price increase.
