what is a fair market value for a 1976 vw beetle convertible? what do you look for when buying it?thank you
7 Answers
littlehorn answered 16 years ago
Check Hemmings and Old Car Trader to see what others are selling for.
I haven't owned a Beetle yet but have looked at a lot of them... It's very common for the floor pan to rust out on them and inside the front storage area. It's best to look it over with a magnet to find body repairs, check for botched up wiring, and ask for receipts for any work done.
John Muir's "Idiot Book" for the aircooled VW's has an excellent section on buying a used VW. The book is a little too "hippy" for me to be a regular resource, but the "how to buy a Volkswagen" chapter has excellent information. Another option to find the going market rate for a 76 convertible would be to check the auctions on eBay and the classifieds on www.thesamba.com My only addition to the "stuff to look at" would to ensure the Fuel Injection parts are all there and functioning properly. Steer clear of cars with the FI swapped for a carb. You'll have trouble when it comes time to smog the vehicle or locate missing pieces and it will hurt the resale value of the car. Besides, a properly running FI beetle is better than one with a carb swap any day of the week!
Check out www.thesamba.com Worlds biggest Aircooled VW community. That will give you all the info you will ever need!
you need to look for as little rust as possible. look for cars that came from California they have little rust. also go to www.thesamba.com and click on classifieds there are thousands of them everday. hope this helps
One as late as '76 sell around 1-3,000. You want to check for rust on the pan, and around the A-pillars.