Buying advice

Been offered a 71 Sbug, little bit of surface rust above gutter near rear, but otherwise solid body and floor, interior likewise is mainly good apart from around rear window luggage area, 1600 is running fine but needs a new ignition barrell as is "a bit touchy". Looks like a solid car and looks like it's mine for 2k, I know it's hard to judge sight unseen but what do people think, I'm leaning towards a yes!

Rust around the rear window above the gutter "can" be the beginning of a major rust out break
Supers suffer badly for rust in that spot.

Also check for rust in the floorpan and near the bottom door hinges in the A pillars

Check for steering wheel shimmy at about 80kms / hr or clunks in the steering

Check for endplay in the motor

For $2k - that is a fair price to pay for a super needing a bit of work
But if it has a good healthy motor you have half your money back already

Couple of pics

The ouch to the rust in that spot is that it all comes from the inside, and often only a quarter of it can be seen from the outside. Looks like a solid bug otherwise. If it has a good strong engine and other mechanicals are solid, it is worth it for sure.

What's with the engine lid?

There is a fair amount of rust in that C pillar. Will definitely need repairs.

Engine lid should be a 4 slot.
Can cause overheating issues.
They are readily available for $50 or so.

Again. If it has a good motor and mechanicals it is worth the money. If you know someone who can weld - even more so.

Bizarre wrote:Engine lid should be a 4 slot.
Can cause overheating issues.
They are readily available for $50 or so.

Engine lid should be a 2 slot.

(But 4 slot are better.)

Didn't even notice the lack of slots In engine lid, might be an opportunity for a bit of customisation? Yeah like a couple have said that rust is my biggest concern. Got a mate who's a panel beater by trade and handy with welder, might take him to have a look. Thanks for the feedback it's appreciated!

Bizarre wrote:Rust around the rear window above the gutter "can" be the beginning of a major rust out break
Supers suffer badly for rust in that spot.

Just a question to those commenting about this rust. What is the approx cost of repair of this ballpark?

I had my beetles rust removed about 12 years ago but rust is coming back in that spot. I'd like to potentially stop it in its tracks before it gets too bad.

a lot.

It is coming from inside where they sprayed foam and holds moisture

To guarantee it is gone you would need to strip the car to bare metal and then get the car and dip it or media blast it

get it patched again - 12 years is bloody good for keeping rust out

Bizarre wrote:a lot.

It is coming from inside where they sprayed foam and holds moisture

To guarantee it is gone you would need to strip the car to bare metal and then get the car and dip it or media blast it

get it patched again - 12 years is bloody good for keeping rust out

So obviously the cost would depend on theextent of the damage. But what is the range of costs for things like this?

$200?
$2000?
$20000?

ie something like this fix cost?
http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?action=attachment&tid=102153&pid=957657&aid=100549

Somewhere between the $2,000 and the $20,000 😁

have a look at this post and you can see the work involved in fixing that area
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=259211

$200......... that would cover the beer at the end of the job

$2000....... yes, but only that area and it may return. You would be patching/matching the paint

$20,000.... that would take it off the road and get it stripped and re sprayed. It would depend on how much rust was discovered after the strip

Have a look here at the amount of rust that was discovered once the body was stripped
http://forums.aussieveedubbers.com/viewtopic.php?tid=97264

A panel beater could cut and patch and not worry about matching the paint for maybe $1,000
If you want an expert job you will need to find a tradesman you can trust
They dont like working on old cars as it is hard to guarantee the rust wont come back and spoil the spray job

Maybe start a new thread and post some more pics