Most sales of vintage automobiles are now handled by dealers or flippers, so it’s rare to find a car being sold by someone who actually drove it back in the day. This 1967 VW Beetle has over 500,000 miles on the clock and is being sold by the actual third owners, who provide an excellent overview of the car’s history. Find it here on eBay for $4,997 or best offer in Florida.
The Beetle wears its age well, with signs of fixes and repairs that reveal a history of maintenance that can only come from owners who are trying to keep it on the road rather than perform a garage restoration. The tape on the seats, the splotchy paint – some call them demerits, but others might see them as tributes to a car that wouldn’t die. The interior still sports the original Java Green paint and looks quite good, especially against the hastily repaired driver’s seat. The seller says the Beetle has been a southern car all of its life and was never exposed to road salt.
That’s good news, as vulnerable areas like the heater channels are still said to functionally sound. The seller is quite candid about the fact that for a time, the annual “inspection” consisted of driving the Beetle up and down the street once a year, but even that milestone event hasn’t transpired in close to ten years. Though it may seem like the car was ignored, the seller cites age and the inconvenience of parts sourcing as reasons for the retirement. I can’t say I blame him, and at least the Beetle has been protected from the elements in that time.
The engine is not believed to be original, but was rebuilt shortly before it went into the barn for the last several years. Although full mechanical recommissioning is needed, the seller feels the motor may actually be one of the easier parts of the project given its relative freshness. The tires and brakes will need immediate work before any driving commences, but frankly, the honest presentation and charming patina make this Beetle one of the more tempting air-cooled projects on eBay right now.
Fun facts: 1967 was the best ever US sales year for the Beetle. However, it was a transition year, and most of the body parts are unique to the ’67.
Fix all mechanical issues, recover the driver’s seat, fix any rust, slap on a fresh coat of paint and drive it.
No paint please. Make it mechanically sound and repair the interior.
My first car. Handed down from my sister when she went to college in 1968. Eight-track player with two tapes: Led Zep and Grand Funk Railroad. Co-pilots over the summer of 1969: Debbie, Leslie, and Sue. I am forever in their debt.
“parts sourcing” is a problem??? Since when?
Whippeteer, the ’67 had quite a few one-year-only parts. I believe that’s the reference.
Not mechanically.
Most of the body, including the side glass is unique to the ’67. Even the doors, handles & latches, fenders, hood & deck. Aftermarket’s full of stuff for them, but you’ll pay a premium for ’67 parts.
Side glass is the same as 65 and 66.
That includes door glass, vent wing glass and stationary and pop out side glass.
I stand corrected. 68 glass wouldn’t fit my old 67. Thanks, Luki.
A flipper is a dealer, just one without a license.
The dash finish, grab handle and steering wheel are in amazing shape for a 50 year old car. I’d keep the patina as is, repair interior and get the powertrain up to tip-top. Then enjoy.
I would freshin up the interior, recover the driver’s seat, perform the usual maintenance, replace normal wear and tear items such as the tires and brakes and keep the patina and voila, a cool looking vintage daily driver.
Love looking at the design and trim finish – wouldn’t drive one to the shops
My first car in high school was a 74 Beetle. Loved that little thing despite the occasional embarrassment of having to get a push to get it started. Drove it till the day I was running late for work and ran out and quickly jumped in only to go right through the floor, seat and all. Still miss it.
buy for my girlfriend since her birthday was in 1967. And I would just love to grab her up but here in New York City space is at a premium thanks to the so call Bloomberg street improvements.
In 1974 my brother bought his first car, a 1964 beetle for 10 bucks. This was the first car I learned to drive at age 12. The engine blew about 2 weeks later. Can’t complain for that price.
That’s a lot of miles for a bug, wow! Knowing what half a million miles translates into, I’d be surprised someone actually did that in this, still, a wonderful find. I totally missed out on the VW thing,( although, a friend had a ’58 we trashed) because, like I say, the old man wouldn’t let a German ( or Italian or Asian, for that matter) car in his driveway. (oh yeah,,I know it’s hard to believe now, but some WW2 vets, like my old man, were very adamant about that) so I missed out on all the fun. I think ’67 was the most refined bug of them all( to that point) and was the cheapest car sold in the US, until Gremlin came along, that is. You could get some bare-bones bugs back then, this one has many options. With the 1500, you could actually stay with traffic, passing would be another matter. I still find that hard to believe, half a mil in a bug,,,wow. Super great find.
Thought it was my old “Bug”. Same color, but ’65..six volt. Winter in Chicago an interesting “challenge”, Army arctic mittens and an ice scraper for the INSIDE of the windshield. But, with skinny tires it was a true snowplow in deep snow. Plus, mine had a crank sunroof for lovely 3 season open driving !