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Bargain Survivor: 1969 VW Beetle With 48k Miles!

1969-beetle-survivor

Normally, I would consider $4,800 to be way too much for this old Beetle, but if the claims are true here this could turn out to be a bargain. There isn’t a lot of information in the seller’s listing, but they do mention that the car has only covered 48,000 miles and is all original. Obviously, you’ll want to inspect it before sending any money, but it might just turn out to be a great deal for the right person. It’s located in Federal Hill, Rhode Island and is listed here on craigslist. Thanks goes to Peter R for the tip!

air-cooled

I’ve tried to jump on the VW bandwagon, but have had a really hard time getting excited about these little cars. They do have some novel engineering and fairly good looks, but there isn’t much else to get the blood pumping. I suppose that little air-cooled engine could be easily souped up… See, I’m trying to convince myself again! All it takes is a drive behind the wheel to get me back to reality though. Well, maybe I could still find some reason to get excited about this particular slug bug.

vw-interior

Beetles were cheap cars that were meant to be driven into the ground and thrown away. So, finding one as nice as this that hasn’t already been restored can be a real challenge. This VW seems to have survived the ravages of time unscathed and is now ready for a VW enthusiast to take over the task of maintaining and keeping her safe. It would be tempting to fix the small flaws and make the car perfect, but if it really is original, it might be best to leave well enough alone.

beetle-backside

For so many years everyone wanted to restore everything. People would hunt around for nice unrestored cars just like this to completely restore! Sure, it made the job easier, but as you all know, they are only original once. Holding back and only addressing a car’s real needs may be more of a challenge than actually restoring it. Now that is something I could get behind. So, who’s up to the task of preserving this cure little econo car?

Comments

  1. Avatar Howard A Member

    Of all the cars I’ve had, I never had a VW. If I did, I always thought the ’69 would be the one to have. If I remember, it was the cheapest car you could buy in America. It was a pretty basic car, though, still resembled the original. I think when people drove 55mph, these were fine, but now, might be a little dangerous. Simple, economical transportation. If you live somewhere where the people don’t barrel down your back at 75 mph, this would be great. Super find.

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  2. Avatar Royal Ricci

    If I had the money, I would buy this little gem, redo the front seats and send it out to San Diego to have it converted by Zelectric Bug to electric power with a motor that would double the hp without all the hassles of an ICE.

    Check it out here at http://www.zelectricmotors.com/

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    • Avatar Joe

      That is crazy. Let’s hack up a survivor. This car needs to be preserved.

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      • Avatar Royal Ricci

        No hacking required.
        The conversion does not require any cutting or drilling of the VW.
        Some one could convert it back to gasoline if they wanted.

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    • Avatar Synchromesh

      That would be a horrible waste of this VW. Electric conversions are a complete blasphemy. I’m speaking as a Beetle owner. Large part of these cars’ charms is the little flat-4 which is simple to operate, maintain and tweak. It should stay.

      As for the author – power isn’t everything. I own a ’72 Super and a ’12 WRX. Sure, the latter has about 5 times the horsepower (it’s a little souped up) and is way better than the Beetle at most things. But I looooove driving ze Bug. It’s such an amazing experience of pure mechanical symphony with no electronics and nannies involved. An amazing connection with the road itself. And it’s a much better city car with smaller size and big bumpers. Just the manual sunroof is a gem all by itself. Wouldn’t trade it for anything but a Porsche of same era.

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      • Avatar Royal Ricci

        Don’t knock it until you driven one of these specific conversions.

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  3. Avatar Fred W.

    Howard, I also owned a ton of cars from 1970 (at age 13) to today. Had a ’68 VW in good shape with a Pioneer car stereo (that was all that really counted). I remember going out on cold mornings with 100% confidence it would start in about a half second. Never let me down, unlike the many Corvairs I had (and otherwise enjoyed) that often left me standing on the side of the road.

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    • Avatar Howard A Member

      Hi Fred, I bet this commercial sold more VW’s in the north, than any other ad. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfirnP08FP0

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      • Avatar Jesse Mortensen Staff

        I love that commercial Howard! Almost makes me want to drive one in the winter. Almost. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Avatar Luki

    Looks like a nice clean honest example. Should be gone very soon.

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  5. Avatar Joe

    A time capsule. Car would be like going back to 78 or so.

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  6. Avatar RobJ Member

    I have always had a soft spot for VW’s and currently have a Westfalia. I’ve been watching Bugs for a while and this one is pretty much a steal, if the heater boxes are not rusted up.

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  7. Avatar RoughDiamond

    Posted 12 days ago and the listing is still up. May be sold, but if not, there must be some issues with the car and it’s not the bargain it seems to be.

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  8. Avatar Scott

    Black dash and blue carpets? There is something fishy here.

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    • Avatar Luki

      All Beetle dashes are black.

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      • Avatar Luki

        Correction. All padded Beetle dashes are black.

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  9. Avatar John P

    …maybe it’s been 12 days because all the cheap bastards not willing to pay a fair price have been turned down as they should be.. And-that carpet is grey–likely a replacement TMI interior product.. Clean and honest car as stated above as seen in pics-

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  10. Avatar stillrunners

    This is a nice one same color as one of my buddie’s had in about 1974….I was parting out bug’s sorta before I got to driving in the early seventies….you could get them for free…..sell as many parts you could….and still get $100 for the pan/chassie – for those dune buggy guys….

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  11. Avatar the gezzer

    Great engineering but don’t get in a head on…..ouch! Poor Corvair. ..just not politically correct.

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  12. Avatar David Miraglia

    Owned a few VW’s, Rabbits and a Scirroco. Always wanted a Beetle.

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  13. Avatar Dave

    judging by the reflectors on rear bumper its a 70

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