Though I’ve never been close to becoming a house flipper, it’s immensely appealing – especially given the treasures that might be found in the garage. A tired Karmann Ghia may not be the treasure most of us hope for, but it’s far from the worst car to discover if you’re hoping to make your investment property start earning before you even lay on the first coat of paint. The seller doesn’t know much about the car – big surprise there – but it does at least come with a title, which I’m guessing was found in the glovebox. Find the ’72 Karmann Ghia coupe here on craigslist with an asking price of $3,500.
With the debris cleaned off, it doesn’t look half bad, and certainly better than I was expecting. The rear quarters have some rust, and like most air-cooleds from this era, the floorboards almost certainly need work. There’s some missing trim along the lower portions of the doors, but I doubt it was removed in preparation for a restoration; rather, I suspect they just went missing over time and it seems doubtful the previous owner cared enough to replace them. What surprised me is in checking out other for sale listings for Karmann Ghias of this same era in rough, project condition are commanding far more money than they were ten years ago, and it seems like the seller saw the same results I did given his ask here.
Now, there’s a big difference between asking a price and actually getting in, especially for a car like this with zero history and no keys. The seller does, at least, provide multiple photos revealing this is a complete car, with the interior and engine still accounted for, both good signs for the next caretaker of this forgotten Karmann Ghia. The interior is, frankly, in far better shape than I was expecting, with untorn vinyl buckets and decent carpeting. The door panels look especially good, with no obvious damage and the map pockets not showing any signs of sagging. The odometer reads 11,999, and while there’s some evidence of surprisingly strong levels of preservation, I doubt this is a low mileage car.
The Karmann Ghia may have been repainted based on the other photos that show the paint peeling off of the engine lid. However, the red finish extends into the door jambs and under the hood and storage compartment lid, so perhaps the color is correct but a later respray didn’t have the same quality control levels as the factory finish. Take a look at some of the other details, though: the fuse panel shows all OEM fuses with bright VW lettering still visible, and the engine compartment looks surprisingly clean. The panel with the VIN plate appears quite nice, with none of the typical bleed-over associated with a respray. This Karmann Ghia is a fantastic flip house find, and hopefully, it’s solid enough to warrant restoration.
A tip of the hat to the seller-especially for their perseverance in digging this out from under that mess. It’s apparent that the mice are ticked off about losing their Gasthaus but someone dedicated to the preservation of VW’s Common Gear, rather, Karmann Ghia might find a good deal here!
What’s next, “Trash Compactor Finds?”
“From Trash to Treasure, we Have Your Pleasure.”
Just sayin’ (for a friend.)
🥴😆
Well worth it in fairly good condition. Lucky buyer. Usually, the only things found in ‘flip’ houses are trash, cockroaches, and rats!
Back in the early 70s I remember reading a comparison test between one of these and a Triumph Spitfire. The Ghia had a top speed of 89 mph compared to the Spitfire s 87.
Who has ever got a stock ghia up to 89 mph? Maybe 75.
Back in the day I recall these things being faster than Porsche Speedsters. But that may be an urban legend.
Once upon a time, one of the car magazines had an article about a karmann Gaia being given a speedster treatment. Porsche engine, cut windshield, lowered . Great look.
Karmann Ghia. Living proof that the Italians invented rust and licenced it to the Germans….
Steve, PLEASE don’t let Bill Gated Community know about licensing rust…ok???
Ha ha , i owed a 67 ghia it was 50 percent VW and 50 percent P38
Always loved Karmann Ghias. And they had the best ads.
https://youtu.be/7p90_8JJQUI
Keys have to be somewhere in the car or the house – keep looking!
The real interest in Karmann Ghias would be the 67 and earlier models . . . the earlier the better.
Ghias liked to rot from the inside out. Seeing the bad quarters & non-existent rockers, methinks there’s more here than we see. Even if the floors are good, start tapping around above the headlights & the base of the A-pillars, & you’re bound to find more cancer. As for the quarters, if you don’t fix them right, they’ll crack above the wheel wells: they’re the only thing holding the rear of the body up.
I’ve always loved the Ghia Coupe, and I’ve had a couple, but again, it’s the rot you *don’t* see that gets you. $3500? way too high. Maybe a grand, if it runs. LOTS of work here.
I know where one is in alot better shape. It has been in storeage and you can walk around it and see it good . She was asking $2,400. That was awhile back. I THOUGHT I liked them until I sat in it. The seat sat real low and felt uncomfortabel as all get out. You couldn,t hardly see over the hood. Its in alot better shape then this one. Its a reddish color.
Hi Hello Johnny. do you have a way to contact her?
No keys, no problem. Grab a new pair of door handles & an ignition lock, & you can have them changed in under half an hour. As stated, the big issue is the rot, (most every panel on a Ghia is structural). Could have had a free ’68 with a Type IV conversion a few years ago (long story) that looked better than this….until we started poking. Then there was the stuck motor. We took a hard pass.
It has a broken nose.
Being from California, and having worked on many VW’s, I don’t recall Ghias being anywhere near as bad as Bugs when it came to rust. I had a 66 Ghia until some scumbag stole it, and it didn’t have a speck of rust anywhere. Bug floorpan replacements were pretty common, my last 66 Bug got the treatment.
I wouldn’t pay more than a thou for this crusty pile. If it were sitting by the side of the road, I wouldn’t slow to look at it.
I had a 73 Ghia convertible that I put a 2.0 911 flat six in. Made the car a blast to drive. Fit in perfect and the hood would close.
Typical rust bucket from the north. Spend $20K or $25K (or even more) restoring it properly and you’ve got yourself a car worth $12k on a good day. If it were a convertible it might be worth a second look. However, what this car appears to be is unmolested, all original, and an excellent parts or donor car to help in restoring another. With that said, $1500-$1800 tops in today’s market, running or not.
Back in the day…..had a ’64 convertible. Fun car and very reliable.
My first car was a 63 Triumph TR4. I didn’t have a driver’s license yet and I rebuilt the car while it was in my parents basement. My first driver was a Ghia. Don’t remember the year but it was before the bumper change. I loved that car. Drove it until the engine died. I even put Hi-Jacker shocks on it. All the muscle car guys in the 70s were putting Hi-Jacker air adjustable shocks on their cars. Not a good idea on a light Ghia. My Geometry teacher passed me one day, so by god I was going to catch up to her. I entered the first curve, while simultaneously eating an ice cream cone, I lost the Ghia, doing at least a 180. Thankfully we never left the road. Pretty sure it was because of the unstable rear end thanks to the Hi- Jackers. I had a line of ice cream horizontal on the windshield thanks to the g force in the spin. A lot of firsts for me in that car. I’d like to find one with little rust.