This 1962 VW Beetle has been parked in the original owner’s Las Vegas, Nevada garage since 1980. The car was given to her by her father when she went off to college in ’62 and it has stayed with her ever since. After being exhumed and given a good cleaning, this Bug is now for sell and can be found here on eBay.
After a good cleaning, the original paint looks bright and shiny. There are however a few problem areas, as the original owner had a friend do some body work on a couple dings. After the body work was completed the car was never repainted, so there is some visible body filler and light rust where the paint was removed and not protected.
The interior is original, but is in need of some attention. The driver’s seat needs new upholstery and a there are a few trim pieces missing here and there. We would also check under the floor mats for rust, but the underside of the car looks solid. 1962 was the last year to wear the Wolfsburg badges, but this one is missing its Wolfsburg horn button.
If it wasn’t for this unfinished body work, the car would look almost like new. We would visit a good paint shop and see if they can match the original paint and just paint the problem areas without repainting the whole car, as it would be a shame to lose the look of the original paint.
Here is a video of the original owner sharing the story and history behind her Bug. It also contains footage of the car running and driving. The car’s original 1.2l air-cooled boxer 4 seems to be running nicely and it sounds great. At the current bid of $3,383, this Bug is a bargain and will be a fun budget project.
Source: eBay
Cool VW. My very first car was a 61 Beetle, that I got from my Grandmother. She bought it new. Fun ride. Nice looking car.
Between JC Whitney, and The Beetle Shop in Rockland, Pa, this car would be back to new with very little money or effort. Had a 74 Super Beetle that I restored, loved that car.
Had a 61 or 62. No gas gauge but had a lever to switch to reserve when you ran out. Fill up for less than $10. Very easy car to roll! Did it with two of them.
Yours was a ’61, last year for no gas gauge(with reserve lever), the single driver side only flimsy hood prop (causing many pre-62 hoods to fracture due to not pulling up first before lowering down), and the small oval “snowflake” taillights.
At first glance the car looks pretty good. Then with closer view the cash register began to go cha-ching. Such a shame that they decided to store heavy items on roof of car. Close look shows that it is rather crinkled. Similar to someone sitting on it. Around the pedal area is pretty scary. Same with headliner. Still looking for one like it but not as worn as this one is from garage abuse.
Either Karen Palmer is an expert used car salesperson, or she has had some expert help. The eBay listing is better than 95% of car listings, and more believable too. How many people know enough to get good sharp closeups of the VIN tag and engine numbers, plus the underside? Not only that, but she/her assitant also got remarkably good shots of the original glass markings.
The only mistake, and it’s a major one, is to run it for only 3 days. Should have been 10 days for the best sale price.
I had a car exactly like this (same year, except except black) for 8 years of schooling in two rust belt locations including Montreal, which was a killer on cars. The thing had only a 6 volt system but started every time, even at zero degrees. Bought it for $600, sold it for $150 eight years later, cost me $50 depreciation per year for the 8 years. Cheapest car to own I ever had.
A 3-day listing means no bidders have had a chance to personally examine the car.
this is one of those great cars that you could put $4,000 in to and end up with a car that is worth $3,000. hahahah
They definitely still have their charm, I owned a 59 and a 70. the Superbeetle, lost some of that simplicity.
We had three VW’s in the family, 55 and 58 black/red convertibles and a 65 with sunroof. The construction quality on the Karmann convertibles was awesome. My two sisters and I learned to drive on them. If you could drive a beetle, you could drive anything. I still have the actual VW shop manual from 55 and it makes interesting reading. You could draw the wiring diagram in 15 minutes. If you can get an original one to drive now, you’ll be happy on how much progress we’ve made. Not a car for keeping up with traffic, but still a fun drive to the Saturday morning car get together.
My grandmother sold a 1961 VW in the mid 70s to a neighborhood kid for $100. He drove the car from Wilton, CT to Southern California. Those cars were so durable.
This car has so much charm, it just says take me home and give me a little body work and I’ll your bestest friend for ever. I want it,