There’s no doubt about it: Barn Finds reader Michael certainly refers an eclectic range of cars to us. I recently wrote an article on a 1966 Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible that he referred. Now we have something that is a complete polar opposite. Ladies and gentleman, may I present the Volkswagen Thing! Located in Palm Desert, California and listed for sale here on Craigslist with a clean title and a price of $17,000 I’d like to thank Michael for referring this one to us.
In Australia we didn’t receive the Thing. VW Australia decided to develop its own version called the VW Country Buggy. It was supposed to be amphibious, but definitely wasn’t. The only thing that sank faster than a Country Buggy in water was its sales in the showroom. This Thing is a rather nice looking car….in a strange way. I know that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s just quirky enough to be interesting. This example appears to be in quite good order. The seller states that the soft-top and roof frame are new, at a cost of $1,800. That’s not a bad little bonus when buying a car like this. The seller also states that the paintwork is all original.
On most modern cars the list of standard features and comfort appointments is so long that it is easy to forget some of them. To forget these items in a Thing is pretty well unforgivable. Once you work your way past the aftermarket steering wheel and the front seats from a later model Volkswagen (the originals of both are also included), there is precious little left in the way of comfort or optional equipment to discuss. That being said, the interior appears to be in good shape. The thing that has always worried me about these is the fact that you can plainly see that there are no intrusion bars in the doors. I never fancy the idea of being t-boned in any car, but the Thing takes that aversion to an extreme.
The great thing about the Thing is that it is all good old VW running gear under that quirky body. That means that the vast majority of the maintenance is fairly straight forward, and that the engine should be quite long-lived if it is maintained properly. The seller states that this is a survivor car, and that everything is original. I will admit that it appears to be quite good under the hood. The thing about air-cooled Volkswagens is that they can become quite tatty and frayed looking if they are neglected. This all looks really clean, so there is cause for optimism there.
If you aspire to owning a Thing, then this car has a lot to recommend it. Checking prices online puts this at the bottom-end of average pricing for similar cars. As a daily driver in colder climates this is not suitable, but I can imagine someone having one of these in the garage at their beach-side holiday home for general running around to the beach, shops, etc. I really like quirky cars, but as I sit here in Tasmania in the middle of Winter this holds slightly less attraction to me. However, come the warmer weather and that could change. Anyone fancy a trip to the beach? I’m driving!
I want to see the prices of these go up and up.
I am going to send nice examples from Mexico to the US.
They were all made in Mexico anyway.
Now with the 25 year law, it will be easy.
All made in Mexico? Hardly. German production 70,000. Mexican production 20,000.
Whether the price is in the ball park or not depends entirely on the condition. If it is in fact truly original and *if* it’s as nice as it looks, he’s not so far out of line. Hagerty has it at 22K in #2 condition, $15.5K in #3 condition.
As with any other model, you can always find some other example for half the price or less that *looks* nice in the picture. But in the world of collector cars, condition and originality are everything. These aren’t fungible goods, like new cars are. It just depends on what level you want to play at. :)
Always appreciate your comments, Miguel.
Absolutely ridiculous price for this.
If it actually sells for this Miguel should get a car carrier and bring ’em up en masse! Crazy baby!
On another point, if it is an original Cali car, its original blue and yellow plates are gone. Those are circa 1995 plates. In beautiful condition but 17 large?
When I was a pre-teen in the early 80s, my cub scout leader had one of these. It rode like a shopping cart. I guess since there’s so few left, some collector will be willing to pay for one, but not me. Just don’t get it wet, they rotted very easily.
There are a few nice ones here.
Here is one for 1/3 this price.
By the way, this is a 1979 Model.
Here is another one, a 1971 Model it says, again for 1/3 the price of the listed car.
Miguel can these be sent north of the Border? If so we need to talk!
Yes they can. Any car over 25 years old can be brought in, but they might have a problem getting smogged in California if it is newer than 1975.
The listed car looks like it is sitting really high in the back.
Some of you have seen this before, but for those that have not, here is my 74 VW Safari I have parked in Mexico. Yes, it is slow and rides like a shopping cart especially on the cobblestone streets of Puerto Vallarta. But, it never stops running.
Thanks for the pitchers !
Yours looks nice too (vw that is )
😆
Seriously thanks for sharing!
Pitchers? Of water,beer or milk?
I hate cobblestone streets. I want to keep the fillings I have in my teeth.
Did you add seat belts to your car?
No kidding, Miguel. Cobblestones + Safari make for a real spine rattling ride. Seat belts were in it when I bought it. With the engine noise and everything else rattling, you can hear me coming a mile away.
I have gotten stopped probably 10 times where I am for not having my seat belt on.
I have had to educate quite a few transit officers that Mexican cars never had seat belts from the factory, but I did install them.
They are only lap belts, but I always wear them and I make everybody else in the car wear them.
Could you imagine a 1974 Dodge Dart 4 door family car being sold new in the US with no seat belts? There is a space for them, lap and shoulder belt, but they were not installed from the factory.
My younger brother used to shut off the engine and coast down the hill to our house so that our parents couldn’t hear him coming home late.
I am probably the only gringo that has never been stopped in Mexico. Probably because I have Mexican license plates and drive a commonly seen vehicle.
You should try it, it is fun.
I had one officer try to tell me he could tell me exactly how fast a car was going by looking at it.
I laughed at him.
I said please give me the ticket so I can ask your supervisor how it is that you can do something no other human being can do.
He gave me back me drivers license and sent me on my way.
I know many that have been pulled over for not slowing down for the topes. I certainly would never be pulled over for speeding in my Safari! Not even downhill.
That would be a funny reason to get pulled over. I can’t think of a law that says yo have to slow down for a speed bump, if you are not going faster than the limit in the area.
Watch, now you will get pulled over next time you drive. Murphy’s Law.
Miguel, you should be stockpiling Things right now. As to Mexican cops I’ve never had a problem. Not once.
Back to this Thing…..it’s about 15 or so miles from me. The local consignment lot had one at $17,000 recently. It’s gone but haven’t asked what or if it sold for…it was nice enough.
Rich,
I guess we are neighbors. Its only a few miles from me as well.
Looks like a ’73, if it’s US model. ’74s have those bulbous cooling intakes like Miguel’s, and there were none officially imported for ’75. That’s a nice, clean one, but seems really overpriced.
Having once owned a ’73, I was disappointed not to see any on my trip to the Yucatán last Summer.
Four door convertibles are rare ford continental is about the only other one that comes to me when I think about it (have to admit I would buy the ford)
Love these. I would like to have the gas heater out of it. They work really well!
I thought only ‘73, and ‘74’s were imported to the U.S. other years came from Brazil, I think.
I grew up in Florida, they were everywhere it seemed! Especially at the beaches! Always did want one, but never did!
‘ Intrusion bars ‘ the writer of this article is obviously a mere puppy !
Any VW will do
I bought one new back in the late ‘70’s (I was a drunk back then). As I recall, it cost less than $10 K brand new.
James, what country were you living in?
Rusty and Jack are correct. The US models were only 1973 and 1974. The easiest way to tell them apart is in 1973 they came with the gasoline fired heaters and missing the the covers over the air intake in the rear quarter panels. The 1974 has the covers and the heater was supplied like the new bugs of the time through the fan shroud.
The price of this Thing is inline with current California Things. I currently own an Acapulco Model and will be selling it next spring. $$$ As for the ride and speed, It’s a Volkswagen they weren’t know for their 0-60 and air like ride as the American cars had of that era.
My brother had a 73 that I drove for a bit when he was out of the country. Fun cars. Although they needed a windshield wiper on the inside as well.
This is a 73 unless it was a Mexican grey market import.
I saw one here in the early 70’s that had been refinished in Afrika Korps livery complete with spare wheel and tire on the hood and the owner was catching a lot of static from an older man that wanted to know why he wanted it to look like that with the palm tree and hakenkreuz (swastika) on the front doors.
The owner said the paint job was historically correct and if the old guy didn’t like it that was too bad.The owner was locally known as an admirer of the Third Reich and I thought he was half a bubble from level and I told him there were people living that had seen the real thing in Europe in WW2 and his answer was “It happened and they can live with it”.