While it might look a bit crusty and dusty, this 1974 VW Super Beetle may represent a really good restoration project. However, this will ultimately depend on the price that the owner is willing to accept for the car. Barn Finder Jason C located the car for us, so thank you for that Jason. The Super Beetle is located in Elk River, Minnesota, and is listed for sale here on Facebook. Now is the time when we get to the sticking point. The owner is unsure of the car’s actual value, so it looks like if it’s a car that interests you, then you will be up for a bit of old-fashioned haggling.
From what the owner says, underneath all of that dust and other icky stuff that I don’t want to think about, there hides a car with a healthy body and frame. He says that the floors are solid, and from what we can see in the photos, there doesn’t appear to be any visible rust issues. It looks like the car has undergone a repaint at some point in the past. If this was done before the car was parked, then that dates it back at least 10-years. That means if there were any nasty surprises that were just patched up, then they should be visible by now. Given the fact that there’s nothing obvious, then this is cause for some optimism.
The owner says that the interior of the Beetle is in good condition, and on face value, I would tend to agree with him on that point. I can see a tear in the driver’s seat right at the bottom, but with those sheepskin covers in place, we don’t get a look at the rest of the seats. The dash looks good, but once again, the condition of the headliner and rear seat aren’t clear. Overall though, it does look quite promising.
It isn’t clear what sort of condition the Beetle is in mechanically, but the owner does inform us that it hasn’t run in 10-years. The engine itself looks quite clean, and this would be the 60hp version of the 1,600cc engine. The rear-mounted engine drives the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. The owner doesn’t give us much information in this case, so it’s probably a good thing that Facebook offers ample opportunities for potential buyers to ask the seller questions. The good thing is that parts for these are plentiful and relatively cheap, so it might not be an expensive proposition to get the car up and running again.
This VW Super Beetle offers a first for me as a Barn Finds writer. This is the first car that I’ve written about that has been for sale, and none of us have a clue what the asking price is. Are there any readers out there who are true VW aficionados, and if so, what do you think that the car is actually worth as it stands? More importantly, are there any of you who would be willing to pursue this further with a view to buying the car?
I have no clue what this is worth. I will say that this could make a fun Father-Daughter or Mother-Son project! That clean looking engine shows promise.
20 years ago I was working in South Carolina. They had just introduced a registration fee based on your car’s value. One person owned a Bug and were waving its title around on TV, telling the reporter that the state was welcome to buy the car for the $3000 they valued it at.
Looks like all the parts are there maybe clean the tank rebuild the carb and flush the fuel lines and it could be a driver!!
If the body has no rust issues other than surface, we would call it a possible driver. It would be worth BETWEEN 2500 AND 5000 as it sits on my area, and that is in not running condition. If it runs it might bump the value up 500 to 1000
No clue on it’s worth, but Dad had one that exhibited death wobble at about 50 mph. Easiest front suspension to rebuild I’d ever done.
It may have been repainted at some point in the past.
Right lol! Or undergone a repaintING!
Having owned a couple of old VW Bugs (hasn’t everyone owned them?), I always think of the simple basic design and the idiosyncratic driving experience, but what memories.
I also go back to the Woody Allen movie Sleeper, where a Beetle is found and starts right up after having sat for 200 years….. classic moment that has added to the reliability mystique.
Hard to say the value based on the description. First, the super beetle is the least sought after of the beetles. And relatively speaking, it’s not old. It looks like it’s all There, that’s a plus, but not running, that a minus. Typically someone parks a car for 10 years because there’s something wrong with it. Also Minnesota is not known for their rust free vehicles. I’d say $1000 max for a non runner with rust issues, to a max of $5000 for a Super that runs and has no rust. An absolute #1 which this isn’t may only fetch $10000 in a super.
There was a contest to see who could drop the engine the fastest in one of these. I think the winner was about 30 minutes, solo!
It’s actually 30 seconds. World record it 1 minute and 6 seconds for a complete exchange
This car is one I posted for my father in law. He has this one along with a ’70 beetle. While I am a Pontiac Guy, I am fast learning more about these bugs. I think this one should easily be able to get to a running status with a little work. The passenger seat is torn up a bit, which is surprising as the drivers seat is in far better shape. the back seat is in great shape. there is some rust. Hopefully I will be able to work on it soon…and therefore get a price on it.