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One of our readers sent in a GTI that they have listed for sale here on craigslist and we weren’t sure what to do with it at first. It is a VR6 model and the seller is only asking $1,000, but with 228k miles, a salvage title, and lots of problems, it should probably be used for parts or just dropped it off at the local scrapyard. I may have found a better use for it though. There’s a company called Eurospec that takes the 3.6 liter block from Porsche Cayenne and mates it with the 2.8 liter head found in this car. According to SuperStreet, the result is insane! It would be fun, but I’m not sure I could justify the expense. What do you guys think – would you drop $10k for a monster grocery getter?
At another time in my life, I might have been a buyer. Loved these things when new and have never forgotten the sound of a VR6 w/ an intake. Glorious.
Would make a great track car!
It’s strange to see vw’s being trashed in the USA. Could it be because they not popular. I would be like a child in a candy shop if I was offered a VW like this. Just looking what Barn Finds has to offer has become FIRST PRIORITY for me here in South Africa my dreams become reality………at least for a while
the best way to get rid of a car you dont want thats worthless is to donate it to charity.
its a waste of time and energy to take it to the scrap yard. I took a complete mercedes to pick n pull (not a bad looking car just didnt run) and they gave me $108
Sad. The car looks clean. If it has no rust even more sad. The salvage title shouldn’t be an issue. Obviously it was damaged earlier in it’s life so the miles are testimony that it was repaired correctly. One thing that will render it to a junk yard is that VW’s new are expensive to work on. When they get old and needy they are expensive to work on.
I remember buying my wife a new 2002 Beetle. Was charged $700. for a headlight bulb replacement. Didn’t know. Wife took it to the dealer on her own. Front had to be completely taken apart. Was going to have a local shop do a trans fluid change and bought 4 quarts of fluid for $67. at the dealer. The A/C conked out and the cost to fix it couldn’t be estimated without tearing into it. I was done. Funny I took the fluid back to the dealer and they didn’t have cash to return my money (I paid them cash too) Had to wait two weeks for a check. True story. If it were a Honda Hatch or Toyota there would be no issue as a salvage yard as an option for it.
Something interesting about a salvage title vehicle. In many areas a salvage rebuilt title vehicle makes sense when buying a late model car. This is especially true when you can get a new car for half price. For a driver that is great. In 20 years the value compared to one without would be essentially be the same.
What many do not know is that many (if any) banks won’t loan money on one. When buying insurance you must report that your car has a salvage title. Here is where it gets interesting. Many will only insure it for a percentage say 70 percent of the value of the same make and model with a clear title. You may be surprised to learn that a salvage vehicle carries a different rating so you are charged a higher premium. So you end up paying MORE and receiving less coverage in case of a loss.
The headlight bulb on your beetle is easy to change and there’s no need to dissamble anything. I don’t know how VW gets away with that. Just pop the bale loose, push iin the button that locks the lever down, and flip up the lever. The whole headlight assembly pops out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgOICCqUHkA for example.
One word: LeMons.
This would be an excellent donor vehicle for my ’87 Cabrio !
I think you guys in America have got it real easy when it comes to cars. Really nice models and as an avid volkswagen fanatic I just wish we had the models you guy’s have. Apart from dirt cheap I think if I lived there I would collect Volkswagens like there’s no end LOL. Apart from that I ENJOY reading the comments the chief in charge makes describing the models I CAN’T WAIT TO READ MY BARN FINDS
My bucket list has two cars on that I will die for to own and they are a Studebaker Golden Hawk and a 1958 Plymouth Fury. I have often read of then if and when they appeared on Barn Finds and my heart really WANTS ONE
Please keep up the good website I can’t get through my day without reading my Barn Finds email
Best wishes
Barn finds fanatic from South Africa