1974 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

4

Manual

1442612168

I've been asked by several lookers what happens if it doesn't sell. This is the 4th time I run it and I'm tired of making Ebay rich. So, I'll probably lower the front, remove the bumpers, strip all the paint off and clear over the bare metal, put a couple of sizes larger tires on the back and make a rat rod out of it. And then drive it. This a good daily driver Karmann Ghia. I got this car several months ago thinking I wanted a VW. After all these years I find I'm still not a VW person. Even though its a Karmann Ghia and looks sharp, its just not me. A little background. I bought it from a guy in Birmingham, AL that drove it to work almost daily. He was a banker and once a week he drove to Atlanta one day and back the next, most of the time in the Ghia and without lights (more on that later). The car was originally worm poop yellow/green and was painted red sometime ago. The paint job was average with the original paint showing up in window crevices, under the engine cover and front trunk area. This car was issued a new vin number at some time in its life by the state of California. So it was stolen, seized or something to cause the state of California to be in control of it. I have a clear title and this state issued number is on the title. The car starts up, runs and drives fine. It drives straight and I wouldn't hesitate to go anywhere in it. Has about 25-30psi oil pressure at idle and 40+ running down the road. I have no idea what size engine it is or if its ever had any work. It runs down the road is all I know. The engine has a little stumble if you sit at a traffic light for an extended time. Some of this may just be me since I drive trucks most of the time and used the torque of a V8. The transmission shifts into all gears fine. Brakes function as they should. There is a new alternator. As for the body, it is sound. The paint is faded in places but seems to polish up fairly nice. It has its share of dings and things. I've taken pictures of them. Nose is nice and looks to never have been damaged. You can see in the pictures the parts I've polished vs the other areas. In the rear view you can see a polished spot on the right above the engine cover up close to the top. All the glass is good. The top is nice and tight. However there is a place above the passenger side that looks like someone may have vandalized or tried to break into the car at one time. It has been repaired and doesn't leak but it is there. Top latches into place as it should. Overall it does a pretty good job of sealing out the elements. The floor pans are fair to good. I'm not an expert so looking at the pans from underneath they have some areas of concern but from the inside they are great. The package shelf area will need some further attention. I tack welded some panels in place just to seal up the holes but if I was going to keep it I would order the replacement panel for this area and fix it correctly. I wanted to keep out the road/engine noise and possible fumes. Pictures should answer any questions you have about this. The car had really cheap as in really uncomfortable aftermarket seats in it. One of the reasons I thought the pans were much worse than they actually are. However when I checked, I found the seat tracks in place and secure. I installed a set of original type Karmann Ghia seats in it. They look fine but could use a little sprucing up in the seat padding area, otherwise quite usable. When I got the car, the owner had put a new dash in it. he put just enough wiring back together to get the thing to run and he was good thus the comment about no lights. Although the wiring does not look that great it is wired back according to the diagrams and the circuits feed from the proper fuses. It has new blade type fuses. The only column switches that work are the windshield wiper controls. The turn signal, dimmer and horn do not work from the column. The hrn button is shorted and will blow all the time if hooked up. The dimmer circuit works if the column is bypassed as do the turn signals. None of the gauges worked and rather than try to deal with the originals, I bought and installed new VDO gauges in the dash. I also installed a new VDO clock in the position where the original clock went. All these gauges work perfectly. It has a new speedometer cable. It has a nice set of Continental tires on chrome wheels with hubcaps. It does have a spare and the original jack. Overall this is a good serviceable KG. Its not a $15,000 car and I'm not asking that for it. It is the kind of car that can be driven as you make upgrades. There are some center areas of the pans that will need attention but not major portions. It probably won't pass visual inspection for smog items if that's an issue in your state. Speedometer reads 00256 so I'm assuming 100256 on mileage, could be more could be less. And now for the tacky stuff. Please ask all questions and make all picture requests before bidding. I will do my best to get you a valid answer. IF YOU HAVE NEGATIVE OR ZERO FEEDBACK DON'T BID, PERIOD!! $500 non-refundable deposit required within 48 hours of auction end no exceptions. Complete payment within 7 days. Cashiers Check must clear before car is moved, otherwise cash at pickup only. Thanks for looking.