1979 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Convertible

4 - Cyl.

Manual

Gasoline

This is a link to 36 high resolution pictures for your viewing pleasuer - 1979 VW Super Beetle ConvertibleJust a little history on the ’79 VW Bug in case you didn’t know or were not aware. In 1979 all VWs were Super Beetle Karman Convertible Editions. This was the very last year of production and distribution of the VW Beetle in the USA. The demand was so great and Volkswagen had so many orders for the little bug they were given permission to continue building and delivering the Super Beetle Convertibles into the 1980 model year. All of these orders/vehicles however were sold and titled as 1979 vehicles (regardless of the fact that some actually had production and delivery dates in the 1980 calendar year) for emission standard reasons. Back to this vehicle - The build date for this Bug is 12/79 which makes it one of the last bugs produced in the US market. The vehicle was originally purchased by a husband and wife from Chestertown, MD who had a motorhome and wanted to use their new lemon yellow convertible VW as a tow vehicle behind their RV during their annual pilgrimage to and from Florida. The annual trip to and from FL added approximately 2,000 miles each year to the VW’s odometer while it was being towed behind their RV. After approximately 10-12 years of FL vacationing, the husband passed away and the wife sold their RV which terminated the annual FL towing trips for their VW. Each spring upon returning home from FL, they washed their VW and stored it in a barn where it remained unused until the following year when it was pulled out for another trip. Following the death of her husband and having sold her RV, the wife actually forgot about the VW which had been tucked away in an out building on her property by her husband prior to his death for several more years. The second owner of the vehicle, an avid 1979 VW enthusiast, was told about the VW and traveled from NJ to MD to inspect the car. From his account, there was so much furniture piled around and on top of the vehicle he needed to return at a later time in order to give the first owner an opportunity to remove the stock piled furniture so that the vehicle could be seen and inspected. Once the car was uncovered it was filthy and covered with years and years of accumulated dirt. Nonetheless he brought the car back to his small shop in NJ and went through the fuel system, cleaned the vehicle from top to bottom, and got the vehicle running. At the time of his find, the vehicle had approximately 36,000 (and change) original miles on the odometer of which 20,000 to 24,000 miles were actually accumulated while being towed behind the first owner’s RV. Being forced to relocate from NJ to NY due to his wife’s employment, he only owned the VW for approximately a year, taking it to a few car shows during his ownership. I purchased and towed the VW to its new home in DE about 2 years ago. When I first inspected the vehicle, I was amazed at the VWs condition, amazing is an understatement. It had never been painted and was still wearing its factory single stage Lemon Yellow Paint. The RV BlueOx Baseplate for towing was still mounted on the front of the vehicle! The odometer was still showing approximately 36k miles and the engine and transmission had never been rebuilt or disturbed. From years of being towed behind an RV, the front paint on the vehicle and inner wheel wells had their share of paint chips which the second owner attempted to touch up with some factory matching paint he had acquired – his brush work was not the best idea he had. The interior was still original, a light tan vinyl. I know, I know what you are saying, lemon yellow paint, a black convertible top, a white headliner, and TAN VINYL INTERIOR? - WHAT WAS VW THINKING WHEN THEY PUT THIS ONE TOGETHER? Maybe VW was using up what they had left on the shelf since the build date on this car is so late in the 1979 model year/run, I just cannot imagine why they would use the tan vinyl interior with the yellow paint and black convertible top combination. So once I got the car, I eventually decided to bring some new life back into it. Mechanically the car needed nothing since the engine and transmission to this day likely have less than 15k actual road miles of use on them. I did change the engine and transmission oils, put in new spark plugs, plug wires, air filter, condenser, points, distributor cap EGR valve, fuel filters (there are two), etc. This past winter (2010), I decided to replace the original brake shoes with new ones. While I was at it, I repacked the front wheel bearings, changed all the brake wheel cylinders, all rubber brake hoses, the master brake cylinder, and of course the brake fluid. The brake drums were/are like new (hard to believe but this is just further evidence of the actual mileage on this vehicle) so I opted to not turn them but I did paint them (I have this thing about rust, I just hate it!) The car stops on a dime and doesn’t pull left or right. I only went through the brake system to increase my comfort level while using the car – 32 year old brake components are not something I wanted to trust my life with and risk damaging this investment because I hadn’t replaced them. Once I had gotten the vehicle home, I removed the fenders, hood, engine lid, bumpers, interior, & all chrome. The floor pans are original and are in mint condition. I did remove some surface rust on both the interior and exterior of the floor pans, repainted the interior of the floor pans with 3 coats of Rustoleum paint and re-undercoated the exterior portion of the floor pans. There were/are no holes in the pans anywhere (even under the battery) and NO metal repairs were made during the frame on restoration. New shocks were added and the front struts were also rebuilt. Since I had the body virtually disassembled, I removed most of the original paint and then primed and repainted the vehicle with a period correct single stage paint process. It looks very nice, not perfect, but it is likely a better paint job on the car today than what it came with out of the factory back in 1979. The convertible top had a small eraser size hole in the middle (probably resulting from stacking furniture on it while it was in storage). Since I was adding fresh paint, I replaced the top and interior white headliner (yes originally it was a white headliner which makes the car a bit “brighter” inside when you are sitting in it with the top up). The glass is all original and has no chips, cracks, and/or damage. I did replace the rear bumper last year but I saved the OEM bumper and the new owner can have it if they wish. The front bumper is in good condition but not perfect (it is 32 years old). I did paint the inside of both front and rear bumpers with rustoleum paint since they tend to rust over time From the pictures you can tell the interior has been changed, the tan vinyl was removed and replaced with new black tweed door panels, carpeting, and seating fabric. I opted for fabric/black tweed upholstery because I too use the VW as a tow vehicle behind my RV. When I camp the top is almost always down (unless I’m towing the car) and there is nothing worse than sitting on vinyl seats that have been parked in the sun for more than 1 minute on a hot summer day! The interior, top, and mechanical condition is as close to new as you will likely ever find today on any 1979 VW. I did add a pair of 8” speakers in a removable box just behind the rear seat. The amp is under the rear seat and I used the rear window defogger circuit to power the new amp which works with the stock AM/FM radio. The added speakers and amp can be unplugged and removed if so desired. The rear window defogger circuit is still in its factory location under the seat and the relay can just be plugged back in should the amp be removed. This is the ONLY modification made to this original time capsule. The car runs great, doesn’t leak oil through the pushrod drip tubes (if you have ever owned one these cars in the past you know this is unbelievable), starts right up, retains its 100% stock fuel injection system, doesn’t shake rattle or wander as it moves down the road, and yes even the quartz OEM clock still works and only looses a minute or two over a month’s time. Currently the odometer shows less than 39,000 miles. During my 2 year ownership I have towed the vehicle behind my RV approximately 3,000 miles. This is a very cool and economical piece of history and transportation. Anyone is welcome to come and inspect the vehicle. This is being sold as is, it is a used vehicle and I have a clear titled in my name, I am not a dealer. The vehicle has no odors and has no evidence of ever being smoked in. If you have any questions please feel free to call me (Joe) 302-697-3165. The rear license plate/tag number that is on the vehicle is 'NOT' included with this sale. If the winning bidder refuses the vehicle because they feel I have misrepresented it in some way, a refund for their deposit minus Paypal and auction listing fees will be issued. A $500 Paypal deposit is due within 24 hours at the close of the auction unless other arrangements are made prior to the end of the auction. Shipping costs are the responsibility of the winning bidder but I will help loading the vehicle if I am available. Car and/or title will not be released until funds have cleared my bank. WARNING - BID EARLY - This auction may be terminated since the vehicle is for sale locally. Here is a link to view additional pictures if you would like to see more: 1979 VW Super Beetle Convertible