1968 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic

Sedan

4 - Cyl.

Automatic

118258235

Gasoline

Survivor, time warp, original paint, time capsule, etc. These are all overused descriptions these days but I believe they apply to this Beetle. I recently bought this car here in Redding out of the estate of a gentleman who had recently passed away. It was garage kept and the most recent tag on the license plate is 2007. The clear California title is still in the previous owner's name and the car is not currently registered. The widow told me that they had bought the car from a neighbor intending to tow it behind their camper but that never happened. It basically just sat in their garage. Unfortunately, any other history or paperwork has been lost in the shuffle. The black plates and the license plate frames indicate that the car was purchased new here in Redding at a long defunct VW dealership. Lacking service records, I cannot verify that the 50,648 miles on the odometer are original but judging by the condition of the car this is certainly plausible. I have had my painter examine the car and he verifies the paint to be totally and 100% original. There are various small chips on the car that were brush touched at some point in the past with a paint that does not really match very well. I think these could be color sanded down to be almost invisible. There are some very small dings here and there that could probably be worked out by Dent Pro. There are also some small dings on some of the aluminum trim strips, an example is shown in the pictures. There are some small flaws in the bumpers as shown. Otherwise this car is in amazingly good condition and presents very well. All the glass is good but the original windshield has some hazing where the wipers ride. The interior appears to be 100% original except for seat covers to the front seats. Everything is in wonderful condition inside but there is a little bit of wear to the carpets on the sills. Everything works electrically. After sitting so long we had to recommission the car. The brakes were totally redone with new wheel cylinders, master cylinder, hoses and shoes, and the drums were turned. New shocks were fitted all around. Four new tires were fitted but I decided to leave the original Continental spare. A new battery was installed. The ignition was gone through and the valves adjusted. After all that, the car started right up and ran great. The AutoStick works perfectly although the vacuum servo for the clutch makes a little sound every time it operates. Steering, braking, and shifting are all as they should be and the car feels great running down the road. The A/C system is not operational but is totally complete. The idler pulley is not fitted as it is in the way of most everything but comes with the car. According to my books the engine case is not the original to this year. I read online that the A/C systems put a tremendous load on these little engines and caused them to fail prematurely, so even this is consistent with the indicated mileage. The engine drips some oil. We replaced the rocker cover gaskets so I am not sure if this leak is from a push rod tube or the dreaded oil cooler seals. Fixing this one will be up to the cars new owner. Underneath the car appears to be totally rust free and accident free. The front valance is pushed up a little bit, probably from a curb but this is very minor. The original toolkit and jack are present but there is no owner's handbook. In summary, this little car is not perfect but I cannot imagine finding an original car of this age in better condition. The flaws are all very minor and not really noticeable when looking at the car in a normal fashion. Condition and originality are everything these days and are highly valued in the collector car market. A little bit of work will take this car to the next level. Please examine the pictures carefully and if you have any questions contact us at kevinkay@pacbell.net or (530)241-8337. You may view larger and additional pictures here on our website. Thank you for looking!