FS: 1974 Super Beetle exc. condition with icy cold A/C

......................Specialty cars like an air-cooled bug can't really be accurately appraised by the NADA or any of the other services that banks and other loaning companies use. To find out what a car like that is going for, check-out thesamba.com or autotrader.com and see what a bug in your part of the country (Texas?) is going for. This is what's called marketplace value and may not represent what you've invested or what you 'think' that it's worth. Of course, you may indeed find the right buyer who's willing to pay $5k+ for a super beetle that's as nice as your's appears to be. To a real enthusiast who knows what's out there, I'd guess that 3 to 4 thousand would be a ballpark price. It's important to remember that you usually can't get back your investment in an older car unless it's an especially desirable model where buyers have to compete with each other for a model that's not very easily found. A good example of this is the escalating prices in recent years for '67 and earlier buses.

...........Good luck!

You could also try looking at completed auctions on Ebay to find selling prices (not just asking prices) and the level of interest / number of bids (and range) for similar cars.

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" ..... I ain't no bandleader!!"

Thanks for the reference, Tim. While I was there, I went ahead and posted an ad with more pictures so you all can get a better idea of what it looks like inside & out.

Any additional feedback welcome.

I know the feeling. Even at the "high" 5500 asking price, which I know I'll have to negotiate down from, it's quite a loss to me. :( I'm not out to rip people off, just would like to keep the loss in a reasonable range. :)

Thanks for the suggestion, Jack, but sadly, I cannot find any "sold" records for any pre-98 beetles on ebay. I see several for sale, ranging from basket cases, to running but need TLC, to 7k+ '79 convertibles. Mine doesn't really fit in any of those categories, so it's hard to tell what I should be asking. As mentioned in a previous post, I went ahead and posted on TheSamba with pictures so maybe I'll get more feedback. I am considering lowering the asking price just under 5k, but going below 4k represents too great a loss -- it would be worth more to me to store it for 10 yrs and then see it appreciate in value more.

-Matt in TX '74 Super 'Blue'

This is just my opinion on the value of your car. Naturally it is worth whatever a buyer is willing to pay. Maybe their is less available in your area, as compared to others. I think the NADA average that you are seeing is a little high. The estimate from NADA does not even ask you what options the car has, or even the miles. It doesn't ask any questions about the car except the year, and ammount of doors. Then is spits out a price. It doesn't know if the engine has been recently rebuilt, or if you used German parts for repairs as compared to Brazillian. Very clearly, the estimate could not be near accurate without knowing any important information of the car. I'd say the prices quoted are a very broad estimate. Your car is very nice, much nicer than most I have seen. I'm just stating my opinion, and it most likely is wrong. It's just something to consider. In the past months of being in South Carolina, I have seen several really nice bugs for sale at an average of $2,500. Then again, I seen a 74 with dents on every panel for $1,200, and a couple completely restored ones go for $8,000. Keep this in mind.. With everyday you keep a classic, it has the chance to go up in value. Also with everyday of owning a classic, it also has the possibility to deterorate, wear, and break. Someone on here once told me that it is the cost to own an antique. The next time you start the engine to show it to someone, an internal part could go. The more you hold out on selling a car over lets say $500 - $1000, the more you could actually lose yourself. An engine rebuild could quite possibly cost $2000+ easily.

Thanks for the feedback. The location/area seems to play a big factor. When I searched on ebay looking for completed items, as I reported in a previous post, I couldn't find ANY. I went back later and found that's because I had limited my search to just my area. When I included all areas, I found results similar to what you mentioned for your area.

I remember when I first bought my super, I had a really difficult time finding one in good condition, or really any at all for that matter in the Houston area, and maybe only one with working A/C. I had to take a road trip to Dallas as it was to get this one, and at the time, the A/C was broken. It ended up costing me as much for buying a brand new A/C system to rebuild this one, so I kinda got burned on that. You would think there would be more available in this area because of the favorable weather conditions (no salted roads, etc), but that just wasn't my experience. I agree that holding on to her for too long is a gamble, and I certainly wouldn't hold out over a $500 squabble. I'll just give it a little time, and adjust if needed.