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What should I bid? A 74 Ghia at an auto auction....

Hello all!

I really need your expertise and advice on this one, so please, any help at all is most appreciated!

I am a newbie air-cooled owner. My wife and I bought a '73 Thing a little over a year ago in very good condition. Very pleased with it. However, I found out this weekend that a '74 Ghia will be up for auction later this week..

I sneaked into the lot this morning and checked out what I could. From my investigation into this car, it appears that it was last running in

1987 (I found some paper with that year on it). All the tires are flat. The paint is considerably faded, and there is only the slightest amount of cosmetic rust on the nose (smaller than a dime). The doors appear pretty solid and close all the way. The floor pans appeared (to me) to be okay, but there wasn't the greatest way to examine them considering the tires being flat. There is some rust on both rocker panels, but it looks fixable with some sand-blasting and Bondo. The dash's vinyl is cracked in various spots. Everything else looks stock, although there was noticeable over-spray onto the carpet near the doors which indicates there more than likely was a re-paint at some point.

I think it is safe to assume this car has not run in almost 20 years and I don't imagine the auction lot is gonna even try to start the engine (if they even have a key!). It is probably being sold "AS IS" with little or no documentation (salvage title?).

My question is this: considering what I just presented, what would YOU bid on this car? What issues are involved with a car that hasn't run in almost 20 years? The brakes are probably shot, but what else should I be worried about? There is no way to test the transmission and what if that was the reason why it was abandoned in 1987? I am somewhat of a shade-tree mechanic with my others cars (a '73 MG Midget and a '78 Toyota Land Cruiser), but have never worked on a VW before. Are parts plentiful? Affordable? Are repairs easily done at home, or do I need an expert VW mechanic? Plus, I am NOT interested in replacing a whole engine, let alone a transmission at his point in time.

The bidding starts at $50.00. Should I stay under $1,000.00 or bid no more than $500.00 and store it until I am ready to fully invest my time and money into it?

I've always loved Ghias and now is a somewhat unique opportunity to get one with what appears to be a pretty solid body, but a very questionable engine and transmission. So, what would you guys do?

THANKS!

- Darren

BTW - this car is in central Ohio, and the speedometer reads 75,000... if that helps.

Reply to
WIZARDGLIK
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the engine and transaxle should be the least of your worries due to the availability of reasonable replacements....the only issue that sticks out from your description is the rust in the rockers....they are the major structure(in effect the "frame) of the vehicle.... sandblasting and "bondo" won't cut it here....rocker replacement pannels are available and inexpensive....the 74 is the last year for the ghia and often times shuned by enthusiasts.(as are late model type 1 sedans). i own a 73 ghia and love it. i'd go no higher than 500 bucks if it were me, but i also would be prepared to do any/all rust repair myself.... on another note, it is hard to find one on the east coast that doesn't need metal replacement.....

Reply to
Joey Tribiani

How "do-able" is replacing the rocker panels at home? I'm pretty handy, but I''ve never done any welding (maybe it's time I started!). Can they be replaced with rivets or do I need them professionally welded on? I've been doing alot of rust repair on my Land Cruiser (sand-blasting, POR-15, Bondo, some rivet work) but no welding. Thanks!

Reply to
WIZARDGLIK

it is very do-able..... pop rivets would not be my first choice due to chasis flexing working them loose over time...the "rocker" is made up of an inner and outer shell and the heat runs the length to supply cabin heat.... it if is a convertible(didn't get that impression, but) it also has a stiffening plate inside the rocker....the replacement panels are available from several online suppliers....here is a picture of a rocker that is removed from the vehicle:

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Reply to
Joey Tribiani

I wouldn't worry too much about the transmission. They're usually pretty trouble-free. Engine is fairly cheap to rebuild/replace. Rockers are going to need welding as bondo will be asking for more trouble down the road. You might want to really check out the nose and make sure it hasn't been popped at some point. I'd be prepared to go $500 but you may get it lower than that. Andy

Reply to
Busman

What do I need to look for to determine if the nose has been "popped"? Like I mentioned earlier, there is a small amount of surface rust on the nose (smaller than a dime), but it looked like all it needed was a good sanding. I have an hour to examine the vehicle before bidding starts. Thanks!

- Darren

Reply to
WIZARDGLIK

I have been to auctions. "Bidding Fever" takes over pretty quickly and you may find yourself bidding against people who know even less than you do on this car. therefore , auctions are usually a waste of time or even if you do win. It's a pig - inna poke. A car with more troubles than you wished for. Avoid this Car! it is probably no "bargain"

Reply to
A Veteran for Peace

You want to look inside the hood at the back side of the nose and see if it has been damaged. The nose is fairly close to even with the front bumper so even a minor tap of the bumper can cause nose damage. If it was me (and I was buying another Ghia), I'd much rather see slight damage than a bunch of bondo. I've only had one Ghia (a 71) and was very fortunate that it had minimal rust, low miles, and no body damage. Unfortunatly, getting t-boned by a mid-80s 1/2 ton pickup made that unimportant. The car was put back on the road with a bunch of work but not with me driving it. Sounds like you may have found a pretty good deal. Andy

Reply to
Busman

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