I'm going to be purchasing a new 71 super beetle and I was ondering if I'm making a good deal and what I would need to purchase in advance, this will be the first car that I have ever worked on to this extent (I'm 18)
First off its not running and has been sitting in a yard in buckeye Arizona for about 5 years it has two engines with it, one of them the owner claims to be still working which is the original and another which he dropped and cracked the block on. He claims that the car was in great running condition before it was put in the yard I haven't seen it in person but from pictures which is very few I can tell there some rust on the hood down the center rib. That's all I really know he also says there's extra parts and a re-upholstry kit inside. I was wondering if $500 would be a good deal and what I would need to prepare for the get it running again.
All help or extra opinions are welcome!
Well, in my opinion, as long as it's not a complete rust bucket you can't go wrong for $500. When you go look at it make sure to look at the floorpan from underneath the car and look under the battery (under the rear seat). Look on the inside of the fenders too. If any of those areas look like they have more than just a little surface rust I would pass. Although there are some guys that can even revive Beetle's that are practically nothing but rust I wouldn't recommend that for an 18 year old looking for a first car to work on.
As far as getting it running, who knows? Sometimes these things can sit for a decade and fire right up but I wouldn't get too hopeful. Just make sure you can turn the engine over by hand to verify the pistons aren't frozen to the cylinders. Worst case scenario you can probably pick up a decent used, running engine for another $500 or less.
The trans itself is practically bulletproof inside, just make sure there's gear oil in there. And I'm sure you'll have a few ATF leaks to find and fix.
Thanks!
I going to assume there's not too much rust but you never know
Thanks for the information I'll post pictures and such if I happen to pick it up