Considering purchase of 69 Beetle AS

[cm69as]

Hi, I am considering the purchase of a 69 beetle Auto Stick.  The seller is claiming 21k original miles.  She doesn't have documentation to back that claim.  The body is in decent shape, l/r fender will need replacing & other fenders have usual small dents & scratches of 41 year old car.  The interior is in great shape with the exception of the drivers seat back.  It appears to have been torn or sun beaten.  The car runs fine with the exception of in gear at idle - it wants to die then.  My question is, she was asking $5500, then lowered her price to $4000.  I offered her $3000 which she is considering.  Is this a fair deal for me?  This will be my first VW purchase.  I do my own work.  I have a 1952 MGTD which I do all work on & doing frame up resto on 37 Chevy pickup.  Sorry this is long winded.  Thank you for your help!  Charles

[hercdriver]

Good details, but without seeing the car it's hard to say. The mileage in my opinion is meaningless without documentation. And even then it wouldn't mean much unless the car were very rare. As far as stalling is concerned, I'm inclined to guess that the idle maybe set too low. Again a thorough mechanical review would be useful. As far as the price goes, much depends on where you are and the over all condition. For an east coast car without rust issues, I'd say 3,000 would be a fair price.

If this is your first VW purchase, do your home work and don't let your emotions talk you into a purchase you'll regret later.
John Muir - How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive is a great resource to buy. Chapter 3 How to buy a VW is a great place to start reading if you haven't read it yet.

[cm69as]

Thank you for your reply.  I am going to hold off on this car & purchase the book you recommend.  Charles