1978 Volkswagen Karmann Convertable Bug

1978 Volkswagen Bug rare Karmann model. 56,000 miles. The car was restored in 1994 with a single stage paint (Not basecoat/Clear coat but an enamel or singe stage lacquer….I’m not sure) I purchased the car a little over a year and a half ago for my wife. She does not drive it because of the standard trans so the only use it’s gotten is when I have taken it out or driven it to work once in a while. I also drove the car to San Antonio and back from north of Dallas so my level of confidence and drivability in the car is high. A great daily driver. The car is a good 10/10 car but not going to win you any show trophies. The car runs and drives great and just passed TX inspection. The car is a 78 so it had the beginnings of US import regulatory emissions equipment installed which have been removed for performance and reliability so if your state checks the physical air pumps do not bid (I don’t think any do anymore but wanted to be clear). The sub frame is super solid and the entire undercarriage its tight. This isn’t a $35,000 restoration car but all the critical mechanical parts are in the same shape as one. That’s what attracted me to the car when I purchased it. It wasn’t rotted but also wasn’t 35 grand. The interior is in good shape as pictured with a few missing/broken parts I will list below. I don’t know the cars history I can just share what’s been done to it since I’ve owned it. The car was not drivable when we bought it so the following were replaced 13 months ago:

The new: Battery, Carb and intake manifold, All 4 new tires, New electric fuel pump, new tie rod ends, 2 new ball joints, brake linings, and 4-wheel alignment. I also put a Kenwood Bluetooth CD stereo in the car. The speedometer is spot on and verified with GPS app. As I stated the car passed inspection so everything works.

Missing/broken/blemishes: First the missing, as depicted in the last 2 pictures the interior is missing some trim pieces (E-brake shroud, fuse box cover, Vent window lock and mirror on passenger side). From missing to broken: As depicted the two plastic interior top covers are broken about 2” from the top. Not a functional issue but as you can see from the pics it detracts from the pretty clean interior. The visor hold downs are also broken. The speedometer works fine but the odometer stopped working after the Goodyear place did the tires and alignment. They would not claim responsibility but anyway it doesn’t work now. I have put between 500 to 700 miles on the car total so I’m guessing the car has 56,300 or so miles on it. Lastly as depicted the dash pad needs to be replaced if you were to make it a show car. The good news is all the above is readily available on-line. From a blemish perspective, I tried to show all blemishes I could find and shows them in this listing. To start the top has a perfect clean slice on the “B pillar” passenger side about 1.75”. The front bumper is pitted (Back bumper is in great shape). The Driver side front fender where the hood sits has paint bubbles and pictured. I have pushed on them and they don’t feel like loose rust, I think it’s more paint prep from the re-paint. The rear filler panel below the engine bonnet has 3 impact dings that have pushed the paint off and caused rusting. Shown in picture. The blems here are small but I wanted to call them out. There are also some paint bubbles that are solid along the passenger door hinge pillar to the left of the Karmann badging. And lastly the fuel gage works fine above 3/8 of a tank meaning it shows full when full and ½ when ½ but when you get to 3/8 it sticks and won’t go lower.

I have the car listed locally as of 11/29 for $14,500 so I have the right to end the auction early if I sell it local prior to auction end. I tried to show more bad than good so buyers would not be disappointed upon arrival. This is a no reserve auction I will sell this car. Feel free to call me anytime with any and all questions you may have on the car. There will be an immediate non-refundable $500 paypal deposit required as soon as auction ends. You will need to pay the final payment within 1 week of auction end so If you don’t have the means please don’t bid. Please call Dan with any questions. 901-413-2580. The car is located at 75028 if you want to figure out shipping cost. I can also pick you up from the DFW airport if you wanted to drive it home. I have a clean TX title in hand.