Man, oh man, I have owned and sold a LOT of Volkswagen Super Beetle convertibles over the years! As a matter of fact, before sitting down to write this listing, I actually went back through the records I have and came up with a pretty accurate count of 37 of them passing through my foster care on the way to forever (or I’d like to think) homes! That’s JUST Super Beetle Convertibles, not counting all the other VW’s! Being in sunny Southwest Florida allows me access to cars from all over the world, as seasonal residents bring vehicles here from all points across the globe. This car came to Naples, FL each year from Northeast, OH towed behind a motor coach, and when it wasn’t cruising the Lakeside in the summers, it was motoring alongside the Gulf of Mexico in the winter. What a life! The car is one of the finest examples of an unrestored and exceptionally well-cared for Super Beetle Convertible I have come across, and the last Super Beetle I sold was a 4,804 original mile car that went for over $50,000. It has just 71,928 ACTUAL miles showing on the odometer, and it comes with an ACTUAL MILEAGE TITLE as well. Not believed to be. Not estimated to be. ACTUAL. Just plain and simple. The beautiful Sunflower Yellow finish on the car is still exceptionally shiny, bright, and rich in color from all angles. There are NO signs of any sun faded areas, and no issues with the factory clear coat peeling up. It looks amazing no matter what panel you focus on! We have washed the exterior of the car, and then wiped it down with a chamois before going over it with Turtle Wax Quick Shine Spray and you see how fresh and wet it looks in the photos. The car was regularly detailed and polished by the prior owners over the years, and an included leather front end bra was always installed when it was transported behind the RV, which helped protect it incredibly well. There are no signs of damage or disrepair on the cars exterior, and with the exception of about a handful of tiny stone chips and minor blemishes, the car shows astonishingly well! Side trim is in great condition, as is the hood center trim, and the only marking on the three is a few small dimples on the passenger side above the fuel door from gas pump handles bumping it. Head light trim rings are in excellent condition, and show shiny and bright, as do the chrome side window surrounds, mirrors, door handles, front signal lamp shrouds, engine cover handle, and the bonnet handle. Front and rear bumpers have the bumperette’s intact, and they show to be in exceptionally good condition, with only the lightest signs of use if any, and no damage or disrepair. Rubber trim on the bumpers and bumperette pieces is in very good condition as well, as are the bumper mounting posts and surrounds. All of the rubber seals on the car are in very good condition, and are pliable to the touch. The front windshield bright trim piece is slightly faded from original, but still shows great, is fully functional, and would not need replaced unless you were entering the car into competition judging or something like that. Karmann badge on passenger side shows perfectly, and the stainless trim on the fronts of each rear fender is solid and undamaged, and should polish out nicely when you have the car detailed. Fender welting is in very good condition, with no cracks or issues. Rubber covers over the step rails look great, appear damage free, and show much nicer than they probably should. Tail lights, head lights, high/low beam, parking lights, turn signals, and reverse lights all function as they should, as does the horn. Stock VW steel wheels are in very good condition, with perhaps a tiny mark or two found on each rim, and the polished center caps with VW logo show very good, with only the typical light marks and scuffs you would expect to find on a car that has been driven. Tires are Bridgestone whitewall radials size P165/80R15, and they are fairly recent additions to the car, with an estimated 75% of the USEABLE tread life remaining. They are clean, damage free, and show no signs of issues. Convertible top is in extremely good condition, and has no rips, tears, damage, or signs of prior repair. It spent the majority of its life in the closed position, so it has a number of small wrinkle lines when it is up and latched that I imagine may come out with repeated use. It looks dingy in the photos, and I think it is because my iPhone didn’t know where to focus so it sort of pixelated too much. I can take a video of the top if anyone wants to see it, so text me a request. Convertible top folds down correctly and easily, and the black convertible boot is in clean, neat, and damage free condition and installs correctly and easily on the car. Rear window seal is about as nice as I have seen in a Super Beetle Convertible, and it does not leak or weep, and has a clean and pliable rubber seal both inside and out. Rear glass is in excellent condition, and the rear defrost function works like it should. Overall, the outside of the car presents in show quality, save for the few minor imperfections mentioned in detail above and highlighted in the accompanying photographs. It never fails to attract attention anywhere you drive it, and looks even better in person than in the 100 EXTRA-LARGE photos I have supplied. I do not use photo shop or other fancy camera tricks with my vehicles, and take all the pictures of the vehicle without the model in them from my iPhone camera. Opening the doors to the car reveals an interior that is so remarkably clean and neat that you will be hard-pressed to find any fault with it. Door panels on each side are in excellent condition, show bright and clean, and have no damage or issues. Kick panels and rear seating side panels are also in exceptionally good condition, and have no damage or disrepair. Door pulls, window rollers, and armrests are in great condition, and all work as they should. Front bucket seats are in incredibly good condition, and have no damage, rips, or issues evident. They shine clean and white, move forward and backward correctly, and have functional recline. The seat track bearings on both are in great condition, and the seats do NOT have that wobble side to side like most do. Dash is in very good condition, and has three minor marks to keep it from showing as new. Switches for headlights, hazard lights, and rear defrost all work as they should. Warning lights for E-BRAKE and SEAT BELT work as they should. AM –FM factory stereo works perfectly on all settings, and music sounds just fine coming out the two door mounted speakers. Speedometer is functional and shows to be only 1mph off from GPS. Fuel gauge appears to be working as it should with no issues. Steering column is clean and undamaged and is topped by a Wolfsburg logo steering wheel which has only one tiny mark at the 11:00 position, and no other issues. Turn signal stalk, high beam switch, and wiper control arm work as they should. 2-speed air mover fan control works like it should, as do all the associated vents. 12V outlet is functional, and the ashtray operates correctly, but the car has NO signs or having ever been smoked in, and has NO ODORS of any kind. Glovebox opens and closes as it should, is clean and neat on the inside, and holds the original owner manual that is included with the car. Front sun visors are in great condition, but do show a slight yellowing that the rest of the interior does not have. I suppose you could easily replace them if it bothered you, but a competent detail shop may be able to clean them up to show as brightly as the seats and side panels do. Shift arm and shift knob are in fantastic condition, and function exactly as they should, and the gas, brake, and clutch pedals look and function wonderfully too. Factory floor mat and carpet shows to be in very good condition with only the faintest signs of use from the past 40 years, and the LADY BUG Floor mats have been with the car awhile now, and go with it since they are so clean and presentable. Rear cubby behind the seat is clean and undamaged, and provides a space for small items to be stored inside the car. Overall, the interior presents incredibly well, and I truly can’t imagine anyone finding fault with its appearance, even with the few minor items I disclosed above. Open the bonnet at the front of the car, and you are met by one of the cleanest storage areas you have ever seen. It looks like you are at a VW dealership in 1977 and are viewing a dealer demonstrator with a few hundred miles! REALLY! Look at the photos!!! It is so clean and well-cared for it would literally pass a white glove test! All of the wiring is neat and correctly ordered, and does not appear to have ever been tampered with. Fuel tank shows to be in excellent condition, and there are no fuel stains, or issues with the tank either. Spare tire is original to the car, and appears to have been utilized at least once in the cars life. The inflator system is still intact, and the wheel shows only light marks from use. Cardboard lining under the bonnet shows like new, and the prior owners never kept them in the car, as they didn’t want to risk damaging them! Open the engine cover out back, and you are met by a clean, neat, and original engine bay, that houses the correct and original 1600 motor the car was born with. The engine bay and motor itself is clean and tidy, but has visually aged as an unrestored car should. Everything appears to be stock, NOS, or the closest OEM correct part available on the engine, and the fuel injection is dialed in and performs wonderfully. The car starts with a twist of the key, and is ready to drive immediately. Idle is clean and smooth, and the fuel injection system doesn’t stumble, stutter, or have any issues. Clutch feel and take-up is exceptional, and the car does NOT pop out of any gears including reverse. Once under way, the car shifts seamlessly though each gear, and easily handles modern traffic in town, but is quite friendly on freeway trips too. At 70mph, the car feels steady and smooth, and tracks wonderfully thanks to the aforementioned modern radial tires. Handling is tight and sure, and the car responds to inputs from the wheel with precision. Prior owners had replaced the MacPherson Struts, balls joints, strut bushings, control arm bushings, and ball joints up front, and the spring plate bushings, pivot bushings, and shocks out back, all of which contributes to the new car feel the car has when driving it. There is NO slop in the steering, and the car had recently received tie rod ends and idler arm bushings too. There are very few Super Beetles around that will drive as nicely as this one does. The prior owners took great care to make sure the car was consistently serviced and religiously maintained so that they never had to worry about it being the only mode of transportation once they arrived at the Florida park site each winter. It does not have any odd rattles, doesn’t pull or wander, and performs better than most cars only a few years old. We have gone through the braking system as part of our safety check, and the car will come down from freeway speed quickly and easily, with no excess fade, pulling, or wander. The engine has been freshly serviced by us, and all new seals and gaskets were installed where we could access them. The car does not currently leak, weep, or mark its territory in any way. Transaxle boots and seals are all clean, neat, intact, and function as they should. Heater boxes and channels are intact, functional, and look to be in great condition as well. The underside of the car is in very straight, very original, and unmolested condition. There are no signs of thick and heavy sprays trying to cover things up, and while it does dirt, grime, and marks from normal use, it also shows to be 100% rust, rot, damage, and issue free from front to back. Inner fenders front and rear also show to be rust and damage free, and have only normal marks from regular driving. Tow bar mounting points are intact and function in the front of the car, but the tow bar was left in the RV belly when it was sold, and unfortunately can’t be included in the sale. If you have been searching for an original, unmolested, ACTUAL MILEAGE, and pure Super Beetle Convertible to add to your collection or to drive and enjoy, this car should not be missed. Out of 37 Super Beetle Convertibles I had the pleasure of owning and spending time with over the years, this particular car is easily in the top 3, and would jump to a solid 2 if price were a concern, as both of the others sold for considerably more than you can own this car for. Again, the car has been safety checked, and it is ready for you to fly in and drive home wherever you want to take it should you like! I think that is about all I can tell you about the car, but if you have questions PLEASE CALL ME at 941-286-0889!!! I don’t get onto eBay to read messages but once a day, but my phone is ALWAYS with me. |