Ok, I might have my own personal issues with any air-cooled Volkswagen, but I can understand why people gravitate to them. They are simple, light, durable, and…well, after that, you’ll need to do a lot of work to convince me to like them. But many people do, and I’ll say that in my head I’m picturing a cross between a Karmann Ghia and an outlaw-style Porsche and it’s not a bad vision. Though, the way the market is, you’d be better off restoring one if you happened to find a decent body or a runner that needed some attention. KGs are a great first restoration and the beauty of the simplicity of an air-cooled VW means that if you know what forms to surf, what warehouses to shop, and have some skill with a paint gun, you can turn a roadside find into something worth hanging on to in short order.
This 1969 Karmann Ghia lives out west in Utah and is a runner and driver. The paint is an obvious issue and I’m sure other areas need to be addressed, but unless there is absolutely no floor underneath the carpet or the brakes are non-existent, $3,750 sounds like the start of something good. Get stuff together to make this look like the 356 from “King of the Mountain” and I’d be all over it. Want a baby-blue stocker? All on you. Either way, can you really lose?
Find a totalled 911 with a good motor and gearbox. Then put them into the KG, uprate the suspension and brakes and finish the build off with some banded stock wheels. It wouldn’t even need painting if you were into the rat rod look and it would make a fine sleeper.