1969 Beetle

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Fri 17 Nov 2006 22:28
1969 Beetle - Zippy123
My brother has one for sale. Its mint - a full new body was built 3 weeks ago but now he has got a new job and needs a car that can do some distance daily.

Can anyone please say where is the best place to advertise it is and a likely value?

Thanks
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 07:44
1969 Beetle - Garethj
You could advertise it on www.volkszone.com and www.thesamba.com/vw and of course www.ebay.co.uk

New bodyshells aren't available, so do you mean the bodyshell was repaired?

As for value, it's worth what someone will pay. As a rough guide, you can get plenty of cars needing repair for less than £1000. Something that's totally free of rust for £3000 and the best unrestored early cars are less than £5000.

If you're chasing the top money, it needs to have all the right interior trim, engine and be unmolested. Beetles after 1968 aren't worth as much as the 'sloping headlight' cars made pre '67 though.

Gareth
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 08:00
1969 Beetle - Harmattan
I must be feeling cynical this morning. A Beetle that has gone from bare bodyshell to mint in three weeks and is not up to doing "some distance daily". I would be glad to do some distance daily in a Beetle without expecting it to break down in 100,000 miles if it is truly mint and well maintained. And, yes I have done 20,000 miles a year in a 30-year old car (Saab 96) -- they can be incredibly reliable thanks to simplicity.

Listen to Gareth and don't have false expectations. Not everyone's perception of "mint" is the same.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 09:30
1969 Beetle - Garethj
Perhaps the car is up to it but the driver isn't? There's no doubt an older car, even in perfect condition, isn't as relaxing as a newer one to drive long distances. They can be more involving to drive but remember what its limits are - cruising at 60mph on the motorway is easy in a VW Beetle or a Saab (I had a 95 estate...) but if you want to sit at 75mph with overtaking burtst up to 85mph then even something 10 years old will be much easier.

One thing to remember, the values of Beetles is quite low at the moment as most people who like old VWs want a camper or microbus. Pre '67 campers with the split front windscreen are £4000 and up. And I do mean up - plenty of mint ones have sold for £30k+

Gareth
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 11:19
1969 Beetle - henry k
Pre '67 campers with the split front windscreen are £4000 and up. And I do mean up - plenty of mint ones have sold for £30k+

The most expensive I have seen is
www.oxfam-stewards.org.uk/gallery/albums/userpics/...G
it is owned by tinyurl.com/snqgb so an added value
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 11:44
1969 Beetle - Zippy123
Definately new body parts, saw them in the "flesh" before they were welded and then welded then painted.

The ride quality just is not as good as a modern car and bro is going to be doing some mileage so wants something more practicle and comfortable.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 12:22
1969 Beetle - local yokel
Worth remembering that the engines have a 3000 mile service schedule, and are not very robust compared to a modern vehicle.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 18 Nov 2006 12:51
1969 Beetle - Harmattan
Don't wish to get thoroughly off topic but it looks more like we have all got a bit soft since this Beetle was built in 1969. I recall my flatmate bringing his Beetle back from the factory in about 1969 or 1970. To have suggested to him that he could not use it every day or for journeys to Moscow (he did that about a year later) would have seemed absurd. I did 30,000 miles one year not long after in a 1966 Morris Minor with only damp winter weather causing the occasional problem. I grew up with cars changing the oil at 3000 miles and still do it routinely at 5000 on my modern vehicles. I'm not actually a fan of Beetles but can't see why a recently rebuilt engine using modern quality parts should not be reliable. Comfort and safety are other issues.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 19 Nov 2006 15:27
1969 Beetle - Zippy123
Very true, I remember 25 years ago my dad did Sussex to London every day in a Skoda Estelle. Over that period roads have got more congested and the need to accellerate to match other cars speeds on slip ways (when joining motorways etc) has increased also.

And yes, one arrives much more relaxed in a modern car then in an older one.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 19 Nov 2006 15:31
1969 Beetle - Lud
Skoda in proper tune with a heavy-footed driver can easily keep up with modern traffic and often give it a nasty surprise. I never found Estelles tiring to drive either, although they are a bit noisier than modern cars. Not a bad noise though unless absolutely flat out.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 10 Sep 2020 06:04
1969 Beetle - edlithgow
Worth remembering that the engines have a 3000 mile service schedule, and are not very robust compared to a modern vehicle.

Yeh.

No water cooling, which is not at all the number one source of engine failure.

No OBDII Delphic Declarations to enlighten you.

No electronics

No computer to rule them all and in the darkness bind them. .

How could that possibly work?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Our honest used car pricing is a little bit different to all the others. You can get to our values through make or model - you don’t have to follow a prescribed route. Plus, it’s live, which means we can react to changes in the market quicker than any printed price guide.

Honest Used Car Prices

From which small car to buy at which price point to the best UK-built cars, our Top 10s have the lot. Click now for your shortlist.

Unsure of what to buy? Our Top 10s are here to help you....