Found a buggy in a field, should we purchase?

General discussion area. A place to take a break and share your buggy world with others.
Post Reply
gnobles
Posts: 1
Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 9:54 pm

Found a buggy in a field, should we purchase?

Post by gnobles »

My 14 year old wants to buy a buggy that has been sitting in a field way out in a small town for many years. The seller is representing someone else who died, so all the seller knows is that it is a 1970 Volkswagen Dune Buggy. The title is lost. The last year on the license plate is 1981. I came to this forum, because it looks like the vehicles I see here. I apologize if I'm asking for help in the wrong place.
The buggy looks just like this one but with no top/soft cover (identical hub caps):

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q ... 6305145376

But its lights are broken. The fiberglass body is mostly sound. The wiring under the dash is kind of a mess. The glass on the windshield is busted out completely. It needs restoring. It has no rust holes. The floor pan is very solid. The motor turns. The exhaust system and all mechanical components except the battery are there. The tires are not flat. The car rolls. The oil is full. The gas tank looks clean. The key is missing.

Is there a place to look for a VIN or an identifying mark of some type?


Im willing to help in get it running and restore it, but my question is this:
Is it worth 500 dollars? If my son decides he doesn't want to continue the project, could we likely get his $500 dollars back.
lastmanx
Posts: 394
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2015 7:40 pm
Location: Ashland Massachusettes

Re: Found a buggy in a field, should we purchase?

Post by lastmanx »

it could be worth $500.00 now or if you sell; could. the main issues you face are the title, different states different laws find out what yours are.(for example my state requires a title no matter how old) there are ways to get one but they will cost time and more money. restoration of a dune buggy will be as expensive and as difficult as restoring any other vehicle that has sat outdoors for 35 years. forget what you have heard it is not going to be easy or cheap or quick maybe more so if you have no experience or talent in car restoration. your question of the vehicle number indicates no knowledge of Volkswagens. the number is located on top of tunnel between and behind the seat. all dune buggys are hand built, not built or manufactured by Volkswagen co. so the talent of the builder is expressed in the buggy. sometimes great sometimes clueless.
with that said look all over the site particularly the history of buggys to see what its about. I started over 20 years ago with little knowledge and today can restore and build them so I would buy the buggy you mention if it had a title as I need title for my state. I would understand that it would be bought not running or drivable. I would understand it may need another engine,transmission,front axle, as it doesn't run now. every thing runs before it stops running. a vw motor is high quality but its still a motor that was outside for 35 years. in the forum section I wrote the 3 books all newbies must read. find it and read the books first. if you cant find the time and money to purchase and read up, you probably wont have success in a full on restoration of a 35 year outside sitting buggy. I don't want to discourage you. just want to realize what you should know to get it done. reading about what will need fixing and how to fix it before purchase will be helpful. there is a reason that great looking and running dune buggys sell for $10,000, because it can cost that much or more to restore one. YES $10,000.
Post Reply