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Post by sethhope on Dec 12, 2016 10:45:12 GMT -5
Howdy everyone!
I just bought myself a beautiful 1976 vw beetle, all original with very little rust or wear. I want to turn this beauty into a bradley gt II, but have no idea where to start or what the best course of action would be.
Currently, i have rather limited funds, as im paying my way through school. So my ideas for the project were:
A) part out the bug body and try to make enough money selling body parts and interior to at least help afford a decent bradley kit
B) try to find someone who will trade a beautiful bug for a complete, but maybe not finished, bradley gt ii
Or C) possibly get a second job and just brute force my way to affording a kit.
Any thoughts on what you think would work best are appreciated.
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 12, 2016 11:38:55 GMT -5
D) Wait until the time is right to invest your hard earned money into a toy
Seriously...kits are toys. They are just toys for people who have a little extra disposable income. They are very very poor daily drivers (one exception..JT), they are not overly reliable (same exception), and they can often become money pits because of the way they were built.
But...if only A,B & C are the options I would say that A is the worst choice. B would be the best choice. And C will be needed no matter which one you choose. If you think about the costs to bring a decent kit up to speed you are probably talking in the thousands of dollars. And then you will still have a bad daily driver, which isn't that reliable and is just a toy.
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Post by Jeff Lande on Dec 12, 2016 11:45:25 GMT -5
restore the original beetle if it isn't in too bad shape.
if you restore it, you'll likely have a $10,000+ collector on your hands. If you turn it into a GTII, you'll end up with a car that would be worth a few hundred bucks. Sell the beetle, and buy a kit that's either in progress or already done (which of course still means there's probably some work to do to keep it going if its the work you're looking for).
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Post by Jeff Lande on Dec 12, 2016 11:47:24 GMT -5
D) Wait until the time is right to invest your hard earned money into a toy Seriously...kits are toys. They are just toys for people who have a little extra disposable income. They are very very poor daily drivers (one exception..JT), they are not overly reliable (same exception), and they can often become money pits because of the way they were built. But...if only A,B & C are the options I would say that A is the worst choice. B would be the best choice. And C will be needed no matter which one you choose. If you think about the costs to bring a decent kit up to speed you are probably talking in the thousands of dollars. And then you will still have a bad daily driver, which isn't that reliable and is just a toy. Yes... what he said.  |
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Post by sethhope on Dec 12, 2016 12:22:54 GMT -5
I have another vehicle to use as a daily driver, so Im not expecting the gt2 to be anything more than a toy. I was just looking for some ideas of how to make the most of what I have to reach my GT II goals. As for selling to a collector, 10k? Really? For a 76 bug...? Ill have to look into that, because restoration is very much on the table for this bug.
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Post by Jeff Lande on Dec 12, 2016 12:58:03 GMT -5
ok, a '76 might only get $8k or $9k, but depending on what it cost you and how much needs to be done, you should get some profit to then purchase a Bradley that's already in progress.
Just would hate to see a viable restoration project get chopped up. If it had significant rust or body damage (like mine did), then I'd have a different opinion.
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 12, 2016 13:35:18 GMT -5
Is it a Super?
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Post by sethhope on Dec 12, 2016 18:49:53 GMT -5
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Post by horen2tas on Dec 12, 2016 19:49:30 GMT -5
Hi Sethhope, first of all WELCOME! Glad to see new faces arriving! To put in my two cents: The main ingredient that you have right now is a nice '76 Beetle & time on your hands. I'd take some really good pix of your Beetle, like underneath inside & out & show the good as well as the weak points. I'd post it on: www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/I'd state that you'd like to wind up with a good GT2 in trade or, a very good IRS Beetle Floor Pan and cash. I would not at all be surprised if you get some hard-core Beetle fans who'd step up with a deal. Again take your time and think it through, as I see it you're the one holding the cards and I'm certain that given the right deal, though it might take some time, you'll wind up with what you want! All the Best! Mike Horen |
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Post by sethhope on Dec 21, 2016 22:21:50 GMT -5
Alright. Well, I posted my bug on several locations (CL, TheSamba, and a local club board). I posted it for 6,500 after being informed that the minor paint issues may be worse that I think. Either way, in the process, I found a BEAUTIFUL GT 2 for sale a few hours away from me that was built and garaged by a collector. He's asking 5k for it and I think that sounds pretty fair given it's condition. I will be visiting it the next week or so. He agreed to take a down payment on the car until the bug sells IF I absolutely fall in love with it. Otherwise its back to looking and waiting.
Thanks for all the feedback guys. Since I saw one 8 or 9 years ago, I've been dreaming of owning a Bradley, and I'm really glad that this community is around and so supportive as to help make that a reality. Thank you guys!
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Post by jspbtown on Dec 22, 2016 3:30:20 GMT -5
Look under the dash. A well built car will have great looking wiring. A pretty car with bundles of wires and cheaply crimped connectors will just be a great looking problem.
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