Bikeman1010

My Neighbor is selling a white 1969 beetle for 2,800. Its only got a few problems that iv come across but other than that its a great looking car. Its got perfect interior and good glossy paint. The Heater channels arnt rusted at all nor any of the floor pans. The Engine runs strong but has 144,000 and was owned by a 70 year old woman who then sold it to my neighbor. The only things i found wrong with the car is the battery dosnt seem to want to hold a charge and the passenger side heat seems to stay on. The lady says she put a new battery in it last year? How long do beetle engines normaly last mile wize? Why would the heat be stuck on one side, is it possibly a heat exchanger? Overall the car is in more than excelent condition and has been garaged its whole life. Do You Think Its A Good Buy???

BoatCop

144,000 is pretty high, but not unheard of for the Air-cooled flat 4. Is it possible that the engine was rebuilt or replaced somewhere along the line? Get the engine number and I can tell you of it's the right range for the '69.

The best test of a VW engine condition is compression. Anything over 100 is good. A new engine is around 125. Above 80 will still run for a while, but a top end rebuild should be planned for the near future.

If a year old battery won't hold a charge, I'd look at the generator. It should be putting out 14.5 volts. Put a meter across the + and - poles on the battery. Also make sure the ground strap is tight and free of corrosion.

The heat stuck "ON" is probably a broken heater cable. There's a flap in the heater ducting. The heat is activated by the 2 levers next to the parking brake. The one on the passenger side of the brake turns the heat on and off. The one on the driver's side directs heated air to the rear footwells. Under the rear seat, you can see the cables. (Or maybe they're behind the cabin, in front of the engine. I haven't dug into mine for a while)

There may also be levers in the front, right in front of the door jambs. These operate a flap by the front footwell heater outlets. These direct heated air either through the outlet or up to the defroster vents. (Some '69s had these, some didn't)

Double check for rust by tapping (gently) on the floor pans with a hammer. Rust here is often disguised by undercoating on the bottom, and carpeting from inside. Especially check under the battery,

Where you live will play a big part on the value of the car. In the Southwest, where rust free VWs are common, $2,800 is in the ballpark, if not a little on the high side. In the rust belt, (NE, NW, Midwest) it's a great deal, providing the engine is healthy.

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Alan
BoatCop