Buying'69 Super w/Parts car

[Namtraf]

I have the opportunity to buy a 69 Super Beetle w/ a parts car. They both have rotted out floors. All other rust is just surface rust. They have been sitting outside. The Super hasn't ran for ten years. They are asking $700 for both. Is it worth it?

[5gcivic]

depends on how complete they are and does the other one run? If the floors are completly rotted out then I would not get them unless you are handy with a welder.

[Namtraf]

Originally Posted by 5gcivic

depends on how complete they are and does the other one run? If the floors are completly rotted out then I would not get them unless you are handy with a welder.

Would they be worth parting out for that price?

[BoatCop]

$700 for a '69 Super is very low for such a collector's item. That would have to be one of rarest cars in the world. It could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Considering they didn't start making them until 1971.

[Namtraf]

Originally Posted by BoatCop

$700 for a '69 Super is very low for such a collector's item. That would have to be one of rarest cars in the world. It could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Considering they didn't start making them until 1971.

How can I tell what year it is? This is what the owner is telling me.

[BoatCop]

First thing is to determine whether it is a Super or a Standard Bug.

As I said, the Supers weren't intorduced until 1971.

Easiest way to tell is to look at the trunk and the front end.

Standards have torsion bar front suspension. Two tubes running the width of the front end, and using regular shock absorbers. The hood is more pointed, narrow at the bottom. The spare tire sits upright in the well at the front of the trunk.

Supers use MacPhearson strut front suspension. Looks like large coil springs. The hood is wider, almost square at the bottom of the hood. The spare tire lays down flat at the front of the trunk.

Finally, ask him what the VIN (Vehicle ID Number) is. That is the easiest way to date and type your VW.

The first number is the type, and for a Bug is the number "1". The third number will tell you the year. From 1965 on, the third number was they last number of the model year.

5 = 1965
6 = 1966
7 = 1967

and so on, up through 1969. The VIN will also be just 9 numbers up to this point, with the last 6 numbers being the number of that year model made. i.e. 119000001 would be the first Bug of model year 1969 made.

In 1970, they added an extra number (total 10) to the VIN. The extra number will be "2" in the fourth position. The third number will still designate the year:

0 = 1970
1 = 1971
2 = 1972
etc. up until 1975. (see below)

The fourth number "2" only shows that it is beyond 1969. The remaing six number, again, show which number of the model year it was made. That was put in to differentiate, say, a 1967 (117123456) from a 1977 (1172123456)

Beginning in 1980, they adopted the 17 digit VIN that is required on all cars sold in the US, but is moot, since the last VW made for US distribution was in 1979, and that was a convertible. (All Convertibles were Supers beginning in 1974) But standards continued until 1977. After that, 1978 and '79, the only VWs imported (legally) into the US were convertibles. I say legally, since the standard VW Bug was built in Mexico up until last year, and although not legal to import into the US, many snuck by the inspectors, or were converted by BeetleMex.


On 1968 and earlier cars, the VIN is located on the top of the tunnel under the rear seat. 1969 and later, it is on a plate mounted to the air vent at the left side of the dash, and viewed through the windshield.

But just because there is no plate in the windshield, doesn't mean it is a 1968 or older, or if there IS a plate in the windshield doesn't necessarily mean that it is accurate for the year of the car.

The year is set by the chassis, and not the appearance or year of the body. Bodies and parts can be switched from different year chassis. As an example, I have a 1970 Bug that I'm scrapping the rusted out body on and replacing with a 1965 rust free body. It'll still be a 1970, even with the older body.

However, keep in mind that you cannot swap a Super body for a standard body and vice versa. The chassis for the two won't allo it, without replacing the whole front clip.

Lesson over. To sum it up, the VIN will tell you the year.

[DCHomeBrew]

Originally Posted by BoatCop

$700 for a '69 Super is very low for such a collector's item. That would have to be one of rarest cars in the world. It could be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Considering they didn't start making them until 1971.

I was wondering who, if anyone, was going to catch that...

[scottw68]

I have a manual that covers 68 and 69 super beetles! They seem to have 2 models during those years.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/lit/70bug.php
(the new 1302-Body Super Beetle was introduced to Western Europe in 1969).
Original 69 super beetle brochure

[BoatCop]

Not to beat a dead horse, but the true Super Beetle, macpheason strut front end, was designed and built for the North American Market, in an answer to Japanese and US compact cars that offered better handling than the standard Bug.

The first one that was built rolled off the assembly line on August 11, 1970 for the 1971 model year.

http://www.superbeetles.com/history.htm