You might find a cheap beetle to restore, but don’t do a cheap paint job

The single most important part of any automobile restoration project, including of course for a restoration of a VW beetle, is the paint job. At the end of the day your paint job shows off your vehicle restoration more than any other single feature.

Of course you can’t paint a poor restoration job and make it look great, the restoration needs to be good or it can’t be made to look good with paint. But if you’ve done a fine job of restoring your beetle then it’s the paint that makes the difference between a good looking and a great looking classic car.

And like with any painting is the preparation that that determines how good the end result will be. Everything needs to be stripped back carefully, the panels need to be perfect and the preparation needs to be top class.

And of course one of the most crucial decisions is what colour you will paint your beetle.

Here’s some good videos to give you a taste of some of the things you need to think about before you get to the paint job.

And if you’re buying a restored beetle then you also need to know how to do spot cheap paint jobs when buying a car. He is a good video on how to spot a cheap paint job on a VW beetle.

Continue reading “How to Paint Your Beautiful VW Beetle” »

A good cheap VW beetle can make a wonderful classic

If you’re a car enthusiast and you’re looking to buy a classic car to restore you can’t go past finding a cheap VW beetle and restoring that. It’s one of the cheapest ways to to get your own classic car at minimum cost.

Of course you need to understand exactly how much effort you are willing to put into the restoration before you buy your beetle. Many people prefer to buy a fully restored VW bug to avoid the work of restoring it themselves. That way you get your classic car upfront and can drive it from day one.

Of course it’s much more expensive to buy your classic beetle fully restored than it is to buy a cheap beetle and restore it yourself.

If you’re willing to put in some time but not to do a full restoration job then look for a partially restored beetle. Many people buy a cheap VW beetle and then find that the work of restoring it is more than they expected, and they will sell their car partially restored. If you are lucky enough to find a partially restored beetle you can buy it much cheaper than you would a fully restored car and finish off the job yourself.

And then of course you can opt for the cheapest method which is to buy an old, rundown and rusty bug and do all the restoration work yourself.

Image via Wikipedia

Of course much depends on your budget as well as your stomach for work. If you’re a car restoration enthusiast it may not even be work at all, it maybe play.

Your budget and your enthusiasm for restoration work will determine what you will buy and how much you should pay for it. In all cases we have found eBay to be the best place to buy a cheap beetle in any condition.

Of course you need to know exactly what you are looking for. It’s important to do your homework before you start looking to buy, because there are a wealth of different models available, most with different features. You need to do your homework to decide which particular beetle you wish to buy.

Then of course you need to have a good repair manual to help in the restoration. We have found the repair manual listed on the right, the VW Beetle and Karmann Ghia, to be very good.

Be prepared to spend some time looking for the beetle that will suit what you need. Keep an eye on eBay and eventually what you’re looking for will arrive.

Good luck, both on buying your beetle and on restoring it.

Here’s a couple of videos to get your juices going.

Continue reading “How to Buy a Cheap VW Beetle and Turn It into a Classic Car” »