1958 Volkswagen VW Beetle Bug One Family Owned NO RESERVE Help my Father in Law

1958 Volkswagen Beetle - Classic Description

This car has been in the same family since 1958. Currently my wife owns it. It was previously her Father's, and before that it was purchased new at Mitchell Motors in Hyannis, MA by my wife's Grandmother. The car spent the first part of it's life in the Boston, MA area, and from the late 1960's until 2011 resided in Washington DC. During it's time in DC, from 1978 until the spring of 2006 it was parked in a garaged untouched and forgotten about. I first became aware of the car in the early 90's when my wife and I first started dating. It was hidden behind and under a pile of junk, but I could tell it was a very solid car. I told my Father in Law thatone day we would get it out and get it back on the road. Fast forward to the spring of 2006, and my Father in law was turning 80. We thought it would be a great idea to get it running for his 80th birthday party. We aired up the tires, removed the years of junk from around and on the car, and pulled it out for the first time in almost 30 years. We live in Michigan, so we needed to get the car back up here to start the project. I hired a flat bed car hauler, and we had it delivered two days later. First thing we did was clean the car inside and out. The interior was pretty much shot because the windows had been left down while the car was parked in DC. We installed new tires, and freed up the wheels so that we could roll it around easily. Once all that was done, it was time to find someone to get it running. We did a lot of research, and finally found one of the best vintage VW mechanics in the US. Kirk Leftwich at Spring Valley Motors in Kalamazoo, Michigan ( http://springvalleymotors.biz/ That's my Wife's car up on the hoist on their website ). We told Kirk that we wanted everything on the car mechanically 100%. For the most part it was in pretty good shape. The gas tank was flushed, all four wheels had the brakes rebuilt. The trans-axle was gone through and all of the faulty wiring was replaced. The biggest thing was the engine. It had a hole burned through one of the pistons, so the motor was removed from the car and rebuilt. Kirk knows old VW's, so everything was done absolutely correctly, and period correct. He inspected everything on the car, and when we got it back 3 months later it was 100%. It ran so well that he drove it from Kalamazoo to our house (150 miles) to deliver it. From there we took it to a body shop to complete the process. That was a bad decision! We needed the car back by early November, and by the end of October it wasn't painted and was in a million pieces. We came to an agreement with the body shop (now out of business) to just have the body painted, and reassemble it for the upcoming birthday party. We would have to get the doors, fenders, hood and trunk lid painted at a later date.
We transported the car back down to Washington, DC for my Father in Law's 80th birthday party in late November 2006. It was a pretty cool moment, me coming around the corner in his Mother's old car and seeing the expression on his face. We parked it in the same place in his garage where it previously sat for almost 30 years. He drove it once over the next 5 years, and put less than 5 miles on it. Every time we would visit him I would go out and start it,and driveit around a bit. Finally in 2011 he told my wife that she needed take the car and get some use out of it. Once again the car was transported up to Michigan where it currently resides.
Now we have come to the difficult decision to sell the car to help out my Father in Law financially. DC is an expensive place to live, and he needs the money to help pay his property taxes. Our opening bid will cover 1/2 the bill. This is kind of like a Go Fund Me page, but you will get something in return.
Car in it's current state: Over the last 5 years we have driven the Bug on weekends around town. We replaced the carpet, and rebuilt the front seats, installed new door cards, and replaced the seat belts. Installed a new carburetor (we still have the original). New 6 volt battery. The floors are original and rock solid. The heater channels are original and rock solid. The bumpers and running boards are not original, and we do not have the old ones. Original 1200 CC 36HP engine, and yes still 6 volt. Runs very well. Mechanically it's still 100%, other than the usual VW oil drips.
Projects we were planning on doing: Doors, fenders, and deck lids still need body and paint. Car does not have a headliner. Door seals need to be replaced. I would replace the rear bumper again.
This is a good solid car, NOT A SHOW CAR, not even close. My wife and I have spent approximately $10,000 on this car over the last 10 years to get it to it's current condition. Yep, vintage cars are a poor investment. This is not a car I would buy a teenager for their first car, it's just not practical. This is a good running, almost 60 year old car that I would drive around town on weekends. This car is only 36 hp, and takes about 1/2 an hour (yes, I'm joking) to get to it's top speed of maybe 55 mph. Please, if you have any questions or concerns, want to see additional pictures, whatever let me know. This sale will greatly help out my 90 year old Father in Law. Thank you!!
Please, please, please, if you don't have the funds don't bid. We need to get this done as quickly as possible.
You will have to arrange shipping on your end, but I will gladly assist in anyway I can once you have it arranged. I do have a VW tow bar that I will throw in if you want to pick it up yourself. You could tow this car with a Honda Civic, it's like pulling a roller skate down the road. Thanks again and good luck.
Car is being sold AS IS, and now warranty is implied!!
NO PAYPAL, cash or certified check in person. You get the car once the check clears.$250.00 must be deposited within 24 hours after the auction.