BF Auction: 1965 Volkswagen Beetle
UPDATE – Due to some confusion about the high bid, we’ve relisted this Beetle. Be sure to take another look and cast your bids!
There’s just something special about the VW Beetle. Their performance isn’t something to write home about and they certainly aren’t luxurious, but their interesting design and durable nature seem to have helped them achieve iconic status. While it’s been a few decades since these were commonplace on American roads, you still can’t go anywhere in one without noticing people playing slug bug or without having someone point and wave. That being said, there seem to be fewer and fewer Beetles still around. This 1965 example has been in the care of the same family since 1967 and has been parked in the family barn for the past 30 years or so. In 2010, the seller did a slew of repairs and got it running again but it still needed more work to be road worthy, so it’s remained in the barn. It’s currently yard drivable and looks like a great project! You can bid on this Beetle below and it’s located in Canton, Pennsylvania.
The seller’s family has quite a bit of history with this Bug. His aunt purchased it in 1967 with just 2k miles on the odometer. She drove it while she lived in California. In 1971, she gave it to the seller’s father, at that point it was showing 61k miles. It was then stored in his dad’s body shop until 1980 when the seller turned 16. At some point in the car’s past, it had been backed into, leaving a dent in the passenger side door. So, he and his brother decided to fix it up and make it a driver again. A replacement door was installed from another car, other dents were repaired, and the car was painted bright red and clear coated with metallic flake. It was driven off and on until 1983 when it went back into his father’s body shop and was stored there until the ’90s. Around this time, his dad retired so the Beetle was moved to the family barn, where it’s stayed ever since.
In 2010, the seller decided it was time to get the car going again. So, they had the wheel cylinders replaced, new rear axle seals installed, and the starter rebuilt. The tires were dry-rotted at this point, so the car wasn’t exactly safe for the road, so it didn’t see much use. About 10 years ago, a set of new tires were finally installed and the car was driven around the farm, but since it hasn’t been inspected or registered since 1983 it hasn’t been driven on public roads. It’s been driven around the farm during family reunions over the past decade but has otherwise stayed parked in the barn. Unfortunately, the barn is starting to cave in and it was decided to find a new owner for this Beetle. They’ve moved it to a nearby garage so that it doesn’t get trapped under the barn if it were to come down. They were able to get the car running again and you can see it in action in the video below.
While this is definitely a project, it looks to be a good find to start with. Beetles are about as easy a car to restore as you can find. Parts are readily available and they are very simple cars to work on. This one is showing a little rust, but the key areas of the floor pan appear to be solid. The seller has provided photos of all the areas that you want to inspect when shopping for a classic Beetle. The spare tire well shows signs of rust, but there’s no daylight coming through, which is a good sign. And the battery box also appears solid. Given the unique rear-engine design, you always want to make sure the rear structure is in good shape. It’s hard to say for certain without a full inspection if this area is completely solid, but from what can be seen in photos, it looks good. We would recommend a closer inspection to be on the safe side, but new panels are readily available if any repairs are needed.
A look inside reveals what appears to be a fairly original interior. The front seat upholstery has been changed out, but the dash hasn’t been cut up for an aftermarket radio and the vinyl floor coverings, door panels, headliner, and rear seat look original. Included with the car is a rearview mirror assembly from a parts car to fix the broken original mirror and a spare hubcap. We also find a Blaupunkt radio in the dash which is likely the correct radio for 1965. The car is still set up with its original 6-volt electrical system, but the seller notes that they have to jumpstart the car to get it running, so assume the battery is long past its expiration date. Converting the car to 12-volt is a worthwhile upgrade and you’re going to need a new battery either way. Restoring the interior should be a fairly simple task, as you can buy complete interior kits that will make this car look as good as new. Or, you could just give it a good cleaning and enjoy it as is!
1965 was a bit of a transition year for the Beetle. The body panels were revised a bit, but the engine was still the old 1200 cc unit. In ’66, VW introduced the more powerful 1300, but the 1200 is a good durable engine that will get the job done. Since this one already runs, we would just give it a tune-up and enjoy it as is. If you decide you really need more power, a 1600 is a fairly simple swap and there are endless options for custom-built engines. This is a great starter classic for someone to learn the basics of classic car ownership or to teach your kids how to work on a car themselves with.
The Beetle really is an iconic car and hopefully, someone sees the potential of this Bug. Yes, it needs work, but if you’re going to tackle a project you can’t really go wrong with a classic Beetle. And since this one already runs and drives (at least at a basic level), you can focus on making it a good driver, then think about taking it to the next level if you want, or just drive it as is. Either way, you’re going to have a fun classic to play with!
- Location: Canton, Pennsylvania
- Mileage: 67,000 showing
- Engine: 1200 cc Air Cooled 4-Cylinder
- Transmission: 4-Speed Manual
- VIN: 115093260
- Title Status: Clean
Bid On This Auction
Gasbuggy bid $4,400.00 2023-02-11 12:00:00
cocranfill bid $4,300.00 2023-02-11 07:00:50
alrzycki bid $4,200.00 2023-02-10 14:49:58
EdE bid $4,100.00 2023-02-10 11:33:01- alrzycki bid $3,900.00 2023-02-09 15:39:07
Cm66 bid $3,800.00 2023-02-09 14:31:55
2manyvettes bid $3,700.00 2023-02-09 14:16:23- Cm66 bid $3,600.00 2023-02-09 07:27:20
- 2manyvettes bid $3,250.00 2023-02-09 05:46:16
- alrzycki bid $3,150.00 2023-02-08 17:53:08
- 2manyvettes bid $3,050.00 2023-02-08 07:18:42
nhcarnut bid $2,950.00 2023-02-07 14:57:28- 2manyvettes bid $2,775.00 2023-02-06 14:12:17
- EdE bid $2,500.00 2023-02-06 10:41:49
- 2manyvettes bid $2,000.00 2023-02-05 18:52:00
SteveH bid $1,875.00 2023-02-05 13:23:07- 2manyvettes bid $1,775.00 2023-02-05 06:05:57
TKAngeles bid $1,600.00 2023-02-04 20:08:52- 2manyvettes bid $1,500.00 2023-02-03 11:44:23
skody54 bid $900.00 2023-02-03 11:37:36- nhcarnut bid $700.00 2023-02-03 10:54:34
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Comments
I’m always curious how a PA car that apparently was driven quite a lot in its early years isn’t totally rusted out.
From the seller – The first 61000 were in California where my aunt bought it and the bulk of the driving occurred there. In the last 50 years (and 6000 miles), it’s been undercover 95% of the time.
Thanks Josh – that’s good info for potential bidders.
How much did it sell for?
That Floorpan is to die for. Good project, the red is kinda horrendous, but whatever floats your boat. Looks like it was orig white, That or turquoise would be nice.. Good luck and happy motoring
Cheers
GPC
Seller here – It was white – I think the color I picked was candy apple red?? We sprayed a clear coat over it that had metallic flakes – it was the ‘80’s – that’s my only defense!
I had a 67 in the Navy in San Diego…painted it solid green with metalflake in the paint. It stood out, and we were bold then !! I like your car. Best to you in this sale.
Had one first car run the tires off good old cars what zip code is this to be picked up. If I bid and win.
It’s 17724. We are located near the PA/NY state line. Just south of Elmira NY and north of Williamsport PA (if either of those towns mean anything).
Elmira is where I was born and raised, so it means a lot to me. Used to pass through Canton on the way home, traveling up Route 14. Beautiful area. Fly up nowadays.
Needs a roof rack.
This car is actually pretty rough but kudos to the seller for all the pictures that allow you to get a good idea of what’s what. It would be a good project but be ready for some real work to make a nice car out of it.
I like the note about the passenger’s door being replaced when the 16-year-old was given it to drive.
The door appears to be from a ’64 or earlier. The ’65 on cars had slightly larger windows, a very slight curve to the windshield and an angled vent window.
When your 16 and gifted a car, I suppose any door that fits will do. I would have done the same thing if it were me.
My first car; a green ’65 Bug. Starter went but
had a couple loyal girlfriends help push-start it
to get us going toward home. High school was great!
I had a ’66 in high school that I had to push start every morning. After that it would start for the rest of that day. I got so I could push start it by myself on level ground. I learned a lot working on that car because as a broke student if I didn’t figure out how to fix it, I didn’t have a car to drive. I’ve always had a least one old VW since. I have a ’67 Bug that I bought in 1982. I still love driving it and working on it.
In high school my senior year I became proud owner of a 58 bug. Lots of my friends had big American muscle cars. I had a series of VWs everything from transporter to a brand new 70 VW. My first and only new car ever. They were great fun to drive, work on, and have adventure in. They started me down the road of driving. I love how this 65 looks. It reminds me of so many of the ones I had. A little sketchy not perfect like you see now. Thank you so much for bringing this to Barn Finds. The long strange trip continues.
A 65 was our third VW after 2 black/red convertibles. It was lighter than the 55/58 convertibles, but not as stable with its higher CG. About that time, the VW got a boost to 40hp and could just keep up with traffic if you were willing to push hard through the gears. At least with the 12 volt battery, it would start in th winter. We had studded snow tires for the back and never got stuck. Not a good open road car as cross winds could be nasty. GLWTA.
Wish all bugs for sale were in this good condition… I hope whoever gets this doesn’t put air ride and turn it into some of the ridiculous looking bugs that so many people do today… Beautiful car… I hope it stays that way…
I was a kid when the family picked up a ’66 Sunroof Bug. At some point the starter stopped working and I guess that was an impossible job to replace it because we kept driving it everywhere but always parked on hills or were ready to push-start it. Fun car, and I remember it had that storage area behind the rear seat.
All these comments ring true – I think anyone that had a bug can relate. To Dave’s point above – I know the door was a year off so must be 64. It was black, and for a while, I drove around with a white bug and a black door. Tough to be anonymous with that pattern! I spent my lawn mowing money in the early days getting accessories- which is why I added the picture of the beetle floor mats. They come with the car – Didn’t think much about it until I saw someone selling them on eBay for $300! Probably nicer than mine, but figured it was worth a post. The push start memories are also very familiar. My dad started this bug up frequently over the years, but not over the last 2 or 3 years. My son got it started over Christmas break – put a new ignition coil on it- and drove it from the barn to my dad’s garage. It’s dropped about 40 degrees since then, and I haven’t had it started since.
If you have a heavy person in the driver side back seat, the voltage regulator can short to ground. Ask me how I know. I lived on a hill .
Confusion on the high bid? It was $4000 for days. What’s up with that?
Someone bid $4,100 but then had something come up and had to retract their bid. The next high bidder didn’t realize what had happened and assumed they had been outbid, so they bought a different car and lacked the funds to buy both.
Thanks for the info!
How about those doors.
The driver’s door has the 1965-and-later glass…with the angled divider with the vent window. The passenger-side door has the 1952 (appx)-64 vertical divider.
I was of the impression that the newer door was taller, and the roof gently modified, with that upgrade. No? Does it fit? How did this happen?
Between the write up and the comments, I think we covered the “how it happened” part. On the fit -the only thing that stood out to me (in 1979 when I did it) was the “cardboard” -I think that’s what people call it on here – didn’t match up on the bottom. I put some photos of that. 40 yrs later, the latch is a little finicky and after people pointed out the window differences, etc. I see that now!
I really wish I had a truck/trailer or lived close enough to tow bar this. Its exactly what I’ve been looking for to start my first VW project to share with my wife and little boy. Good luck on the sale!
I really liked the photos and story in this post. In the summer of 1973, as I was heading into my senior year of college, my dad bought me a 1965 VW from a neighbor for $200. Her husband, who was a mechanic, had rebuilt the engine at 100,000 miles. It had also been repainted a non-VW shade of green. I didn’t care; I had many fun trips over the next year and a half, and it never let me down. After graduation , I got my first job and a newer car and sold the VW to a woman for $160. She totaled it a couple weeks later.
Seeing the pics of this ‘65 really took me back to simpler times.
I dunno. The ’65 doesn’t have that little red button on the dash (that the ’68-’74s have): When you push it, the button lights up… and you either drop into hyperspace… or nothing happens. It’s that moment of suspense that’s worth the price of admission.
Seller. The right door post appears to be significantly rusted at the bottom where it joins the sill. Would it be possible for you to post better pictures of this area as I understand this is the part of the car that was damaged years ago. Thank you.
There is some surface rust, but structurally solid. I took a video poking around with a screwdriver and will try to post that along with a close up.
Video and photo of the door sill have been added to the post!
After almost 150 years (about 100 years in our family) the barn came down this week and it looks like our VW we’ve had for 55 years finds a new home today – pretty eventful week! Thanks to all who have commented/bid on the bug – while we hate to see it go, it will be nice to have it go to someone who can use it and appreciate it.