Beach weather is here, so it’s time to investigate this 1960 Volkswagen Dune Buggy, here on eBay, in a no-reserve auction bid to just $5500. It runs and drives well, so you can motor it home from Brooklyn, New York, where it probably feels like a fish out of water. The dune buggy phenomenon started slowly, with one-off alterations of Volkswagens – but sometimes Corvairs and other makes – destined to surf the sand. In the early 1950s, EMPI organized the buggy party a bit by producing sheet-metal kits to turn a VW into a kind of rough-and-ready rider known as the Sportster. Then in the 1960s, Bruce Meyers parlayed his knowledge of fiberglass to create the Manx, and the buggy trend took off. This car is built on a 1960 VW platform, carrying the title from its donor car.

This buggy sports a Type 3 air-cooled four-cylinder engine displacing 1600 cc’s. It has a new EMPI carburetor and the brakes have been rebuilt. The seller notes that the four-speed transmission performs well, and the car runs as well as any VW he has owned. Looks like he had a cookie cuttin’ party just prior to the buggy’s photo shoot; maybe check those tires! No explanation is given for the Vermont plates, but this sale could be a relocation story. It’s tough to use a dune buggy in Brooklyn.

The interior is an appropriately beachy combination of sea blue and white. Staining on the seats may respond to a thorough cleaning, but if the discoloration is stubborn, changing out the seat covers shouldn’t be too tough. The white roll bar is a great look with the white bumper bar. The lights and gauges are all in working order. No mention is made of a top, though the snaps for attaching one are present.

The underside is as simple as they come, with all the workings tucked into the buggy’s back end. If a buyer was really picky, the undercarriage could absorb a day or so of elbow grease, but then would it ever see the beach again? Buggy prices generally sit considerably north of the current bid, ranging from about $12k on the low end, up into the $20k area for buggies with some real history. Manx prices can reach into the $40k region. though our seller is careful to say that his buggy only looks like a Manx. Anyone willing to enter the fray to win this fun and simple ride?