1971 Westy on Craigslist

[Bignick]

I went and bushwhacked to the $950 VW bus on craigslist in Whitwell earlier. That was an adventure. After turning down roads that didn't have names he got to the part of the road that had cars all around it (at least a hundred) He met us and said its just over hear across the creek    Megan got back in the car and said let me know. I cross the creek and about a 100' down the path on the other side was a poop brown 71 westy that had been there for A LONG time. It was originally red and had the DP motor with the 71 bus intake on it. Both bumpers were there, the interior was nasty and torn, but all there (along with a lot of other junk). Other than the door sills, the nose, maybe the passenger dogleg, rear corners and the sliding doorskin, the body looked pretty solid. The front wheel wells were shiney red paint, the under pans were there and solid/shiney. There was an airconditioner unit behind the driver's seat and the radiator was underneith.

I was thinking it would be a good deal if they'd come off a couple hundred but when I asked him about it, he said that was their (it was his dad's car) bottom dollar. He proceeded to tell me he would sooner tell someone to leave his property if they tried to 'jew' him down. He would then smash it with his John Deere front end loader tractor and sell it for scrap so no one could enjoy it. ok..... I told him that was nice be we had seen some that were about double that and we could drive those home and it'd be about the same cost without the work. He didn't care. I told him to call me if he decides to lower the price and he said it would be scrapped before it was lowered. I said bye.

He also had a 73 bus that was smashed but it almost had as many colors as Homer. It wouldn't have been too bad for a parts bus, but it was rough. He also had a FI bug of some year with a Roll Royce hood, a baja bug and a 412. He'd take 3k for all of them if you'd bring a chain saw to go mining for all his gold... I wished him good luck and left.

Oh well..

[sunnybug84]

and here are the pics I went there yesterday morning
I also told him i almost bought one for 2100 in running/driving condition.... well well, i will ask him about the interior.

[travisyoung]

i know one the can be had for 2500 that need a front beam or repair and 3 front wheel cylinders, all the other have been replaced, has a rebuilt engine from mr hixson lots of new parts

[Bignick]

Thats the one. He said it was a guy from a club who was originally from Germany and had an accent. I said Eike? He said he thought it was a Mark. I was right! I guess you got a good feel for East Tennessee walking through his property!

I am going to PM you Travis.

[Bignick]

Hey Eike,

The guy said that whoever looked at it on Saturday (which I assume was you) said they were going to come back for it. Is that true, or was that your story to get out alive? Who ever gets this, has a project on their hands!

[Russ]

Something is not quite right. That's a '71 camper in the photo? It has turn signals above the headlights which are '73+. But it has the smaller bumper and smaller tail lights which ended in '71. So if this really is a '71, somebody has put a newer nose skin on it.

[Zen]

So if this really is a '71, somebody has put a newer nose skin on it.

Yep, it's had the nose replaced at some point, which might be a good thing. Maybe there isn't as much rust under the windshield as there might have been.  At any rate, it's a project.

He's asking $950 on craigslist and would rather crush it than come off the price a couple of hundred?  He'd get what $250 max for it for scrap?  I'd have to ask him if I could watch . . . and laugh.  This sounds like a guy I called one time about a Honda Civic that was in the Chattanooga paper when my daughter was looking for a car.  He ask me if was going to buy it, 'cause it wasn't at his house and he wasn't going to waste his time showing it to someone who was just looking.  I told him I needed to buy a car that day, I had cash, but I couldn't tell him if I was interested in it until I had seen it and heard it run.  I appoligized for wasting his time and hung up.

When you put a car up for sale, you gotta expect to have a few tire kickers and a few offers.  If you're firm on your price, that's all that needs to be said.

[travisyoung]

the one i was speaking of was not a westy, soory, kinda of a bug guy

[Russ]

That's true on the rust. I saw the pictures and something struck me as being not quite right.

If the nose was replaced, it makes me wonder why. Was it hit on the front? Doesn't look worth $950 from the pics. Guess he will have fun crushing it.

[Zen]

Doesn't look worth $950 from the pics.

But according the craigslist ad, it was "running and driving when parked!"     Kind'a reminds me of the $800 Beetle that was on the Huntsville craigslist a couple of years back that "running and driving when parked."  They didn't mention that during the 10 years it was parked someone took a sawsall to the roof.   

[Bignick]

So if this really is a '71, somebody has put a newer nose skin on it.

Yep, it's had the nose replaced at some point, which might be a good thing. Maybe there isn't as much rust under the windshield as there might have been.  At any rate, it's a project.

I didn't catch that when I was there. I was too busy looking at the bondo chunks pulling away from the nose. So it needs another nose.

I got the impression that this guy's dad bought a bunch of cars and maybe drove/drug them to the back 40. Now the seller is out of work and has asked his old man if he can sell some cars to make some money. I doubt the price is based around the vehicles, but more around how much money he needs that week. He also offered to sell a Yugo for Megan, but I said she likes shiny things so he offered a Samurai that didn't run for $1600 or something. My bet is that he shows it a lot but doesn't sell it and it sits for even longer.

[certdubtech]

For $950?


Pass.....


And I grow tired of the "I'd rather just junk it" type of bottom dollar.

It tells me that i am not dealing with a rational individual at that point.  Time to go.

[Zen]

Scap is high right now.  There is a point when it's worth more for scrap than it is as a vehicle . . . but you have to consider the work (getting rid of the tires, removing the gas tank, loading it, etc.) and cost ($4.00 a gallon gas, etc.) to get it to the scrap yard.  You've spent the better part of a day and you MIGHT walk away with $200 profit.  All because some guy ticked you off by offering you almost 4 times as much to haul it off for you?  What was it Forest Gump said?  "Stupid is as stupid does?" . . . or something like that.   

[certdubtech]

I can hear Chris Rock right now....

"Nine-hundred fifty dollas.... Good Lawd, that's a lot of money.... how 'bout i give you $12.78, and just take three hubcaps?"

[Ret.Bugtech]

Dang Nick. I can't belive  you didn't jump on that Yugo.  What a great "Ride" . 
just think even Fiat threw it away and the
Yugoslavian Gov.grab it up. You ain't lived until you have driven a Yugo GT Sport