Traded up twice in one weekend- new car acquired

IronSnake

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I'd rather not make this long winded, but I bought a 87 GT Vert for dirt cheap a while ago. It barely ran, valve cover gaskets leaked, vacuum lines unhooked everywhere.. it needed a lot of work. Top is broken at the back glass, and seats were tore up. But it was overall in pretty decent shape chassis wise and the motor was pretty fresh once I tore it down. I ended up taking the AC off of it for my Coupe, took some interior bits, and then cleaned it up/fixed it so it'd run well.

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I put it out there in the classifieds to see what would pop up/be offered on trade. Since 5.0 foxes are getting hard to find, I figured it has some sort of value. Didn't sweat it though since I got everything I need off of it. So it became a "play/trade/toy". Didn't really matter what came my way.

Anyway, a guy called and said he had a lowered SB/SC Silverado. 350/700r4. Pretty clean truck so we traded.

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Truck needs paint/put back together. But overall it ran great, shifted great, & had a ton of new mechanical parts on it. I could charge the AC and flip it for 3500 all day around here.

But wait, there's more.

2 hours after the guy left with the mustang, I was laying in bed and decided to search "Trade for Truck" on good ol' CL. Low and behold, a restored 63' VW Bug popped up. The Fiancee has been chomping at the bit to get one, and I knew dropping 5-10k on one was a no-go for us since we are in debt pay off mode. But I hollered at the fellow, sent him a pic of the truck, and he was down almost immediately.

So 24 hours on the dot, this shows up.

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It's an older restoration, the seats are weird with the neoprene fit covers, and the dash could be restored to a better standard. But it's numbers matching, new carb, electronic ignition, 12v conversion, tons of new parts, rust free, and a running/driving beetle. The car has an interesting history, and has lived it's whole life in a 10 mile radius of me.

It included a lot of weird, but cool stuff:
  • Factory Service Manual from 1963 that was in a library in Frankton, Australia (I shit you not)
  • Original Title/Registration/Manual
  • Complete paperwork for an exact color/option'd 64' bug in Bahama blue (this color). What makes it interesting is it's original paperwork for an order placed by an Officer stationed in Saigon. It was placed through the French VW office. So while it's an American Officer, it's in French with three color options listed (Bahama being number 1), along with the original title, registration, and all.
  • About 4 different Haynes, OE, & Bug enthusiast owners manuals
  • Receipts for this specific car going all the way back into the 80's
  • All the receipts for the recent restoration
Anyway, trying to not get long winded, it's an amazing deal and I don't know how I fell into these two trades within 24 hours. But I'm happy to report the S/O is beyond ecstatic. I was able to get her butt in the garage at 7 a.m. Saturday morning to clean up the original bumpers and clean the car up. She's been outside everyday helping me.

So without a doubt, while I'd like to have the 5-7k this thing is worth (around here), it appears this will do more for our relationship than the money could ever do for us. And for that, I'm thankful. She's ready to drive it to CC and park it next to the Fox and be a part of my passion.
 

50stangpower

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Cool story. Lovee some bug. I'd like to get the wife one too. When you go to sell pm me if it is truely rust free. I don't mind the 8 hour trip
 

IronSnake

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Thanks guys. Kind of a crazy roller coaster

Cool story. Lovee some bug. I'd like to get the wife one too. When you go to sell pm me if it is truely rust free. I don't mind the 8 hour trip

Definitely. It is, it has a bit of the typical corrosiony "grossness" that goes along with older cars. But it'll be cleaned up long before I sell it/move it. The only sort of rust repair it's ever had was the drivers rear pan was replaced. Fenders are new, otherwise it's all original
 

ToddW702

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Nice, it sounds like everyone got a win there. Cool beetle.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com
 

Machdup1

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Nice trades.

That car does bring back memories. I had a 65 Beatle back in the day. I finally got sent to he scrap heap when I picked up a buddy from Fort Dix after he finished basic and took him over to DC to have some fun. It had just rained and there was a giant puddle in front of the capital. I drove through the puddle and a 3"-4" hole opened up between his feet and hit him in the face with a massive stream of water. It was funny as hell, but after checking the car, I could poke my finger through the frame and floor board. That was less funny.
 

Sn95Snake

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What a score! It is even better that your wife is into it, I am so happy my girl loves cars almost as much as I do.

Hell she drives a 2012 Wrangler with a metalcloak lift on 37s. Can't get much cooler then that IMO.
 

IronSnake

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Thanks guys. We are very blessed.

Just put collectors insurance on it. Agreed value of 8k. It was a 100 a year (lol)
 

AustinSN

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That's actually really cool. I've started to grow an affinity towards those bugs, especially when they are restored.

You traded yourself up to some good equity, that likely won't go away, and you are keeping the lady happy. That's a good weekend.
 

05satinGT

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That's a cool story, and awesome getting the wife into the hobby. Love the color!
 

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