1966 Parts Car

Here's the place to come to post when you have questions relating to technical issues or mechanical questions on the 1966 model year.

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rokemester
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1966 Parts Car

Post by rokemester »

Does anyone have advice on purchasing a parts car? There is a 66 Bug within a couple hours of me that is for sale for $600. I've been thinking it might be good to have some spare parts, plus there are some door components that are broken on my Bug that I would like to replace if they work on the donor car. What are some of things I should look out for? What lessons have you learned over the years. THANKS!
fatalifeaten
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Post by fatalifeaten »

The first thing I think I'd do is make a list of the things you want to replace on YOUR car and see if that list comes out to more than the 600 it will cost for the donor. If not, then pass. Next, is the pan in good shape? if so, is the title clean? Depending on your location, a decent pan and title can go for up to 500 bucks in wet, rusty, east coast and northeast locations, so you could potentially recoup money from the purchase that way.

if you decide you're going to spend less money buying this car for parts, make sure you inspect it for all the pieces you want to be sure they're worth reusing. For instance, buying a car to reuse the doors only to find out later they're swiss cheese with bondo filling is just wasting money. Once you've gotten through your inventory, make notes on what you can actually use and what you'll still have to buy, and see whether the deal is still a good one. if not, see if they'll take less or walk and try something else.

Lastly, If there's not a title on it, RUN THE VIN. You don't want to buy a stolen parts car unwittingly, no matter what a good deal it is. if the seller acts sketchy when you ask about checking the VIN, odds are he knows something's up and he's trying to unload it to clean HIS hands.

Other than that, have at it. There's usually a good number of people who will buy whatever you don't use at swap meets, on ebay, or the samba, etc. Whether you'll recoup your 600 bucks is anyone's guess, but that's kind of the risk you take walking in the door.
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rokemester
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Location: Cleveland, Ohio

Post by rokemester »

Great advice. Just what I was hoping for. THANKS!
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