Here's the bottom line, it's all about the body. Rust, body filler,
damaged body panels, missing parts.
Mechanically, you can replace the engine and transmission, rebuild the brakes
and front end for less than many folks spend on the body work on their cars.
So, where do you start looking for problems?
Think, cost to repair and the most expensive area to repair will be the rocker
panels, also known as the heater ducts.
The body of a Karmann Ghia, and the Beetle for that matter, has the heater duct
assembly welded to the bottom edge. They are then bolted to the floor
pan. It's the basic structure of the whole car. It's also the area
that often rusts out in a corrosive environment. When you hear or read
about a body off restoration, they are talking about removing the body and heater
ducts from the pan and completely restoring those parts. This often means
cutting the rusted heater ducts from the body and welding in new ones.
So, what to look for? Check the bottom of the body, under the doors, behind
the front wheel well, and in front of the rear wheel well. A small magnet
or flex magnet like the ones you get from the pizza delivery place can help
detect previous repairs that used a lot of body filler (bondo). Place
the magnet on some part of the car that probably doesn't have any bondo, like
the hood or deck lid. (Be careful not to scratch the paint if you haven't
bought the car yet :-). Now compare how the magnet sticks there to other
places on the rocker panels. If it's much less, there is probably a pretty
good thickness of bondo there. If it is a fairly recent paint job, like
less than a year, there is as much as a 50/50 chance that rust under the bondo
will begin to 'bubble out' in a short time. Other places prone to rust are the
bottom edge of the engine compartment lid, top of front fenders just behind
headlights, and bottom edge of doors.
Added December 2012
The death of an ACVW chassis is often caused by a leaky brake master cylinder. Sound strange? Here is what happens.
The 'fire wall' in front of the pedals is actually a double wall chassis member with an air space in between. The master cylinder mounts here with spacers between the two pieces of sheet metal. If/when the seal at the push rod leaks, the brake fluid leaks inbetween the two pieces of sheet metal.
When you look under the car just forward of the floor pans, you will see a channel running across the car. There are supposed to be drain holes to allow water and other fluids to drain. They are usually blocked.
Brake fluid has two properties that make it particularly dangerious around painted body parts.
1. It is a very good paint remover.
2. It absorbs water.
So now, you have water in contact with steel with no paint. Can you say RUST? If you see rust coming through the channel that runs across the car, do not walk away from it, RUN. Much of the strength of the chassis is destroyed at this point. I've only seen one car that the owner decided to have repaired from this damage. It is VERY expensive.
Want to look like an expert in front of the seller? Open the hood (front compartment) and run your finger inside the nose where the ridge is, or is supposed to be. The ridge should be well defined and smooth. The front's of Karmann Ghia's are extremely vulnerable to damage and this will show up most easily in repair work to the ridge on the nose. Also, the bumpers get bashed often, if they aren't there, you are looking at lots of cash to replace them. Again, continuing to look like an expert, squat down in front of each headlight and look along the ridge on the top of the front fender. Bad body work will often show up there.
So, you found a relatively rust free car? How about missing parts, like those front and rear bumpers. Depending on the year of the car, you can sink a pile of money in the acquisition of the various pieces and parts that make the car complete. Those little pieces of trim and knobs are getting scarce. You can probably find them, but be ready to lay out cash if they aren't on the car.
About this time, you should make the decision on what you are going to do with the car. Anything from using it as a daily driver to a museum show piece. The decision makes a difference on how much you will spend. You can get the car in driving condition for much less than absolute original condition.
Many folks find that paying a few thousand more for a car that has been recently restored is worth more than buying one that needs a lot of restoration. It depends on what YOU want to do with your car. The old story about the guy that spent three years to build a sail boat and sold it the day after it was launched. When asked why, he simply replied he didn't enjoy sailing boats, just building them. If you enjoy driving more than restoration, go for the already completed car.
And don't be afraid to search outside your own local neighborhood for the car of your dreams. Shipping costs are in the neighborhood of 50 to 75 cents per mile so for an extra 750 dollars, you may be able to purchase a car 1000 miles away that is better than anything you can find locally.
Which brings us to the last part of the buyers guide. As with any purchase you make, knowledge can save you money. Learn as much as you can about the cars before you go shopping, reading this guide is a good start. But you need to know what parts were on a 1967 vs. a 1968 so you can make informed decisions. And, don't be afraid to ask questions on the Karmann Ghia email list. Lots of folks willing to help you out.
If you have any other tips to add to this page, please email them to ghia@farrout.org.