1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia

Bottom line: Cool. not perfect car.  Most likely a California car.  Underpowered. still very fun to drive--nimble and raw. Daily driver.  Desirable year. Good dry body. imperfect 'placeholder' paint. Solid 'original' mechanicals. Unique work (356-style dash. power windows. BMW seats. early style wheels). VG floors. All electricals work. Link to more pics at bottom.                            _______________________________________________________________

(What follows is War and Peace. I know. I'm no expert. but I figure the more information the potential buyer has. the better. If nothing else. however. just read the first [i. e. above] and last paragraphs. and see both sets of pictures. )
               _______________________________________________________________

I bought this car Dec. '14. I was living in Salt Lake City. UT. at the time. bought the car in Las Vegas. drove it back. Before that. I was told by previous owner car had sat in a barn in western Colorado for years. 68/69 are good KG years. as much for what they have (12-volt electricals. front disc brakes) as what they don't (not much in terms of pollution control. and mercifully lacking the later cartoonish bumpers and lights).  
Original color of car was dark green. When I bought it. was a silly shade of metallic green (see pics).  
If you've never driven one. Ghias offer an underrated driving experience. I've owned a vintage 911 and 912. and while those are obviously faster and more sophisticated machines. pound for pound I can't say they're any more 'fun'. Ghias sit low and are wide (well. for a vintage car). the air cooled/rear engine layout gives the car a lot of character. and even in stock form. are pretty nimble. 'Poor man's 356' is not a bad description. if a bit of a slight--Ghias stand on their own. I liked this car much. much more than I thought I would. and the reason I ended up doing so much more work than I'd planned on.  
             _________________________________________________
History. I say this is a California car. with a rider: I have no paperwork to back that statement up. But I do have a couple of 'clues': there's an ancient sticker on the inside of the glove box. from Niello VW of Sacramento (google them. sure enough. they're still around. been around since the late 50s). and there was a very faded sticker on the windshield. read something to the effect of 'California Highway Patrol Vehicle Inspection 1974' (see pics on both; I replaced the windshield at the time of paint. and have no doubt it was the original glass--the rubber molding was ancient with only original paint beneath). These things aside. my own experience guides me: I've owned and driven probably 15+ vintage cars. ranging from the sublime dry West Coast car to the ridiculous rust belt rust bucket. This car is easy to figure out: it's a dry climate car.  
             _________________________________________________
Fun Stuff. There are some things going on on this Ghia you'll not find elsewhere. As beautiful as the bodies are on these machines. as a VW outsider I had a serious case of underwhelment when it came to the dash--the thing you see most of when driving. The fake woodgrain and lack of a tach I found nothing less than pathetic. So I cheerfully admit to cutting up the dash. 356-esque. Wouldn't do it on a Porsche. but on a VW. gladly. All the cutting I did after the paint. which is in reverse order. so I can't say the work is great quality (see pics). I enlarged the center speedo hole. covered the two smaller holes with fiberglass and then cut two larger holes on either side of the speedo.  
Tach in the center I got from North Hollywood Speedo. Overpriced ($450). but pretty cool. Looks perfect in the center. and really helps in driving. Speedo is early style. as is the clock. Clock is a work in progress. I've done the hard part. next owner gets to finish it. I replaced the works with an 80s VDO clock. so the clock is accurate and actually works. now needs cosmetics finished (needs a VDO donor clock for big hands. and another VW clock for time change mechanism). Fuel gauge? Another project for the next owner. Had nowhere to put it. so right now it's in the glove box (it works. I replaced the sending unit). I'll include a matching-but-rough '68 Bug speedo with fuel gauge in center.
The big warning lights. if I do say so. are another nice touch. They work. and the turn signals are separate indicators. They're Lucas. made in England.  
The bane of vintage cars. when it comes to comfort. are the seats. In a word. they suck. This car was no exception. I drove a two thousand mile road trip on the original seats. and I have nothing but curses and kicks and ailing back to report back. So I went with my favorite seat. 80s BMW Sport seats (from the 3-series). Good seat. and not terribly invasive as far as looks. Got these shipped from California. went to some effort with swatches. even so the color doesn't quite match rest of interior (ah well).  
Wheels are early style I found on ebay (Chinese. 4-hole). Take a non-VW hubcap. which is annoying. as I'd prefer the moon-style hubcaps.  
Retrofitting power windows for the first time: not fun. But they work. and are really cool. Not terribly sophisticated--just a rail. cable. and Bosch motor. A little rickety. I've got the switches placed by the gearshift. a little makeshift to be honest. But I did the wiring properly (see dropbox pics). using four 5-prong relays. Very happy how they turned out: not for show. but for practicality.  
            __________________________________________________
Body. I'm not going to use any magical percentages. or shout that most abused of all vintage car phrases. "Rust free!" (there's no such thing outside of a museum). but rust wise. there isn't really anything to speak of. certainly not as far as serious rust goes. Yes. look around. there are spots where the paint has chipped. and there's surface rust. or in the wheel wells. or in drainage holes. where water flows through. of course there's typical minor surface rust that needs some basic attention. That's about it--and for a car in this price range that's pretty darn good. Floors are in really nice shape. Look all original to me. no sign of repair or damage. I've got them painted with a protective coat. the pictures tell the story.  
Outside body is overall decent. As I say. rust wise--quite good. But. I'm compelled to admit. there is a lot more bondo on the car than I'd prefer. When I bought the car the driver's side rear quaterpanel had a bunch of cracked paint. I discovered a pretty big dent under a lot of body plastic. Passenger side quarter panel likewise I discovered a lot of bondo under the paint. 'glazing' type of coverage. So yeah. no claims that this car doesn't have it's fair share of plastic--it does. But. none of the bondo is there to hide rust--can't over-emphasize that. The car just had it's fair share of dents and dings (I'm assuming this car was in teenage hands at some point. judging by the old metallic green paint).
One thing I can't figure out is the rear decklid. See pics. doesn't line up on the passenger side. bottom half sticks out. and gap is tight. The inside of the quarterpanel (see photobucket) seems OK as far as anything major going on. so I don't know. Not sure if it's the deck lid itself that's a little screwy? Anyway. please note.  
There is a small dent (I've rudely pounded out) below the passenger side headlamp (see pics); not terribly visible. and I regret to say happened on my watch.  Front nose is in nice original condition (see dropbox). The bumpers are OK. reasonably straight. but fair share of surface rust.  
            ___________________________________________________
Paint.  Bottom line: this is nothing more than a fair. 'placeholder' paint job. full stop. Can't over emphasize that. On the other hand. the paint isn't 'hiding' anything--it's just about to hit the two year mark. and if you know vintage cars and budget work. after about a year a cheap respray begins to reveal it's secrets.  I did all the prep work. I'd say probably around 60 hours of work? Local SLC shop did the paint. Honesty compels me to say. I'd probably starve as pro body man. Also--and I'm probably the only person on ebay who'll admit this--but cars look better in pictures than in person--please keep that in mind! I enrolled in a night class at the local high school. where I did some welding. and borrowed my sister's driveway on weekends. where I did sanding. body plastic. etc. I welded in three pre-fab metal patches: two on driver's side rear quarter at bottom--not rust repair. rather where battery acid had eaten up the metal (quite common). Also patched in the passenger side lower quarterpanel. wasn't bad. but there were a couple of dime size rust holes at the very bottom. hidden under paint. Also. I welded shut the upteen number of holes in the driver's side quarter panel. where years ago someone did a goofy repair on the dent mentioned above. by drilling holes.  
Anyway. as far as the paint goes generally. it looks fine from ten feet. Start looking closely. and each panel will have it's own set of imperfections. a ding here. small dent there. scratch here. blemish there. etc. One thing of special note. the rear quarters. both sides. where there was plenty of body plastic. that's where you can really see my amateur work. The paint itself is OK. but under the paint. the surface is uneven. the 'cottage cheese' look: basically I didn't do enough block sanding. Hard to photograph. I've tried from several angles. Keep the car clean. not as noticeable. white is very forgiving.
The door jambs. underhood. etc. are all painted white (btw. the car is painted an early 60s VW code. 'Pearl White'). Under the front hood. start moving stuff around you'll see dark green. but most of the car is white.  
            ___________________________________________________
Mechanicals. For the first fifteen months or so. this car was a daily driver for me. I put around 15K miles on it. including driving the car from SLC to Houston. where I moved fall of 2015. The car drove excellent on the long 2000 mile drive (ladened down with my worldly goods). not a hiccup--aside from hot loud and uncomfortable. that is.  
Nothing mechanically on the car is new or perfect. but starts. stops. runs pretty decently. For a car with 50hp. car moves pretty well; I was pleasantly surprised (for reference I've owned a '69 911. '67 912. drove a '73 Super Beetle for six months). I've done next to nothing in my two years of ownership: cap and rotor stuff. replaced starter. fuel pump. and swapped the generator for an alternator.  I'm not sure what kind of shocks the car has (they're red. but not sure if they're Koni's) but they're decent. if older. Brakes are fine. they'll stop the car. and don't pull. Will hear a creak or two from the steering.
As far as miles on the engine. no idea. It'll use a little oil. but nothing major. so that's a good sign. Also. as far as I know it's an (or the?) original 1500cc single port. Tires are four matching Continentals. decent tread. 175s.
            ____________________________________________________
Electricals.  They all work--I made that a priority. can't stand it when stuff doesn't work. High beams. turn signals. horn (replaced them). all gauge lights. outside lights. wipers. radio. hazard lights. back-up lights. all work. I don't have a dome light (I changed position of the rearview mirror. thought the original style blocked too much view of the already narrow and low windscreen). but I've replaced the door switches and have the wiring in place. Now I'm not saying my wiring is pretty. but it's effective. Lighter (I added) haven't wired yet.
The one substantial change I made was replacing the generator for an alternator; one of the few repairs that is overcomplicated on these cars (it is an accepted method to remove the engine just to replace the generator). Alternators have better output. are more reliable.  
            ____________________________________________________
Interior. Most of it is new. Front seats. carpet. windshield (and windshield rubber). door panels. a lot of soundproofing material. decent Pioneer radio with Polk speakers. dash pad. steering wheel. tach. I'm leaving the headliner and the sunshades for the next owner. and the clock.  
(If I can make a suggestion for the next owner: go with the good carpet. the German oatmeal weave stuff. I did the carpet before the dash and seats. and it's decent. but considering how the interior turned out--very cool--better carpet will crown it. )
            ____________________________________________________
(Ahem) 'Opportunity' areas.  A vintage car isn't a destination. it's a river. There's always something going on. Yeah. overall this car is solid. but. In no particular order: Overdue for a tune-up (including valve adjustment). 'Dieseling' (run-on) going on. I've gotten used to switching off car with it in gear. letting off clutch   ***   All late 60s and older vintage cars stink. literally. No proper gas tank ventilation. I played around a little (see the odd fuel filler arrangement I've got going on. can be reverted relatively easily). This car needs a charcoal canister and vent lines running to the back of the car. to engine to recirculate. I think this car may have originally had this set up? Anyway. that's a job I leave to the next owner. which should get rid of gas fume smell in the front trunk. and subsequently cabin. (Btw. fuel tank is new. good quality US made. )   ***   I haven't driven the car the last nine months. Just started driving it again. I remember the car had just started to grind sometimes on a second gear downshift. --it'd do it once or twice a week. Hasn't done it lately. but I do want to mention it. Maybe a clutch adjustment?   ***   Wiring etc all works. but sure could use a clean up. No need sending panicky letters to Wolfsburg looking for a "second week of September 1967" wiring diagram. Electricals on these cars tend to be reliable (c. f. Lucas Lighting. 'The Prince of Darkness') and with a little patience. easy to figure out--you can see everything. *** Power windows are in place. they work. but final window glass adjustments still need to be made. Also. while I replaced a lot of the rubber on the car. I did not get to the door rubber--urgent need of replacement. esp window scrapers. I do have that rubber (scraper) and I'll include it.    ***   I'm running two keys. one original style for door. one aftermarket for dash-placed ignition switch *** Top of the engine is pretty clean. but there's the usual oil slick on the bottom; doubtless seals need to be replaced.    ***   Driver's side door latch needs to be replaced. acting up. I've tried cleaning. etc.   ***   The battery tray in the engine compartment is just a simple patch job (how I inherited it). and I didn't get to the inner fender (i. e. it's missing) near the battery tray. Not urgent. but needs done at some point.    ***   I'm sure I'm forgetting something. or many things.
            ___________________________________________________
Etc. Clear TX title. in my name.  TX registration is expired. as of Nov. Car is in Stafford (suburb of Houston) TX. 77477.  
            ___________________________________________________
Terms. and a little common sense.  This particular Ghia is not pristine. nor a show car. nor pedigreed; it's not "All original!". or "Rust free!" (there's no such thing outside of a museum) or a "Three year. no expense spared restoration!". It is what it is: a pretty cool unique car. with some amateur work. and a decent dry. mostly likely California. body.  It's really fun to drive--a new car just can't compare when it comes to character--and yes. this car will only go up in value in the years to come.  But remember: this is a 50-year old car. and it's not perfect.  If you've never bought a car online--and especially a vintage car: please keep expectations realistic.  After all I've written. I'm still leaving out more than I'm telling. Not for lack of trying. that's just how vintage cars are. they hide as much as they tell. Typical stuff: No warranty is given. express or implied. Please ask any questions you may have before bidding. I'll do my best to answer. $500 deposit via Paypal due within 48 hours. Balance due within 7 days. whether car has been picked up or not. As far as shipping goes. that's for the buyer to arrange. but I'll try to be available. and help in any way. Of course anyone local is welcome to come see the car. Please no tire-kicking. winning bidder enters into an enforceable contract. etc. etc.
            ___________________________________________________________
More pictures can be found.
here

Also published at eBay.com

Want to buy this car?