Karmann Ghia

[JumboBeef]

Hello.

Interested in maybe getting a Karmann Ghia, ideally a convertible.

Anyone here got, or had one, or any pearls of wisdom about these cars please?

Thanks.

[finlo]

Rust rust and more rust.

[daytona365]

Could never see why they're so sought after. Ok they look different, but to me they always seemed like a cheap pastiche of something far far better/more expensive.

[Lozrington]

My first car was a Beetle (28 years ago), but I always lusted after the Karmann Ghia. One of the best looking cars on the road, without question, but they were beyond my price range for a long time. Fast forward 20 odd years and after a drunken night on eBay, I forund myself on the way to Wales to pick up a £6k Ghia! It was a 10 foot looker, but I couldn't live with the rust blisters, tired old engine and sagging door hinges and before I knew it, was knee deep in a nut and bolt restoration. Sandblasted bodyshell (and yes, you WILL find more rust that you expected and it WILL cost you a shed load to repair). I'm now a further £20k I and about 80% complete and it will be concours quality. I've done everything bar the bodywork myself and while it's not going to be worth the investment (probably worth about £20k), it's been very satisfying and at the end of it, I'll have my dream car.

All the parts are available (even body panels), but quality parts cost a lot of money and there's a lot of tat out there. Mechanically, they're very simple of course, but it's the bodywork that costs. Ideally, find one that some other mug has restored to a high standard (with photos etc to prove) and save yourself a wedge!

I've had loads of cars, including a few flash ones, but the Ghia turns the most heads and is universally admired. Not many cars you can say that about..

[Lozrington]

Here she is before

<a href="http://s1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/?action=view&current=IMG_3091_zps37681ccb.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/IMG_3091_zps37681ccb.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

And during

<a href="http://s1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/?action=view&current=1D103201-2239-468F-818B-A3607B1B3285_zpsjbiqk5pv.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/1D103201-2239-468F-818B-A3607B1B3285_zpsjbiqk5pv.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

And now..

<a href="http://s1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/?action=view&current=IMG_9765_zpsbc099d1f.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/IMG_9765_zpsbc099d1f.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

<a href="http://s1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/?action=view&current=12389529-F7B3-4A21-82AD-3CECA7F07DD2_zpsrce43sqf.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/12389529-F7B3-4A21-82AD-3CECA7F07DD2_zpsrce43sqf.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

<a href="http://s1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/?action=view&current=IMG_9766_zpsf544fd64.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/ag24/loriclarke/IMG_9766_zpsf544fd64.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket Pictures, Images and Photos" /></a>

[Lozrington]

Ok well that looks like a big fat fail right there! Obviously a different way of posting photos to what I'm used to- sorry about that!

[stuartmmcfc]

It's a longtime since I had anything to do with him, but he's a nice guy and certainly knows his Ghias .
http://www.karmann-ghia.co.uk/Introduction.htm

[Lozrington]

stuartmmcfc said:

It's a longtime since I had anything to do with him, but he's a nice guy and certainly knows his Ghias .
http://www.karmann-ghia.co.uk/Introduction.htm

Yes, he has a good reputation in the field, albeit you'll pay a little bit of a premium buying through him.

[Pistom]

daytona365 said:

Could never see why they're so sought after. Ok they look different, but to me they always seemed like a cheap pastiche of something far far better/more expensive.

Think you answered your own question there.

They were an like an old style Porsche Boxster but obviously less power and worse road manners.

[Fastdruid]

Lozrington said:

Here she is before



And during



And now..

FTFY.

[Lozrington]

Cheers mate!

[JumboBeef]

Fastdruid said:

Lozrington said:

Here she is before



And during



And now..

FTFY.

That looks really nice.......even the before, which is a bit of a worry!

This looks nice, but pricey:

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/201364804706?nav=SEARCH

[corporalsparrow]

My Mum and Dad drove one back from Rhodesia to London in 1959, through what is now Malawi, Burundi, Uganda, across to northern Nigeria, up across the Sahara to Algeria, Morocco and across to Gibraltar.

So they're quite reliable.

[john2443]

Lozrington said:

My photos don't work!

Put pic inside these [] before xyz.jpg and /pic inside these [] afterwards, writing the html doesn't work, as you've spotted

Here she is before



And during


And now..

[JumboBeef]

What should I be looking for about the engine? Original or replaced with new one? 1600?

[austinsmirk]

The earlier ones are more desirable. Later ones have bigger lights, bumpers esp for USA market.

Like any air cooled vw of that era, engines are gutless.

It'll be hard finding something un modified , ie lowered and so on.

Rust is a major problem, but parts are all out there.

Id join a club and get beard knowledge.

[Yertis]

The TR6 was styled by Ghia – the front wing contours, at the front, are quite similar in form.

[sm34uk]

I've had mine since about 96 and love it. Best bit is that the parts are mostly available and a fair few shared with the Beetle. The later ones have less aesthetically pleasing lights but have IRS instead; although none of them are going to make it as a sports car. Think of them as a boulevard cruiser and they are fantastic plus they look the dogs!

Convertibles are obviously rarer and check for rust, particularly under the rear seats and usual sills/heater channels. As for the engine, a top end rebuild to run on unleaded and moving from a 1500 to a 1600 is pretty inexpensive; not that you notice any difference in power. The roofs are a work of art and with the lining, wooden header bow and insulation can get expensive to repair. Buy one and you will love it. As with all classics, buy the best you can afford body wise and if it has decent trim and rubber all the better as the costs can really mount up.

[JumboBeef]

sm34uk said:

I've had mine since about 96 and love it. Best bit is that the parts are mostly available and a fair few shared with the Beetle. The later ones have less aesthetically pleasing lights but have IRS instead; although none of them are going to make it as a sports car. Think of them as a boulevard cruiser and they are fantastic plus they look the dogs!

Convertibles are obviously rarer and check for rust, particularly under the rear seats and usual sills/heater channels. As for the engine, a top end rebuild to run on unleaded and moving from a 1500 to a 1600 is pretty inexpensive; not that you notice any difference in power. The roofs are a work of art and with the lining, wooden header bow and insulation can get expensive to repair. Buy one and you will love it. As with all classics, buy the best you can afford body wise and if it has decent trim and rubber all the better as the costs can really mount up.

Any photos please? Interested in selling?

[sm34uk]

JumboBeef said:

Any photos please? Interested in selling?

Hahaha, still in the garage so no pictures but you can follow the thread here.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Reading back through it, I optimistically said a couple of weeks and that was January!! When it's done, couple of weeks perhaps, then yes, going to sell it as the next project has already been bought.