OT: What should I ask for '65C?

[356KarmannSUPER]

1965 C Cabriolet. Rust-free, except for some surface rust. Hardtop only, no softtop, Irish green/tan. Needs paint badly. Black plates. Original owner. Never split, kardex-matching case. Seats are great but need restitching. Chrome not-so-good. Straight frame. All documentation since new, when bought in Stuttgart, so it's a Euro model. Very, very original. Mechanical condition is incredible, cosmetic is very bad. What should it cost?

[YTNUKLR]

You should try calling a 356 shop in your area.

[Early_S_Man]

Before writing off the paint ... try polishing with N. 7 Clearcoat Polishing Compound and a good coat of wax. Many people don't realize how tough and durable 30-40 year old factory baked enamel from Porsche or VW really is! Under a bit of surface oxidation ... may reside an outstanding Irish Green car! I am always surprised how many people (especially dealers) aren't willing to put even a tiny bit of work into a car they are trying to sell ... and the price they get is way below the potential for the car.

If the car is in as good mechanical shape as you say ... the paint may just need a bit of help to offset some sun exposure.

[silverc4s]

Keith Martin, editor of Sports Car Market says in his 2002 guide that a 1963 - 65 356C Cabriolet (3174 made) is selling for between 32,500 and 37,500. Rudge wheels add 10,000, hardtop on a cab add 1,000, Wrong engine deduct 15% of value, wrong exterior color for year of car, deduct 25% of value..

[targa80]

I have been looking at a 1964 356C Cabriolet and have researched pricing. What I have come up with is ball park and depends on the car and how original and complete it is. The car I want has not been on the road for 5 years Vin/Engine/tranny match cardex. Convertible top is shot. Repaint by owner15 years ago, color is now red but was originally blue. Minor rust (California car) but interior is weathered, Chrome has pitting but is still shinny. Body is clean and door/hood lines are straight. The original owner thinks it is worth a small fortune. I feel that an offer of $10K and settling on no more than $15K is fair. My problem is the owner is not willing to part with it yet, so I patiently wait. I posted a thread in the 356 forum with pictures of the car.

Thumb nails of 65 365C Cabriolet



Concource condition $40K and up
Very clean original $30K~$40K
clean minor problems original $20k~$30K
running needs restoration work $15~$25K
not running needs restoration work $10K~$20K

[silverc4s]

Targa80,
Your spread agrees with the SCM numbers. His pricing is based on a clean original, #2 condition, not concours car.

ps. Of course you can't pay your way up that ladder profitably; starting with a restorable shell, sadly...

[356KarmannSUPER]

It was repainted when the front got smacked in the late 60's. I doubt it was a good repaint. I am basically looking at around $25-32k, is this correct?

[widebody911]

Originally posted by Early_S_Man
Many people don't realize how tough and durable 30-40 year old factory baked enamel from Porsche or VW really is!

My first car was a '69 bug, Peru Green. It had sat out for years, and was badly oxidized. I spent an entire week cleaning and buffing it out. When I was done, the previous owner swore I'd had it repainted.