[Nathans_Dad]

Ok, strange situation here guys. As you know I am in the market for a Karmann Ghia convertible. I have been searching Craigslist and the Samba and have two leads here in Texas.

One of the leads was listed in San Antonio. It is a 1969 convertible which was rescued from a junkyard decades ago by the seller's father. He apparently restored it at some point. It sounds like the car was given to his daughter (the current owner) and the father died sometime after. The car has fallen into disrepair, the convertible top needs complete replacement, engine hasn't run in several years, needs all new interior, etc. The daughter has decided to sell the car. She fully admits to knowing "nothing" about these cars. The craigslist ad showed the asking price as $40000. I, assuming it was a typo, asked her how firm she was at $4000. She e-mailed me back and told me that she had been told the car was "easily" worth $35-40k restored but she didn't want to put the money into the car to get it there. Oh, the car has no title either, btw. She says her father put together the documentation but never filed for title.

So I e-mail her back and explain that a 69 Ghia convertible is worth probably $18-20k in pristine condition, fully restored. I link an e-bay auction for a pristine 66 convertible which has full documentation and is going for $23k. I explain that the car needs significant work, does not have a title, and likely will not run. Given all that, I explain that I would be willing to consider an offer in the $5k range. The car is a 5 hour drive from me and I'm willing to go get it, but I don't want to waste my time.

Any ideas from the veteran classic car buyers on how to best approach this? The car is a very good start on a resto, but the price is just completely out of left field.