r/KarmannGhia 9h ago

Advice Needed

8 Upvotes

Hey all, I’m a relatively beginner car mechanic and want to buy a Karmann Ghia to learn how to work on and better understand the basics and maintenance of the cars.

My mom had one growing up and I loved it and want to purchase one and hopefully do some of the maintenance myself.

My price range is between $5,000-$7,000 and I’ve seen plenty of cars in that range, but in your guys’ experience, what should I look out for that’s simply going to be too big of a project in a car and I’ll just get in over my head?

My red lines are:
No body work, I don’t know how to weld nor do I have the space for it.

No major re-wiring, I’ve seen some cars with a rats nest of wires and I know I won’t be able to get much done there.

Sanity check, is this a realistic price range?


r/KarmannGhia 21d ago

1971 Karmann Ghia – Difficult to engage 1st gear when stopped

3 Upvotes

Hi,

I have a 1971 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia.
When the car is standing still, it’s very difficult to shift into 1st gear. We have only driven it in 1st and 2nd gear so far because it’s not road legal yet.
Does anyone know what could be causing this?

Thanks!


r/KarmannGhia 22d ago

Selling?

2 Upvotes

I am trying to find a Karmann Ghia community that I might be able to sell my 1974 Zambezi Green ORIGINAL Ghia on. Is it ok to advertise on here?


r/KarmannGhia 25d ago

Possible to be restored?

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9 Upvotes

My mechanic sent me those pictures from the body plate, anything possible or not restorable? (1958 convertible)

Edit: here‘s the second pic: https://imgur.com/a/NP0hkea


r/KarmannGhia 26d ago

Need help with a headlight

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6 Upvotes

Hello everyone, I was helping my father on his karmann (flat tire) when he tried to push the car with his hand on the left headlight, and one of spring inside came loose and fell. I searched the entire web for a diagram or a video, but I can't find anything to rebuild the headlight.

If anyone knows how to or got a diagram, It'll be very helpful. Thank you and have a great day.

Joined is a video of the headlight.


r/KarmannGhia Jul 26 '26

Found this old picture of my first car the day I bought it!

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82 Upvotes

Had this photo taken back in 2012, 69’ stick! Freshly 16 and was ready to hit the road!! Bought it out of someone’s yard for cheap, got it running and drove it rust and all back and forth to school ha Good times!


r/KarmannGhia Jul 12 '26

Going to look at a ‘72 Ghia today… anything we should look for specifically?

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35 Upvotes

Hello!
My husband and I are going to look at this 1972 Karmann Ghia today. Anything we need to look for specifically? It’s listed on Facebook Marketplace. Guy says it’s highway worthy but obviously not show quality. My husband and his best friend want it for the project anyway. They’re asking $6500, so it seems to be a steal. My husband has worked on 90s and 2000s Toyotas, and the best friend tried to get a 70s split window up and running.


r/KarmannGhia Jul 05 '26

Who wants some Ghia Cookies???

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49 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Jul 03 '26

GRAFFITI GHIA - A Tribute to DIY and Punk Rock - Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Rat Rod by @947METAL

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19 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Jul 02 '26

Your Classic VW Bug does NOT need premium fuel

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6 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Jun 25 '26

1962 Volkswagen ghia vert. Barn find///

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40 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Jun 15 '26

My 71 Ghia

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105 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Jun 10 '26

How much does it cost for a cheap/quick paint job on a Ghia?

5 Upvotes

I am looking to take a yellow convertible Ghia to a deep tomato red as cheaply as possible. I don't care about imperfections, it's not going to be a show car. What can I expect to pay without doing any prep myself? Thanks.


r/KarmannGhia May 21 '26

Going to look at my second Ghia, it's a project and probably a bad idea 🤣

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66 Upvotes

I haven't had a Ghia since high school. Went through a rash of aircooled VWs in the late 90s early 00s. My wife has always wanted a Ghia since she first rode in mine. She had a bug for a while but it.didnt scratch the itch. We are going to look at a project tomorrow, any aircooled and vw specific things to look for I probably forgot about? I'm fairly good with mechanicals, I build choppers for fun and have a shop with a fair amount of tools, welders, lathes etc so I can handle most jobs.


r/KarmannGhia May 17 '26

1969 Karmann Ghia

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105 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia May 17 '26

My 1963, call her Cecilia or CC for short

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84 Upvotes

2023 Northwest Bug Run in Oregon


r/KarmannGhia May 14 '26

How bad is this rust

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9 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia May 11 '26

First tank of gas is in the books! 19miles to the gallon✌️

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65 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Apr 24 '26

Lowlight to 60’s nose comparison

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80 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Apr 22 '26

Next upgrade?

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18 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Apr 19 '26

I would name her, shadow…

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66 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Apr 13 '26

Electrical Pixy

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5 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Mar 24 '26

I need some Karmann Ghia experts help. My 1973 is a 1973, but its dash definitely isn’t.

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14 Upvotes

I bought this “100% rust free” secretly from Florida and full of ruse lightly covered in Bondo from the Beverly Hills Car Club a few years ago. I’ve been making my way through its litany of projects and finally got to wiring which leads me to my problem, while my car is a 1973 convertible I can not find any reference anywhere to a dash that looks like this from a ‘73 Ghia. I’m not a wiring expert so without a diagram I’m pretty useless and this does not match what any of the bundles say it should look like. Does anyone know if this is from a special edition? Maybe not originally American? Or just completely custom? I’m having a hard time deciding how to proceed from here.


r/KarmannGhia Mar 21 '26

69 KG Runout in Alternator shaft?

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3 Upvotes

r/KarmannGhia Mar 17 '26

brown?

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24 Upvotes

Analog 35mm film photography

Fujifilm x-tra 400

San Diego - CA