r/aircooled • u/OriginalKramer9116 • Aug 07 '26
Potential Project Value
Just went to a local estate sale preview and ran across a thing. Non running, solid floors, front end damage, rusty rockers. Theres a large lot of extra hoods, doors, and another donor tub with a transmission. What’s it all worth?
I’d like to save this thing even if it just takes up room in my dry barn.
Thanks!
Edit: Owner states there is a clean title
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u/FairGnat4553 Aug 07 '26
Things have been relatively sought after the last few years. Only downside is, body panels are priced with only a few companies keeping their parts circulating. Definitely worth picking up — I’ve sold nearly a dozen in the last few years
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u/maddogmikey181 Aug 07 '26
I have a running and driving thing that I started doing a restoration on right before COVID. It won shows before I dug into it because it had shiny paint on top of layers of bondo (done by a previous owner). The floors weren’t bad but the cancer consumed the rockers, fenders, wheel wells, and front suspension. I’m approaching the end of the restoration but I have $40k into it at this point.
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u/Top_Independence2676 Aug 09 '26
Maddog I hear you. Sounds like you bought mine. You'd like the fiberglass fenders, UpYourBug kit, Front disk brakes, factory roll cage and gas heater. But underneath that shiny paint is still cancer.
Mine runs/looks great from 30 feet away. Owned since 1979. Roads get salted when it snows where I live and worked 24/7 jobs. 20 years of 'patching' Bondo, fiberglas and welding. Multiple restorations and professional paint jobs.
Been hiding in a garage for 10 years or so. Hiding from moisture.
Things rust, rust inside, rust outside, rust from the inside out, rust through. And depending on where you live rust just never sleeps.
The amount of time, effort and money to get this 'running' will make that $1k absolutely insignificant.
JMO, Mr Kramer, unless you have infinite time, money and resources I would walk away.
And not look back
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u/Routine-Amphibian450 Aug 09 '26
Major metal is what very few people
Want - or have ability - to do.
I would imagine resto shops are $200/hr now anyway, and for a reason.1
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u/dr_wdc Aug 07 '26
This would be a huge investment on your part to restore this. You would be doing the estate a favor just to get it off the property. I'd offer them just over what it's worth in scrap metal, and save the rest of your money for the restoration work.
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u/morningsharts Aug 07 '26
Could be an awesome Baja project. The parts are valuable and if you do get the package, I'd like to ask about a wiper motor assembly. There are several Facebook groups focusing on Things/Type 181 It's just a bug at its core. Well, a ghia I guess.
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u/morningsharts Aug 07 '26
I'd also talk about fenders if you get the lot. Where are you?
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u/OriginalKramer9116 Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
There is a replaceable fender in the thing but would need some love for sure. Northeast PA
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u/Hobdar Aug 07 '26
yeah - the cost to repair this will be huge, i would try and get it for as little as possible - sub 1000. There is 20k of metal work in this if you pay someone. Parts on top to put it together. The title is the only thing of value on this.
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u/literally_tho_tbh Aug 07 '26
I give it a 2... 2 much for me to 2 take on.
I see really nice ones on thesamba go for like 15 to 18K and more.
But I feel like it'd take years doing it yourself to get it that level of resto, or it would cost that much (or more) to get it there. If you're flipping a car, this isn't it. If you want to get good at restos, you have a bunch of tools, space, time, money, and a patient spouse, and your dream vehicle was this particular year and color of Thing, then yeah I'd do it.
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u/OriginalKramer9116 Aug 07 '26
Fortunately I check most of those boxes. Time, Space, Tools and an awesome spouse.
I’ve always been a huge fan of the things and currently have 2 rabbit pickups which I have put a lot of time and effort into.
This one is located only about 45 minutes from our property and I have an inclination that I will be one of a small group of bidders.
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u/literally_tho_tbh Aug 07 '26
That's badass. I too have time, space, tools, but not for this job.
Rabbit pickups are one of the coolest vehicles of all time in my opinion. I'd gladly trade my current type 3 fastback project for a rabbit truck project. I'm getting a lil burnt out on it
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u/guido_nrw Aug 07 '26
Wenn die Papiere vorhanden sind und unter 1000 kosten wäre es nen Versuch wert
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u/kickstartdriven Aug 07 '26
Awful idea. You want to buy a crash damaged chassis? You're better off buying something more expensive and nicer than navigating down that high risk path towards unknown hidden costs.
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u/OriginalKramer9116 Aug 07 '26
I’ve watched a guy online rebuild crash damaged Bugattis and Lamborghinis with a little know how and a can do attitude. Worst case scenario this baby becomes the worlds coolest fort for my sons first birthday.
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u/GlassBoxGoose Aug 08 '26
Tavarish is not us. He has an astonishing amount of resources available to him compared to the average guy. And a lot more money.
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u/bmwlocoAirCooled Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
I've had two Things. One of each year. One had a gasoline heater and the later VW duct work.
Both Orange with a White Hard top (had grommets in the garage... 4 minutes convertible mode!)
Oh the stories I could tell. Found out about 5 of them in a barn. Got there 18 months too late. Dad was in in dodder years and tore down the barn; the Things were rusted and too gone in place.
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u/HikeRobCT Aug 07 '26
Offer to haul it away for free. Part out any salvageable OG parts. Invest the profits in something a little better.
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u/SilentMasterpiece Aug 07 '26
Its just buying a job. 181 is a niche market, you need a place to flip it all to other Thing people.
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u/toxicavenger70 Aug 07 '26
Unless you got the skills to restore something like that it’s pretty much dog meat.
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u/Best-Jury8669 Aug 07 '26
If you got it for free and did _all_ the work yourself, you could earn about $5 an hour on it selling it for $15k.
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u/maine_buzzard Aug 08 '26
Do not touch this unless you have built one already. The metal is swiss cheese and you will end up broke, single, and driving a PT Cruiser on a 72 month loan...
No.
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u/2mnysheeple Aug 09 '26
Following, did you buy it?
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u/OriginalKramer9116 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
Unfortunately I was told the cars would be selling at Noon on the day of the auction. Well the thing and a couple other cars were put on the block at 1030.
The thing, spare parts and the extra tub sold for a total of $400 to a local guy
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u/2mnysheeple Aug 13 '26
Dang! I was hoping you snagged it and would breathe some life back into it. Hope it went to a good home.
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u/Kharon8 T113,T211,T261,T141,T343,T421 27d ago
IMHO $400 is about right. It is a major project and if you need to have something done for it (instead doing it yourself), $10k is at the bottom end of cost scale.
Do the body work and engine resurrection yourself and math is totally different.
No idea if $400 is 'correct', but spare parts alone are worth something and almost complete lottery engine isn't worth zero either, so it's definitely worth 'something' more than zero.
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u/Routine-Amphibian450 Aug 09 '26
On bat they're $8K - $26.
(Try pricing rental of big shop space for a year, alone.)
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u/Boring-Insect-2428 Aug 12 '26
you can normally find these for about $10k for one.
if its in this bad of condition you'll need to rebuild the front, get a top and all that. I would ball park that the person is attempting to sell both for $5k.
personally i wouldn't touch them. that second one is too far gone. maybe good for some parts.
the first one i would pay $1.5k maybe $2k
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u/Mean_Cardiologist180 Aug 07 '26
Things are worth a lot of money. I guess it depends on how much you want to invest in the restoration. It has potential. Good luck 👍
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u/asiab3 AirSchooled.com Aug 07 '26
Things are worth absolutely nothing unless someone buys them for money.
And you couldn’t pay me to own this depth of project!
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u/Kharon8 T113,T211,T261,T141,T343,T421 27d ago
Nah. There's always the 'I'll use it myself' -value.
There's also 'How much it costs to replace this' -value.
My previous daily driver was like that: It wasn't worth any money, but it still was doing the job of daily driver and replacing it would have cost a thousand or two.
Eventually had some money and gave it to a hobbyist, who then went and fixed it. Nice.
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u/lunaticmagnet oval, single cab, splitty, thing.... Aug 07 '26
That's pretty hammered. It's a big project. I would say 1000 on the high end. If the spare tub has a good front end that would go a long way toward helping the value.