First Speedster-Used vs new?

I have begun the journey to find my first speedster. I have read a lot of posts in this forum and realize there is much opinion and choices. My question "in your opinion" is it better to start off with a brand new Vintage speedster or a good used IM Roadster?

The Vintage seems to be a solid car at a fair price and the IM Roadster seems to be a better put together car with things like roll up windows. I have noticed when pricing both these cars, (new Vintage/used IM), that sometimes there isn't a huge price difference. Of course a new IM is a different story.

This will be my first speedster and it may be a stepping stone to a new custom built, who knows. I plan on tinkering around with the car but I want to start out with something that is running well. I like speed and don't want some wimpy engine. Also, I like the idea of roll up windows and air conditioning. I'm in Arizona so those options would be great but I am willing to go without.

Your thoughts?

Mary

Mary; I did the same thing when I went shopping for a speedster. I ended up buying a beck. It was new and it isn't on a vw based pan. The tubular frame on my car is what I wanted and you are right about in the middle between a vintage and I M . when I picked up my speedster in San Diego, I headed to Az. I did my break in and visited my brother in Clarksdale. I did my first oil transmission service there before heading up to my home in Elk Grove Ca. The whole trip was made with the top down. I don't have air conditioning as it will rob power on such a small engine. I really don't see the addvantage even in Az. The summer was made for top down driving. My air conditioning is actually anything over fiftyfive. I Ms are very well built cars and Henery does a great job on them. I guess it is all in what you want in a car. I f you choose one of Henry's roadsters you really get a lot of car They are bueatifully appointed with all the bells and whistles, and it is probably what you really want , roll up windodws compfortable seats and the like. I know if you just keep looking one is bound to come up for sale on this site. I am really happy with mine. No top up driving for me and I know that my wife would have liked an IM . So I would say Go with your gut feeling in what you want. You won't be happy with your second choice so why not go with your first choice. I f air conditioning is a priority go with . Ray(old man)

My opinion? You'll never know what you want and don't want until you live with one of these cars for a while. Some guys come pretty close on their first try out of the shute, others... well it takes a little longer. If it were me, I'd buy the best used car I could get without it having to be "the car of your dreams". Goodness knows, there are plenty of them out there. You may be hooked, you may learn to hate the whole thing. But one things for certain, you'll know what you'd do differently after you own one to start with.

Another factor? the depreciation on a mid-priced used car (a year or two old for VS/JPS, or 10 years old for an IM) is almost nothing if you use it for a year or two, and decide to sell. New? Well, you'll take a bit of a hit...

I'd buy used.

Mary,

Stan just gave some great advice. If you go used, I think a good way to "know" the car is to buy a car that has a history on this forum. You can do a little archive research and get a feel for the owner, the cars modifications, and etc. You can also p-mail some folks on this forum that have a strong understanding of VW mechanicals. Stan would be one I'd go to (and have).

I just sold a very nice 3+ year old 30,000 mile VS that had many add ons, a built 1776, etc. to someone who knew the car. It wasn't too bad of a hit considering the fun meter was pegged the entire time I owned it. Still, the new owner got a bargain.

Another thought. You are close enough to LA that I would consider keeping your search for E-Bay and other net sources to the SoCal and AZ area. Any LA car would be easy to have checked out by a number of great shops, and if it is a VS or JPS, you could take it to them for a look over (and history). The added benefit of a local car (AZ/SoCal) would be the cheaper cost of getting it home.

I think some of the used IMs you are seeing for sale may seem depreciated because of their vintage... a pan based Roadster or Speedster is going to be sold at a lower cost. That doesn't mean they aren't great buys though. There are several Pan based IM Speedsters on here that are awesome cars. Rick Davis has a solid and great looking one. There are other's, I think Glen has a pretty neat one from what I can tell by the pics and the mods he has made to make it more authentic appearing. But, to get a used IM Speedster on the custom frame is pretty difficult. It may be a couple of years before you see more than 1 a year for sale. It's only been 3-4 (?) years since IM put out the newer Speedsters. One of the early (custom framed) IM Speedsters sold a few months ago for a great price.. I think it was around 26G.. a bargain for the car. The used Roadster/Vert D market is a little more active, but only because the custom framed ones have been around for a longer period. They make excellent buys if the Mechanicals are checked out. There have been three or four member's 'Vert Ds that sold on this forum or e-bay in the past two years that were very good cars.

Good Luck!
Jim

Mary,

Second thought. I would wait until Knott's and then check out all the cars there. You will see most of the manufacturers there (JPS/VS/IM for sure) and all the shapes, engines, a/c vs. non a/c and etc. Make an informed choice! Plus, there may be a car or two for sale.

Jim

Mary:

Henry (at IM) is brokering a 2000 IM Roadster for a gentlemen named Randy Abernathy (at least he was about 1 month ago). I drove this car before deciding to order a new one from Henry. The car has a 2110 engine, A/C, Electric Windows, etc. The car was absolutely beautiful with the only flaw I saw, a tiny stone chip above the headlight. I think the car had about 10,000 miles total. The color combo was Sky Blue with Tan interior and top (it was very beautiful).

If you decide you want a used IM Roadster, I think you will be hard pressed to find a nicer example. If you would like to see some pictures, email me and I will shoot you what I have.

Good Luck,

Bill

Mary; Steve O'Brien (known as a356fan here) has an nice IM frame based Convertible D for sale with all the amenities. He listed it on Ebay; it's item 4504892442.

Thanks for the great responses. Ray your Beck Speedster is beautiful. Why would your wife want an IM? I am in Southern Arizona and the temperature gets up past 100 in the summer. I plan on driving my speedster aound town a lot so I won't be getting into speeds where I create my own air conditioning. I like the look of the interior without AC, but I don't want to end up with sun stroke. I've driven a convertable in the summer before and you just drip sweat. It isn't a huge deal for me but I might get complaints from my passengers.

Mary

Mary; She would really like more compfort in the seating, the roadster style. I am driving without my seat cusion right now , they are being re stuffed with a denser foam. In sitting on a folded beach towel, funny it does feel the same. Since I drive my beck every day, she really isn't a passenger all that much. I prefer my traditional buckets. I will try the new foam and see if that works. I sweat a lot in mine too, but I wear a ball cap for direct sunlight, she wear one of her tennis visors. I think the biggest thing is passing trucks , she just dosn't like looking at wheel lug nuts on that level. You are right about Tucson being a tad warm. I hope you find your car and enjoy it as much as I enjoy mine. Maybe we will see you at Knotts in the spring.

Ah, Knotts in the Spring, sounds very good. It was 31 here this morning on my daily walk. I stepped right along!

Bruce

I plan on going to Knott's this spring with or without a car. Until then I will be keeping an eye out for my first speedster/roadster. Until then, if anyone is driving through the Tucson area maybe I could buy you a cup of coffee or a beer,(or both), and I could maybe just look at your car.

Mary