For sale is my much loved 1973 Karmann Ghia Convertible. This is a drop dead beautiful driver that draws a small crowd whenever I drive it. It is best considered a resto/custom, in that although it looks close to stock it is not. The engine is from a Porsche 356B, engine number P607670. This is a good running engine with a value of about 8.5k. The restoration was finished in about 1995 and the car has been garaged stored since. I have put less than 300 miles on it. It was purchased as a incomplete project along with a Ghia coupe which served as a parts donor. The prior owner had rebuilt the floor pan with thicker more stiff metal. The body was put on a rotisserie and donor parts from the coupe were used to replace any rust. Any suspension/brake parts that were not in excellent condition were replaced. The chassis has been slightly lowered and decambered front and rear for better handling and looks. The interior is finished with leather Porsche Sport seats and custom made carpet. Notice the custom speaker pods in the kick panels. The dash, top, top boot cover, seats and other interior parts have been dyed with Sem so that all colors match. The wheels are VW chrome. The exterior paint is Merlot (PPG). The headliner is new. About a week after painting 4-5 small blisters (smaller than dime size) appeared (rf &,lr) which are believed to be reactions with the paint/primer. They have never gotten any worse. Although the paint looks fantastic, it is not perfect. The leather in the seats also looks fantastic, but not perfect. The chrome wheels have some pitting but also look great. The Porsche engine runs very strong and it is pretty loud with the extractor. The tires have OK tread but the rubber is old and they should be replaced for safety. The Zenith carbs have the Porsche pop when cold which may be improved with jetting. This car has clean California Title in hand and is ready for its new owner, hopefully one that will drive it more. A $500 Pay Pal is due at auction close with the balance in cash or cashier's check at delivery. The car can be picked up in Chula Vista (San Diego) CA or I will work with a shipper of the buyer's choice. Any questions can be answered in writing or with a phone call, and if you are in the Southern California area and are so inclined, I am willing to show it to serious eBayers. Selling this is going to break my heart, but we are getting ready to retire and are downsizing everything but the dog!!! This little Ghia is the prettiest girl at the party!! Good luck with your bids!!!!

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J.D. Power customer survey of dealers counts Cadillac, Buick as big winners

Mon, 14 Apr 2014

Cadillac and Buick have taken the trophies in J.D. Power's latest Customer Service Index Study examining satisfaction with dealer service. Surveying more than 90,000 owners and lessees of 2009-2013 model-year cars, the study found that those with pre-paid maintenance packages were ten percent more likely to buy their next car from the same brand.
Dealer satisfaction scores have improved overall, Cadillac nabbed the luxury segment ahead of Audi and Lexus, taking the crown that Lexus held last year. Buick keeps the mass-market dealer satisfaction win in the family, finishing ahead of Volkswagen and last year's winner GMC. The study also found that service department use of tablets increased customer satisfaction, as did "best practices" like "providing helpful advice." Who knew?
You can find details on those and more findings in the press release below.

Volkswagen unveils sportier Passat Performance Concept ahead of Detroit debut

Fri, 11 Jan 2013

Ahead of its official unveiling at next week's Detroit Auto Show, Volkswagen has released some preliminary details and images of its Passat Performance Concept - a car that, as its name suggests, adds a little more spice to the automaker's midsize sedan formula. VW makes no mention of any production intent for this road-ready-looking sedan, simply stating that the Performance Concept is a way to "explore this practical four-door's sportier side."
It certainly doesn't look too sporty, the only visual upgrades being larger 19-inch wheels, dual exhaust, bi-xenon headlamps with VW's Advanced Front Lighting system, LED taillmaps and carbon-look mirror caps. Inside, there are carbon interior accents and two-tone leather upholstery. But no matter, the real upgrades for this mightier Passat are found below the sheetmetal.
Powering the Performance Concept is a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, churning out 250 horsepower and sending its grunt to the ground via a six-speed automatic transmission. For reference, that's 80 more horsepower than the Passat's base 2.5-liter inline-five, but 20 horsepower less than the potent 3.6-liter VR6. As for other performance upgrades, Volkswagen has fitted the car with a lowered sport suspension and revamped electronic steering, which should indeed add a bit more dynamic feedback to the already nice-driving sedan.

VW to relax ambitious US sales targets?

Fri, 16 May 2014

The Volkswagen brand sold 407,704 cars last year, a 6.95-percent decline compared to 2012, and it's down a further 8.36 percent through the end of April 2014 compared to this time last year. In order to to put the sales football between its Strategy 2018 goal posts, the brand would need to add 100,000 more sales every year to achieve the lofty 800,000-unit target. Coming to grips with how unreasonable that is, VW US CEO Michael Horn has said, "For now, we have to have realistic targets."
The reasons for the brand's slow-down are imprecise, but lots of folks are throwing lots of reasons around. Last November, VW Group Chairman Ferdinand Piech told Bloomberg, "We understand Europe, we understand China and we understand Brazil, [but] we only understand the US to a certain degree so far." Analysts say the brand hasn't had midsize and compact SUV offerings, especially an overdue retail version of the CrossBlue, and the ones it does have are priced too high for their segments. It "didn't introduce enough new engines, or alternative technologies or model variants" for the Passat and Jetta. It devoted so many resources to China that the US market suffered. It was being outspent two-to-one on advertising by competitors. Its J.D. Power dependability ratings aren't high enough to overcome its past. It "has never really taken the US customer seriously." And so on.
There's still no official admission of defeat concerning the target, but reading between the lines there are some VW execs that appear to accept it won't happen short of some deus ex machina. Still,

1973 Karmann Ghia Convertible 356 Porsche Engine on 2040-cars

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia for Sale