Comments: 1-15, 16-20
I had a lot of the engine redone, including cylinders and exhaust system.
Minor routine work has included belts, hoses, brakes. After all, it's a 30 year old car.
I love it. It is a total looker and I get one or two comments a day. It doesn't hurt that it is a convertible and lime green. Many people ask if it's a Porsche.
Because it has basically the same engine as the Beetle, parts for the car are very easy to find and relatively inexpensive.
On the downside, because of the "Beetle" engine, performance is a little slow. 0 to 60 in, say, a minute or two. Some have called it the slowest sports-car ever made.
Ingenious engineering brought us the air cooled engine. Because it is so simple, I've had very few problems. Reliability is superb. It's my daily driver in the fall and spring, but could be year-round.
My grandfather bought the car new in '74 and I'll never part with it. If you have the chance to own one, go for it!
Automatic? how could you buy an automatic karmann-ghia?
I hope you value and take care of that little piece of automotive history. They are great little cars!
No no no, sell it to one of the dummies who asks you if it is a Porsche.
Then, take the money and buy a Porsche.
My family has owned a Ghia for awhile and everyone we know loves the car. You're right about the slow speed, but that doesn't take away from the allure. They are great cars, but I don't know how you could drive one as your primary car.
It's not really any different than driving an old Beetle as your primary car. I did that for years, in New England.
My last Beetle (a 111 sedan) wasn't the warmest car to be driving around in on a January night, but it still got me where I was going!
The funny thing is the Volkswagen rear engine cars are actually the fastest cars on the road in every aspect outside of top speed. There basic design is extremely efficient of power. I mean you only have 25 maybe 50 hp in that car at max. And yet it could go 60mph, go up all kinds of steep hills. But if you put 140 hp in that car, it's gonna put it all down to the ground with that incredible rear engine traction, stand up on it rear two wheels and accelerate to 60mph in 4 seconds. And you can put up to 340hp in that car by installing a Subaru turbo motor, or turbocharging a volkswagen motor. Do 60mph in 2 seconds and cover the 1/4 mile in 6 or 7 seconds. They can stop faster then any car because under braking the weight transfers foward and most cars only use there front brakes to stop, but the rear engine design allows the car to use all four wheels to brake. And they can handle better then other cars because they're so light, and because they accelerate through corners. Not much top speed on the cars, that where the Porsche comes in. The Porsche is a faster car because of it's ability to maintain high speeds. But yeah that is the fastest car designed, and the Porsche is the fastest car made. But the Porsche actually doesn't accelerate stop or corner and as well as the bug, because the bug is lighter and shorter geared.
Choose which statement in the preceding comment is more ridiculous:
1. Adding a turbocharger to a stock VW motor will allow you to do 0-60 mph in 2 seconds.
2. The old VW Bug handles better, accelerates quicker and stops faster than a Porsche because it is "lighter and shorter geared".
I would smile because it is amazing that someone would actually drive such a piece of junk.
To the writer of the last comment.
You've probably never owned one and therefore haven't got a clue.
To the guy saying that this gems are piece of junk I would like to tell him that certain cars are for distinguished people, for sure he does not belong to that kind of drivers.
Firstly, I would have to say that I'd like to slap every person in this chain that wrote a derogatory comment about the Ghia or that owner. Secondly, yes, it's possible to put a turbocharged Subaru engine in a Ghia, I've seen it done, and with differential and gear ratio adjustments done, the car could hit 180 as though it were nothing (of course you'd need an intercooler installed behind the nostrils of the car to prevent your engine from burning up). Next I'd like to inform some people here who may not know this, but the stock engine in the 1974 Karmann Ghia was the 1600cc 1974 PORSCHE 911 Engine. And for further shock value, and to mock further those of you here who hated on the Ghia, Porsche is owned and run by VW so enjoy. Also, Ghia hit 60 in 3.9 seconds while only running on the first and second cylinders, hehehe. These cars are beautilful seamless cars, hand welded and leaded. They are in fact, a great piece of automotive history as all VWs are and should be cherished. Enjoy your Ghia owner!
"but the stock engine in the 1974 Karmann Ghia was the 1600cc 1974 PORSCHE 911 Engine"
Wrong. the Karmann Ghia never had the flat 6.
"Ghia hit 60 in 3.9 seconds while only running on the first and second cylinders"
That is such a load of manure...
"The funny thing is the Volkswagen rear engine cars are actually the fastest cars on the road in every aspect outside of top speed. " Yeah, that is so funny that I can't stop laughing! I've driven a Karman Ghia, and although it was a really neat looking car (something I can't say about any other VW), and the "automatic stick shift" was fun, it was by no means a fast, powerful car. Certainly it was the coolest looking VW I've ever seen, but nothing I could get all that excited about.
A Ghia goes from 0-60 in 3.9 seconds?
Sorry, but you are seriously full of crapola. Somebody needs to slap you.
By his logic, his buddy's 4-cylinder Mustang can run the quarter in 11.3 because he read an article about a guy with a modified '69 Mustang with a Boss 429. It's so hilarious when kids post their vast automotive knowledge on this site! They haven't yet learned the difference between belief and fact, and some never will.