'Pawn Stars' boss Rick Harrison buys broken-down Volkswagen for $4,000 — spends $3,300 to fix it
The pawn shop owner wanted to fix the car with his son, but failed to do one of the first things needed.
Aug. 7 2025, Published 11:45 a.m. ET
"Pawn Stars" boss Rick Harrison is known to be a tough negotiator who thoroughly observes an item and gets it authenticated by experts before paying for it. But sometimes, he can end up loosening his purse strings for the most expected items, and things don't go according to plan. One such item was a Volkswagen Beetle convertible, which looked good, but did not work. Harrison still paid $4,000 for the automobile and decided to fix it.
Purely from an aesthetic standpoint, the Beetle had a unique color, and apart from the engine, everything else seemed to be in great shape. When asked what the problem was with the car, the owner said that it had a cracked block that poured oil everywhere. Corey Harrison knew this meant a new engine had to be installed, and he did not want to make a deal.
That's when Rick Harrison said, “Wait a minute now. It’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s really not that expensive to replace a motor in one of these.” He had said earlier that his first car was a Volkswagen and that he had experience in taking out and putting in an engine in a Beetle. On the other hand, Corey was not too happy about the deal.
The guest asked for $7,000 for the car, but had to contend with receiving $4,000. He didn’t seem too upset about it, as it was around how much he had expected to get out of it. “This is a cool car, but it sucks that my dad wants to make a family project out of it. He’s gonna yell at me the whole time, and then he’s probably gonna end up calling a mechanic anyway,” Corey said.
Rick Harrison struggled to get the engine out of the car, something that he had claimed to have done multiple times in the past. He blamed it on not having the right tools at the time. Eventually, he had to drop it off at a mechanic’s place. When they went back to collect it later, it wasn't just working, but it was as good as new.
The mechanic was a man named Danny, and he charged $3,300 to fully repair the car. That brought its cost up to $7,300. Corey did not believe that the shop would be able to make money off it, but his father was optimistic. He believed he could sell it for $10,000, and the mechanic also agreed. By this point, Corey had just gotten tired, sat in the car, and driven away.
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