anyone here ever own an old beetle?

[CKN]

Originally Posted By: Jarlaxle
Originally Posted By: CKN
They were popular because they were CHEAP. But they were Junk. Those who dared to take them across the desert to Las Vegas from Southern California at the height of summer height usually didn't make it.

Can't cool a air cooled motor with hot air.


My uncle did El Paso to Vegas and back in August with an air-cooled engine. It was 100+ degrees the whole way, and the bike (Yamaha 750 Triple) never missed a beat.


Yea-but it wasn't a Beetle.

 

[Jarlaxle]

No, it was designed AFTER 1940...but it was still an air-cooled engine in 100+ degree heat!

It's really hot when you drink a gallon and a half of water and don't have to take a whiz all day, right?

 

[andyd]

Most of mine were early 6 volts. I consider the 67 and 68 bugs the acme. Bugs were the bees knees for off road or back road driving. They were nearly unstoppable in snow too.

 

[wander2039]

Dad had a 70's Super Beetle in the late 70's and speaks fondly of it. A Beetle is one car I'd like to own one day.. but unfortunately they're starting to sky rocket in price.

 

[Tuffy1760]

This post needs pics and the price of beetle... for me it would be about what kind of shape the floor is in... quite a few aftermarket catalogs... if I had room and time, I would go with a beetle... I had a 69 auto shift... rebuilt it after it caught on fire when my mother had it... drove it hard for many year's, sold it to a guy who drove it to south Carolina a few times a year...
Used to be vw junkyards near me... not sure if they are around anymore

 

[fdcg27]

The only VW we ever owned was an air-cooled Vanagon.
We liked it a lot for its spaciousness and fuel economy. The Type IV had a very refined note to it, not that you could hear much of it from the front seats, since it was buried way in the back under a layer of carpet and a large, sound insulated metal hatch that comprised the floor of the luggage space.
As a bonus, the heavy steering gave you an upper body workout with every drive, to the extent that after about a year of Vanagon ownership, my father asked me if I had started lifting again.
I drove a few Beetles owned by friends in days gone by and they were always entertaining.
Most Beetles today are very old cars, although I have seen some later illegal Mexican built imports on this side of the Rio Grande. I'm guessing that people made that work with the help of a clapped-out title and VIN donor. Isn't that where "parts cars" come from?
A Mexican national could certainly drive such a car into the US.
If he went home on Mexicana, or didn't go home at all, who would really notice or care?
If you really want one, find a decent one. There are plenty around since plenty were sold and the car has always had a cult following. A good car in need of an engine rebuild might be a reasonable choice, since these are cheap and easy to rebuild and you can add useful updates, like an oil filter.
Starting out with a basket case that you intend to use as a daily driver is probably not the best plan unless you know that you're buying it as a project that'll need plenty of sweat equity.

 

[Mr Nice]

My dad bought a Beetle when he was stationed in Berlin, Germany in 1958.

We still have the original VW key chain. I'll post a picture of it next time I visit them.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
My dad bought a Beetle when he was stationed in Berlin, Germany in 1958.

We still have the original VW key chain. I'll post a picture of it next time I visit them.


probably the most reliable part from that car!! LOL

 

[Silverado12]

I used to drive back and forth on leave from the USCG in my 1964 Beetle. I drove from Elizabeth City, NC to Morgantown, WV and never broke down. I was glad when I traded it in for a real car, though. I had a 1974 while in college back in the early 80s. Was glad to get rid of it too.

 

[Nick1994]

The 1970 VW Beetle got a new clutch today.

So of course I did a 0-60 with it. Used a stop watch.

20 seconds.

 

[vintageant]

hansj3 - If it's been on your Bucket List forever, just BUY IT!

Forget what all the naysayers state (about everything in life) and just DO IT!

I've owned 3, and still have the '70 that competed in the 2013 Peking to Paris Endurance Rally. Everything good and bad that's been said is true! So what?

"He who hesitates is lost."

Good luck!

PS: I use HDEO 15W/40

 

[MinamiKotaro]

My family has owned them since the 50s.

The biggest problems with my '67 are/were:

1) Lousy wipers

The wipers simply aren't up to anything more than light rain. Upgrading to a later model wiper motor helped some. Rain-X on the outside and Anti-Fog on the inside is a must. Trying to get a good blade in a 10" size is difficult.

No real fix for this issue except maybe trying to adapt the wiper system out of a late model car.

2) Points

Points burned up often. Like, very often, leaving me stranded on several occasions. I tried to adjust them according to "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive for the Complete Idiot" and that helped a little.

The fix for this issue is simple: install a Pertronix unit (or Compufire, etc.) and coil. Do NOT listen to the old timers on the VW forums who say Pertronix and other points eliminator systems are junk. Mine (got it around 1999) ran dead nuts reliable for years, and is still running in Dad's bug to this day.

If you want to get more extreme, get an EDIS kit or something similar. No distributor at all!

(You could also do something like adapt an old Mitsubishi or GM HEI distributor, but the Pertronix and stock VW dist are fine.)

And ... that's about it. A VW these days is a "toy" car, not a DD, imho. Parts - quality parts - aren't cheap, either. Be aware of that and you should enjoy yours.

 

[SatinSilver]

Here's a 1979 Convert. for $39,900:

http://inventory.mgmsl.com/web/used/Volk...-Ohio/14629621/

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: SatinSilver
Here's a 1979 Convert. for $39,900:

http://inventory.mgmsl.com/web/used/Volk...-Ohio/14629621/
I wonder what they're smoking.

 

[geekster]

I've owned 5 of them of various years. Best one I owned was a '63. I drove them straight, different ones of course, for 11 years. The best and worst cars I've ever owned. I still miss having one. I miss the smell and the smile. Rust was always the worst. I replaced floor pans on all but 1 of them. Seemed like there was always a hole where your heel went by the accelerator and in the back under the battery. The heat was ehh. I always joked and said that a heater in a bug is the equivalent to sitting naked on a block of ice with a candle under your foot.