Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
Originally Posted by bullwinkle
6V electrical system, little/no heat, no A/C, top speed of 63 MPH on flat ground, dog slow & would get run over on the roads today. Also, no safety equipment, no engine in the front to protect in a head-on crash. Have I mentioned my first car was a '64 Beetle? I couldn't wait to get rid of it!
Worst car ever sold in the United States...they did nothing well except "cute".
Not so! The VW also did a fine job transporting Ted Bundy from crime scene to crime scene, across the country. Occasionally, it WAS the crime scene. . . One of his is even kept in a crime and punishment museum somewhere, I've heard.
Seriously though, there were certainly worse. The Reneault and Peugeot lines were particularly putrid, even in their "prime." The Beetle's really strong suit is (was?) it's rugged simplicity, which allowed it to descend gracefully into the old-cheap range while still running relatively well. Today's tight, clean, computerized cars can't do the same. I had a '69 for a couple years (79-80-ish), which had many issues (New England rust finally took it off the road), but ran well for me right up until it failed inspection for rust. . . The engine was strong, though. It was my first car; I liked it while I had it.