Have you ever owned a VW Beetle?

[kbasa]

OK, Cliffy made me do it. There's a discussion going on about tools and it turns out a bunch of folks have owned Beetles. The question was posted, "I wonder how many BMW riders have owned a Beetle?"

So, have you?

:dunno

[brooksie]

I owned a couple- a '62 and a '71
Both were a blast! The old one got turned into a buggy and died in the middle of a river. The '71 got wrapped around a telephone pole (my fault)

[donkey doctor]

Hello; My first new car was a 68 beetle deluxe, in 78 I had a 61 beetle that served us well for a year. I have had a lot of VW vans too, in fact I still have one.
I was always fasinated with the horiZontally opposed engine design.
That is waht drew me to BMW motorcycles.

[knary]

Yep.
1973 Superbeetle, in that oh so special kelly green w/tan interior. It was a hoot to drive for a crazed 16 year old. I learned that if you connected various dangling wires hanging around the fan belt the car might sometimes start. She died a slow death in our hands.

[The_Veg]

My first car was a '73 super as well. Mine way that sky-blue colour, ar at least was inside the doors. The P.O. had painted it a really RIPPING shade of dark metallic blue, quite similar to a shade you can get on the new beetle oddly enough. Mine had a few problems here and there, but the last week of its life it ran REALLY well! Then I hydroplaned it into the ass-end of a '76 Monte Carlo at 40 mph. Long story how it all happened but I wated until the last minute and flicked the wheel to the left and put the empty passenger side into the impact. The passenger door was right next to my face and the passenger seat was behind the one I was sitting in!

[LTOwner]

Had a '73 Super. It was a major dog. They changed the motor, or emissions gear that year, and it wouldn't get out of it's own way. Kept it one year, but did sell it for $100 less than I paid for it.

[Cliffy777]

my folks gave me the down payment on a 75 Super Beetle for graduation. It was gold, with the de-luxe interior including cocoa matts on the floor. Loved that car. I could drive with most of my head sticking out of the sunroof (I'm 6'3") and did so much of the time.
Had an 8 track player and I went to Remes Auto and bought some two way box speakers and lots of extra wire - I was popular at parties cuz I could put the speaks on the top of the car and play our jams.
My step-mom used to screw up the fuel injection every time she drove it ("No, you don't have to pump the pedal when you start it - really!") and it would cost me $35 bucks to get it fixed.
That was big money for an 18 year old in 1976.
Car was sold when I got a wild hair and took off for Arizona the next year on my Honda 750.

ps - thanks kbasa for meddling and putting this up!

[oldcarkook]

My second car was a '49 VW split window beetle. It had semifores for turn signals, and a whopping 30 hp motor that would get into 3rd going downhill with a tailwind.

I have regretted many times that I don't still have it. I didn't realize at the time ('69) how rare it was; I think it was the first year that the VW was imported into the US.

Coulda shoulda woulda

[username]

i still have my 1973 bus. (3rd owner.) nothing quite like it really. spacious inside, nice and slow, and when it gets cold, the exhaust can be vented into the cabin to warm me up! mmmm, im warm....and sleepy. ;)

[mogu83]

I had a 66 bug. The engine was punched out to over 1800cc. The heads were worked, a Judson supercharger and a Holly Bug spray. It went 110 MPH and got 12 MPG.

[GSTom]

My first VW was a 1967 dark blue beetle I bought in 1970. It had been used by a rural mail carrier to carry the mail (southern Iowa)
and had 180,000 miles on it.
I joined the USAF in 1972 and drove the beetle to Wichita Falls,Texas where I was in tech school. While there, the oil cooler seals (under the fan shroud) went out, and I took it into a gas station/ VW repair shop near the AF base that always had a couple of Beetle Drag cars parked in front. The mechanic assured me he could have it fixed while I waited. Sceptical, I said go ahead.
Starting from the time he rolled it into the garage until he rolled it back out, it was done in 19 minutes. This job required total removal of the engine from the car, removal of the generator, and partial disassembly of the engine "tin".
I was really amazed that a major repair could be accomplished so easily. From that time I have been so impressed at the elegance and simplicity of the design of the air cooled VW's. I also determined to develop my own mechanical skills, although I have a long way to go to match the level of competence I saw that day.
I drove that Beetle until it had 235,000 miles on it and sold it for $200. I have since owned several others including a Ghia convertible, a super Beetle, and two busses. I don't presently have one, but who knows what the future may hold?

[BradfordBenn]

First car was a 1984 VW GTI with the porsche engine. Not sure if that counts?

[The_Veg]

I could drive with most of my head sticking out of the sunroof (I'm 6'3") and did so much of the time.

I have trouble with that one since I'm 6'4" and had enough headroom in my Super to wear a fedora. UNless you were sitting on something!:D

OTOH, my 2002 GTI has a nifty ratchet-lever seat height adjustment that allows me to get my head out the roof!

[Fritzc]

Seems to be a lot of confusion about Beetles and Bugs.
My sister bought a brand new and I think first of its kind, Karmann Ghia in 1955 or 1956. This was a volkswagen with an Italian made sporty body which vaguely resembled a "Beetle". From the dealer it was $2500 and used ones were selling in Chicago for $3500 to $5000 in Los Angeles. Dealers were bound by Germany to sell at their price but demand was so high you could sell one for nearly twice what you paid for it.
The standard Volkswagen was called a Bug.
I never heard of a "Super Beetle". Unless they are talking about the new ones being made now.
Those Beetles/Bugs were great little cars. My sister's Ghia had a manifold heater and air passing over the manifold was directed into the car. Didn't work worth a darn in our Michigan winters.
When it snowed hard the snow would come right into the car through the defrosters and you would have a small blizzard inside the car while driving down the road.
My sister's Ghia got about forty five miles per gallon and you could drive it 70 MPH all day long and be comfortable.
Both models were great in the snow. Definitely the "People's Car".

[Weasel]

As a matter of fact, one of the reasons I bought a BMW ('75 R60/6) was that I felt familiar with the engine as it was so similiar to a aircooled VW engine. I've had a '58, '63, '64, '67, '76, as well as a '74 Karmann Ghia. I never owned a new one, but I helped my daughter get a New Beetle a couple of years ago. They are nice cars, and they do evoke some of the Beetle mystique when driving them, although they are a totally different type of car. The '58 had a fabric sunroof. You could go down a forest road sitting up on the roof with the choke pulled out and drive with your feet on the steering wheel...what fun!

[kbasa]

Originally posted by GS Tom
My first VW was a 1967 dark blue beetle I bought in 1970.

Woah. My first car was exactly like that: dark blue '67 VW beetle.

Mine had a Holley BugSpray, hi lift rockers, a quietpack exhaust and the Bosch .009 exhaust.

That crappy old fuel line gave up on me and the car caught fire and burned. I was heartbroken.

Super Beetles, to answer the question above, were an evolution of the standard beetle (or Type 1 as VW called them). VW ditched the torsion bar front end and went with a McPherson strut. They're easy to recognize by their curved windshields.

They still had lousy heat. :)

[Ironhorsecowboy]

I see quite a few of us have had a beetle or Volkswagon at some time. I have had a 63 bug and a 74 beetle, but most of my VW memories were from the fact that my Dad was the Parts Manager of a Volkswagon Dealership for a good number of years. During that time our family had about every model offered because the Dealership furnished him with a car. I can remember even the pickup truck model and camper we used on vacations. I really liked the fastbacks and squarebacks but the Ghia's were fun as well. What I liked the most was when he would be allowed to keep one of the new Porsche's for a while! To bad I wasn't old enough to drive. Anyway I still have the memories. :bliss

[dlearl476]

My lifelong love of "German things mechanical" started with a '60 "Kombi"* 21 (?) window, sunroof bus that my family picked up at the factory on Euro delivery prior to touring Europe in it when I was 8.

We kept it til 72. We added a '68 bug (New $1700, IIRC) in which I learned to drive and once I graduated High School, I had four throughout college. '71, '68, '64, and '72.

With me, it's far from over. Currently own a R60/5, a '69 912, and my daily driver, a '79 911SC. My brother has it bad as well. Currently owns a R75/5, and four buses including a rare crew cab truck and an extemely rare double door Westfalia.

*"Kombi" was a rare Euro bus with a special removable camping outfit by Westfalia that could be interchanged with a "9 passenger" seating arrangement.

[The_Veg]

The old beetle, or Type 1, or 'sedan' as I've seen some literature refer to it as, was never officially called the Beetle or Bug except for the Super Beetle. Sedan BTW does not mean four doors, but rather is a body-style type that most four-door cars just happen to be. But of course the modern usage has changed the definition a bit.

The heaters were indeed bad. I recall my stepmother's bug, a '72 I think, in which I was driven to school many times and I found that I was comfortable with my foot resting against the floor vent. It melted vent-grill marks into my shoe but I still froze above the knee. J.C. Whitney used to offer an electric fan kit that could be retrofitted to move the heat through the pipes. It was on my shopping list of dream stuff for that car until I totalled it in a hydroplaning accident at the beginning of 12th grade.

I also remember the time I locked my keys in it at school. Our security guy kept his Slim Jim at home and I had to wait 45 minutes for him to go get it. From then on I left the vent windows unlocked just in case. I was the only person in my high school with long enough forearms to reach in through the vent window, make the 90-degree elbow bend and be able to reach the door lock knob. I have of course learned since then not to leave my keys in the car. With many modern types you can't unless you really try to.

I've heard that English is not the only language in which the car is made fun of. In Germany they call it the Kaefer, which means beetle or bug. I heard a German refer to a soft-topped Karmann Ghia as a Kafer Karmann Cabrio once. In Norway the car was referred to as the Elk's Lip. I don't know why or how to say that in Norwegian.

And only Freud would understand the odd fascination people had with the car's back end. :)

[Cliffy777]

My method of driving with my head out the sunroof did not involve sitting. It was more holding the steering wheel with both hands and a half standing/crouching position.
The seat was in the back of my calves. Worked great and as a young man I could hold that position for long periods of time.
Funny, I don't remember being unhappy with the heat situation in the car. I had always heard they had lousy heat, maybe I had a defective one....

[BMWRich58]

My first car was a Red '66 Bug. My older brother was next to inherit this car for commuting downtown to college. His girlfriend crashed it into a telephone pole while learning to drive,so the story goes....
Next was a dark green '68 Bug,which I used as a "guinea pig" to learn bodywork on. I sold that car back n forth between family members,(brother and sister,brother-in-law,etc.) and friends at least 4-6 times. When they would screw it up bad,engine,brakes, or body,I'd buy it back and fix it and drive it.
Last time it was sold to a friend who moved to Arkansas in 1981.
Next was a '76 VW Rabbit,I traded a Jeep for. I again sold it to a family member,my Dad. I bought my first "Touring Motorcycle" with the money,a 1981 Moto Guzzi G-5 1000. Dad broke the cam in the Rabbit,I got it back and repaired it. Kept it for a year or two and sold it to someone I don't remember.
Now I currently own a '98 Golf,#1 son drives it more than I now. So, now the hunt is on to find a VW TDI.

[Spider]

One of the greatest cars I ever owned. Number 1 son posing next to it just after we bought it in the winter of 1970 in Michigan.

[dlearl476]

>The heaters were indeed bad.

True, but the fan ended all that. The difference is unbelievable. At some point Porsches all came with them and if I lived in a cold climate I wouldn't drive anything else. Idle the cold car for 2-3 minutes and the heat exchangers are piping hot and blowing out hair-dryer-hot air.
The only thing that ever came close was the BMW 2002 that I installed a circulating AC water heater when I lived in Denver and lived two miles from work. In the winter the car never warmed up and fouled plug every other week. With the water heater, you started the car and it was already warm, even on the coldest winter mornings.

I think Spider started a trend. How many of us have PICTURES with their bugs or busses? I'll have to dig, but I'm sure I have doozy somewhere. Somewhere in a box I have the original, in german, factory brochure of our Combi.

[beemerron]

Never had a VW but had a Corvair and a Greenbriar van. Same type of heater as the VW. Air passes over exhaust manifold and is routed in to cab. A bad valve cover gasket would allow oil to leak on to manifold, making for a very smokey drive.
One night we picked up a hitch hiker and for kicks, we opened up the heat vent. He rode with us about two blocks and begged to be let out. We obliged, shut the vent and proceeded to laugh like hell the rest of the night.
A good buddy was a veedub man. We always had a good time driving all night on a bucks worth of gas.
A former work partner had a 30 mile commute in a VW. In the winter, he'd burn a hibachi in the morning warm to keep warm.
I had almost forgotten what no heater was like. Temps. been in the single digits every morning for the last 2 weeks here in Michigan. I love my Tacoma and it's wonderful heat.

[sgborgstrom]

My first VW was a 1967 Single Cab Pickup, followed by a '63 sunroof sedan with traffic signs for floors. Current 4 wheeled vehicle is a Westy Vanagon with a 2.2l subaru motor in place of the waterleaker.

My wifes drives the Jetta

Steve

[BMWRich58]

Everyone's talking about the "lack of heat" these little cars had.
I remember "oh so well", to literally having to scrape the Frost off the inside of the windshield from your breath freezing up.
:help

[The_Veg]

Thanks Rich, I'd forgotten that!

[Colt03]

My first car was a 1966 VW bug. I purchased it in 1972 with 189,000 miles on it and sold it in 1975 with 275,000 miles on it. When I bought it , it had an engine tranplant /rebuild at about 175,000 miles.

My girlfriend at the time called it "mooky Blue" Kinda of a faded dark blue.

I purchased that car after comuting to High School on my 1971 Honda CL 350 in the winter of 71 and 72.

Back then I allways wanted a BMW 2002 Tii.

[ian408]

I never owned one but I learned to drive a stick in one!

A buddy of mine and I were driving down the road when he
pulls over and asks "do you know how to drive a stick?" of
course, I said no. And from that day until I bought my truck,
I drove manual transmission cars.

ian

P.S. It was a bright blue '67 with an ass-kickin' stereo in it

[jgr451]

My first ever car in 1971 was a 1962 beetle,black.I bought really cool white leather bucket seats for it.I lived in Winnipeg-it had no gas heater.I had it for about 3 years!!I was determined to keep it running and developed a fierce protective loyalty to it.Gold plated that sucker by the time i traded .

[fish]

'66 (i think) Type III. What a piece of junk.

[Cliffy777]

Someone mentioned a Corvair a couple of posts back. When I was 7 my mom and i moved out to Phoenix AZ from Michigan. She bought a white Corvair Monza with a blue interior.
During the trip a gas station guy had some fun at our expense. He told my mom that we were going to cross a lot of desert and sold her a heavy canvas water bag to tote water for the radiator in. Mom didn't know from air cooled and hey - I was only 7!
My grandparents had one of the early "turtle top" VW camper vans. (Highly unusual for my Grandpa from Detroit who was a Buick man and worked in the Auto industry to buy a German vehicle in the late 60's.)
They used to come out to AZ camping in their turtle top. It was a great little set up with a stove and sink - heaven for this boy.

Gotta say this is one reason I enjoy this forum so much. The comments of others trigger memories that make me smile - thanks for letting me rattle on.....

[Wes]

I had a '71 beetle - green outside, black in (frickin' hot in summer). My parents never told me about changing oil - never changed it in something like two years (I then sold it). Damn thing didn't care. I'm now somewhat anal about changing my oil:D

[Weasel]

Acrually, the heaters in Beetles were quite good if kept in adjustment. There was a lot of difference in the way American service practices were as opposed to European standards. Typically, if the engine came out of a beetle for a clutch job or something, the mechanic didn't even hook up the heater cables. Or, if they did, they never adjusted them. Any cable will stretch, and eventually, when the heater was put full on, the cables didn't completely actuate the flap that would divert the air into the interior. Of course, if the heater channels rusted through, alot of the heated air blew outside, but that's a different matter. I always got the ones that were already rusted, so the first thing I did was to plug up the holes so the hear would come inside, then crawl under the car and jam the flaps full on for the winter.

One of the recommended procedures in Europe (my friend's grandfather owned a dealership in Switzerland) was: every spring, you'd bring the car to the dealership and the whole interior was removed right down to the floorpan and the car would be aired out with the doors open for a couple of days. All of my beetles rusted from the inside out insofar as the floorpans went.

[Jonniedee]

1969 powder puff blue Karman Ghia Convertible - had a 12 volt hairdryer to defrost the windows.
Also a non discript type 3 wagon
Old VeeDubs is da best VeeDubs.

[Mika]

'69 with a sun roof, 68 convertable, a bus - don't remember the year, one of them P cars, my ex took our tricked out 98 and trashed it when we split.

[dlearl476]

Acrually, the heaters in Beetles were quite good if kept in adjustment.

As long as you were moving! The engine fan was all that moved the air if you were idling. Consequently it didn't work so well.
Porsche, OTOH, added an electri fan that actuated automatically when the heater boxes were opened up to "full". I could use my 911 as a sauna if Iwanted to, about 3 min. after the engine fired up!:)

[paulsibek]

Dark Blue

Had the 1500cc engine, 12v electrics. Put on an extractor exhaust and new jets in the carbs and it was quick for a bug.

Drove it cross country when I was 19 and traded it for a Yamaha in San Diego.

[bricciphoto]

My first car was a '66 Bug and my brother had a '65. When he went to college, I had both. :)

It had the BIG 1300 cc, 50 HP engine. But only got high 20's mpg. Top speed, if you dared, about 75 mph. Only weighed about 1,700 lbs. Mine was light blue with a black interior. Ice scraper used as a windshield "defroster" in the winter.

As a comparison my current car is a 2006 VW Jetta TDI. 1.9 liter engine with a rated output of 100 HP/177 ft. lbs. of torque. Weighs 3,200 lbs. Averages about 43 mpg.

Things sure have changed in the last forty years. :wave

[Montana]

I had a '58 and then a '68 bug. I don't want to talk about how many times I rebuilt engines, had wheels fall off, no brakes, etc. I can't believe I lived through all of it.

I remember getting a speeding ticket once and successfully fighting it by pointing out to the judge there was no way my VW could go that fast. Of course, he didn't know I had tricked it out by then.

My maternal grandmother had bugs and wagons and fastbacks (every model except the vans/transporters) from the 1950s to the 1980s. We called her "Grandma with the Volkswagon" to differentiate her from our paternal grandmother. She even signed all of our birthday and Christmas cards with this name.

My sister had a '70 bug, I think, it's when they made an automatic, she had it and it sucked. My mother had one when I was two and she was pregnant with my sister, and I remember we were hit while in it. I also remember playing in it while it was in the driveway, releasing the parking brake, and rolling out the driveway and across the street to the neighbor's driveway. That was fun! The parents were scared, that made it more fun!!

The last one my mother had was the Super model, 1976 maybe? The last one Grandma-with-the-VW had was an old red square wagon, parked at her curb so long the thing was hardly red anymore.

Speaking of "thing," we passed one last week and we reminiscing; my boss in the 1980s had one he drove to work every day.

[henzilla]

It seems to be the "revive old thread" day:gerg

Had a '72 Super , always started....except wehen you were running late:banghead ...starter issues on this one drove me nuts.
My first was a '59 Micro bus panel ( no windows except two sliders in doors and the tiny rear) No heater would ever heat that box up! It did however have a '70 ish 1600cc motor slid in its engine compartment with a Holly 2 barrel that had no space for an air filter....The headers on it allowed my neighbors and friends to hear me coming for blocks away they claimed...also had a set of Keystone mags w/ wide tires....:groovy I believe was the term!
I also survived a rollover in a '63 convertible where I was ejected thru the cloth sunroof ( open at time) and came back to roll it back over for the other three to get out of it...the Jack Daniels adrenaline inspired superstrength was talked about for some time....dumb-dumb 17 year olds!

[AirForce]

First one was a '66 followed by a '68 when the first one was stolen and beaten to a pulp by the thieves. I used to put my ski boots in front of the '68s "heaters" to at least warm them up on the way to the SoCal ski resorts. The '68 got stuck in the snow once and just sat spinning the tires. I left it in gear, got out and pushed it out, jogged around, jumped in and drove home. No prob in a beetle. One more note...spent part of my 21st birthday legally drinking and removing a transaxle from a friends '69. Great memories.

[Bob_M]

I had a 66 bug. The engine was punched out to over 1800cc. The heads were worked, a Judson supercharger and a Holly Bug spray. It went 110 MPH and got 12 MPG.

I had a 67 square back that had about 12 hp and got about 110 MPG

[monkeywork]

I had a 74 Super Beetle, loved that car, could drift it through an exit ramp using just the throttle.

Then had a 74 Bus, converted that to full electric. (http://www.monkeywork.com/p/Bus1.html)

Now I have a 2000 Beetle TDI and a 1986 Vanagon Syncro.

So, ya. I like VW.

[The_Veg]

Oh yeah, I failed to mention back on page one (three years ago) that the very first car I ever rode in was a 66 VW. My parents had this cute little off-white bug when I was born, and I have faint memories of me at age 3 and my brother at age 1 riding together in the little compartment behind the back seat. That was a fun place to ride!

[hlothery]

Owned a 71 beetle, bright yellow. Used to have to "fly" it down I 40 in the Texas wind (lived in Amarillo at the time). It would do 83 MPH wide open all day....what a neat car. Should have seen me on the boat ramp at Lake Meredith....pulling my 10 foot sailing dingy on a tiny trailer behind the Bug. Drew a lot of laughs from the F250s pulling the huge bass boats!

[rgvilla]

I owned two a 71 and 69. The 71 I bought in 1974. I don't remember what happened to it. I think it was sold upon my divorce. The 69 I bought in LA in 1979. ran it till the engine blew and then rebuilt it with oil cooler filter etc. The new engine was great and I continued to comute in it till I left LA in 1981. I sold it for about what I had in it. When I was 12 or 13 I had a friend whose parents had one. We used to hill climb in it then take it to another friends gas station and repair the damage. I don't think his parent ever caught on to what we were doing. They were great cars for me at the time. I also had a friend in LA who had a serious VW dune buggy.

[bricciphoto]

I have faint memories of me at age 3 and my brother at age 1 riding together in the little compartment behind the back seat. That was a fun place to ride!

I have fond memories of riding in that "cubby hole" with my brother or the neighbor kid. Our babysitter had a white Bug and she would take us out to the local state park for a little outdoor recreation. Thanks for bringing that up! :wave

[carter]

Oh yea.. very sweet car. It was my second vehicle. Sold my early 60's austin healy sprite to afford it. Needed a car to transport me on my first out west trip to Ft. Bliss in El Paso from Nashville for my basic branch training (army - air defense) in 71. My VW was a 68 or 69 (I think) baby blue super Beetle with fat tires and a black racing stripe down the back. Drove all over the soutwest in that thing. Mountain passes by myself with WAY too much snow...just kept puttin or puttering along. I liked the simplicity of that car.

[hondarider]

When I was still in high school, I saw a book in the book store...something like VW Bugs for Dummies...great book...the book got me interested in spinning wrenches long before I ever even owned a car...I knew every page...I still have a pristine copy on the shelf and a greasy copy in the shop...that book led me to own a 73 Super Beetle (sucky), a 62 Beetle, a 67 Beetle, a 72 Bus, and a Meyers Manx on a 57 tub. I drove Bugs all through my time in the Army. Still a fan of the mechanical simplicity, durable design, and the sound of an air cooled motor:thumb

[rdalland]

I bought a bug from a friend in the late '70's. It was a bunch of different colors, assembled from pieces. I paid $20 for it. Cut off the fenders, turned the wheels around and painted it black with spray cans. Drove it for about 6 months and sold it for $50.

Drove cross country in a VW Van with three women in 1976. I haven't thought about that in a while.

[Motor31]

I had one for just a few months. It had been converted to a dune buggy and was a kick to drive. I was very surprised at how well it handled. Adjusting the valves made a big improvement in smoke and performance.

[rgmanley]

My first real car. A new '64 bug with the 40hp engine. Elephant Racing Grey. I think this was the first year they had the fuel gauge. Even put in a Porsche clutch and aftermarket exhaust. Quite the hot rod.

Then a 71 and a 73. Those were the days when emissions control started to take effect and the bugs just didn't run as smoothly.

Haven't had a VW until last year, an '07 Jetta and '07 Eos.

[PAULBACH]

First car was a 67 VW bug and right out of the showroom it was about $1,500. It was dark blue and ran it to over 120,000 miles,

Learned to adjust the valves and replace the muffler which no matter what had to be replaced every two years.

The battery died on summer out at Syracuse University but I always parked it at the top of a hill and let the clutch out in second and it immediately sprung to life. As I recall the battery was under the back seat.

[knary]

73 superbeetle
green with tan interior

[bobh41]

This was a hand-me-down. I think it produced about 25 HP. As a young Airman I bought this baby-blue model from a civilian contractor heading back to the States. I found just about every road within 100 miles of the base. I was very well received by the German folk I encountered in my travels and had almost decided to muster out in Germany - and stay in country; but became distracted by more pragmatic issues.

I totaled it while driving with a couple of buddies late in the evening, coming through town, downhill, on cobble stones, during the first freeze of that winter; crashed it into a bridge railing after two or three 360's. Sterling Moss couldn't have done any better!

The car is a treasured memory that allowed me to know and love West Germany in a way I could not have without it.

[jyambrovich]

I've owned a 71 Super Beetle, a 71 Westfalia Camper (bought from a wrecking yard and I rebuilt it), a 74 Dasher Wagon (NOT air-cooled), a 66 Bus with hot-rodded 71 bug engine, a 56 Deluxe oval-window bug, an 80 Dasher Diesel wagon, an 81 Audi Fox wagon, a 74 Karmann Ghia coupe', an 86 Jetta and an 80 Rabbit Cabriolet.
While growing up my parents owned a 60 Beetle, a 64 Camper (bought used while living in Germany - dad in the Army), a 66 Beetle and two 70 Beetles. I learned to drive in a Beetle, had one of my first REAL physical encounters with a girl in one, the next one in my Westy (oops, sorry - TMI).

The boxer engine in the Beetle is one of the reasons that I fell in love with BMW motorcycles as a kid (age 8 while living in Europe in 1965).

[From MARS]

Mine was a 72 yellow super w/oil cooler and A/C bought new. I lived in Yuma, AZ at the time, and would load up with a cooler of beer, a buddy or two from the base, and head out into the desert for a party. Never stuck it in the sand so bad we couldn't push/lift it out. Great memories, I think:hungover

[BeemerMike]

1970 Beetle. White with red interior. Acquired when it was about one year old. The car that let me discover that German cars were just designed and made differently than American cars . . . for the better. Drove it all through college, and then bought a VW Scirocco at graduation. Probably led me to BMW motorcycles a few years later.

Thanks VW!

[Cliffy777]

1969 powder puff blue Karman Ghia Convertible - had a 12 volt hairdryer to defrost the windows.
Also a non discript type 3 wagon
Old VeeDubs is da best VeeDubs.
I will mix this memory with the "I fell out of a VW" post.
I almost fell out of a Karman Ghia once. My mom was dating a guy named Denny who had a Ghia. He let my mom drive it one week-end while her car was getting fixed. On our way to take it back to him, I was a 6th grader, I was in the passenger seat. She took a left turn on Speedway or Braodway (Tucson, AZ) and the door flew open. Who wore seat belts then? I was leaning against the door and swung out over the road. The window was down so I could hang on easily. Whew! Scared the bejabbers out of me and my mom almost had a heart attack. Denny got the door latch fixed!

[AllanCook]

My first car with a '74 Superbeetle. Great car. I bought it from some guy for $200. I drove it for three years without a lick of trouble until one day the transmission spun into pieces. I literally left it on the side of the road.

[magoo]

I've had a few:
74 Sun Bug (first car)
71 Super beetle (bought in Seattle and drove to Ohio)
81 & 83 AC Vanagons (Awsome)
74 412 wagon
75 Superbeetle (recent purchase)

My wife's current daily driver is an 87 Scirocco 16v.

[coutel]

Me too...First car I owned was a 72 that I unfortunately totaled!!...then later had a '74 model, in addition to two VW camper vans with the pop up roofs (toured Europe).......ahhh, the memories:love

[10564]

owned a total of 8 vw,s. had a 68 convertible that had the factory installed LEISTRITZ gas heater. made you laugh at the wisconsin winters as it would heat the car to 100 degrees in minutes. the great part is you could heat the car before starting it as the engine did not have to be running to make heat

[Kbrick]

73 superbeetle
green with tan interior

I had a White '69 Karman Ghia
Blue '66 Micro Bus
Orange '73 Bug
rusted out the McPhearson Strut Towers and had a semi-automatic 3 speed transmission

[Crow18]

Ford Pintos were my Beetles.

My first car was a primer-gray '72 Pinto with a rusted-out floor and that patented Ford component that heated to a certain temperature and then sprayed oil into the air filter. The speedometer pegged at 80mph, and the needle spent about as much time over there as it did at zero. A friend with a newer car and a real speedometer once followed me on I-95 at 2am and said I broke 110.

It was really the only way to avoid being rear-ended.

[GlobalRider]

Not personally, but my mom had a '59, a 67 and a 74 Beetle

And if I had one now, I'd be rolling instead of trying to figure out which one of the countless fuel infection (you rear right...infection) components have failed rendering my high tech wonder of a car, useless. I'll sort it out...good thing I have a spare car.

Fuel and spark...real simple...you need both provided by a simple carb and a points distributor.

[BONEY]

Owned:

A '67 Bug
Wife when I met her: 72 Super

Also:
71 Bus
78 Westy

Currently looking for a 21 window body, pan and drivetrain of no importance.

[Raevyn]

Owned a 1963 Bug back in 1968 while in Germany with my military husband at the time. Was very common to pass these babies along when it was time to rotate back to the states. Made for some fun travel on those twisty roads. I learned how to drive stick on that VW...I remember my X saying...."so when are you going to shift gears!" That blue bug survived me and was passed on to our good friend, John, who passed it on again when he rotated. I'm thinking it might still be rolling!!

[lazywizard02]

Bought a new '74 Super Beetle when I joined the Navy and promptly lost insurance coverage (student became insane enlistee). Let my Brother use the car. He did. I got the car back with 24k miles on it in need of brakes and whiskey dented on all 4 corners. I took a road trip to San Marcos and hit the exit fast, downshifting as I went and dropped the clutch on the gravel transistion to the frontage road. The car popped right then left the around backwards at about 50. I steered out the back window and brought it to rest in front of the Texaco. A couple of kids came out to see if I was OK and I said sure was (hiding the shake). They pointed to the restaraunt and said they all thought I was gonna buy the farm. I looked up and saw all the patrons pasted to the front window. I sheepishly got back int the car and split.

[lgarza]

My first new car, a 1991 cherry red beetle. First one with electronic injection system, so it had a computer and all, and hydraulic valve lifters.
Pretty cool, I drove it all through collage, for about 7 years. I drove it a couple of times from Monterrey to Houston, in the winter. The heaters worked like a charm!

Luis.

[hlothery]

I, too, loved the simplicity and dependability of my '72, which I bought brand new for $2100. It had a windshield washer which was run from pressure in the spare tire, which you initially pumped up to 65 PSI. A cutoff switch cut the windshield washer off when the spare got down to 36 PSI, then you had to pump it up again. Sounds ridiculous.....but it worked great!:german

[SherpaMayberry]

I had a 55, 58 and 66 beetles, and a 71 camper bus.

Wish I could have held onto that 55 though. Just didn't have the room to keep it at the time.

Oh yea, a couple sand rails too, one with two dual carbs on a 2278cc vw engine. Talk about power!


They were all fun to work on. Really long story on the bus though, and it didn't end well.

[podsobinski]

Everyone who wrote into this blog must have had parrellel lives.
My Dad gave me $1800 for a car for college and I picked a brand new 1967 VW Bettle with optional AM radia and wing out rear windows. $80 worth of options.
Going to school in Gunnison, Colo. in the winter at night you had to keep the windows open to keep the inside windshield from fogging up. With good tires I could almost go anywhere in the snow. Great car then came a family and bought a VW Bus in '74 new . . . a piece of junk.

gpodzo

High School 1960 VW bug
College 1967 VW bug
Family and work 1974 VW Bus

[130253]

In 1974 I bought a 69 Beetle. Had it painted a beautiful metallic flake blue, inside blue and gold shag carpeting laid, a top of the line 8 track tape player installed and mag wheels with over sized tires on the rear and undersized tires on the front. I was stylin' and profilin' for the day! 6 months later it was taken out by a young, very drunk lady in a Chevy Chevelle doing about 60 mph on a side street where the bug was parked.:cry I loved that bug!

[r1dinman]

My first VW was a '57 Beatle convertible with a 36 hp engine. It would go 80 mph downhill with a tail wind and max out at 35 mph uphill with a head wind. I had a type three notchback for a short while, purchaced at a government sale. it had been an undercover CID car. My last VW, bought new in Belgium was a 72 Camper. I traveled all over Europe and the US in that van. I still miss it:cry

Jay

[Cliffy777]

Speaking of VW Bugs and the speed thereof, I had a customer in the store yesterday and she has a new Bug that has a turbo. She was relating that she regularly drives it over 90 mph and that her husband had the bug flying at over 107 mph recently. She didn't know his top speed as she was not with him at the time and took a "don't ask, don't tell" policy towards it.
DANG!

[SherpaMayberry]

This oughta stir up a few memories. I learned SO much from working on my beetles and this book.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51763C0VTGL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

[gulfcoastbeemer]

I had several VW Bugs. My first was a 1962 Sea Blue/Seeblau VW Bug complete with sunroof. While the styling of most every other automobile of the era changed dramatically every year, the Bugs stayed faithful to the genius of the Ferdinand Porsche and Erwin Komenda designed "People's Car" -- with the remarkable Bug color palette being one of the few variables.

Sea Blue/Seeblau http://www.pre67vw.co.uk/colours/chips/L360.jpg

VW Bugs evolved over time. My 1962 Bug had several improvements that year: a boost from 36 to 40 horsepower and a fuel gauge verses a reserve petcock lever. I laugh when people complain about accuracy of their R1200RT fuel gauge.

My father was a WWII fighter pilot in the Pacific. He loved the sound of the air-cooled, VW boxer engine, and would become almost wistful at its sound.

I had that Bug for over 150,000 miles. Whenever the engine need to be tweaked, a group of us who owned Bugs would get together, share tools, and work on several engines over the course of a weekend. The VW Bug served as an introduction to German engineering for many Americans. Boxers rule!

These cars were a blast to drive. Out of necessity, I once drove that '62 Bug the entire distance from Norfolk, VA to New England with a snapped clutch cable. The synchromesh transmission allowed me to shift without a clutch while underway. When I had to stop, I slipped it into neutral. To resume from a stop, I shut off the engine, slipped it into first and then restarted the engine.

How the heck did life get so complicated????

[gulfcoastbeemer]

My second car was a '49 VW split window beetle. It had semifores for turn signals, and a whopping 30 hp motor that would get into 3rd going downhill with a tailwind.

I have regretted many times that I don't still have it. I didn't realize at the time ('69) how rare it was; I think it was the first year that the VW was imported into the US.

Coulda shoulda woulda

Charles Lindbergh, the aviator, lived in my hometown in the '60s. He had that exact year VW. Obviously, he could have owned and driven any automobile -- he loved his Bugs and continued to own them through the years.

He is a link to a historical site and one of Lindbergh's later Bugs. http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/lindbergh_beetle.html

[rmarkr]

The wife had our two kids in the back, and our son started complaining that the seat was "hot" "Shut up" he was told. Soon the interior was filled with smoke.
The (steel) sprung seat had shorted the battery, after the cover was dislodged.
This must have happened to others.
An interesting fact - the dune buggy racing guys would often use the 1200cc gearbox (3 speed I think) and rear drive - but mated to fire-breathing V8's and rotary engines - claimed they where unbreakable!

[gulfcoastbeemer]

Everyone's talking about the "lack of heat" these little cars had.
I remember "oh so well", to literally having to scrape the Frost off the inside of the windshield from your breath freezing up.
:help

I found a simple solution to the heat issue. I simply closed the air flaps on the engine air jacket with sheet metal screws in the Fall and reopened them in the Spring. Worked like a charm.

[michaeldale]

My first post.

The first one was a 66 then I moved onto a 68. My first van was a 72. Boy, I loved those vehicles. I spoted this one in lower SC, a 90 camper. If it could talk, the fun I had in that van. I went many years without a VW and just 3mo's ago. I found a the new style bettle 98 TDI, with less than 18k on it. It is a joy to ride, I call it my poor man's "Porsche". I love riding my LT but nothing beats the fun of driving a VW in heavy traffic. Tk's for the chance of re-living the past and good times. MK:laugh

[ChicotDave]

Straight out of the Corps, paid $450 for a 1962 blue beetle. Dependable but no heater, sort of like riding my roadster.

[wmubrown]

My Aunt had a Beetle when I was a kid... it was the first stick shift I can recall riding in. I remember it being fun to drive in, but never really considered owning one. Until 2001. The new Beetle had an attraction for me and I grew interested in one. A friend bought the TDI version and while it was nice, it couldn't compare to the pickup of a gas turbo engine (though that 48 MPG the diesel got was rather appealing). I found a beautiful silver one that was a pre-release sport model (which didn't come out until 2002 officially) and couldn't pass it up. It had loads of room (I'm 6'3" tall), got terrific gas mileage (32+MPG), I was single and didn't care about more than 1 passenger, and with a rear spoiler I added, it was really sporty looking. The only trouble I had with it was two ignition coils dying, covered under warranty. Otherwise a great little car. Three years later, I sold it for $2000 less than I paid because demand was still pretty high for them.

http://www.robietech.com/johnbrown/temp/bug.jpg

[bmdubyou]

I had a '65 (same year as me) with a crank sunroof. I like the looks of the older ones with the glass over the headlights. The split windows and big fabric sunroofs were cool too!
I was driving around town one day and someone coming towards me in the other lane launched a water grenade (a green water balloon shaped like a hand grenade) at me. It hit the lower drivers side windshield shattering it and cutting my knuckles. I never did find the pranksters.
Anyone else notice if their bikes sound like those old bugs? My 84 R80RT sounds just like what I remember the bug sounded like!

[buckeye]

This oughta stir up a few memories. I learned SO much from working on my beetles and this book.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51763C0VTGL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,45,-64_OU01_AA240_SH20_.jpg

So where did you get that fancy full color version of the bible? Mine is black and white and spiral bound. Also quite greasy on most pages and dog eared.
My first beetle was in '68 when I bought a '61 beetle. No fuel guage, reserve lever on the firewall hump. I put Keystone Mags, 14" Goodyears and of course the adapters for the bolt up. Junior year of high school.
Our first family car was in '73 when we bought a '68 nine passenger bus. Took many camping trips in Southern California with that one. Couple of years later we had a '72 Super Beetle. Got away from VW's till a few years ago when my wife had two Super Beetles, one was a Turbo. Now she's settled into her new Jetta and loving it.

[SherpaMayberry]

So where did you get that fancy full color version of the bible? Mine is black and white and spiral bound. Also quite greasy on most pages and dog eared.


Spiral bound, the deluxe edition! Mine fell apart at the binding, plus one chapter (if memory serve, chapter 8?) is all covered in grease. I still have that book somewhere....

The pic has been lifted from the amazon.com site.

I remember running out of gas on my 55 and/or 58. Managed to flip the lever while still going 45+ mph, difficult to do given you have to practically lay on the seats. Started right back up though!

[The_Veg]

I remember seeing that book in stores when I was a kid. I often think of it when I see Aeroflow ads.

[JCabranes]

OK, Cliffy made me do it. There's a discussion going on about tools and it turns out a bunch of folks have owned Beetles. The question was posted, "I wonder how many BMW riders have owned a Beetle?"

So, have you?

:dunno

I owned four of them. '68 (which my brother inherited when I moved to California), a '70 which was crunched parked outside of my apartment, a '74 Super Beetle and an auto-stick (can't remember the year wanna say 76 but I don't think thats right). I loved them all with the exception of the auto-stick. I remember the first time I drove it I went to shift from low to high and slammed the brake thinking it was the clutch... I think I still have the VW emblem embossed on my chest :)

[userw5]

In the early 1979 I purchased a '66 Beetle for $50. It had been sitting in this lady's driveway for about a year, but I was able to get it started and air in the tires. As I was backing it out of the driveway, I stepped on the brakes and the pedal went right to the floor. I drove it home, about 50 miles, with no brakes (well only a hand brake). I was following my dad in his pick-up, he said if I had to stop in an emergency to hit him. Stepping back a minute; the lady I brought it from felt kind of bad that the car had no brakes and no gas that she followed us to the gas station down the street and filled up the tank. (about $10) After I got the car home I was cleaning it up and I found all sorts of change, tools, and maps under the seats and floor mats. The joke in our family was that car only cost me $34.50. Here's the kicker. I put Continental radial ($75 each in 1979) tires on it and drove the car 30k+ miles over the next three years. If any of you are familiar with that vintage Bug, will know that was before they got heavy with all the safety and emissions stuff. That car was so light the tires barely wore. The guy I eventually sold the car to thought the tires were brand new. I told him how old they were, but he didn't believe me. Sold it for $600. Wish I could find a couple more deals like that.
Jeff

[tjc9680]

My first car was a 63 VW with a slider sun roof. My wifes first car 1969 VW. Latter on in our marriage we had a 73 Super Beetle with a sun roof. I restored a 68 convertible, a 57 oval window, a 69 Camper Van and a 67 Beetle . We lovde them all . Loads of fun and easy to work on.:german

[jdiaz]

My father bought a new 1971 Beetle for $1800, in the worst shade of light yellow. The dealer also had a red one for sale, but my dad thought the black interior would be too hot in the eastern Washington summer, so he bought the ugly yellow one. We still tease him about that. :laugh

He drove it 14 miles a day to work for over a decade, and eventually taught both my sister and I how to drive with it. I took it over full-time in 1982, and then my sister took it from me in 1984. I spent hours keeping the ugly paint looking beautiful (back when you could wax a car and actually see results), and it never let us down. I remember being small enough to actually ride in the parcel shelf behind the rear seats!

When my sister graduated from HS in 1986 and headed to college, my father took a job overseas. We decided to sell the Beetle and keep the more modern Mazda GLC, and the first person who showed up to look drove off with it. It might still be in Spokane for all we know. My sister drove the Mazda for two months before it expired in a heap of flames, and ended up with a brand new VW Golf. Dammit. :p

Now we have a bay-window Westy that is even older than the Beetle. I was thinking fondly of the old days last Saturday afternoon........while my wife was towing me and the bus back home after the fuel pump expired.

[Cliffy777]

My fellow Americans (or not) may I say to you that I love this thread. Thanks to Kbasa for starting it and to whomever had the bright idea to re-start it.
When I have to drive something with 4 wheels I bought a snappy '87 Ford Ranger with the really baaaaad salmon/green paint job, BUT what I really wanted was a Bug. They are mighty hard to find around here. I found one but it was beyond my ability to make workable. It had a Fred Flintstone floor and electrical problems and the seats were doo-doo. Dang.
My wife told me about one that was for sale by the road last week about 2 miles from the house and by the time I went to look at it........gone!

[KGT1200]

When I hit 40, I decided I needed to bump up my student loan balance a bit, and started back at night to school at CSU working on a degree.

Somehow I acquired a VW bus about 84-85 model I forget?, but with all the bells and whistles, everything from the little cab heater that ran on gasoline (Scary) to the fridge and sink and cook stove topped off with the raise and lower topper! All canvas was included, and I loved my little study hall on wheels!

Gutless? Absolute! Required fixing? 84 bus in 95 yep needs parts all the time!

I had more fun with that thing! Wish I had a picture!

[130253]

Why yes I did! It fell and broke its leg though, so I had to shoot it!:nyah
10673

[wmubrown]

My project this Christmas is to scan the old family photos and compile them onto CD's for everyone, and eventually (I won't get them ALL scanned before this Christmas) produce a DVD with background music. While scanning, I ran across a photo of my earliest experience with a Beetle and recalled this thread, I think I was 1 (2 more likely?) year old...

http://www.robietech.com/johnbrown/temp/beetle.jpg

[monkeywork]

lets see the face now! see how much ya changed!

:)

[Ted]

My first car was a 1969 Bug convertible - my Dad had bought it new and rarely used it so it was in pretty good shape for sitting around collecting dust for 15 years. Still miss that car.

[scootrp125x]

My first car was a 60 Bug. I started driving in 1974 so it was well used by then. It even had a sunroof. No fuel gauge, just flip a lever with my foot when it started to run out of gas and wait for the engine to start running again. We gave it to someone who made a dune buggy out of it. Second car was a 70 VW bus. Lots of room but no power. Third car was a 74 Super Beetle. I wish I still had that one. Those were the last cars I ever worked on myself.

Mark

[wmubrown]

lets see the face now! see how much ya changed!

:)

Then & Now (I'm taller now):
http://www.robietech.com/johnbrown/temp/beetle.jpg http://www.robietech.com/johnbrown/temp/me5.jpg

[sfdave]

No Beetle, just crazy enough to own four buses.... 69, 70, 71 and finally a 80 Vanagon. Fun, but just not reliable for an unabashed speeder.

[fastdogs2]

My first was a '68 that I bought my senior year in college. I paid $1,850 for it and traded it in four year later on a Mercedes 220D and got $1,450 on the trade in.

I had a '73 Super Beetle in 1984-86. My daughter was in high school at the time and was ashamed for me to pick her up in it in her friends' presence. Her friends proclaimed it cool and after that it was OK for me to drive it.

They were great cars that provide basic transportation with low operating costs. I would buy another one, if the made them in the same style as the old ones. I don't care much for the New Beetle.

[wsteinborn]

Well, I didn't own it but my Dad did. When we went to Hawaii, our car ended up staying on the boat and going to Turkey.

Dad bought the last of the 6-volt beetles (1965? possibly early 1966)

It was becomming mine until when I was 18 a woman ran a red light and cut the beetle in half and slammed it into a third car.. My Dad was standing 100 feet away and figured he lost his #2 son, but it only cost me a broken nose, a busted up hand from going theough the radiom, some bruises, and new glasses. And a traffic ticket. (Totally wrong and unfair.)

In 1987 I came close to buying a reconditioned beetle until I looked at the engine.

[ironMan]

Remember the old Beetle smile? The front bumpers were always bent down in the middle so they looked like they were smiling at you.

Man I Loved that old 65.

[Fritzc]

This is the Volkswagen "Beetle":http://www.nevintage.com/images/60ghia0005a.jpg

This is a Volkswagen "Bug": http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:TrU5hV-xD5omGM:http://www.autobackstage.com/UserFiles/2007/5/11/0706_z%2Boriginal_volkswagen_beetle%2Bfront.jpg

[jgr451]

Hey John Brown,that's my 62 Beetle!!

Hey fritz,that's not a beetle,that;s a beautiful Karmann Ghia.

[wmubrown]

[QUOTE=jgr451;272922]Hey John Brown,that's my 62 Beetle!![QUOTE]

Do you want it back now? I think it's all used up... ;)

[KBikeKev]

I had a 1973 Bug once. It was some new year for something about the tail lights or something. That was in 1996 or so. It was fun to drive and my freind rebuilt the engine for me then I ended up trading it for a yamaha radian.

[knary]

I buzzed past a green super beetle tonight. Brought back memories of cheap beer and high school angst. :ha

[soldemall]

I have had several sedans and a bus over the years. Having escaped Dallas recently, I am able to use this '71 Karmann Ghia as my daily driver.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2677/4071088653_0bf2e93281_o.jpg

[jamesdunn]

I owned a Karmann Ghia and a Porsche 911 (very heavy duty VW in a sense, very early Porsches had a VW engine). My brothers owned bugs and I drove then a lot. I love air cooled boxer autos! And bikes.

[Mika]

Nice Ghia OldPaul! Reminds me of a friend from college who had a very similar looking one.

I buzzed past a green super beetle tonight. Brought back memories of cheap beer and high school angst. :ha

Me thinks there is more to this story, past and present, that is hiden behind that ":ha"

:brow

[azduc]

After my bug turned 'turtle' I made it into a dune buggy with a Manx body, hot stuff in the day!

[NavyCWO]

I had a '71 bus and while it was great in Panama, when I shipped it to the States, I learned it really wasn't a whole lot of fun on an interstate. From New Orleans on IH-10, to San Antonio, the thing would almost change lanes without moving the steering wheel due to the Texas winds! I sold it the next day and bought a Ford Torino, which BTW rusted (from the inside out) like an old tin can! Five years late I bought a 1976 VW Dasher, also a problem child.....radiator/cooling problems. After that I quit buying new cars (5 kids)! In 2006 I bought a new VW Jetta (TDI), and I love it. It's almost as much fun to drive as my R100GS is to ride!

[DocZ]

One beetle (62) and one bus (68?) - the bus was the collectible one with about 36 or so windows. But I was young, etc., at the collect-ability was still many years away.

I am still kicking myself for not buying a 73 or 74 Ghia. Not only the best looking thing with a VW air cooled boxer, but easier to access things in the frequently visited motor compartment.

Alas and alack.

[lkchris]

Yes, purchased a '70 Beetle new in Norman, OK. It had the cylinder studs stripped out of the crankcase by 30K miles. That is, just after the 24K miles warranty was over.

Currently have an '81 aircooled Vanagon and a diesel New Beetle. The diesel gets better mileage than a motorcycle, I can drive it in the winter, and I can get groceries with it.

[lkchris]

... very early Porsches had a VW engine ...

There were one or two years in the 1980s when the 912 designation returned and the car was fitted with a Type IV VW engine, i.e. similar to 914, 411, etc. Other than that, I think the only Porsche(s) fitted with actual VW engines.

[PHMarvin]

I believe the very early, Gmund, Porsches had VW running gear.

[osbornk]

Had a 61. They were not really that good of a car , they were just better than the rest of the smalls cars of the era. The main competition was the Renault Dauphine and it was a real dog.

[36654]

I drove a used 1974 Super Beetle (Curved Windshield) for nearly 8 years and 100K miles. In the end, the fenders were Bondo and the heater was a distant memory. Sorel boots and German Army wool fatique pants were required for any long winter drive.

Oh, the happiness of youth!

[sudani]

Porsche 911 = I love air cooled boxer autos!

911 was a fun time....until the engine caught fire on a hot Indiana afternoon. There were some upgrades after that incident!

[Rpbump]

Does 2 Karman Ghia's count? Ride Safe :usa :usa

[irfast]

Ever since I learned to drive in one, circa 1971, I've had an aircooled beetle in my possesion.
Now, I own a 75 Super Beetle convertible, a 55 Porsche Speedster Kit car, and a New Beetle.
If you put them together, they multiply!
Jim in Buffalo
58 R60
60 Puch 250
64 Vespa VNB 150
73 R60/5
07 LT
My insurance agent loves me!

[PaulWitt]

I had a 66 bus that I absolutely loved. It had flowered wallpaper on the inside and was all about the hippie era. It didn't always run great, but you carried tools and sometimes it ran better by the time you got back home because it broke down so much. Life was better back then. No cell phones, no computers and you just made it work.

[henzilla]

From New Orleans on IH-10, to San Antonio, the thing would almost change lanes without moving the steering wheel due to the Texas winds!

I know that one...my '59 microbus crossing the Galveston Causeway would change three lanes at once if you were not prepared. I used to stay in the middle lane and pray a lot! That and the no gas guage and reaching down to turn on the reserve knob...only to find it already on was always such fun. :groovy But it had a kickass stereo system and a seperate twelve volt marine battery to run it since the 6 volt system didn't help much.

My brother had the cool '72 Kharman Ghia his senior year. We both wish we still had them. Keep the oil changed and the valves adjusted and they ran forever...HMMMM, sounds familiar:brow

[pdogger]

I bought a new bug in 68. It was dark green with white interior. $1811. We had three in the family at one time. The cylinder stud pulled out of the block on it also. Had it repaired and she ran a good long while.

[35634]

Had a 64 bug in '72 - learned about valves and how to wrench on it. The engine started
knocking on de acceleration (rod bearings said the Idiot manual) so I traded it in on my
1st new car, a Triumph Spitfire. The VW engine blew the next week. Kept the Spit in
one form or another for 33 years.

[wmubrown]

Finally dug up a photo of the 2001 Turbo Sport Beetle...

[wezul]

No no no!
With all due respect John . . .
That is a Golf (wolf) in sheep's clothing ;)
Gotta be before the Super B or it's not a B.
Just my $.02.
I'd love to find the one with the split rear window, very vintage, very cool, very serviceable . . . well if you can find parts.

[35634]

No no no!
That is a Golf (wolf) in sheep's clothing ;)
.

Funny how they're masquerading modern cars to appeal to old geezers like us. The mini, new beetle, PT cruiser, HHR, new charger and camaro come to mind. Even the Miata is a tribute to the Elan. Most of those old cars weren't really that good, but the memories are great.

[kantuckid]

When my new wife(still have her!) showed up at my cabin/home on the Kansas river in 1971, after our honeymoon trip back from our KY wedding, the 1966 BUG was sitting in the driveway. It was her first car . I bought it from a local priest , repaired/painted the front fender, rebushed the front steering and all 40HP was hers to unravel! It would not keep up with my BMW 2002!!! The long grades on I-70 were a chore for that car.
I built a 2000 New Beetle TDI for her commuter car several years ago-ran it on red diesel and frequently got 50mpg. For a bit we tried a New Beetle Turbo convt. , I built, but they have almost zero trunk and the back seat is pitiful. And what German engineer came up with the trim mechanism that covered the convt top hole(where the top emerges from the qtr. panel) in the rear side area -was an SOB!-TRY $400+! for a trim mechanism, replete with cables and all sorts of goody/ goody parts that fail often! that was later replaced by a one piece black plastic trim part with a couple of screws!
All in all the new beetle is a nice car considering they are a retro Jetta.

[jamesdunn]

I believe the very early, Gmund, Porsches had VW running gear.
I think you're right. I recall reading this but have nothing to reference it now unless I check online. The later 914 ( developed by Porsche as I recall) was meant to be a VW sports car but never was. Cannot remember why.

[jamesdunn]

911 was a fun time....until the engine caught fire on a hot Indiana afternoon. There were some upgrades after that incident!
Mine was a '77 911S I bought in Albuquerque N.M. with the mag. block. Never had any trouble though. Believe it or not a li' ol' lady had owned it, purchasing it new in Denver.

[lkchris]

The later 914 ( developed by Porsche as I recall) was meant to be a VW sports car but never was.

It was called a VW-Porsche everywhere except North America.

[68820]

I drove a white '67 Type 1 for a couple years prior to getting my first BMW. Since it was the last of the older style bodies with the new in '67 fenders, decklid, and 12v electrics, I got a vanity plate, BUXOTIC. It's a word I heard in the intro to Mondo Topless (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mondo_Topless) by Russ Meyer. At the beginning of the film, a stripper is piloting a large Mopar around the hills of San Francisco as Russ talks about the charms these ladies have. I felt it fit the VW since it was an exotic Bug (or bugxotic).

Fun car to drive. Hot in the summer and cool in the winter. I liked how well it handled the snowy hills of Arlington, VA when the tank was full. Alas, I sold it and bought a new Corolla in 1992. My first Beemer was added to the stable in 1993.

[schweinweg]

hasn't everyone owned one at one time?

[36654]

I liked how well it handled the snowy hills of Arlington, VA

What kind of micrometer do they use to measure snow depth in Arlington:)

[njnomad]

hasn't everyone owned one at one time?

Nooooo....but I did own a Chevy Vega. :dunno

[36654]

Nooooo....but I did own a Chevy Vega. :dunno

On the bright side, you didn't have to admit to owning a Gremlin.......;)

[bullit7801]

hasn't everyone owned one at one time?No!! But my first car (shared with my brother) was a '64 microbus. My Father bought my mother a '67 convertable and complained about the extra $300 for the drop top. The bug was $1,995 and the convertable was $2,300. That convertable is now in my niece's garage in Platteville, WI and she uses it in the summer months only.

So no, I never owned a beatle, but I drove that 67 convertable a lot.

tb

[brewmeister]

I owned a green 67 and took it to spring break at Datona,what a blast that was.
I also owned a carmen gie dune buggy. 62:thumb

[wezul]

Nein. But my first car was a '71 Datsun 1200 coupe . Not to be confused with the later Datsun B210/210. I loved that car. No power anything, no A/C, 1200 cc engine, manual choke, four speed with a long sloppy throw. You could crawl in under the bonnet and close it after you. Super simple. How simple, you ask? I could work on it . . . *gasp*
Man, I miss that little car.
I think they still race them in Oz.

/Hijack off

[TomBarnhart]

Biggest car mistake I ever made. In 1961 when I got my first job that required a car, my dad and I went shopping. First stop was a VW dealer, he insisted I buy a new bug for about $1500-out the door. I hesitated and went to the Brit car store next door. Saw a really neat Austin A-55, four door sedan, neat roomy (for an Austin) interior, and a very well appointed and equipped interior. Price, out the door: $1350. Being very cheap, needing every penny to survive, I got the Austin. Short version: in less than a year the engine went south, the body rusted out, and most of the electrical (good old Lucas) crashed.

Big lesson learned, cheaper is never better in cars. Traded this lemon on a new beetle and lived happily ever after for at least 100K miles.

[bmweuro]

I have a 64 sunroof Bug with 66k original miles on it.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3516/4082850095_b8a0c08b17.jpg

[r60us]

'71 Pop Lilac Super Beetle, purchased new.
Dealer installed 6 pc VDO gauge set, extractor exhaust.

[Bobmws]

I had a '68, '70, '74 Super Beetle purchased new for $2700, a '72 bus and a VW powered Bradley GT. The Bradley was sold to allow purchase of a '74 R90S.

[108625]

Wifey had two Super Beetles, and several Micro Busses... Note the past tense.

Pros:

They were cheap.
Engine swaps were easy.
The twin tailpipes were as convenient as wheelbarrel handles so I could lift up the engine for her to wedge a hairbrush under after mounting bolts kept shearing off, which in turn caused generator drive belts to fly off and leave you immobilised after battery ran out.
Good heat in the summertime.
Good A/C in winter.
Wiper/washer don't overload electrical system; drain air from spare tire instead.
Air in spare tire always fresh, or you can't see in the rain; usually when you get a flat.
Get to meet people when the fuel indicator doesn't.
Hot ignition lead easy to get to and tear off when it bursts into flames.
No wasting money on silly oil filters, they don't have any. Hence knowledge of engine swaps.
If you're military; guaranteed participation in "Operation Goldenflow" after search dog alerts on every single VW you drive to work.

Cons:

See above.

[geisterfahrer]

Yup, a '69 and a '73 Beetle, and a '57 Transporter project that I unfortunately had to abandon. I really wanted to get that old bus rolling.

Airhead forever! :dance

[Rpbump]

Along with the Karman Ghia (1972) I also owned a 1962 Porsche Super 90.
Ride Safe :usa :usa

[68820]

What kind of micrometer do they use to measure snow depth in Arlington:)

It was during one of the twice a season snows where nearly an inch and a half fell. Funny thing is, life still goes on and you have to get where you're going. Here in the Triangle, half that much snow shuts down the whole area!

:laugh

[kgadley01]

first car was a 1953 Chevy Coupe. but my dad had a Super Beetle.