Early 70s VW Beetle?

Question

Im thinking of getting a 1970's beetle cos they are pretty cool. Has anyone got any experience with living with one?
Expenses, reliabillity, spare parts ect

Answer 1

I agree with you. At this time I own 3 (2 Beetles and 1 Super Beetle).

Contrary to what others have said in response to your question let me fill you in on a couple things.

You can pick up a good running (old) Beetle for less than $3000.00

Because it is a Icon, like a Mustang or a Camaro, there are plenty of new and improved parts as well as used parts available.

They don't make them anymore.

They do have heaters.

Airflow is not a problem.

They are air cooled, just like the Porsche, and most aircraft, and Harley's and tanks.

They are simple to work on.

They are light weight so if you do minor modifications to the engine you get an awesome return.

They are not as good on gas as you might expect. However with a couple slight mods you can get up to 40 mpg.

On the other hand you can easily get a 12 second car that is street drivable.

Lowering kits, lift kits, disk brakes, air bag suspension are all available.

Best bet is to get a Dune-Buggies & Hot VW's magazine and look through it to get some ideas and see advertisers for parts and prices.

Answer 2

Hey I am 47 and I have owned VWs since I was 18 and there is no cooler car on the planet than a VW and I mean that. First off, find one in pretty good shape rust wise then make sure the engine is in good shape or have a knowledgeable and trustworthy person rebuild it for you. Do your research, look up people like GeneBerg.com and read and learn. Volkswagen's will last for along time if you do proper maintenance and you will have a loyal car that will take you anywhere. As far as the heater they make a gasoline heater that goes in the trunk that you can fry bacon and eggs on or a turkey and the stock heater is good also if all the seals and weather striping to the body are in good shape. If that is what you want then go after one. I have gone to allot of Bug ins (VW-Shows) and VW people are just different (fun lovin and happy and you will see some that are so fast it will freak you clean out, what are ya waiting for? Go to a Show!!

Answer 3

Yes! I have a 1971 VW, and it's the best little car in the world! Okay, I love my car, but I've owned Vw's since the age of 16, and though I own a Bronco and a Mazda, I always take my bug on long distance trips. My Labrador dog and I drove from Las Vegas Nev. to Grants Pass Oregon last year, and it only cost me 89.00 dollars, round trip! Yeah howdy! Between my husband and I, we own 6 Vw's and have a storage unit packed full of engines and vw parts. We love Vw's....can you tell? I drive from Las Vegas to Phoenix, and it only costs 18.50 to get there. If nothing else, it's a car to save money on gas. It is low maintenance, and you just start buying vw magazines and of course the vw book so you can do a lot of the work on them yourself. And if you ever break down on the side of the road, if a vw person see's you, they will usually pull over to try and help. Have I convinced you? Whatever you decide, good luck. P.S And the "heater" works great!

Answer 4

Was the first year with the 1600cc stock engine. Was an excellent of wheels. Expenses, less than any American make(ford,chev,chryco)as all there was was points and condenser.
Better than the English cars...and Jap scrap was, well, new to these shores( and that ould be Toyota, Datsun, Mazda) so they were just that...scrap. I had the single carburated type, never a problem......I tweaked the carb combined with ignition mods to put out over 40mpg with an oil bath air cleaner.
Reliable? I never hesitated to take the car - off road to check out old logging roads that have grown in with vegetation....up to places where 4x4's go.
If you got a minimum of mechanical ability, all you need to know how to do is the points, adjust the valves, and I can't think of anything else that needs to be done....cept make sure there is air in the tires. Summer and winter, no problem--went to local ski hill every winter no problems.

Answer 5

Check out this site http://www.thesamba.com/vw/ there alot of good people there that know vw's inside-out. I remember when I was about 12 my father told me he was buying this car that he always wanted so that day (being the motor head that I am)I waited out side and each car that passed I got so excited thinking that It was him, until I saw him in a mint white 72 super beetle coming down the road. I was so piss at him telling him why did he buy that crap, it was an embarrassment, vw's suck blah blah blah. Well after about two rides in it I was infatuated with it, a few years later they got me my own, my sister got one and dad bought another. I always get teased because Im a tall guy squeezing myself into a punch buggy thank to this http://tinyurl.com/27twxu . We always get asked if they were for sell especally from people saying that they used to have one and then they did the stupid mistake of selling it. From my experience they are good cars, reliable(just keep up in maintenance and they will go for ever) We put at least 150 miles a day for a few years on it handled it like a piece of cake. They DONT use allot of gas unless you have a big motor or a hole in the tank.(mine get 30 to 35 mpg 1900cc w/dual carbs & mild cam) very easy to repair, parts arent that expencive, they rust just as much as any other car, just depends on the climate, dont buy from ebay unless you know what your doing, when you find one take it to vw mechanic before buying, always use good quality parts

here is another good forum
http://shoptalkforums.com/

Answer 6

well so long as you accept its a 40 year old car, and its not like you can't get ANY part, almost off the shelf...

bugs are good, they get loved, and worked on.. constantly... my only real advice is get one in good nick already, make sure its got 12v electrics.. 6v lighting sucks.

and of course, make sure its not all body filler... bodge hides a multitude of sins...

MOT's are a doddle as most of the stuff is innaplicable... like emissions tests (visible smoke only) 95% of teh modern elctrical systems arent fitted... so they cant go wrong... (its three wires)

and of course your insurance is cheaper than cod chips and all the trimmings... (expect around 250 fully comp)

the only downside is the work required to keep it on the road, and its severe lack of power, unless its a 1600s and its been played with, and NOT thrashed by boy racers.

DONT buy one off ebay without looking... thats what youve got eyes ears and hands for... any old bag of nuts and bolts can look good... how does it sound, and drive.. you wont know until you drive it.

and as youre asking, ill presume you know little.. so buy a guy a beer, and take him with you... oh, and make sure hes alredy got a nice bug... having a nice *** isnt going to do you any good...

the AA/RAC do vehicle inspections...and they guarantee their work, if its a lemon you have a case... but its expensive..150 ish, worth it if your spending 10grand... but its upto you..

good luck, i hope you eventually find what youre looking for... look at it this way, if its already 40, and still going strong, someones looked after it, and it isnt going to go bang tommorow...

im 50, my land rover is 46... its in better shape than i am...

Answer 7

Heavy on fuel, very expensive on parts, quite reliable if properly serviced, susceptable to rot in the floors and front end. Buy a Mini, more fun cheaper to insure and loads of spares around.

Answer 8

All I know is they have a terrible heater in them and parts are getting harder to find daily for them but they are still out there, most of the problems with them are the clutch cables and the engine is air cooled like a motorcycle and it's in the back where it doesn't get good air flow.

Answer 9

To tell the truth, even back when they were new they were considered poor cars. They're slow, they wander in high winds, the heaters don't work, and they rust like crazy. Get yourself a new Beetle.

Answer 10

when you find the one you want don't be too concerned with how well it runs , get the engine rebuilt and put in hydraulic lifters and an oil filter , that will avoid the 3000 mile valve adjustment and oil change , this will allow you to go to 5000 with synthetic oil . wear a sweater in the winter , grease everything religiously , and get the Haynes manual for it .