wicked cars, I used to commute a 50 mile round trip across the N Yorks moors in a 1972 1303 Baja
.
I've had 2 beetles and could list at least 20 times they broke down
I cracked a cylinder head racing an MR2 and that was the last straw
if I bought one now, I wouldn't drive it, I'd just fettle with it and look at it

bruk – do you know my dad – tat sounds suspiciously like a 1.3 metro we had in 1988

The Metro was a C and D reg bolted together and run around Dundee, bought initially as a cut'n'shut. My mate wrote it off the 1st time sledging it in the snow in Camperdown park and had a tree interface moment. Then repaired it and wrote it off rear-ending a Saab (no damage to the Saab. It indicates how bad my mates driving was and the substandard car how bad it was I'd rather travel in that than a Beetle.

Would have been late eighties

bruk – you scare me now. was it grey/bluey

thats the area we are from !

I think it was a blue/grey colour. Thinking about it I went to Uni in 1991 so my mate probably had it from 1989/90 ish till he sold it when it finaly couldn't be MOT'd by anyone with 1/2 a working eye.

Did your dad sell it on?

Had a few cracking trips to the hills in that car, good memories.

Aye it was traded into barnetts in the ferry for a mk1 cavilier

love cars, but I'd own almost anything else instead of a beetle. The thing is, they just aren't very good even when they're perfect.

That's a pretty comprehensive indictment 🙂

Seriously, you can run old cars for a giggle, but there are two things you need. Fuel injection and decent rustproofing.

And that too meets with my own assesment.. since I stopped owning cars with carbs I do have more free time!

every other Beetle driver waves at you like they're your best mate and you have this bond, my reply was usually 2 fingers.

If you'd like to drive a 'practical classic' but never get waved at by fellow owners buy an MGB. I drove one for 6 years, as my only motor, 3 of those years with a daily 50 round trip commute and 400mile weekends to visit my GF. In all that time I was not once even acknowleged let alone waved at by another MG driver

If you'd like to drive a 'practical classic' but never get waved at by fellow owners buy an MGB. I drove one for 6 years, as my only motor, 3 of those years with a daily 50 round trip commute and 400mile weekends to visit my GF. In all that time I was not once even acknowleged let alone waved at by another MG driver

Really? I get waved at by everyone in my midget, and its got rubber bumpers and everything!

People in MGF's and TF's (the new ones, not the originals) are an odd bunch though, half blank you thinking that you just make their car look like something fromt he 60's and uncool, the other half cant wait to be your best friend in order to give their car some percieved classic status.

Waving at other driver cos they've got the same car, tis a bit nerdy?

Waving at other driver cos they've got the same car, tis a bit nerdy?

You realise you just wrote that on a mountain bike forum right?

I sold my beetle recently to help fund my wedding.
I had it for 2 years and it never failed to start, even if left standing for a month or two over winter.
However, it was a moneypit, I had the central tunnel replaced and the front subframe as it had been bodged at some point in its life. Brakes were shonky and it stank of petrol if you filled the tank right up. It was also lowered and had wide rear wheels which meant it handled brilliantly in the dry but in the wet it tried to steer you off the road into a hedge!
I loved it though, it always cheered me up driving it and I'd get another but I would not want one as an only car. You'd need to get used to home maintenance though but most tasks are easy and it prompted me to learn how to weld which is a handy skill to have.

If you want a website for more info you could do a lot worse than going to Volkszone.com. It's a bit like STW but for classic VWs 🙂

Here's a pic of the old girl:

Would love a beetle

dont get the person saying that an escort is an alternative – price wise there is a huge chasm. You can get a semi decent beetle beetle for ~£1500

A similar condition escort will be twice that

tootallpaul – Member

Addis Ababa is rammed with old beetles- most of which are in really good condition…

I would guess Addis Ababa is slightly drier than Basingstoke though…

Worked on my first Beetle in the early 80s. Arrived back at work after summer hols to be handed a box of bits and told to fix

that thing in the corner

a Beetle, instant hatred from then onwards of all things VW. My then employer was dumped by Leyland and we became VW agents/dealers….left to work on Fords having served my apprenticeship on Land Rover/Triumph/Daimler/Jag 😥 😥

Few yrs ago this hatred was reinforced when I gave my bro-in-law some help to renovate a Carmen Ghia Beetle from the ground up. Finding any good metal to weld new stuff onto was a nightmare 😈 👿

Foe me it would have to be a Mini/Stag/TR6/Spitfire/Herald/Vitesse/Sprint/Mk1 Mexico/Mk1RS2000 or some of the old Rovers eg 100 or the V8 one 😆

Trail rat, guess that seals it, sounds like the same car for sure as Im sure his mum bought it than passed it onto him when he passed his test.

It lived an eventful life and but died an ingloriious death as an MOT failure from memory.

Still better than a Beetle though. Never broke down and although it did have an alarming pull when braking heavily it was porbably safer too.

My wife bought me this for my birthday a few weeks ago:

Always wanted a Mk1 GTI and was due to get a Boxster this year but she dented the car fund BIG time with holidays so as a peace offering she combined the GTI and soft-top thing and came up with this. A 1986 GTI cabriolet. 😀
I wanted to have it in 'just left the showroom' spec' but that went out the window rather sharpish when I came across a leather interior for it but still have all the original kit for it in one of the garages.
Just need to do the brakes for the MOT and then it'll be on the road. A new black hood will be going on too.
As it happens my uncle is selling one of the very last MK1 MX5s in fantastic condition. If you want any details give me a shout.

Paul.

Having had numerous Beetles and campers, my frank advice would be:

1) If you think you might like one, go and look at a couple and have a drive in them. They don't exactly drive like a 'normal' car in terms of handling/pace/gear change etc.
2) If you still fancy one, do your homework. Work out what model you like, and what's practical for you. A 1950 split window Beetle will look nice, but not be as practical as a 1975 1303 for example!
3) Having done some homework, get looking (good place is the for sale forum on volkszone.com Bit like STW for VWs!)
4) And when you think you've found one you like….get someone who knows aircooled vws to go with you! Engines can be fixed easy enough. If you start poking your fingers through sills / heater channels, walk (run!) away.

Best of luck!

Rich

Frizzer – Member

I had the central tunnel replaced

How the hell did you have to have that replaced? That's the only bit that doesn't really ever rot! You usually end up rebuilding a floorpan around the tunnel. In fact, you can't really replace the tunnel without having some sort of full body-off restoration and virtually a new chassis… 🙂

Frizzer – wouldn't want to own a Beetle but yours is definitely a stunner.

How the hell did you have to have that replaced?

LOL! Unfortunately the front subframe had rotted where it met the spine so water got into the tunnel and then proceded to rot the bottom of it out from the inside. We only spotted it at the MOT as it had been quite cleverly bodged and wasn't something I'd checked when buying it as I'd never heard of that area rotting before.
There's a guy I know who is very good at restoration and he chopped out all the rotten metal and welded in some really thick steel to get it safe again. Fortunately as it was only the underside of the spine that was rotten he didn't need to remove the pans or body to repair it.

I do miss the old girl and would have another but I think I'd go for something totally inpractical like a buggy or sand-rail instead. 😀

I occasionally commute 13 miles each way n my 1982 VW transporter. this costs me about £10 a go at the moment. I usually cycle instead, maybe thats the answer? Failing that, can I suggest the following… Mk2 Escort RS200, Mk2 fiesta XR2, Peugeot 205 GTI, Mini, some kind of military vehicle (I so nearly bought an APC as my first car!) or, most practical, a toyota Hilux pick up truck, in red converted to run on veggie oil, given that our local nutter insists that the arabs are going save all their oil "for the war, and stop selling it to the west, and civil war will break out in the uk and we need to arm ourselves now!" Everyone knows, real militia men drive Hilux's…

Anyone suggesting an Escort as a Beetle alternative needs their head checking. A 2 door MK1 or MK2 in good nick with some nice bits can easily change hands for 10K. Even RS Turbos are proper money these days.

The old Fiestas are now being bought up by the more hipstery yoofs.

I personally wouldn't be able to resist a 2 litre Nova, in white with the blister arches. But I'm odd like that.

I had an old beetle and only a 5 mile commute- in the winter the ice was justing to melt off the windscreen as I pulled onto the car park!!

Also had a moggie minor which tbh was alot more reliable (whilst not as cool had the option of starting with a crank handle which I thought was cool on a pub car park once in a while!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_MdfQRV6a-lU/Sq6qQS5LmCI/AAAAAAAACqw/sVZy8HAFc80/s320/ant_lockyer_1024.jpg

This one wasn't too slow.