Oh Lord, what have I done?

wdfifteen · wdfifteen's Garage

Contacted a guy on Craig's List about buying another car. 1965 Volkswagen bug, supposedly unmolested and unrusted. $5k. I do not need seven vehicles, but I had one of these when I was a yoot and I'd kind of like to have another one for a while.
I spent my early years under VWs and 356s, so I can fix anything wrong with this thing with my eyes closed. Still - do I want to commit that time?
Oh well, I contacted him. The die is cast.

pete3799 · pete3799's Garage

My first car was a 61 bug......i say go for it.

ZOO · 01-23-2019, 02:00 AM

I have never driven one. As a 48 year old they had mostly disappeared around here by the time I hit my teens.

ckelly78z · 01-23-2019, 02:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZOO

I have never driven one. As a 48 year old they had mostly disappeared around here by the time I hit my teens.

I have never driven one, and don't believe I have ever ridden in one, I was always into heavy American iron until I found 240Zs. in the mid 80s.

T77911S · 01-23-2019, 03:05 AM

my first one was a 64.
also had a 68 and a 74 ghia.

also had a 77 280z

unclebilly · unclebilly's Garage

I am going through the same thing right now and have even posted on the samba looking for advice... I want a baja.

oldE · 01-23-2019, 03:14 AM

I grew up with "Bugs" around. About ten years ago I was offered a pretty good one (early Super Beetle with the flat windscreen) and it was a great reminder of some fun times and handled better than I remembered. The real killer for me was the fuel smell. It seems I may be sensitive to the smell of unburned hydrocarbons. Pre fuel injected cars are things I can't enjoy being around. As static displays, I'm OK,but when the engines start up: get me out of there. I even hate following them in traffic.
My loss, I know. I really got a kick out of driving that old Beetle on slower roads. Maybe if I converted it to tuneable fuel injection...

Best
Les

berettafan · 01-23-2019, 03:16 AM

Gosh the smell is so much a part of it for me.

porsche tech · 01-23-2019, 03:39 AM

My first car at 17 was a '58 beetle with a fabric sunroof and no motor. Got a motor from someone else, made it run and had my first ride. I've had many beetles since, including a couple of ovals one of which, a '56 that I put a 912 motor in. Also had a Ghia, a notch back and 1 bus and a '63 356 convertible. If I wasn't so old I'd get another oval sunroof car in a heart beat but today it's much easier to play golf than work on cars!

onewhippedpuppy · 01-23-2019, 03:59 AM

Why not? Cheap fun, and I doubt you’ll lose money on it.

Chocaholic · 01-23-2019, 04:16 AM

The General who spoke at my son’s commissioning ceremony told them...”you’ll have lots of fun or lots of stories and if you’re lucky, lots of both”.

The same applies here. Didn’t think anyone here would talk you out of a car project, did you?

Craig T · 01-23-2019, 05:27 AM

Go for it! Been thinking the same myself.

My first car was 67. I put it on its roof late one night, so my friend and I turned her into a Baja bug. I had a blast with it...until she was stolen while we were shark fishing one night off the jetty.

sammyg2 · 01-23-2019, 05:46 AM

My first car was a 1965 bug.
Drug it home for $50 when I was 15 years old.

It had a fresh-rebuilt motor that barely ran. Took me a week to figure out the doofus missed the cam timing.
I split the case and had it running in a weekend.
I remember my dad didn't want to help me at all because he wanted me to go to college instead of "being a grease monkey" (he worked as a mechanic a in a garage to pay for school).
The guy I bought the car from for offered me $100 to get it back.
Uh, no.

KNS · 01-23-2019, 06:15 AM

My first car was a '68 Beetle, I'd love to have another one some day. So simple to work on. You made a good move, give the motor a little power bump to help keep up with modern traffic.

sammyg2 · 01-23-2019, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by berettafan

Gosh the smell is so much a part of it for me.

Unfortunately beetles won't run without that gas smell, it's designed in.

sand_man · 01-23-2019, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammyg2

Unfortunately beetles won't run without that gas smell, it's designed in.

930s are designed this way too

! It's an aftershave of sorts! And a '65 was one of the many '50s-'60s Beetles that I owned over the years! Never gave me a damn bit of trouble! Things that make you go, "HHHMMM..." I'd love to have another Oval Window.

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

My first was a 63 bug with a burnt valve. Momz gave it to me. I insataled an 1835Type I Gene Berg motor. Terrorized the Mustangs And Camaros in Glendale CA.

sand_man · 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

I insataled an 1835Type I Gene Berg motor. Terrorized the Mustangs And Camaros in Glendale CA.

I used many Berg parts in my builds over the years! I never kept an air/oil cooled VW stock, for long!

VincentVega · 01-23-2019, 07:00 AM

I'd be into that, always been interested in them but not the typical rusty POS around here.

good luck

herr_oberst · 07:12 AM

Do it Patrick!!

(This was the local Foreign car speed shop in Boise where I spent a LOT of time pestering the counter help. They mostly did VW's. Every hot-rod VW in town had a Bow Wow sticker in the window....)

(And here's the news clip reporting it's closing. I got a little choked up when I saw this:
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/bow-wow-auto-parts-will-close-after-45-years-in-boise/443355623)