Well - I've never owned one but worked on, rode in, partied in, turned 1 over in a field so generally speaking enough seat and repair time to qualify even before they were considered 'vintage'.

We were a VW family of sorts.....dad had too many Beetles to count, passing each one down to my brother and eventually to me, culminating in my '73 Super. My brother had a '71 with a 2.7 engine pulled from a totaled 911. That thing was a beast. Handful of MK1 GTIs, assorted others.

My all time fave was a ruby red '66 1600.

There were several in our family back in the 70's too.
I bought my 67 from my older brother for $300 and put lots of work into it- body work, paint, rear shock air suspension and the best update... a 1776cc dual port, dual carb motor.
Before:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576684290.jpg

After
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576684290.jpg

with a touch of snow
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576684290.jpg

It was also my Sons first car, it was replaced when he went to college... I was not OK with him on the freeway in it daily surrounded by SUV's so it got sold and replaced with a 2000 Subaru Impreza RS

Our family owned some in the 60's.......

My older brother Walter with our microbus:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576689557.jpg

Mom with one of our 3 sedans:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576689557.jpg

Then Dad finally brought this odd looking VW home:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576689557.jpg

This is my old one that I bought in South Africa for a three month drive around and surf trip. 1600 engine and five stud wheels. 1970's build I think.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576690412.jpg

I've got one of those funny-looking expensive VW's too

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576690801.jpg

I had a great 1960 bug with slide back sun roof and turn signal sticks. Totaled when a 6000 pound Chrysler New Yorker did a"U" turn in front of me in 1967.:mad::( A 1965 bug I owned for 16 years. I overhauled the engine twice and the front end twice in my garage. I was very happy to see that one go. A beautiful 1067 bug, black, chrome wheels. VERY sorry to see that one go.

Certainly a bit odd, but not unlikeable. GREAT pic.

Well is it vintage when you buy it brand new?

I bought a brand new 1973 VW Super Bug. I traded that in on my 1974 914 2.0 and I ordered the 914 to my specs.

My first car was a 1960 Bug that I bought in 1971.

I got a couple of them funny looking ones too.......;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576697002.JPG

1979 pop top camper. Went everywhere, filled many shoes. http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576698736.jpg

Lets see:
1956 Bug
1961 Bug
1962 21 Window Sunroof Bus
1964 21 Window Sunroof Bus (Most recent sold in 2008)
1964 No Window Panel Bus
1965 21 Window Sunroof Bus
1967 Westphalia
1968 Ghia

Most of them when I was the only one of my friends that was into VWs, the late 70s into the mid 90s.

The 2 64 buses were the last of the VW aircooled sold at the same time, then there are the water cooled.....

Terry

Not that sweet of a deal around anymore though. I haven’t seen a running straight ghia under 5 in several years....

1965 Beetle, bought in 1972 for $400, gave it to BIL in 1983.

1973 Type 181 Thing. Bought in 1982, sold in 1985.

and wish I still had them but just no way to keep them at the time.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576725646.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576725620.jpg

I worked at a VW repair shop in high school and college. I've had a dozen.. wish I had a 68 or 69 right now. The best years..

I've owned several over the years...still have these two ↓

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576734045.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1576734045.JPG

Oh Geez, my heart missed a beat when I saw that blue Karmann. Perfect,just perfect.

It’s taken some reflection to recall every VW I’ve owned.
Chronologically:
60 Bug
61 Bus
62 Karman Ghia
63 Bug
65 Bug sunroof
66 Bug
66 convertible
67 Karman Ghia
67 Bus
65 Bug

I ran a sports and foreign car repair shop in a college town and three of those cars were abandoned with me because the owners didn’t want to pay the repair bill. The first 65 Bug was a rusted out POS. One beautiful spring afternoon my son, his mom, and our dog decided to take a joy ride with the sunroof open. About a mile from home the dog got sick and vomited, which made the kid sick so he vomited, which made his mom sick and she vomited. I drove a while with my head out the window and the floorboards awash in puke before we decided to walk home. Left the car on the side of the road and never saw it again.
The 67 Ghia was a rust bucket. When the rear torsion bar tube mounts rusted out I took the engine, transmission, and disk brakes off and put them on my ‘63 Bug. The local lumber yard got wood delivered by rail. After unloading a boxcar full of wood they would push the empty boxcar down the siding next to my shop. One night a few of us got together and heaved the rusty Ghia carcass into the boxcar and slammed the door. Beer may have been involved. Anyway, I never heard about that car again.

Love that car! 63?

No beetles, or buses, but wife had a 79 Rabbitt for 10 years, and then a 89 white Cabrio for another 10 years, daughter had a Jetta, or two.