Best air cooled VW beetles?

[HardDrive]

Does the 'later the better' rule apply to these cars as well?

I'm putting my boxster on the market this week (so I can buy an 05 or later boxster). I have always thought it would be fun to have one of these cars, so I was thinking of picking one up for $3-4k to drive until I find the right 987.

Any thoughts, insights, advice most welcome.

[svandamme]

the later ones aka Mexico's are definately not better then the original ones with engines made in Deutschland...

[nostatic]

'67 was the best. First year of 12V electrical, last year of the cool bumpers.

[tcar]

I like '69. First year for IRS (with a stick). I actually like the late bumpers ('68 - '73 or so), prior to the ones w/ the shocks.

'70> had a bigger engine (1600), but had the 'outhouse' vents behind the window.

There are a number of one-year only parts on the '67 that are hard (expensive) to get. For instance, it had Porsche 356 brakes/wheels - just that year.

Avoid the mexican beetles.

And CHECK FOR RUST!

[Jeff Higgins]

I own two right now, a '70 standard Beetle with a later dual port 1600 and a '71 Super. To me, those are a couple of the best years for pure drivers, with the '72's about as new as I would go. The 1600 dual port really helps with day to day drivability in today's traffic; you're not trying as hard to keep up. Granted, the older ones have more "charm", but a part of that is a really astonishing lack of power. It really sucks in Seattle are traffic. Newer ones start getting into the more complicated (and power robbing) emissions equipment, and eventually fuel injection.

I would look for a '71 or '72 standard Beetle. My '70 came with a single port, and that dual port makes enough of a difference to be desireable. If you can find an earlier one with a dual port 1600 (and there are a lot of them out there) you can have some of the older Bug charm with better practicality.

Todd, the '67's are cool, but there are many '67 only parts on them. They are kind of the bastard stepchild of early Bugs and can be very difficult to find those one year only parts. The switch to 12 volts was huge, but so many earlier 6 volt cars have been converted that they are no problem to find. There is still that lack of power, though.

I like my standard better than my Super, for a lot of reasons. The extra trunk room is nice sometimes in the Super, but the Macpherson struts that allow for it are vastly over-sprung for the front end weight of a Bug. I have a hundred pounds of lead under the spare to dampen the front end oscillations a bit; it can get bad when accelerating through 40-50 mph. The Super does have a front blower motor to help defrost the windshield, which is kind of nice in our area.

Newer Beetles will have things like that front blower motor. Don't underestimate the difference that will make as a driver. The engine fan driven heating / defrosting system is a joke; it does not work nearly as well as on an early 911. Not a big deal in California, but a huge issue up here. I wound up putting a pair of booster fans (from a commercially available kit) under the rear seat of my '70, and that helps a great deal, but the front fan in the Super still works better.

Anyway, the general rule of thumb is newer means more creature comforts and power; pretty much like anything else. Older means cruder and quirkier, until at some point they are pretty tough to live with (especially in our climate) as anything but a hobby car. If that's what you want, the older the better, with early spits being the holy grail. They really suck as drivers, though. If that is what you want, look into the very early '70's models. There are a ton of them around here in your price range that will be very nice examples.

Oh - and watch the rust, especially under the right rear seat around the battery box. That, and all of the usually suspect locations we see on early 911's. Have some one who knows them take a real good look for you; PPI's are a must on these as well.

[GothingNC]

Check out www.samba.com

67 is a favorite for the Cal-look crowd but it has many one year only parts, door handle, deck lid, doors, etc.

I prefer the pre-71 models without the moon crest vents behind the side windows, the factory put insulating foam back there anf by now most are rusting from the inside out.

The 68 was my favorite.

[sammyg2]

In high school I had a 65 and I loved it. I converted it to 12 volt (just installed a 12 volt battery and called it good)
I put an 1835 with dual carbs, darned thing ran real well. My dial in time at the bug-ins at OCIR was 14.4 seconds, and that was with a stock tranny and stock-sized POS rock hard old michelins. And a surf rack on top. I'd drive it there and run eliminator, then drive it home without putting a wrench on it. I did't even bother to take the spare tire out.

[gerrygug]

67 - first year with 12V and no smog
69 - first year with both high back seats and new bumper style

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by GothingNC

Check out www.samba.com

you read arabic?

www.thesamba.com

[djmcmath]

Asking about the best ACVW is like asking about the best Porsche -- you'll get more answers than there are options, and they'll all be right. The earlier cars have subtly cooler styling, while the later cars probably have more neat options (everything from rear defrost to pop-outs). The best bet is to look around and see what you like. You can get a decent condition early Bug in that part of the world for under $2500. Enjoy it like that -- mostly stock, not a whole lot of money in it. Remember: you can spend $10000 on that car, adding better brakes and suspension and interior and ... but it will still be just a Bug. So enjoy it for what it is, not for what it could be.

Cheers,

Dan

[trekkor]

I had a '65 Baja. 12 volt conversion, one piece fiberglass front end, roll cage, giant tires...Oh and a 2110 cc motor with dual Webers.




KT

[Evans, Marv]

I had a '65 with a sun roof. I really loved that car. I had it painted, new interior, chrome wheels, and put a 1776 dual port in it along with fixing most of any of the mechanical problems (rear wheel bearing, etc.). I would crank the sun roof open & drive it to work in the mornings. It would pretty much keep up with anything under normal freeway driving - still accelerated well at 70 mph. Came out one sunday morning to find it gone from my driveway. I'd love to have another one.

[Tobra]

The super beetle is a far superior car to the standard in pretty much every way, except if you are looking for a Baja. The comment about being over sprung is perhaps true, but you can get progressive springs that will both lower it and tighten it up a bit. 1975-1979 had L jet injection, similar to the 1.8 914's. It is a very good system, but it is getting older, and is very sensitive to air leaks, which can be tough to track down.

go herehttp://www.superbeetlesonly.com

most important thing is just like on any other old car, RUST

You can back date the fenders and bumpers and have it look old if you dig that

[tonypeoni]

About 12 years ago I worked as a mechanics helper at our local import specialist here in indy Auto house. I remember replacing a clutch cable in a 1940 beetle. I then had the misfortune of having to test drive the thing. Let me say that these things are DANGEROUSLY slow on public roads. Think golf kart. Taking them on the interstate is not permissible (60 mph max speed). Whats worse is they need 30 seconds to get there!

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by djmcmath

Asking about the best ACVW is like asking about the best Porsche -- you'll get more answers than there are options, and they'll all be right. The earlier cars have subtly cooler styling, while the later cars probably have more neat options (everything from rear defrost to pop-outs). The best bet is to look around and see what you like. You can get a decent condition early Bug in that part of the world for under $2500. Enjoy it like that -- mostly stock, not a whole lot of money in it. Remember: you can spend $10000 on that car, adding better brakes and suspension and interior and ... but it will still be just a Bug. So enjoy it for what it is, not for what it could be.

Cheers,

Dan

Probably the best advice so far. When I got back into Bugs ten years ago just for fun, I started nurturing the idea of building the hot rod I never did as a kid. You can spend a fortune doing this, and will forever be a Bug. I realized that and bought the best hot rod Bug going - an early 911. And I mean that as a complement to both.

[Fidalgo911S]

This thread could go on for days. So....

Of all the bugs I had my two favorites were:

1962 - solid, well-built german car. It seemed to have thicker steel than the later cars. Doors closed with a solid click. 40hp motor ran like a top.

1969 - another solid, good car. I liked the high-back seats for comfort and the extra ponies for the highway.

If I were to get another it'd be a '62-'63 or '68-'69. I'd paint it blue with red interior

Now you got me thinking.

[ckissick]

Originally Posted by tonypeoni

About 12 years ago I worked as a mechanics helper at our local import specialist here in indy Auto house. I remember replacing a clutch cable in a 1940 beetle. I then had the misfortune of having to test drive the thing. Let me say that these things are DANGEROUSLY slow on public roads. Think golf kart. Taking them on the interstate is not permissible (60 mph max speed). Whats worse is they need 30 seconds to get there!

A 1940 beetle? Either that's a typo, or that is one rare beetle. There are a small number of '39 prototypes, but I think only army vehicles from 1940. My 1950, at 25 HP, is frighteningly slow, though.

[billybek]

As said before 71 standard!
Watch out though you can still find a swing axle in the later years and you indefinitely want IRS.
I had a couple of SBs and the standard handled better...

[KNS]

Lots of opinions..... Mine: '67,'68, and '69. Sixty seven because of the early style and the '69 because of the IRS. I owned a '68 but wished I had a '69.

Nobody has mentioned one of the best parts of air coooled VW ownership: John Muir and his Complete Idiot Guide, one of the best maintenance manuals ever!

[Les Paul]

I had a 63 for 15 years. 2300 dual Webbers, what was called an interstate tranny. It was a stump pulling go cart. Fun but crude. When I got my at the time 63 356S I could not believe how much smoother the Porsche engine was. You really can't turn a pigs ear into a silk purse. I tried.