How Many of Us Owned Beetles in Our Youth?

[nostatic]

'67 bug w/1600 engine, white with black interior. The best year imho...first year of 12V electrical and last year of old style bumpers. GREAT car...had a Pioneer stereo/cassette stuffed under the seat (the ones with the big circular green tuning dial). Also bought a '63 and cut the fenders, hood and engine lid off starting a baja build. Never did quite finish...just drove it that way. I remember push starting it most every morning (6V electrical). And yes, they both smelled the same, although the '67 also smelled of sea water and wetsuit. Now *that* is a smell that makes me smile...

[barlowdo]

You people are bringing back too many memories ! And most of them good.

-Don B

[930Chas]

'62 ragtop with quite a bit of rust but it was still sweet, '68 bug with a built 2010 dual carb motor for one day but then had to trade back for my '83 gti, '68 ghia, '69 camper van, '84 gti, 2 '86 gti's, and an '83 vanagon. i know the gti's don't really count, but they are still a stepping stone to the Porsche experience.

[patalive]

Yep, three of them - -
-
We brought back from Europe a brand new 1958 Bug when my father was reassigned back to the States from SHAPE Hqs in Paris. I drove the car off and on for 5 years, in HS and college - took it from Colo Spgs to LA and back several time. With only 36HP, one NEVER took one's foot off the gas pedal on the highway.
-
Second one - 1955 - split rear window - with "arm flap" turn signals - had this in college during the early 60s. Great car. Sold it to buy my first Porsche - a 58 notch back coupe (like a hard top Cab).
-
Third bug was when I was assigned to Nairobi in 1979 - bought a 1200 RHD bug (I forget the year) from a missionary, imported a 1600 engine (in my State Department air frieght!) for it. Ran like a top - started particuarly well since I converted the everything over to 12 volts but the starter. Man, that 6 volt starter loved getting hit with 12 volts.

Chuck

[elbean]

Not in order but here goes:
59 Bug /sold for $175
65 Bus / great fun in 1971
69 Sq.Bk./ my first car (chrome wheels, 4 into 1 exhaust (fuegler?)
70 914 (vw motor...)/ my first porsche
72 Bug / it had flare fenders and wide tires(not bad looking then)
75 Rabbit / look like an easter egg.
79 Westfalia / more fun in 1991
Drove a schirraco for about 2 months.
Seriously thinking about a Passat for my wifes next car.
Oh yeah my first car the 69 sq.bk., was I think the same color as my current and first 69 911
ELB.

[pbs911]

66 Bug
65 Bug
traded the 66 for a 62 Bug
72 Squareback
62 Euro Bus

I had a built 1835 motor with duel 40 Webers and Fuch alloys that saw life in the 66 Bus, 62 Bug and 62 Bus. I just kept trading the bodies of the car.

Of all of them, I miss the bus the most. I guy on a moped had not seen me stop and ran into the rear corner of the bus going about 40 mph. Really tweeked dthe bus. It was kind of funny because his helmet made an impression about 8" deep next to the rear window. At least he worked at a motoccyle shop and got me lots of parts for my CB1100F in return.

[joehahn]

had a yellow "thing". sweet car, i wish i would have painted it olive green and put the spare on the hood a-la old WWII movies. I just looked like such a daisy in it (BRIGHT yellow) that i got rid of it instead. wish i kept it, it was SIMPLE comparitively speaking.

Joe 68 L

[juanbenae]

after totally demolishing my 1st car, a battleship grey 66 plymouth fury my pops gave me a 73 yellow superbeetle for my birthday. it too was beaten pretty bad by the time i got rid of it. before it went i cut the top off and made a cab (convertable) out of her. it was great except for the razor sharp sheet metal from cutting it with a steel cutoff saw and an abrasive blade. i took out the rear seat and cut plywood for a dog deck, we called "the pooch". also slayed some dragons it that thing, once left a certain ladys foot prints on the windshield for weeks. seems she had her feet on the widow while in the passanger seat for cant imagine why? the end was near though friends. seems i over loaded it with drunk (6 or 7) guys when both doors were open. with the roof support gone it folded in the door jambs like an accordian. pops was pissed and never bought me anything again.

funny how you take better care of things that you had to earn and pay for yourself. i would not trade the momories for anything.

[Kevin Stewart]

Me to i had 3 or 4 in the 80s i had a super beetle with a Forty Ford style hood, heres a great beetle story
I had put together a beetle for my 16 year old sister at the time, new motor etc, I had picked up a friend to go have a beer, (I had been driving it for a couple days,) after about an hour we decided it was getting late and decided to call it a night, upon returning to my sisters car, something was just not right, my friend said your just paranoid about hurting her car, i said no really the mirror was crushed on the drivers door, he says bull, comes around and he goes wow how would you crush a mirror like an acordian, well pissed I start to look the car over, somebody had rolled the car over on its side then rolled it back, we began to roll on the ground laughing and in disbelief, it was funnier the hell, well sis kinda was mad but got over it beside the mirror there were only a few small scratches on the rain gutter and fenders no dents, well it was funny then, Kevin

[Zeke]

In order:
'55 convert
'64 sedan
'60 transporter (not crew cab)
'65 convert
'68 sedan (automatic)
'67 convert
and wife had a '67 sunroof

[Bill Douglas]

Ive had three VWs, four if you count the 911 (joke guys!). The first one was a '59 beatle, second a rusty 64 combi that I used to offroad , and the last beatlewas a fabulous 1600 super super I bought to drive around South Africa while on a surfing mission. I even made money on that one.

[Kurt B]

I had a green bug. Some kind of clutchless honda-matic type thing. Had a lot of odd things about it, particularly certain electrical things only working when the humidity was right. Thankfully, the windshield wipers tended to work when it was drizzly. Of course, in a rain, nothing worked.

Got stuck in 2nd gear eventually. Just drove it with the one gear like that for a long, long time. Weeks. Just couldn't go over 38 mph or something like that.

We used to cram in that pos and drive home from bars listening the the Peanuts theme song as loud as it would go. Which wasn't very loud. Sure was fun, that little bug.

In those days in colorado, you could drink 3.2 beer at the age of 18. All we could afford was Old Milwaukee. That beer still around?

[norustscott]

Can never really seem to get rid of the "bug". First one was a 68 from dear ole dad..."whant a car to drive son?" " this one is ok except for the valve stuck in the top of piston number three..." "fix it and it is yours...." Best gift from dad ever...start of a life long hobby. thanks Dad...

[LeeH]

My dad was always a VW fan. He was a pilot and wanted something cheap and reliable to drive to the airport. Plus at 6'2" he could wear his pilot's hat inside. I grew up climbing over the back seat into the storage area of my his '66. My brother rolled that car when I was around 12.

A few years later dad bought a '70 that would be one of my cars in high school. Eventually the '70 became a tow car behind my parents motorhome. I sold it just a few years ago with <100K original miles.

Bugs were fun, but in high school I wanted more HP. I bought a '72 Pontiac Grand Prix to play with. The seller had a Honda Accord on order (back around 1980 when they were scarce). In her garage, she also had a '69 Ghia Convertible. It was MINT. She offered to call me when her Accord came in as she was just going to trade the Ghia in at the Honda dealer. Months later the phone rang and I begged my dad to at least look at the Ghia. He reluctantly went along, but couldn't resist the car. It was perfect and she only wanted the $1800 that the Honda dealer was allowing on trade. I drove the Ghia through high school and we sold it (thinking we were financial geniuses) for $2300 around 1984.

[rstoll]

'67 bug, '66 chopped microbus, '71 superbeetle and '73 bus. My father-in-law brought back a '72 camper and a '74 beetle from Germany on his return to the states.

[cegerer]

73 'Sport Bug' Super Beetle. Came from factory with Recaro-like seats, Prototipo-like wheel, wide 6 inch steel wheels and blacked-out trim and bumpers.

[Early_S_Man]

And, Kurt, for 9+ years it held Road & Track's record for the shortest stopping distance from 80 mph!!! That was due to it's Pirelli CN-36 tires ... even the little 175/70HR-15 size had incredible performance for the day! The wheels were Brazilian 5.5 x 15's, though, and were worn by 914's later on, from '74 until '76.

[cegerer]

I guess that would explain my close-encounter with a deer one night. I never could figure out how I stopped so quick. It had the Pirelli CN36's too! -- Curt

[Early_S_Man]

Yep, even today ... many so-called performance cars don't even come close to its' 238-foot performance on 4-wheel drum brakes! It took the '84 Corvette with its' massive 255/50ZR-16 Gatorback tires to beat the old Sports Bug by a measly 6 feet ... 9 years later! What many folks don't realize is that Beetles had very-lightly loaded drum brakes ... just like 356's, and were perfectly balanced!

[Mike the mechanic]

I currently have a 1956 oval window bug project in the making. It will be the original baby blue. I have finished the pan, with disc brakes, 17" porsche 993 wheels, and a 200hp 1776 turbo engine.
My future plans iinclude a karman ghia, cab or not, with porsche mags and type IV engine. Anybody got one cheap???

Mike
86 Carrera t