Quote:
Originally Posted by genrex
Most of all, there is a lot of misinformation about air-cooled VWs out there...
Yes, there are stock air-cooled VWs cruising at 70 mph.... but not for long.
John Muir's "Complete Idiot Book" is the gold standard in repair manuals for a/c VWs....
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As a matter of fact, there's some misinformation right there...
First of all, a later-model a/c VW will easily cruise all day at 70 with no problem. As a matter of fact, I drove a '62 Bug (40hp 1200cc) cross-country on Rt. 80 without incident. Remember...these cars were built to run on the Autobahns.
Although an interesting read and somewhat helpful, John Muir's book is hardly the "gold standard" for repairing an a/c VW. The factory manuals or the 'blue" Bentley manual are far more useful.
I've had several Karmann Ghias and enjoy them a lot. Coach-built body, simple mechanicals, great build quality and fun to drive. That being said, I'd hesitate to recommend one as a daily driver. They're really not that safe and they lack ALL of the modern conveniences found in even the lowliest econobox. Although they can be easily modified to go faster and stop quicker in an effort keep up with modern traffic, the lack of safety features is hard to overcome.
If you're intent on finding one for yourself, try to find a rust-free example with a good body. Body work on these cars can be quite expensive but mechanical parts are readily available and you can do most any repair right in your driveway with a just a handful of tools. The later models ('72-'74) would probably make the best daily drivers as they have the most power, better safety features and a few more creature comforts.
This is my '67...
