As a factory-trained VW mechanic from back in the 60s and 70s, I say you cannot change the oil on a beetle too often: Daily wouldn’t be excessive. Keep your valve clearance adjusted to the factory specs; failure to keep this done leads to major problems. Check the engine compression on a regular basis. Please heed all those who recommend carrying a spare generator belt and learn to change it; it is an easy thing to do.
Re the heaters on Beetles, Super or otherwise: Even when the heater is working properly, it isn’t really working—I’ve never been truly warm in a Beetle when the weather is cold.
Please check one thing before you buy it. You say you checked the body for rust. Remove the rear seat and check around the battery for rust. This is one of the biggest rust area problems for the VW bugs.
I had a 73 super beetle for a few years. I loved it. I would get another in a heart beat. but not as a primary driver (that may have more to do with living in ND than anything else)
I have a kit car that is based on a VW beetle (looks like a 1929 mercedes but is actually a beetle underneath). I believe there were two donor cars involved. Most of it comes from a 1960 beetle but there are a lot of parts that were only on 72 and 73 beetles.
Your car may not have the original engine. If it does, then it was probably designed to run on leaded gas. If you don’t drive it much you can just use unleaded and not worry about it. If you plan on it being your daily driver though you’ll want to put a lead additive in the tank every time you fill up. If you don’t, your valves are going to wear out.
I’ve heard it said that beetles aren’t really air cooled, they are oil cooled. Everyone isn’t kidding when they say make sure you change the oil often. Check the oil every time you fill up. It’s a flat 4 engine and the seal down the middle often leaks when it gets old, and if you run low on oil you’ll overheat the engine in a hurry.
They make aftermarket oil coolers. The up side is that the engine runs cooler. The down side is that you have an oil radiator sticking out of the bottom of the engine, and if you hit something you’ll lose all of the oil in the engine.
As others have said, the heat sucks.
VW’s do surprisingly well in the snow.
The electrical circuit for the horn is a royal piece of crap. You’ll probably have trouble with it at some point. Here’s a good web site with details. http://www.thebugshop.org/bsfqhorn.htm
The usenet group rec.autos.vw.aircooled is an excellent resource.
Make sure your battery has that little plastic cover over the positive terminal. If not, whoever rides in the back seat may be in for a bit of a shocking experience.
My first car was a 1973 Super Beetle. What everyone said here is right on – I was especially tickled to see that someone had noted that the windshield washer is powered by the spare tire; I’d almost forgotten about that.
If you haven’t already, make sure to inspect the floor pans very carefully. They are prone to rotting, particularly if the car comes from somewhere where the roads get lots of salt in the winter (Wisconsin, for example). Also, as you’re probably aware, the back seat is just about useless for passengers. And, you’ll never get the windshield defrosted, no matter how hard you try. I had an after market defroster screwed into the dash.
In retrospect, my '73 was quite a pile of crap. Man, I loved that car.
The defroster on my '69 was horrible. But it all worked out ok, because I would drive to school in the morning with my head out the window so I could see, but at the same time I could dry my hair and give it that studly “wind-blown” look! (it was 1980).
Sounds just like my first car, even the color, cept mine was a '72. My mom and dad inherited it from my grandmother when she passed away in 1984 (I was 10), after she’d managed to ding all 4 fenders. It was a primary family car for the next 4-5 years, when the transmission started to go, and mom decided to cannibalize the engine for her VW bus. When I was old enough to get my learner’s permit (1990), my mom and I and a family friend slapped in a rebuilt tranny and rebuilt engine and I was happily mobile. We put one of those “quieter” porsche mufflers on it, which was well worth it, except for the loss of about 2" clearance.
I drove the hell out of it for the next 7 years. A high school friend backed into me and re-dinged one of the rear fenders, and in order to save money and use what spare parts were at the shop, we had to switch out both rear fenders with the cute little tailights for those big ugly things that came out in later models. That was a sad day.
Another fender-bender of mine damaged the passenger-side door, and again due to lack of funds, we switched it out with a compatible door from a bright orange bug.
That is how it sits to this day, parked in front of my mom’s house right where I parked it on the last day I drove it. One orange door, big fat tail lights. Mom endeavors to throw yet another engine and tranny in it and get it on the road again.
It’s easy to convert to negative earth, according to the Moss Motors catalogue. My first MGB had dual SU carbs. It stayed tuned well enough.
In any case, someone will be very happy to get your TR3A.
I had to have the head replaced in the MGB, and the new one is designed for unleaded gas. (Better shape too, so the engine may actually produce 100 hp – up from 95 – if I’m lucky.) An engine shop should be able to convert old heads to run on unleaded fuel.
By the way, I know I said the Sprint was a better commuter and that I’d rather drive a TR3A than a Bug. But I still like the old Beetle. If I had lots of storage space and lots of extra money, I’d have a Mundane Car Collection (MGB, Triumph Herald, a couple of Porsches, etc.). It would definitely contain a Beetle. Of course it would be a white '63 (or was it off-white?) with a grey interior and red-white-and-blue racing stripes and ‘53’ racing numbers.
They handle great on hilly dirt roads, and in snow, as has already been mentioned. The weight of the engine resting on top of the rear-wheel drive is a very good thing. Just don’t think too much on the fact that the only thing between you and a head-on collision is whatever you have stuffed in the “bonnet” and the gas tank.
Speaking of snow and bonnets…
In college, I carpooled with it in a caravan of students bound for a ski weekend at Mt. Shasta. We drove over from Humboldt, in the falling snow. Myself, 4 other students, and about 6 pairs of rented skiboots fit in that car, for the 4 hour drive. We were the only non-4wd vehicle in the caravan, and we totally kicked butt, if I do say so myself. Once we got to the point where chains were necessary, we left everyone else way behind. It just chewed up the ice and snow and slush and cruised right along.
When we got to the ski lodge, the bonnet gasket had frozen shut, leaving 6 skiers bootless. Some of the guys were about to “whip it out” and piss on my poor little car to liberate the boots, but I managed to thaw it out using bottled water.
I had a '74 Standard Beetle. It was that special shade of dark green that only VW could create. It’d belonged to a neighbor who it to and from work (a chemical factory) every day for 10 years. Not a single body panel was free from rust. He sold it to me for $1 (and gave me a $1 rebate). I had to replace the metal brake lines and put on a new carb. I drove it for over a year. The floor pan under the battery (and almost under the front seat) was rusted out. I usually stuck a piece of wood over the hole. One day I’m coming home from work and hit a puddle that was a lot deeper than it looked. Water came blasting through the hole and filled the car for a few seconds.
I now know what it’s like to be inside a dishwasher.
General consensus: That car was the biggest piece of shit! Man… I miss it…
I didn’t even think to consider the unleaded gas factor. The car had a new head put on it a few years back that has about 200 miles on it. Should this be okay as far as the valves and unleaded gas?
My dad had a 1958 Beetle that gave him about 490,000 miles. It still ran when he got rid of it in the 80’s but when it started, you could see the smoke for miles…
I had a '68, a '70, and a '73 Super Beetle. Maybe I was brainwashed into thinking that they were a “really good car.” Theyr’re fun in a way, but they are very overated. I believe they are among the most unsafe cars ever made, and be prepared to adjust the valves evey 6000 miles.
Dang honeydewgrrl I don’t know if i have a bigger crush on you or your mom…Just kidding, but the VW bus/bug talk is my second love.
Translucent Daydream… Have had a few VW’s (10.5 to be excact…still own a Passat and half a 66’ splitscreen bus (transporter). Listen to LouisB he speaketh the truth. Change the oil…check valve cleaance VERY frequently (it’s easy once you learn)…Check compression same as valves. LouisB, how may times did you have to clean out the frigging spark plug hole and insert a helicoil?..had a 75 bus that popped a plug or three…
Most (US) VW Beetles you find now are southern/western US, the dryest areas. The salt used during winter months in north/east states will almost rust up Beetle steelwork while you’re standing there watching it, you can almost see it creeping like the minute hand of a clock.
They can run quite a long time if cared for but I remember them as pretty primitive inside.
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My Beetle was a hybrid. It began as a '62 with a 6 volt electrical system, until I picked up a wrecked late 60’s/early 70’s Beetle with the bigger turn signals and taillights-and it was 12 volt. I swapped everything except the starter, because I couldn’t get the 12V starter to bolt up to the engine. Just bump the key and that car was running.
