# RIP VW Beetle **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771 "2019-07-09T14:45:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/1 "2019-07-09T14:45:43Z")
[81 years is a good long run](https://apnews.com/53243665f30f4d97a2a292e3c7e76a41) but I’m gonna miss seeing these on the road. ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/2 "2019-07-09T16:00:37Z")
Me too! My family had a red one when I was a kid - in the late 60s. At the time we had 5 people in the family plus a dog and a cat. We’d head up to the cabin with all of us (pets incl) and a week’s worth of groceries and clothes packed in that Beetle! I’m not sure how my mom did it - I remember we had stuff under our feet, one sister was in the boot, one sister was probably sitting on my mom’s lap (no car seats or seat belts back then). Great times! I’m sure my mother would beg to differ. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/3 "2019-07-09T17:46:17Z")
Punch a Bug! I learned to drive stick in a '66 Beetle. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/4 "2019-07-09T18:03:58Z")
The Beetle stopped being made in 2003. The rounded-off Cabriolet isn’t remotely the same car. I thought I saw something quite a while back that the faux-Beetle was already dead. It just had nothing going for it. Fun fact: if you round off a car body there’s less room inside. And this is a plus for whom? **FtG** : former owner of a 1969 bug. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/5 "2019-07-09T18:04:35Z")
That is a shame. I had a 73 beetle many years ago and I felt so special tootling around in it. Flashing the peace sign at other VW drivers, it was like being part of a special club. I wonder what it will do to the value of the new models. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/6 "2019-07-09T18:22:30Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The Beetle stopped being made in 2003. The article I linked in the OP does say that production in Mexico stopped in 2003; I assumed there must be another plant that was still working. I checked and the Wikipedia article supports the 2003 date. If they stopped making them 16 years ago, why is the article telling us that they are stopping now? 😕 The first sentence in the linked article is: > [@](#): > > Volkswagen is halting production of the last version of its Beetle model this week at its plant in Puebla, Mexico. Wikipedia says: > [@](#): > > VW announced the end of production in June 2003, citing decreasing demand, and the final original Type 1 VW Beetle (No. 21,529,464) rolled off the production line at Puebla, Mexico, on 30 July 2003. So this isn’t the Type 1? What were they making in Puebla last week? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/7 "2019-07-09T18:32:35Z")
The “Final Edition.” Not ominous sounding at all… > **[VW To Sell The 'Final Edition' Of The Beetle And End Production In 2019](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkiley5/2018/09/13/vw-to-sell-the-final-edition-of-the-beetle-and-end-production-in-2019/#729090234659)** > > Volkswagen announced that the Beetle will definitely go out of production in 2019, and will sell 'Final Edition' versions of the car this model year. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/8 "2019-07-09T20:04:33Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Punch a Bug! I learned to drive stick in a '66 Beetle. Me, too. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/9 "2019-07-09T21:31:15Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Punch a Bug! I learned to drive stick in a '66 Beetle. > [@CalMeacham](#): > > Me, too. I even persuaded my dad to put flower decals on it to “hippie-fy” it. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/10 "2019-07-09T21:40:38Z")
Well they are bringing back the VW Bus > **[ID.Buzz Intro](https://www.vw.com/en/newsroom/everything-electric/id-buzz-intro.html)** ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/11 "2019-07-09T23:01:41Z")
I think they’ve promised to bring back the bus almost as many times as they’ve ended production of the beetle. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/12 "2019-07-10T01:24:18Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The article I linked in the OP does say that production in Mexico stopped in 2003; I assumed there must be another plant that was still working. I checked and the Wikipedia article supports the 2003 date. If they stopped making them 16 years ago, why is the article telling us that they are stopping now? 😕 > (snip) > What were they making in Puebla last week? The “old”, rear-engine, air-cooled [Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle) was produced until 2003. It was not sold in the U.S. or Canada after 1979. The front-wheel-drive [New Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_New_Beetle) was introduced in 1997. So, for a while, the original Beetle and the New Beetle were in production at the same time, but sold in different markets. The New Beetle was redesigned in 2011 and renamed simply [Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle_(A5)). That’s the version ending production now. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/13 "2019-07-10T01:26:02Z")
Meh. All we need to do is wait, like, 5 years and it’ll make a glorious and marketing-friendly comeback. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/14 "2019-07-10T01:31:01Z")
> [@Heracles](#): > > The “old”, rear-engine, air-cooled [Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle) was produced until 2003. It was not sold in the U.S. or Canada after 1979. > > The front-wheel-drive [New Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_New_Beetle) was introduced in 1997. So, for a while, the original Beetle and the New Beetle were in production at the same time, but sold in different markets. > > The New Beetle was redesigned in 2011 and renamed simply [Beetle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle_(A5)). That’s the version ending production now. Thank you! I really appreciate you clearing things up; the Wikipedia article didn’t mention all that. > [@Sir\_T-Cups](#): > > Meh. All we need to do is wait, like, 5 years and it’ll make a glorious and marketing-friendly comeback. Maybe, but it’ll be known as the Classic Beetle. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/15 "2019-07-10T01:35:35Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > The “Final Edition.” Not ominous sounding at all… > > [VW To Sell The 'Final Edition' Of The Beetle And End Production In 2019](https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidkiley5/2018/09/13/vw-to-sell-the-final-edition-of-the-beetle-and-end-production-in-2019/#729090234659) Considering the origin of the Beetle, there’s something hilarious about that choice of words. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/16 "2019-07-10T01:42:30Z")
In the 80s I bought a '69 VW microbus form a fellow who had been using it as a garbage shed. I drove several hundred yards before it exploded. I then towed it the rest of the way home and let it sit for about a decade, when a young fellow knocked on my door and offered to buy it. I got as much as I had paid for it ($800). He towed it away, saying that he would rebuild it and drive it to Mexico. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/17 "2019-07-10T05:09:23Z")
I learned to drive a stick shift in my brother’s early-70’s beetle. It would die if you took your foot completely off the gas, so I had to work the clutch and the brake with my left foot. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/18 "2019-07-10T05:50:26Z")
No more “slug bug”. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/19 "2019-07-10T07:43:34Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > I think they’ve promised to bring back the bus almost as many times as they’ve ended production of the beetle. This time as an EV, so perhaps it’ll be different. After the Dieselgate thing, I’ve heard that VW has been eager to make up for it by moving to EVs. I think they lost a lot of market share because of that mess. > [@Guinastasia](#): > > No more “slug bug”. ☹ I saw an original[sup]1[/sup] Beetle on the road just the other day. I was bicycling, so I didn’t have anyone to slug. Not that I would do that kind of thing anymore. BTW, when I was a kid, we inverted that phrase to “bug slug”. I didn’t hear “slug bug” until much later. [sup]1[/sup] If I did still do that kind of thing, I would only do it for the original, not the faux bug. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771/20 "2019-07-10T23:15:01Z")
I went to Woodstock in a Beetle… along with 4 others, one of whom was morbidly obese. I think I arrived with some broken ribs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-vw-beetle/836771.md?page=2)