Different Levels of VW Enthusiasm

From reading posts here over the last five years, it seems to me that there are different 'levels' of VW enthusiasm out there. I have tried to summarise my observations below. Have I over-simplified, or have I left anyone out?

For the record, I am Level 1.

Level 5:
Might have owned a VW years ago, but doesn't have one now. Retains some affection for old VWs, but today drives cars built by other makers.

Level 4:
Owns a VW, but feels no special affection for the brand and is happy to fit non-VW engines etc to it. Might also own a non-VW.

Level 3:
Loves air-cooled VWs but dislikes modern VWs, or vice versa. Owns a VW of their preference, but also owns other cars built by other makers.

Level 2:
Loves air-cooled VWs but dislikes modern VWs, or vice-versa. Would only ever own a VW, but only either air or water-cooled, depending on their preference.

Level 1:
Loves both air and water-cooled VWs equally. Owns (or would own) examples of each. Has never owned any other make of car and never would.

What about;
loves air cooled likes water cooled,
owns at least one,
was bitten by the bug a long time ago & will never lose the desire to have one
drives another make at other times, keeps the VW for fun !!!

Hmm, What about Loves air-cooled VWs, but would own a water cooled VW for practicality rather any other brand of modern car? (Don't love water cooled, but have brand allegiance).
I can't see this one working vice versa... air-cooled for practicality? 🤪

I'd say I'm number four, although I don't know if that "no special affection for the brand" is correct.
I'm proud of being into dubs 😁

over-simplified.

How bout, loves VW's, would love a air cooled split or Karman ghia but can't afford one - puts a subby in a bug instead to compensate 🤪

no, i love beetles, bitten and will hopefully always have one.

New Ghia you are Level 3 as you own a VW of your preference and also a non-VW. You don't have an air AND water-cooled VW.

Jay that sounds like Level 1 to me as you would have both air AND water, 'rather than any other brand'. Yes it would be possible to have a 'collectors' water-cooled VW (a rare or historic one, say) and drive a normal air-cooler every day. Just a bit unusual though!

Simon I think you're right, perhaps I should take out 'no affection for the brand'. At least owning a VW is better than none at all (Level 5).

Mick that sounds like somewhere between level 4 and 3, but closer to 4. Putting a 'Subby' in a VW prevents moving up to Level 2, which is VW-only.

Yes I suppose we could subdivide until we have say 10 different categories, but I'm trying to keep it simple. Thanks for the feedback!

I own aircooled for fun, a water cooled for fun and also drive a car and bike of another brand......

Will always own a VW and would have bought one, but could only afford something of another make?

hmmm - what if i owned a air-cooled veedub also? I'm stained for life for putting a suby in? Better not mention the 12a then??? 😂

Bix you are Level 3 as you own a non-VW as well as your VWs. In the 1980s and 1990s there were no good second-hand modern VWs available (as new VW cars weren't sold here from 1981-1990), but now there are lots of them. Everyone can afford a modern VW in addition to their air-coolers - you can pick up a good mid-90s Golf 3 now for around $6k, and later Golfs, Polos or Passats for not much more. And as VW now sells nearly 30,000 vehicles per year here, it's only going to get easier to get a modern second-hand VW in the years to come.

Afraid so Mick! A Level 1 person would have got a Golf GTI to go fast.

Not sure where I fit in to that.

My only stipulation is the engine is in the back. Air or water don't matter.

Hmm - now I'm scratching my head! Spook you should be happy with T3 Kombis then, up to 1991, which are rear engine. But VW hasn't sold rear-engined vehicles in Oz since then, and all their modern range is front-engine front-drive, or 4WD, which otherwise leaves you at Level 2.

But if VW had put the 1983 Polo Sprint into production, you could have modern rear-engined VWs (it had a 115 kW G supercharged Wasserboxer flat four in the tail):

i'm lost to where i fit.
love air, love water. own one of each. haven't had a non vw in about 4 years. doubt i'll ever go anything else other then vw.
not a complete fanatic where my dub s rule my life, but couldn't imagine not having one to play with.
not fussed whether it has an air, water or non vw powerplant as long as it has a VW badge on the front

Im level 1 pretty much but i also own Audi which also counts as VW yeah?

Absolutely! You two guys are Level 1 for sure. I hadn't thought about Audis but yes they are VWs too. I guess that also goes for SEATs but I'm less happy about that. Let alone Skodas, Lamborghinis, Bugattis and Bentleys.

There are obviously problems with my simplistic system, and it sure isn't going to fit everyone. For example, I personally don't like the idea putting Subaru or rotary engines in VWs - yet I once looked seriously at buying a new rebuilt reverse-rotation Chevrolet Corvair engine from the US for my Kombi. I didn't do it, but if I had, where would I be on my own list, given that I also drive a Golf, would never buy a non-VW vehicle and spend my spare time working for Club Veedub?

Also I'm not saying that any level is 'better' or 'worse' than any other level. They aren't. It's just a way of organising and seeing how other people feel, nothing more.

Phil74Camper wrote:Hmm - now I'm scratching my head! Spook you should be happy with T3 Kombis then, up to 1991, which are rear engine. But VW hasn't sold rear-engined vehicles in Oz since then, and all their modern range is front-engine front-drive, or 4WD, which otherwise leaves you at Level 2.

But if VW had put the 1983 Polo Sprint into production, you could have modern rear-engined VWs (it had a 115 kW G supercharged Wasserboxer flat four in the tail):

Got the T3 Caravelle & I'm very happy with it. For long distance running and/or towing, it's a great truck.
Got the Beetle for a bit of fun, I keep the bay kombi for sentimental reasons.

On the quiet I got a dune buggy coming as my mid life crisis.
This is not to mention the 300 odd toy VW's downstairs.

LEVEL 3.... no dislike for water cooled at all.....
had a early golf at 1 stage that was my wife's daily driver from western sub's to the airport every day,
did awesome burnouts,
just driving other cars that are more practical day to day. ( 2 small kids, tools, lots of other misc stuff)
Although i did take the ghia out to a small job yesterday....85 km's of SMILES !!!!

I think I am level one. I have always had beetles, but my wife has had other brands years ago, before water cooled VWs became more affordable. She now has a Bora and had a VR6 golf before that, and loves them both.

Does time as a VW person/owner count? My dad bought his first car, a new 57 beetle, on the day I was born. It was the first car I was ever in (to come home from the hospital) and the rego always came up on my birthday.

I had beetles as wedding cars, when my eldest daughter met her husband the common link was their love of VWs - she had an Lbug, and he had a golf (he had bugs before that), and then they had new beetles as wedding cars. Now she has a New Beetle and he has a Passat.

Oh, and my brother has a deisel Jetta. He used to have a Baja. Another brother had a Kombi camper, and my sister went out with a bloke with a Kombi for a few years.

I absolutely love all Volkswagens in every way, I eat, sleep, drink, walk, talk and breathe VWs. I have never owned another brand of car and never will!! But I own a few Baja's and wouldn't be bother putting a different engine in them. Where do I fit Phil? Or does it have to be something like a 2L Golf engine for the swap? LOL

A bloke in Port Macquarie used to have a Baja with an early deisel Golf engine in it. I don't know that he has it any more.

I think I am level six (maybe 5), I am yet to own my first VW, although I am very keen and am learning quite fast.
I was previously level 1 for datsuns (except work utes) but going to a few VW shows changed that 😵 Now I am planning on getting an early body Type 3 Squareback as my first.

Can't say I know where I fit, probably 1.5. Only have, and only ever had air cooled VW's, but don't have anything against watercooled (did a lot of driving in my brothers T3 ute). There will come a time when I give up on keeping the fleet on the road, and even though I would look seriously at a modern VW, I would look at other brands also.
As much as I love VW's, I started and stuck with them mainly because they were cheap and easy to maintain rather than hell bent of VW's.

Hey Phil, doesn't your kombi have a number of non vw internals? Is that far removed from a replacement motor?

That flat four polo would have been excellent, but that body shape doesn't make the most of a rear engine.

Of course, there are plenty of other parameters that could be taken into account to measure your level of 'Volkswagenism', apart from what car(s) you drive now.

Such as How long you have owned VWs, How many do you own, Have you modified or changed them, Whether you belong to a VW club, and How long you have been a member, and Are you on their committee, and If you work in the VW industry, or If you collect VW toys and literature...and so on and so on. I'm not even going to go there.

My categories are only a starting point, which I hope will make people think about what VWs (old AND new) mean to them. I wonder if the many people who love old VWs, but feel indifferent about new/current ones, have just not driven one?

Yes Andy you seem to be between 1 and 2. The difference is what happens when you go looking for a newer car - a Level 1 would only consider another VW, not any other brand. Yes I used to have a 2.3-litre Type 4 engine in my Kombi, but when it eventually failed last year I put a completely stock 2.0-litre CJ engine back in it. In my increasing old age, long-term reliability is more important to me now than the slight performance drop.

The Polo was a one-off prototype, built to assess handling and performance characteristics to compare with the (then) new Golf 2 GTI. Both cars would have had similar performance, but the handling would have been very different! The Polo Sprint was never intended for production, but remains an interesting 'what if' idea.

do u have a level 0 ???

this is a funny system. i would rate as a 3 as i also have had 2 volvo's and still have my '64 122S. plus i don't drive a vw at the moment as when we drive my mother in laws old car (it was the right price 🙂 ). but on the flip side i spend several hours every evening on vw related stuff. every day at work i ask at least 2 or 3 customers if they know of any vw's about the place. i have vw bits next to the computer, small bits i have been cleaning up on a shelf in the lounge room, some of my smaller nice stuff in my bedroom cupboards, bits plus the stuff to clean them up in the bag i take to work etc etc. aka i'm, well, fairly involved in my hobby/interest.

No Dave, how would be MORE VW-headed than Level 1?? You like it so much you buy the company?

i will tell yar tonight

maybe Dave's talking about this?🤪

http://www.geocities.com/karnautrahl/CarLovingManual.html?200919


Regards,

Matt.

I would have to say i love both air and water cooled VW's, and may well soon have both😂.
But we also own other brand cars too. can't say that we love those ones but😂

who does not know what he wants to do and has his vw stored in boxes around the shed🤪😂🤪 never to see the light of day again🥲🥲

i reckon you have those group descriptions nailed Phil

i fit somewhere between 1 and 2
i love all models and would also have a current watercooled VW as a daily but i find they are abit over priced for what they are

i dearly wanted a B5 Passat turbo for my daily but couldnt get a manual one anywhere
only manual one i found was in melbourne and seller wasnt prepared to help organise shipping

I've owned at least one since around 1989. I hate driving a kombi every day. I hate not having a kombi. I've had my oval since about 1992. Its never been in a drivable state. The window rubbers need replacing, yet they have never been installed. I cant think that I will ever sell it. I havent driven a volkswagen for a couple of years. I still visit this forum every time I am online. I dont think I will ever be without a car made by "other". Currently there are 2 in the garage.

where do I fit 🙂

I would clean swap my 1997 lancer 1997 golf. I think. maybe. At the moment I couldnt live without the torque of the falcon. its a cumbersome beast around town and especially in carparks, but nothing tows around overloaded box trailers like it. The kombi would do it without trauma, but it didnt have the pull. And for freeway cruising I cant imagine anything smoother or quieter. Maybe a Toe-rag would, but you cant pick them up for 20K with 2 years warranty.

My uncle would be level 0. Has owned VW's for over 30 years, uses a 74 dual cab as daily driver, wife drives 71 super every day, eldest son owns and drives a 75 dual cab every day, owns and runs a VW business for over 20 years and builds VW race cars(formula Vee's).

As for me I'm somewhere between level one and two. Would love a R32 golf but the fundage just isn't quite there so have to settle for a Honda Civic. Air cooled engines ONLY in air cooled VW's as for me anything else is simply wrong and devalues the car. the more that put suby engines into Kombi's the more expensive my van gets!!

The way i see it is I have the best of the Europeans and best of the Japs. The Volksy's definately have the charisma and the atmosphere around the car when you drive it that no other car does.

I'm Level 1 👍

Aircooled check
Watercooled check
Trucks and Buses check
Worldly Dubs check
Rare Dubs check
Literature check
Brochure Collection check
Member of a VW Club check
VW Blogger check

I AM A VERY PROUD LEVEL ONE😵,,,,AND IF YOU DON'T HAVE A VOLKSWAGEN PLEASE DON'T PARK ON MY DRIVEWAY.....🤪

Bitten by the Bug about 5 years ago and bitten hard,now my wife and I only drive Volkswagen both air and water cooled.not that she has a choice😂 only kidding she loves her TDI Golf..

cheers Dean...

I've had at least one VW since 93 but I've got a passion for Lancias & Peugeots as well, which under this scoring system limits me to a level 3.

Hi I am a level 3 + " kind of" I love air-cooled I don't mind modern VW's I like the new Passat's and was going to buy one however could not afford to.

I think you also have to take into account other characteristics of a VW nut to judge levels such as driving them , owning them “how many” , club memberships, t shirts, lifestyle, toys, books, magazines, art, music, parts all fit into a love of the VW how much time spent on the VW or things VW we all show this in different ways but its all great fun.

Well, by those standards I'm a level 1.

I've only ever owned 2 cars: a '72 beetle and my current car a '76 Golf. I would like another air-cooled but... If I up graded to a newer car it may well be a VW or Audi. Most other types of cars do nothing for me.

YET, I'm not as madly enthusiastic as some (many) but I am a bit VW mad.

What about the gunna, owns a Volkswagen and is gunna do it up oneday.

I do not think Volkswagen have built a car I really like since 1979. Love the early stuff and beleive the boxer engine is a brilliant design, that is why I love modern Subarus, well engineered, boxer engine. There will always be one of these in my driveway as a daily driver, until some alternate power source is available.

Cheers,

David

I cant say that the levels are quite right. I love the air cooled VW and have never owned anything else since getting my Kombi. But I have owned heaps of other makes and models prior to getting the bus. does that make me level 1?
I must admit tho that cars are really not my biggest passion. I am a bike man and that is my speed thrill, the car to me is transport.

Sorry, if you've owned other makes of cars, in the past or now, you can't be a level 1, as by definition a VW is the only make of car you've ever owned. That said, there's nothing wrong with being a Level 2 or 3.

Imagine if I suddenly went over to being a Gemini enthusiast, sold my VWs and bought a Gemini. I would never be as high up the 'Gemini enthusiasm' rank as someone who has always owned Geminis. That also holds true if I keep my Golf as a daily driver, and buy a Gemini as a project. If I buy a Gemini as a 'gunna do it up one day' and keep driving my Golf, that isn't much commitment to the Gemini cause.

No thats not quite the same. My very first car was a viva and then at least another 9 different makes and models. I never had an affinity to any of my cars untill I got my Bus, Once I got that I knew this was the car for life. How would one know they are an enthusiast untill they have driven or been in one? And say a person gets given a car they hate and sell, then buy a Vw and never another are they also not level one because someone gave them another model that they owned first?

Well I guess if you bought one vehicle of another make years ago, got rid of it quickly and have had nothing but VWs for years since, yes that would make you a Level 1. Still, having 9 different makes and models over time is certainly a smorgasbord!

I was lucky that my Dad had a VW before I was born, and as I was growing up, so it was the only car we knew. I can't blame other VW enthusiasts for not being that lucky!

Perhaps I can refine a Level 1 to say that you only own VWs NOW - and would continue to do so in future. If you buy another make at some time in the future, you would drop back to Level 3.

Not sure where I fit in? I love VWs but only consider rear engine flat four vehicles as VWs, all the rest are wishy washy-same-as- every-other-car on the road sort of thing. I do own other vehicles and makes and have done down the years but that was just in case something in one of them may have sparked some sort of enthusiasm. Up until now now nothing has, some may have come close to a little spark but nothing like a beetle or KG does. Now this has got me thinking as to what vehicles have come close!!! A Ford Pop (Anglia or Prefect- sit up and beg style) with a Rover V8, a 1275cc Mini Cooper. Oh Christ now you've started something😠

Hmm, that sounds exactly like Level 3 to me - air-cooled only, feel nothing for modern VWs and also owns other makes.

I can assure you, though, that modern VWs are certainly NOT 'wishy washy same as every other car'. Just read some of the posts here by people who have just bought new Golf 6s - they are simply brilliant, and a class above Hyundais, Kias, etc.

Why not pick a Saturday, and drive down to your local VW dealer (Garry Crick VW at Maroochydore?) and have a look at the current range? Impress the dealer with your knowledge of classic VWs, show them your classic VW, then take a new one for a test drive. If you are used to current Jap, Korean or Australian cars, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. If you like open top cars, make sure you drive the Eos. Watch the roof open and close! Take the TDI for a drive - you won't believe how good it is.

And a Golf GTI runs rings around a Mini Cooper 1275 !

At 17 I bought for dirt cheap my mums car (Vauxhall viva) Dad bought her a new car, So I had that for 3 years and then playing silly buggers rolled it. Was an Apprentice at this stage so bought a cheap 6 cyl vauxhall of a guy at the pub for 100 quid. Had that 6 months and writ it off (again silly buggers) so bought a Morris 1800 for 50 quid. Finished apprenticeship and left work. Drove in Morris to Switzerland and kept for a year then sold for about 200 to two Aussies touring. I then went back to UK and bought a Ford of some sort for 100 and returned with that to switzerland. That blew up so left it I think in Munich (or some city in Germany) Returned to Uk and bought an Austin 1100, That packed up on way back from blackpool so left it where it was and hitched back home, as was flying to Asia soon anyway. Spent about 3 years there and arrived eventually in melbourne. Went to Auctions and bought a Falcon for $500. Sold that in Alice springs for a hell of a lot more than i paid. Pioneer bus to Sydney and another auction and a 400 buck Belmont panel van. Sold that to two Poms for them to use around Aus. And bought a VW Passat that was bloody awfull. Would never start so swapped it for a Gemini which was even worse (started but head blew and all the bits kept packing up). Sold that at a loss and got the Kombi for $2100 (the most I had ever paid for a car ever) I just fell in love with her and decided within a week that this was my car for the rest of my life.
ps
before I was old enough to drive i did have a jaguar (well one third share) 2 friends and I bought as a write off and restored it to sell. Only ever got to drive it once.
pps Dont get me started on how many bikes I have owned I still have two in Thailand and two here and have my heart set on another. There may even be another car in there somewhere but I forget now.

how about- grew up around vw but never liked aircooled engines, but have been unable to deny the practical and proven reliability of the vw, and have struggled for 20 years with the deep physiological compulsion to own a 69 front disk brake beetle. and only recently took the first step towards fulfilling this goal by buying a watercooled t3 bus. um?

'never liked air cooled engines' - Hmm, that seems to count out Level 1 anyway. T3 buses are cool, so if that's the only car you own, I'd say you are Level 2 - or Level 3 if you also have a Toyota or Mazda or Holden or whatever in your driveway. If not, and you also get a '69 Bug to join your T3, then you are Level 1.

Look after your T3 - they are nice VWs and there weren't many sold in Australia.

Its so funny. I have 3 children that have only known my VW. And two of them hate it (other only two so does not count), and both like the sporty cars. They give me heaps !
I think I am gradually bringing the older one around tho since I have bought him a beetle lol

You've gotta start kids off early. My eight year old girl has known since she was a toddler that VWs are special. She also knows that it's HER Kombi - so she feels a sense of ownership. Lily keeps stretching her legs as she knows that when her feet reach the pedals, she's almost old enough to learn to drive it. Look Daddy I can almost reach!

Bring your kids out to the Nationals in May - they will have a good time and be converted to VWs for life. There'll be plenty of 'sporty' ones there. Better still, bring them on Saturday evening at 7pm to help set up. Then we can relax with beer, pizza and VW movies on the big screen. Sleep in your Kombi and you're already there first thing in the morning - that's what i do every year.

May take you up on that. My eldest is 21 and has a G/friend now so not sure if can get him there but would be a buzz for my d/ter and son who you met. I do actually feel I have converted Taylor (my eldest) since I got him the bug tho. He loves it. Just wish would help with getting it roadworthy lol
Anyway will chat more about it in Kurri kurri when we catch up. Will only be me and D/ter on that as my wife and youngest will still be overseas. Me and Hannah are returning early.

OK see you there. I'm still thinking of going up Sat arvo 2nd May, having dinner in Kurri and then going to Heddon Greta drive-in on Saturday night. http://www.drive-in.com.au/ Sleep in Kombi, then meet Morpeth VW people in Newcastle next morning. Lily won't be coming, but she will be at the Nationals in May.