I’ve been looking into getting a Beetle to use as a daily driver. I understand that the beetle is a vintage or classic vehicle depending on age, and essentially of a 1940’s design, so I’m not expecting it to function like a soulless modern car.
As a first step into air-cooled Volkswagens I’ve been looking at late 60’s early 70’s 1500cc Beetles, which seem the most suitable.
I’m looking for suggestions as to what is the most practical years/models in regards to:
- Drivability, not a hindrance to traffic both in the city and on the highway.
- Engine reliability, durability, power and economy.
- Front suspension torsion bar vs. McPherson strut.
- Rear suspension double cv vs. swing arm.
- Parts availability.
- Safety/Corrosion resistance. Post March 1968 body vs. pre March 1968 bodies which I’ve been told was basically a 1961 body.
Without:
- Padded Dash
- 4 spoke steering wheel.
- ‘Elephant Foot’ taillights.
As for price, I’m willing to do a bit of work to get familiar with the car and get it roadworthy . I’m not in a hurry to get a car on the road, but I’m not after a full restoration project either.
Paulc1964au ·
Welcome to the forum, you will find a number of cars that come on for sale here and depends on how much you are prepared to spend to what condition car you get.
I have a 69 beetle which was in reasonably good condition when i bought it. mind you i have spent more than what i paid for the car getting it too look like what I want lol.
there is nothing like driving a bug and when i am there is nothing else like it.
If you look in the buyers forum there is a great 1960 vw for sale for $6K and in my opinion looks like a great buy.
Look forward to seeing what you buy but before you do post the car you are thinking about buying there are some great people on here who can give you advice
helbus ·
We have found our 1971 1302S Beetle a great family car/ daily driver
1600 twin port engine
strut front
steel dash
small tail lights
disc brake front
double joint rear
Old looks with more modern drivabilty. Parts very easy available. Get someone who knows car body, and someone who knows mechanical to help you look if you don't know the thing to look for. Get a better body if you can.
You will be hard pressed to find anything under $4000 that wont need a lot more money spent on it.
Ollie ·
Best advise I can give is to have a shop around and don't just grab the first car you see. Take your time and look at the little things that can affect your decision. I'm onto my third beetle now - 1970, 1976 and now a 1969. Each has had it's little quirks and differences, but I made sure I looked at a few bugs before making the leap into each one of them.
stevied_007 ·
Thanks for the replies peoples.
Paulc1964au I think I’ll be heading for the later years at this point, although I do like the styling of the earlier models (Towel rail bumpers and covered headlights) I don’t want to have to be too precious with the car.
Am I right in saying that the older style headlights, fenders and bumpers are harder to get?
One of the concerns I have come across with the later bugs 70 onwards is internal rusting of the c pillar due to the foam injected into the cavity, and poorly installed crescent vents.
Has anyone got some proven solutions to removing the foam, repairing the corrosion and preventing future damage? I’ve found some information @ http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=437975&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
OMClarke speaking of quirks and differences how many revisions were made to the size of the front windscreen? ignoring the obvious curved windscreen in the L bug.
It’s my understanding it was increased in size from the 50’s bug, but was it further increased somewhere around the late 60’s again?
Yogie ·
I personally think the 68/69 model is a great one to look for. Less chance of the foam being sprayed in to the C pillar area and the first with 12v electrics, you can fill up without raising the front hood and it has front disc brakes. It also has basically the classic beetle look rather than the bigger nose of the supers.
The 70 and on 1300 models will also give you a double jointed rear which is better IMO. The strut front end supers give you the spare tyre laying flat and a longer nose with more room under the bonnet. I find it a smoother ride with the struts than a beam front but I am happy with either of the ones we have.
Probably the only thing I would want to change on our 68 is the rear end to double joint IRS.
Yogie
Joel ·
Yogie wrote:The 70 and on 1300 models will also give you a double jointed rear which is better IMO.
Nah, all the 70s 1300s were swing axle and 4 wheel drum.
The foam isnt hard to get rid of, just messy, just look for the tell tale signs, if theres bubbles even small ones around the back window or above the back guards run, fast.
They rust from the inside out so by the time the bubbles are forming the inside is already rotten.
Best bug to look for is the one with the least rust,
Mechanical stuff is easily changed and there's enough knowledge and aftermarket parts out there now to make them all stop, go and handle safely and reliably.
If you dont like tail lights, bumpers, headlights etc all that can be changed, these cars are like lego.
Ollie ·
The Windscreen did get larger when the larger rear window was introudced(someone feel free to correct as I'm not 100%) which I think[i/] was '58?
I know the rear window became larger again in '67 but as for the front I'm not too sure.
I'm loving the '69 at the moment! So far best bug I've owned.
And if you're really after the look of an earlier beetle you can change the guards and what-not to give it that classic styling?
L469 ·
Joel wrote:
Yogie wrote:The 70 and on 1300 models will also give you a double jointed rear which is better IMO.
Nah, all the 70s 1300s were swing axle and 4 wheel drum.
The foam isnt hard to get rid of, just messy, just look for the tell tale signs, if theres bubbles even small ones around the back window or above the back guards run, fast.
They rust from the inside out so by the time the bubbles are forming the inside is already rotten.
Best bug to look for is the one with the least rust,
Mechanical stuff is easily changed and there's enough knowledge and aftermarket parts out there now to make them all stop, go and handle safely and reliably.
If you dont like tail lights, bumpers, headlights etc all that can be changed, these cars are like lego.
i think the point with the foam is not the mess removing it
but the time it has already been in there. 40 years worth of
water trapped in the cavity will be hard to find 1 that no rust has got hold of
👎👍
Joel ·
Depends on the life the car has had, I;ve owned several 70s bugs with no rust there.
My current bug is dry as bone there and I've left the foam alone as it does it's intended job of sound and dust/fume proofing very well.
It's mainly when the rear window rubber perishes and shrinks which lets water get into the channel behind it.
That water gets inside as the drain holes under the rubber drip the water straight in the cavity where the foam is and holds it against the inside metal.
People are quick to blame the plastic flow through crescent vents when they are very rarely the cause.
They have very good drain setup behind them which drains out not in.
t1 time ·
I think for a newby a 68 to 70 is a good choice as thay come with 12 volts and disc brakes . Dont be to comcerned with fenders as thay are easy to find and replace be more concerned with the body, pan and particualy the heater chanels . An origanal car with it origanal paint is better as you can see what you ar getting ,new paint can cover a multitude of sins.
Good luck with you search.
zayus ·
Hey hey,
Get the car, that you really want.
If you like the style of the pre-1968 Beetle... get one.
And, many pre-68 cars have been upgraded "underneath", IE: brakes, electrics, engine
It is hard to go past the character of the early Beetles.
The sloping headlights, blade bumpers, long bonnet, brightly coloured interior, smaller tail lights... they are an icon!
Yes, I have a pre-68 Beetle! 🙂
stevied_007 ·
Thanks for the opinions, I’ve made the decision to avoid the foam filled pillars.
My concern is that the resulting rust is propagated from the inside out, which means that it’s too easy to hide with bog and a re-spray or even if the car has had a reasonably sheltered life may still be in the process or corroding, just at a slower pace and yet to reach the outside surface.
Due to the age of the cars now it seems many have been re-sprayed at some point in their life.
Your right though zayus, considering I’ve mentioned many of the styling accents typical of the pre 68 beetle I should just do it right from the ground up and look at pre 68’s.
Anyone here from Victoria know what’s involved in registering and insuring a pre 68 Beetle 1200 fitted with a larger motor, eg 1300, 1500, or 1600?
I've called up VicRoads and the person I spoke to basically recited the VicRoads web site text word for word. Which states:
Change of engine
1. Replacement engine is identical to the original engine, or is an option allowed by the manufacturer for the same model vehicle
The optional engine must be offered in Australia by the vehicle manufacturer as an option for that vehicle (or certified variants). The change of engine may be recorded by VicRoads provided that the registered operator or a motor mechanic, or dealer in that make of vehicle or an Automotive Engineer signs a declaration certifying the engine is optional for the vehicle model, and that all modifications made by the manufacturer for the same vehicle model with that optional engine have been completed.
My question was passed though to and engineer who basically said no.
ian.mezz ·
here is what you do , You buy a beetle that has been fully restored and the owner has all the invoices etc , That what we do and we have got a few good vw that blokes have spent $30000 to $40000 on a full restore only to sell them to us for $12000 and then they just go start and another one 🤪
Not exactly what I was looking for but for the right price I might give it a go. Theres a little rust in the floorpan around the battery, partially resprayed and the motor probably needs to be rebuilt. But I would probably be looking at a motor swap while I look into the rebuilding the original (parts are getting scarce).
Opinions?
annosL ·
My opinion: Looks good, seems very original, for it's age is in good nick, you would be lucky to find one as good unrestored. Price seems very reasonable to me