Common problems on a 71?

Hey guys, im new here and new to VW's so please bear with me.
Im looking into buying a 1971 beetle and am just wondering about any common problems mechanically or on the body work (rust prone areas) that i should know about.
Any help you could offer or links you could re-direct me to would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers 🙂

Hi

Welcome along. What sort of 71 Beetle are you looking at? They come in standard or super.

Both have rust issues around the back window. Look for no bog in the roof edge where it folds into the gutter, have a good look at the heater channels, bottom of the door area, inner front guards, under the battery etc.

Spending a bit of time to get a cleaner car is worth it in the end.

Super have wobbly front suspension issues, easily corrected.

Steve

We have a 71 1302S as a daily driver. Great car, and in 6 years has been very reliable.

However being a 40 year old car, anything, everything is able to go wrong at any time. Done all repairs myself a lot cheaper than any 6 year old modern car would cost.

Best thing to do is buy the best condition unit you can. I paid $4500 for our one, and I know what I am looking for. It has original paint, no rust and has given us 6 years of daily driving. It may sound expensive, but if you know what you are looking for, it is a good investment. I don't think any new cars lose less than $4500 value over 6 years.

rust areas to check = area behind banana shaped air vent near side windows, bottom of "A" door pillar, battery tray, rain channel above engine, front hood seal area above wiper motor, oil leaks ,exhaust leaks, brake seal leaks, saggy suspension, saggy doors, usual stuff for a 40yr old car. Low mileage original cars still pop your ears if you shut the door with the windows up.😉 good luck with your search.

Thanks guys. Not sure if its a standard or super. The add doesnt specify.

What are the differences in the two types?

Anything i should focus on in the engine bay?

I'm going and checking it out tomorrow so any last minute help is great :P

aussie1612 wrote:Hey guys, im new here and new to VW's so please bear with me.
Im looking into buying a 1971 beetle and am just wondering about any common problems mechanically or on the body work (rust prone areas) that i should know about.
Any help you could offer or links you could re-direct me to would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers 🙂

Hi
All beetles that had the flow thru ventilation crescent shaped vents behind the rear side windows .. can have very bad rust problems.. it starts on the inside and by the time it shows it can be very bad... all up near the rear window and roof...

just remember that it is 40 years old...
and it depends on how many things have been replaced on the car...
front end bushes... rear end bushes...
cv joints...

engine oil leaks.. most beetles do have them .. lol

post pics if you can...

superbug has the spare wheel laying flat....
non supers have the spare sitting upright...
easiest way to tell...

date on back of speedo will tell you approx year etc of car

cheers

Lee