After DOVW in Yarra Glen, I have fallen in love with the Type 3......so now, I am considering adding to our VW family with a nice Notch. Don't you think it would look great in our driveway, with a 64 splitty and a good looking Notch ?

I need to know what I have to look out for, do they have any quirks or problems that I should look out for, and what year is the best year to buy. Also manual vs auto, I would prefer to buy a manual but if I can't find one, I want to know what the auto is like.

Any help ???

I think thats a splendid idea,a notch would look great sitting next to your bus.How is your splitty going??Have you been driving her much & is she running well?

They have pretty much the same quirks and problems as any 30 odd year old VW. Look out for rust in the sills, under the battery, under the rear window etc.

As for the best year, if you are deciding based on appearance, then I think most people would agree the earlier models look the best. Personally I think the 69 model is the pick of the crop. They have the early model, more attractive shape coupled with disk brake front end and IRS rear. Autos only came out in 69 so if you want an early model, you will get a MT.

Like today, the AT was an optional extra which cost more. Therefore you are more likely to find a manual. My fasty is an auto and the transmission is the part of the car that requires the least attention. They have a reputation for being extremely durable and reliable. If they do break they cost and arm and a leg to fix, but fortunately they rarely do. I find the type 3 AT much more fun than a modern auto, you can actually change gears and use the transmission to engine break into corners and down hills etc. As long as you aren't set on a manual, if you find a car you like which is in good condition and happens to be an auto at least take it for a drive and see what you think.

thanks for all that, I don't have my heart set on either manual or auto, I am just used to driving manual and I don't think that you get the same responsiveness from an auto.

Mandie my split is going awesome, we drive it every day. I took it for a drive up the highway last week and the wind !!! My god trying to take on mother nature is a bitch in a kombi!! He runs like a dream, starts first pop every morning without so much as a groan and we just love him.

How's yours coming along ? I didn't see you at DOVW - were you there ? We drove the split to DOVW but didn't enter him, he was too filthy and he's just not ready to show. We were parked out in the carpark.

The best thing with a type 3 is that lowering them is a snip. I think with rust that they used to come out of the factory with some sort of foam in between the guards and the body, and that this can hold moisture. But they are practical, with lots of storage space, but quirky enough to be different and get attention. Good choice!

Squiz....

I think the 1969 Model was the Best looker although I did own a later model many years ago...

If they have been under cover for most of their life there shouldn't be any rust problems.... they were very well built and are great to drive...

I didn't know that the autos were only in 1969 -
Was that in Australia Only?? as I would have thought that many type 3s in the US would have been Automatic...
as the semi auto Beetles sold over there in great numbers....

Lee

Hey Julie-Anne, heres our type3 1964 notch, lowered, and goes and looks cool..
Go the pre 70's as the later ones look a little 'chunky'

Andy

That looks great, that's just what I am after, nothing too fancy but nice, clean and straight.

hmmmm.......

Way to whet the appetite Andy! Go for it Julie-Anne!

Squiz....

What I meant was that they were first sold in Australia in 69, not they were only available for that one year. I think they first started making autos in 68, they were then available until model end in '73.

Great pics!! Yea go the Notch!!! Or any T3 for that matter. I'd happily own any early model.

Love mine to bits and sooo easy to work on. Love the bugs but a nice tidy , low notch looks cool.

Now if you want to put a 2.8 t4 in the back your laughing!

Dan

Lee , from what I have found the ( full automatic ) was not realy a seller in the usa , the semi auto is in great numbers . seagull

I didn't know that a semi auto type 3 was ever made. I thought it was just a manual or a full auto.

heeey.. whats wrong with a late model notch?:P

Yeah i like the 69's too, late model running gear with the early looks......:thumb