Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum - EcoModder.com - View Single Post - Is it just me or is VW desecrating the beetle?

orange4boy · 07-12-2009, 04:44 PM

I totally rebuilt a VW beetle from the ground up when I was 18. Simple, well engineered vehicles. Fantastic in the snow, great for off roading, great gas mileage for their time.

They were designed to be inexpensive so they had some ingenious solutions to save costs. You did have to know how to wrench on them and they had some weak areas but most of those problems were easily remedied. Great for tinkerers. VW beetles were ahead of their time competing against 16 foot long land yachts. They sold like hot cakes to a public sick of crappy fuel economy and truck like handling.

I found that there were a lot of people simply prejudiced against them who didn't know what they were talking about and just parroted other peoples misinformation. Just like today with electric cars.

I never had to pull the engine to change a spark plug but I could pull the engine in less than an hour with only a small hydraulic jack.

I'm with DCB. I miss my VW.

07-12-2009, 04:44 PM	#17 (permalink)
orange4boy Master EcoModder Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: The Wet Coast, Kanuckistan. Posts: 1,275 The Golden Egg - '93 Toyota Previa DX 90 day: 31.91 mpg (US) Chewie - '03 Toyota Prius 90 day: 57 mpg (US) The Spaceship - '00 Honda Insight Thanks: 100 Thanked 306 Times in 178 Posts	I totally rebuilt a VW beetle from the ground up when I was 18. Simple, well engineered vehicles. Fantastic in the snow, great for off roading, great gas mileage for their time. They were designed to be inexpensive so they had some ingenious solutions to save costs. You did have to know how to wrench on them and they had some weak areas but most of those problems were easily remedied. Great for tinkerers. VW beetles were ahead of their time competing against 16 foot long land yachts. They sold like hot cakes to a public sick of crappy fuel economy and truck like handling. I found that there were a lot of people simply prejudiced against them who didn't know what they were talking about and just parroted other peoples misinformation. Just like today with electric cars. I never had to pull the engine to change a spark plug but I could pull the engine in less than an hour with only a small hydraulic jack. I'm with DCB. I miss my VW. __________________ Vortex generators are old tech. My new and improved vortex alternators are unstoppable. "It’s easy to explain how rockets work but explaining the aerodynamics of a wing takes a rocket scientist.