I would love to buy this

[basjoos]

My 68 Beetle normally got 34mpg and was great in snow. The cooling fan pressurized heater air flow through the exhaust pipe heat exchangers was weak even when it worked. But normally you didn't have to worry about recirculating the exhaust through the heating system because the heater door mechanism would rust shut during the summer when you weren't using it so you couldn't turn the heat that next winter. You spent a lot of time in cold weather wiping fog and frost off the inside of the glass as you were driving. Maintenance required was typical for cars of the day, adjust valves and points every 3000 miles, but you didn't have to fuss with radiators and coolant levels as you did with most other cars of the day.

[Arragonis]

My dad bought a 1200 original Beetle instead of a 1300 Super in 1972...

...so he could have a radio.

And then used it to tow a caravan across Scotland - with 34bhp.

[freebeard]

'67 — one year only, 'most collectible', lots of one-year only parts (door handles, deck lid, etc.) so make sure they're correct. Sunroof and pop-outs is nice. If nobody's turned the heater on since '67 the rocker panels won't be rusting from the inside out.

But for mileage you want the '66. It had a single-port 1300 (I believe that was one year only). The single port heads are good for 2mpg.

Antifreeze is poisonous to puppies and kittens. Won't anyone think of the puppies and kittens?

[jcp123]

Classic cars are definitely about the fun of the hobby. My Mustang is maybe not an incredible driver, but the attention, the torque, the feeling of letting the top down and hearing the rap of the glass packs is totally worth 16mpg. Or, 20 on the highway

Caring for it is half the fun, too.

[user removed]

Saw one going to an estate sale today. For a few seconds I thought it was the same one but I soon realised it was an older small oval window type. Bought an 18 inch section of railroad track and a bodymans dolly for $2. Probably much less than scrap value at 13 cents a pound.

regards
Mech

[freebeard]

Ovals were 4 years of production, '54-57, between the 'Zwitter'—the oval-dashed split—and the 'big' backlight, which continued to grow over the years. I drove a '57 for nine years and sold it because it didn't have the sunroof. A year later I found a '56 with the sunroof, for sale in a farmer's field. It's the best place to find cars. My current one, the gold 1302 (2 years of production) was also found in a farmer's field.

I was an oval-window snob for a lot of years (chrome door handles and ivory knobs ) Now I like the Macpherson struts w/ stress bar in the front.

My Mustang is maybe not an incredible driver, but the attention, the torque, the feeling of letting the top down and hearing the rap of the glass packs is totally worth 16mpg.

I like a sound like the humming of a well-oiled sewing machine at speed. My Type III notchback never failed to go where I pointed it (except for that one time on ice) after Zig's street rod shop did a 4-wheel alignment.

[user removed]

I had a 58 for a while, stripped it and painted it, no chrome, windows, running boards, fenders loose with welts removed. I had a devil of a time getting it to start with the key.
Even put a spool on the generator pully and started it with a rope. Finally put two solenoids in a series and it worked every time, still fun to pull start it. Had a 67 and a 54 convertible.

Traded a friend it for a 63 Continental, suicide doors, black with red leather interior.

He was head on-ed by a Bonneville in the VW, as the front of the VW collapsed into his chest, he grsabbed the steerring wheel and shoved it out the windshield. The pedals were folded over the tranny tunnel and you could run atring from the left headlight to the drivers door handle and not touch metal.

He walked away with some cuts, his girl friend broke her leg hitting him.

About 13 MPG in the Lincoln but gas was 32 cents a gallon and I was making 13.5k a year.

regards
Mech

[Cobb]

They had a real following and the bug was just one of several cars VW/Porsche offered with the air cooled engine. My family went from the usual muscle cars of the 60s to the water cooled diesel rabbits, dashers and golfs on the 80s. Then in the 90s they moved to the geos and 00 to the suzuki swifts, echo.

[Frank Lee]

I know the Lincoln is a guzzler but oh how I'd like to cruise around in one occasionally!

[user removed]

Linc was like the Imperial, both massive unibodies of very strong construction, could clip off telephone poles. The Imperial was 22 feet long. Maybe the best luxury ride with a slight edge to the Chrysler. 57 Chrysler 300 with the 392 HP 392 fuel injection, would be the last of those with the last hemi (first gen).

Never owned one, but that is my dream car.

regards
Mech