Any VW Beetle Experts in da house?

[SacredCow]

A friend has offered to sell me his 1979 Super Beetle convertible for what I believe to be a very good price. It's fairly close to being all original, and he's the 3rd owner (and had it for 5 years). I know it will need a new top, and new stuffing in the seats (the seat vinyl is almost perfect- just no stuffing!).

I've had an assortment of VW's, but never one of the air-cooled ones. Anybody care to offer me suggestions of any issues to watch out for? I know my description was vague, but I'll answer any question to the best of my knowledge. And for the record, I won't be relying on this vehicle for daily transportation- Just something fun to work on and drive a few times per week.

Thanks in advance!

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. All I know about Bugs is they like to be revved

Everyone I've ever known who had one said it's good to wind 'em out through each gear. No idea why. :shrug:

There's plenty of Bug-fancier boards on the internets, though. Poke around. :hi:

[appal_jack]

2. i'm no expert, but rust is the enemy

Rust is the enemy, especially when it's corroding rocker panels or other critical unibody structural components. Thus, my quest for a micro-bus back when I was a New Englander ended unfulfilled (bought a rusty Nissan pickup instead...)

That's about all I know. :dunce:

-app

[SacredCow]

3. Well, what I know re rust on this car....

The pans in the front have already been replaced, and look like new. The ones in the rear, and by the battery under the rear seat have not, but they're not very bad by my estimate.

Hardly any rust on the body anywhere. Maybe 3 or 4 instances of surface rust, no bigger than 0.25" in diameter. The paint is original and shiny (moreso than my 2006 car). As I understand, it's been garage-kept for 95% of its life. It did sit in storage for a while, and the gas tank rusted, but that was replaced about 5 years ago when my friend bought it.

[Whoa_Nelly]

4. You may want to contact this guy at allexperts.com

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Volkswagen-801/1979-Super-Beetle-Convertible.htm

Read the Q&A post at above link :hi:

(have written experts at this site before on other things, and received great info and advice)

[SacredCow]

6. Excellent idea....

Thanks!

[northofdenali]

5. SacredCow, try this site - a friend uses it a lot -

http://www.car-stuff.com/mmparts/volkswagen-beetle/repair_manual.html

Enjoy! We can't drive the air-cooled ones up here in winter - always called 'em "German humps" (under then snow) when I was a kid. Try air-cooled at 25 below!

[SacredCow]

7. I can't comprehend 25 below....

the lowest I've ever actually felt is maybe about 5 below (in Colorado on a ski trip at the top of a mountain).

Thanks for the linky!

[northofdenali]

8. Welcome!

Actually, we're projected for 40 below tonight. It's been a mild winter so far. I've seen -40 for a 3 week period at a time, and it's what you get used to!

[SacredCow]

9. Does it ever get to a point of diminishing return?

That is, a point where you really can't feel the difference, and it's all just mega-cold? Some have told me this is the case, but I kind of doubt it....

[northofdenali]

10. Yeah, once it hits 40 below it's pretty much all the same -

but by the same, there are returns - the Northern Lights are out every night because the air is so clear, every star sparkles, and DAMN if a dip in a hot tub or sauna doesn't light you up, too!

Blessed be to you AND your Bug!


Aurora off the Steese Highway, 2004


Aurora off Murphy Dome Road, January 2005


And the 6 cats don't seem to mind - unless they let their tails drag!

But the older Bugs just can't hack it, so folks either garage them or let them sit on the street - hence "humps"!

[GCP]

11. My two cents

We had a VW Beetle (as they were called in the UK) in the 70s, air-cooled. Try to avoid traffic jams as they have a hard time cooling down if the air isn't flowing over the engine, they get over-heated and need to be turned off to cool down. A problem we used to get was a heater near our feet that used to get stuck in the 'on' position - our mechanic told us it happens when the mud on the underside of the car gums up something or other to do with the heater inlet. Our feet used to bake in hot weather! Otherwise it was a great little car and never let us down. We sold it when hubby got a company car.

[SacredCow]

12. Thanks for all of the responses...

I haven't 100% committed to it as of yet. Just asking around to see if there's any particular known problems with them that I should be on the look out for (pre and post purchase). Of course, it's an almost 30 year old car so I do expect some issues right off of the bat. It looks to be an excellent candidate for putting a few thousand into for a fun little weekend car.

I'm going to see it on Saturday and maybe I'll take some pics.

[doc03]

13. The heater sucks, I had one and the car didn't

warm up until I was halfway home from work about 15 miles. The defroster is even worse. For a small car the gas mileage is not that good maybe 25mpg. Bad to rust. I will say they are dependable, fun to drive and good in the snow..