[Wanted: Car] Beetle

[Davegrohl99]

Hey everyone
So the bug has hit me and I really want to get a vw beetle.
Im looking for one as my daily car.
It needs to be solid and running well. I dont mind having to do a few jobs on the car . it must be manual and i really am open to any colour
So if you know of one for sale or are thinking of selling one let me know please

 

[walshe]

Coxy's 71 1302 looks a very solid car, it may be an auto but the 1600 mor than makes up for that

 

[Davegrohl99]

Looks like a lovely example pity its left hand drive so i wouldnt be interested

 

[Tim]

I wouldn,t rule out any car because its a lefthander.

I drove a left hand beetle for many years. personally I,d prefer it.
Dont rule it out until you drive one, if thats all thats stopping you

 

[Rez]

Welcome davegrohl99
Are you sure you want a beetle as a daily driver?
Have you had experience with aircooled vw's before? Very few of us here use ours as daily drivers anymore for a number of reasons.
The main few are:
Security - beetles are very easy to steal/break into and (like other classics) becoming a target for thieves. I dont like leaving mine anywhere unless I really have to.
Space - theres little or no boot room compaired to similar sized modern hatchback.
Rust - they rust quicker than modern cars. Mine deteriorated a lot in just one year when I had no garage.
Speed - Beetles will keep up with modern traffic but if you frequently use motorways it'll drive you insane!
Winter - you'll freeze your tits off! (there's always a few that have heat exchangers working 100% but then again that could be a myth.

It all sounds negative but there are positives too. I have used my beetle as a daily over 2 different summers. Up until last month I had been driving it about 20 miles every day. I was glad when I got a new daily though. The bug and van are now garaged and I often look forward to getting home and wanting to drive them. It wasn't as much fun when I HAD to.
Good luck with your search and welcome to the club!

 

[Davegrohl99]

Thanks for the advice everyone
First of all i have a good bit of experience with old cars i just finished my full restoration of my 86 8v mk2 golf gti .
I also am in the midst of restoring two alfasuds along with my uncle . So im well used to unrealiability especialy with the alfas
I know the beetle aint a 3 series bmw with mod cons it simple and fun.
Thats what i want i drive my cars for pleasure .
I know it wont be easy but its worth it in the end.
So i will definatly be on the look out for one so keep me informed on one guys

Cheers !

 

[loadsabuses]

20 odd million people who drove them as dailys couldn't all of been wrong
I know there was less traffic and a slower pace of life but still .people have got used to modern cars with so many creature comforts
That are not really needed (mind you a heater is a good thing lol)

 

[Brian Raftery]

(mind you a heater is a good thing lol)

Ah John you must be getting old?????

An 1986 Golf is a modern car! Beetles are totally different but a lovely car to drive. Rez is right they are hard work if you have to commute in winter traffic on cold icy days

PS my heat exchanger works great.

 

[walshe]

Friend of mine puts an oil filled electric rad into his in winter, plugs it in half an hour before he leaves the house and has a toasty drive to work

 

[Tim]

Nothing wrong with a beetle heater, if you understand how they operate at optimum performance, most dont. And if you buy a beetle, then inspect that it has not had restoration work that has made the system redundant , or impossible to get heat out of. As in the case of removing the upright column vent pipes, and possibly welding up some of the mid screen vents. Some restorers do this. Pm for more physics , and definitely no myths. Condolences to all those with frozen tits

 

[adrianfa]

I agree with Tim. The beetle heater will roast you if it is working properly.
I remember driving to the first jumpstart (cold day) and having to open the window every now and again because the heat in the car was getting too much.

Initially, I thought the heat was useless until I asked, on here, how it all works. There was no cold journey after that.

 

[Tim]

Glad yours works as well as mine and a few others.
We must be in the minority..............but toasty.

 

[Aidan]

Back in the day, I drove my beetle while scraping ice off the inside of the windscreen and didn't think much of it. That beetle had box iron sills so no heater channels. My last beetle and current bus have heat that matches anything that the Irish weather has thrown at them. Even without a heated rear windscreen, the beetle had enough heat from the engine to clear condensation from the rear window (with a bit of patience). Like all things vintage VW, learn how it should work, get it to work that way, and enjoy. They're superbly engineered and well capable of handling Irish weather

 

[Tim]

As you say its an easy system to understand, and tweek for maximum out put.

A good heater is a major element of comfortable driving, and often overloooked, and should always
be on the cards for servicing.
I,ve heard many guys saying you cant get good heat out of a beetle. They just never took the time to
understand what to do to make it operate well, thats all.

 

[stump]

The heater was stuck in the "on" position on my Bay Window van on the trip down to Jumpstart last year. By the time we got to Limerick, a pen which was sitting up above the dash had melted completely. A beetle system will run hotter than the van, simply because the heat doesn't have anywhere near as far to travel. You cannot hold your hand over the hot air vent in my beetle while driving. Unless you want to burn your hand of course.
Do you know why Beetles were Air-cooled in the first place? The germans didn't have garages to keep their cars in, so the Air-cooled VW's didn't freeze up; no radiators.
By the way, the coldest temperature recorded in Germany was MINUS 45 Degrees.
If your heaters are working like they were designed to, a beetle is well fit for the irish winter.

 

[Kieran53]

So nobody has a beetle for sale for him? (Back on subject )

 

[Endfloat]

I used a beetle as a daily for a good while. I have a 1990 diesel Golf now though which suits me better because of the fuel economy but by enlarge the beetle was a good daily so long as you care for it properly and keep on top of the maintenance. If something is starting to fail, don't wait until it breaks completely to fix it. Stupid stuff breaks on cars that old.

 

[Davegrohl99]

Bit of an update
I got sorted out and am the proud owner of my first bug and it has been kept in the eircooled family gonna post more in the arena
Cheers

 

[Kieran53]

If it's Coxy's bug, looks like a smashing car and a great deal. Best of luck. Having bought a bug from him myself, just make sure he gives you the 5 year warranty he gave me

 

[riggsi]

Best of look with it looking forward to seeing the progress.