Volksbugen

[coius]

My dad bought this for me this afternoon:

'75 Classic Beetle (VW Bug)

Unfortunately, i won't be able to drive it until later this summer. I was too sick to be able to go out to look at it, but my dad and my business-partner (which rebuilds Beetles) went to look at it and check it out, and my dad put $1500 down on it, with $3300 as the total price. Needs to be fixed up a bit, like the engine needs to be taken apart and cleaned. It needs a new engine mount, and a bit of rust taken care of.

We will be taking out the fuel injection and put in a carborator and take out the computer (first year bug with computer) because if the computer goes out, they cost $500 to replace them.

The interior is brand new and has been fixed up really nice (saw pics on that page and through phone) and it's a beauty from what I see.

Just wanted to let you know of this acquisition.

BTW: This is my first car. I always told people that my first car would be a bug, but it's now a reality .

I feel bad that I was unable to go out and test drive it, but from what I hear, it's a bit rough as the engine has been sitting between 3-4 years with only a few turn overs every 4-5 months.

EDIT: in case that link goes down, i have a copy of this article (as well as pics here)

 

[Christopher]

Dude that is awesome. My plan is to get the VW mini bus. Another iconic vehicle of the hippie age but I don't care.

 

[Scott Baret]

That is awesome! The red looks really sharp on that car. And to top it off, it's built better than just about any 2008 model.

Take good care of it and it will take care of you.

 

[Bunsen]

So awesome.

@ heavymetalgod - I once saw a minibus (Kombi) in a European movie that had the top half of a VW bug welded to the roof as a sunroof - made it possible to stand up inside.

 

[Patnukem]

did it look like

?

 

[iMac600]

If the engine hasn't been turned over for a while it should need an oil and coolant dump as those will probably be quite old. I've never heard of an engine needing rebuilding from lack of use though. To be fair this is a 4-cylinder opposed engine and i'm only really familiar with 4-cylinder inlines and transverses, so I can't speak for their operation.

It looks absolutely pristine, the paintwork and interior trims are in perfect condition and just looks fantastic. Not a hint of rust and to top it all off, it has silver alloys rather than black steel rims.

Pulling the EFI will result in a loss of power around the range of 10-15kW, but i'm guessing you're not too concerned about that. Plus it's an upside for reliability to do away with it, with the price of engine management systems these days. ($500 is a decent factory part figure, but it's around $1200 for an aftermarket) I've had to replace my onboard computers twice now and i'll tell ya, it's not cheap. Offered a nice performance boost though.

Very nice, give that engine a good cleanup and it should be a great little bug. Welcome to the world of motoring and automotive.

 

[Bunsen]

did it look like

?

Yes! Exactly like that.

 

[register]

Great, I love those machines. I kept one for 200 kMiles. This is a classic car that deserves some respect and good care. Mind the service interval recommendation and take a careful look at the engine every 3000 to 5000 miles. Have a service manual and take some time to get advice from your Beetle friendly buisiness-partner. Check the oil consumption everytime you are at the gas station. Have lots of fun and drive carefully. You might become addicted to the sound and loveliness of this bestseller

P.S.: you might consider to keep the fuel injection in combination with a new engine controller. A well adjusted injection system provides more power as well as more miles per gallon, compared to any carburetor system in the age of that car. A new carburetor is not cheap and a worn out one is not recommendable.

 

[Christopher]

did it look like

?

Yes! Exactly like that.

It looks like a caboose [] ]'>

 

[coius]

Not a hint of rust and to top it all off, it has silver alloys rather than black steel rims.

It's got a tiny bit of rust on the engine fan guard and right behind the driver's side back window. The wheels are too small and the speedometer doesn't register right (it could say it's going 70MPH and it's only going 45-50)

We can fix all of it though pretty easily. We will be putting a GPS in the car too

P.S.: you might consider to keep the fuel injection in combination with a new engine controller. A well adjusted injection system provides more power as well as more miles per gallon, compared to any carburetor system in the age of that car. A new carburetor is not cheap and a worn out one is not recommendable.

As far as the fuel injection and carburetor, we will be using a new carburetor, and can get new parts for just about any new thing on the bug. I am well aware of the performance decrease, but I don't feel like shelling out $500 for a new computer on the thing. We will probably wait till the computer goes out though until we replace it with the carburetor.

We also gotta do the 12v mod for the electrical*, and we are going to replace the ignition with electronic ignition. So that will be nice.

*EDIT: sorry, it's got the 12v mod already. I forgot. It's got a new alternator. My bad...

 

[register]

Electronic ignition is nice, indeed. I did not know they sold 6 Volt machines in 1975, still. In case you replace the generator be sure to use a new _alternator_. A DC generator might not be able to charge the battery sufficiently during a Nebraskan winter.

 

[coius]

EDIT: see footnote above

 

[4seasonphoto]

I also didn't know they had computer controls back in '75! Think BMW, Audi etc were using a mechanical fuel injection system at the time, and it didn't have a great reputation for reliability.

Neat car though.

 

[coius]

This was actually the first year that VW had computers on their bugs. That's why my dad was having second thoughts, but my business partner had said this was the best deal we were going to get. On top of that, we got the car down to $3300USD compared to other people around here that had rust-buckets that wanted close to between $4500-5500 for their junk. We got really lucky

 

[Patrickool93]

All beetles manufactured after 1967 came with a 12-volt system from the factory.

 

[Quadraman]

This was actually the first year that VW had computers on their bugs. That's why my dad was having second thoughts, but my business partner had said this was the best deal we were going to get. On top of that, we got the car down to $3300USD compared to other people around here that had rust-buckets that wanted close to between $4500-5500 for their junk. We got really lucky

You had better check the emissions regs for your state before you make any engine modifications. That electronic module may be there for a reason. Switching to a carb might make you non-compliant for an emissions inspection and get you a ticket. They may even impound the car.

 

[aphetica]

That's really cool! I have always wanted one of those. I like the older ones with the split back windows.

 

[redrouteone]

He should be cool with switching it over. Vehicles over 25 years old are exempt from environmental and crash safety laws.

 

[Quadraman]

He should be cool with switching it over. Vehicles over 25 years old are exempt from environmental and crash safety laws.

Not everywhere. Don't spread misinformation. Cars still have to comply with all standards applicable for the year of manufacture whether annual inspection is required or not. A police officer can still conduct a spot inspection even on exempt vehicles and if you fail you are ticketed and towed.