TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Feb 25, 2003 12:35 pm

Has anyone had a vw beetle as there first car? I know they're not the most economical of vehicles but they make that up in style. Im currently learning to drive and obsessed with air-cooled volkswagens. If anyone has any advice i'd love to here about it.
Cheers Sam, 17

Tue Feb 25, 2003 1:10 pm

yeah man, im 17 and my first car is a 1956 beetle. and theyre pretty economical if you run a stock engine or 1600cc.. id say i get around 20 miles to the gallon with my 1600.
and yes even if they werent 'economical' they would make it up in style.. at least the early ones.. mostly the pre 1967 cars.

but, different strokes for different folks.

peace, good luck

Tue Feb 25, 2003 1:47 pm

absolutely... you will learn more about how to work on cars than any of your friends, and have the coolest car around too. usually a first car is a cheap one, so i'm assuming that you will be learning first hand a lot on the side of the road like me with my first car. (a '67)

Tue Feb 25, 2003 1:52 pm

A bug can be a great first car, if and this is a big if,
if you drive it with an understanding of its limitations.
I druve a 64 as my daily driver, but I do so with an understanding that it
lacks even the most basic safety features. My face is about a foot and a half from the winf shield,
there's a steel dash and a solid steering wheel, no collapsable column, drum brakes, so don't go too fast, and a swing axel,
so don't corner too fast. But I love it and I get great milage. So, get your bug, but be safe.

Tue Feb 25, 2003 2:02 pm

Ummm yea!!! If you read some of the posts, especially the one started by HockeyJock, you will see that you are not the only kid who likes vw's and has/wants one as his/her first car. I'm only 16, I just sold my first car...a '72 bug, but I'm looking for another. I've heard some people with a stocker getting 35 miles to the gallon, so it is very economical. Get a couple good books, manuals, catalogs, videos, and learn as much as you can, you will benefit from it in the long run.

Tue Feb 25, 2003 2:43 pm

I'm 17(will be 18 in Aug), and have been a huge VW nut nearly all my life. I drive a 1971 Beetle every single day and I love it. I get pretty good gas mileage with my 1600, usually about 27-30, which is not bad for a car that age. I have had small little problems with it, but overall it is very reliable. It is much much cheaper and easier to fix than a newer car, I can't believe the prices my friends pay for crap to their computerized, fuel-injected things.
Be unique, get a Bug, they are extremely fun cars to drive.

Tue Feb 25, 2003 3:14 pm

When i was 16 my dad gave me a '66 rolling chassis and said you wanna drive, get it going. I built a 1200 for it, went through the brakes, tie rods, and since then it's been great. I'm 17 now, have been driving the car for 8 months or so and it's been quite the experience. The great thing about them is it doesn't take any time to fix anything. I had to re-ring my motor (didn't replace them at rebuild, big no no) and had everything down and back together in about 12 hours. That's the most time I ever spent working on one thing on it. most everything is a 1-2 hour job. With my 1200 and slight compression(~7.8) bump I run 40-45 mpg city driving. While my friends compplain about getting 20, I complain when i "only" get 30 (and that's when I really put my foot in it). As for safety and handling, don't rush right out and try to be Mario Andretti. Slowly build up your confidence and run. Then learn to drive with all of your senses and watch the other guy. Stay safe and have fun.

Justin

Tue Feb 25, 2003 3:28 pm

I learned to drive stick in a Squareback out of college. Still remember it like it was yesterday (it wasn't...it was a LONG time ago).

Tue Feb 25, 2003 3:33 pm

Im 16 and my dad gave me a 66' bug for christmas last year. Now I am completely obsessed with volkswagens. Its a great car because I can do most the restoration myself. I get some crap from the guys at school but the chicks love it.

Tue Feb 25, 2003 4:06 pm

Im 15 (don't drive but have driven) and I bought mine when I was 14. I was the first one with a car at my school (that I bought by myself) and I still don't know anyone who has bought their own car. I have learned a lot about cars and how they work. I think in an entire year I have only filled it up 3 times (but it doesnt get driven very much though). Great car!

Tue Feb 25, 2003 4:29 pm

I would say to the 17 year olds out there that for a used car, an aircooled VW is a GREAT first car. But especially if you have access to a garage and tools, and want to do car repairs yourself. When I was that age, many moons ago, several of us had VW's, and if we weren't working on my car, we were working on one of the others in the group. I learned SO much that way, and I'm still driving them 28 years later.

Tue Feb 25, 2003 4:30 pm

I'm 17, and my first car was a '69 Beetle. I've gone through a good number of VW's since that first one, but I currently drive a '67 13-window everyday. My advice is DON'T PUT TOO MUCH OIL IN YOUR VW. I toasted the motor in my '69 by doing that. I found out afterward that the oil in a VW is supposed to be checked with the motor hot, not cold. I've learned a LOT since that first Beetle, and have loved every minute of it.

Andrew
'60 European Beetle
'67 Deluxe Bus

Wed Feb 26, 2003 4:26 am

Cheers for all your advice. Its mucho appreciated. All i've got to do know is pass my test and i'll be out there buggin'.

Sam

Wed Feb 26, 2003 4:39 pm

My first car was a 69 bug with limo tint and a stinger! It was economical but for some reason at 16, I was always running out of gas around town. Good thing I always had my friends with me to push. I had a job back then but damn, where did all my money go? Not in the gas tank.

DOM
JHC

Wed Feb 26, 2003 5:10 pm

17 and already have 2 a stock 68 and a 2332cc 65 sedan. u really have more respect for drivng cuz of the lack of safty but go get one they r fun and can b faster than ne 5.0 snooping around.
shawn

Thu Feb 27, 2003 7:31 am

Just make SURE to go as RUSTFREE as possible. My mistake early on was buying a rusty beetle because I couldn't resist the one I saw... Bodywork is EXPENSIVE and it will KILL your budget... Mechanical is cheap if you do your own stuff, but unless you know bodywork (or know someone who will do it for you), best to get a non-running or no-engine rustfree bug rather than a running rusty bug!

Fri Feb 28, 2003 7:14 pm

if you have plans to restore it or fix it up, make sure you are not buying into something that will cost too much. rust is bad bad bad, and any other body damage is as well. go get john muir's book "how to keep your volkswagen alive." it has a great section on just about everything, including how to test a car before buying.

Fri Feb 28, 2003 7:35 pm

my first was a 73 beetle at 16. it was my dad's. i drove it for about 6 months but never really got the fever. it had a sq. ft. hole in the front pass compartment. yes i got wet. he sold it and i bought a mini truck. since then i've gone through 5 trucks. now i'm 26 and just bought another bug this past november. and it's a 73. now i know alot more about cars but still new to bugs. i have the fever for sure now. doing a mild resto to it. wanna suprise a few hondas and mustangs around here. well, good luck and remember that they don't make these anymore. so think REAL hard if you want to sell it.

Sat Mar 01, 2003 8:48 pm

my first car at 14 was a 74 standard sedan. I had the option of a 91 Honda CRX or the beetle. Best decision ever, I'm 22 with a 65 sedan now, undergoing a body off resto. I drive a 94 Eclipse right now, and it will be my LAST non air cooled vw. ever. I think that air coolers are the coolest people on the planet, and I think it's very cool that so many people my age and younger are into them, and giving the older guys a run for their money!

Sun Mar 02, 2003 7:42 am

When I was 15 I got a 73 super, that was my learning car. At age 17 I bought my 64 and sold the super. Now I'm 25 and still have the 64 along with about 10 other dubs and a huge garage full of air-cooled cars and parts. I'd say v-dubs have taken over my life...no turnin back now!