Daughter wants a Bug - is she too short??

[wagohn]

Hello all,

My daughter will get her license this year and is very enthusiastic about purchasing a classic Bug. She is five feet tall and we are wondering if she is tall enough to drive a bug in regards to reaching the pedals. She can drive my 78 MGB with the seat fully-forward and a pillow for back support/padding.

Anyone know if 5 feet will cut it?

Secondary question: We have looked online at Bug prices and it seems the "sweet spot" is around 4k. Any higher and they are "too nice" for college driving, any less and they seem to need welding etc. Thoughts? Things to look for (Years 65-75) ?

Thanks all.

[Glenn]

How old is your daughter and how long has she been driving?

Two years ago i was stopped at a red light and rear ended by a 60,000 lbs. garbage truck and pushed into a F150.

I walked away, if i was in my Beetle I would be 6 feet under ground.

Giving an unexperienced driver a 50 year old car as a daily driver is a danger to her health.

Just speaking one dad to another.

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Glenn
74 Beetle Specs | 74 Beetle Restoration | 2180cc Engine
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[wagohn]

[zmichael84]

5' will be fine.

But, if you're asking the question, it tells me you don't have much experience with a 50 year old Bug. Not sure what you and your daughter's mechanical aptitude is, but these can be challenging cars for maintenance and upkeep; not exactly an ideal circumstance for a college student, and not a "basic vehicle" by today's definition of car ownership.

Again, no idea what your situation is, but maybe think this one through a little bit more.

[4bolts]

A friend that owns a shop had a young girl come in to have her Beetle serviced. It had heavy rust on several structural areas and “very thin” metal on others and he told her not to drive it home. He explained to her that if she was in an accident, the rusted areas would fail. Not to mention that its still a 50yr old car with drum brakes, ect.

Now, she wanted it for a daily driver, so the possablity for a collision increased compared to a Sunday driver.

As for height, my mother-in-law is 4’11” and drove one for over a decade as her daily. Well, until it burned to the ground on the side of the road. They did save my wife’s backpack though.

....
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1966 Beetle - Euro
1965 Single Cab

[petrol punk]

My mom is 5'1" and had one when she was young. Should be fine.
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36hp '56 European DeLuxe oval, '70 bug 1835cc dual 36DRLA, and a '98 4x4 5spd single cab Tacoma

[Sharp64]

As another dad (4 daughters), I’ll pile on questioning this as a daily for any kid. Unless the car has been meticulously kept up, I would exceedingly reluctant for my child, especially a daughter, to be relying on a 50+ year old car as their main means of transportation. Unless that said child was VERY familiar with how to diagnose and repair the car and had a stash of quality parts to do so along with very good roadside assistance. I don’t see that happening in a years time. Hell I tinker with my cars and been doing all my own work for the last 3+ years and often am stumped and I have a decent stash of parts and garage full of tools. And I’m not even getting into the safety issues...

I don’t know what area of the country try you’re in, but $4k won’t get you much here in Florida. Definitely nothing I would rely on as my daily.

Let the kid drive the Audi and keep it for her for when she graduates to have as a weekend car.
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1967 Ghia
1985 Westy Money Pit
“...some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.” - Michael Caine

[wagohn]

Thanks everyone - sounds like she will be good at 5 foot then

As for us not being fully aware as to what we are taking on mechanically, I have quite a bit of wrenching experience. From Mini 850's to MGB (clutches, heads, carbs, track-rod ends etc). I say the Bug is 'basic' because most of the time a non-starter is either fuel, spark, or air. The Audi is a newer car and is a mystery to me when it quits - from cam sensors to "spark coils", its a much tougher roadside fix than a Bug. All I want is for her to be able to self-diagnose a roadside fix such as setting a set of points. Dad (me) can do all the heavier repairs. I had a 72 bug in the 90's and pulled the engine for a clutch replacement in 3 hours (taking my time using a Haynes manual), so I have some Bug experience too.

Thanks again all. Very much appreciated.

[gt1953]

If you do not have any VW manuals obtain them. As far as being vertically challenged your daughter will be fine. Personally opt for the later models with IRS rear suspension. I have been working with my 13 yr old grand son giving him driving lessons way out on the back roads. If he learns the how too's on the VW it is his. If he doesn't learn the how too's then it is not his.
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Volkswagen: We tune what we drive.
Numbers Matching VW's are getting harder to find. Source out the most Stock vehicle and keep that way. You will be glad you did.

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72 Squareback
({59 Euro bug, 62, 63, 67, 68, 69, 73 type ones 68 & 69 type two, 68 Ghia all sold})

[Tim Donahoe]

Wagohn, many of us cut out teeth on these bugs when we were your daughter’s age. The vast majority of us survived, despite the big American cars on the road that could crush us as easily as an SUV or a garbage truck.

My wife is 5’ and years ago, she drove a bug and a Karmann Ghia. No problem.

I’d think more about five or six grand for a nice bug. Four thousand and you can find too many hidden issues.

Also, the 1973 and on Super Beetles were much safer than the earlier bugs. I could go into specifics, but there were many safety improvements made on these models. They’re not quite fifty years old, they’re a little wider in the hips, and they don’t have a flat windshield—but they’re a safer car to drive.

Tim
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Let's do the Time Warp again!

Richard O'Brien

[KTPhil]

My ex-wife was 4'10" and did fine.

I would recommend a beater Civic or Corolla for a first car. Safe, reliable, economical, and no need to spend $$$$ for a scrape or bump.

Make the VW a graduation present... or later!

[joey1320]

1972 saw the most vehicle crash fatalities of any year since 1902 in the USA with 54,589 deaths. So yeah, these bugs, at their peak, where involved in the highest number of car deaths - that's something to not be taken lightly.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor_vehicle_fatality_rate_in_U.S._by_year



I'm not trying to be an ass but to give a teenager a 50+ year old car as a daily driver is rather asinine considering the immense amount of distractions on the roads these days. Buy her a new Beetle and keep her safe.
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**1971 Super Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...mp;start=0

[Cusser]

No comment on other issues, but I had 2 girlfriends maybe 5' 1" who drove my VW and others. One I taught to drive stick shift in my 1970.
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1970 VW (owned since 1972) and 1971 VW Convertible (owned since 1976), second owner of each. The '71 now has the 1835 engine, swapped from the '70. Second owner of each. 1988 Mazda B2200 truck, 1998 Frontier, 2014 Yukon, 2004 Frontier King Cab. All manual transmission except for the Yukon. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335294 http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_page.php?pic_id=335297

[herbie1200]

My daughter is still 11 so I have time to think about that.

The main issue is that those car require experience about driving and traffic.

50 years ago those car were like other cars, often better in driveability.

But now almost all cars have 4-disk brake, abs, and power brakes, so they brake a lot better. If you are not so experienced to keep a right distance from the veichle in front of you, when it brakes hardly you can be in a trouble.

[4bolts]

Most of our roads here in West Virginia are 55 mph, unless you are in town. So people do 60....of course. They are also quite curvy. It's not fun in a Beetle. I keep to around town and some roads where I can be seen from a distance. Nothing like coming out of a corner with little power and having a truck fly up and almost eating your rear end. With no place to pass, they will tailgate you until you pull over. Makes for strenuous drive.

...
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1966 Beetle - Euro
1965 Single Cab

[bigdog1962]

Most, if not all 16 yos aren't mature enough to understand the inherent dangers in pointing a 2-4000 hunk of steel down the road. I do realize the increased danger when driving my VW versus driving other vehicles. And as a nusrse spending 25 years in a level 1 trauma center, there is no way I would let my first time teenage driver use a VW as a daily driver.
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[APPLEGREENVW]

[4bolts]

[wagohn]

Thank you all so much for the feedback. Please rest assured that we won't be letting a 16 yr old drive a 40+ yr old car until we are confident she can handle it. If need be, the car will sit in the garage until she's ready. A Bug has been her dream car for years - she will wait, she's that type of kid.

We were out last night driving my 4-shift MGB. She did great. She was shifting up and down through the box like a champ. Where we live (rural) she can practice and never see another car, but are able to get traffic experience within 5 miles.

I shudder to think of 17-year-old me who tricked out a 1970 Mini and went "rallying" on the Yorkshire Moors against my buddies Saab. So, yes, I know how dumb teenagers can be, and can honestly say she has more common-sense than I ever had.

[rcooled]

Just an FYI...

There was a thread on here several years ago about a father/daughter restoration project on a '64 Beetle. It was the daughter's dream car and she & her dad put in a ton of work to bring it back to pristine condition. Turns out that when the car was finally finished, the daughter no longer wanted it. Not because she didn't like it, but because her friend's parents wouldn't allow them to ride in an old car with no safety features. That killed the deal instantly for the daughter...something to consider.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=524322&highlight=san+diego
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'63 Ragtop (current)
'65 Ghia coupe (totaled)
'67 Ghia convertible (current)
'69.5 Ghia convertible and
'62, '63, '65, '69 Bugs (all long gone)