Best year to drive as a stock daily driver?

mikec4193

Hi Everyone

I have been shopping for a little while for a vintage VW that my family can use as spare car. We have long hard winters so it would be used on decent days in the winter months. During the nice weather drive it as much as we can....

I owned a 1971 Super Beetle back in 1979 and that was so far long ago I cant remember how it was...that was a different way of life then...

So what is the best year of years that I should looking for that I can use in stock or nearly stock form???

I love the early stuff but darn...not sure how they would work with today's traffic...

Any insight would be great....

MikeC
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Dad bought his first Beetle on Dec 17, 1953.

Erik G · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:04 pm Post subject:

a type 3. any year will do, but 66 and newer had disc brakes. 67 introduced 12v, 68 introduced Fuel injection, 69 introduced IRS rear suspension but still had the early body (68 introduced a fully automatic transmission - It had IRS too)
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KTPhil · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 12:08 pm Post subject:

The differences are small and only meaningful to us VW freaks. If it is to be a reliable daily driver that keeps up with traffic, I'd go for the most rust-free, affordable car with a 1600 motor (stock or modified), and enjoy it. That might be a later model with IRS, or an early that has been well-sorted.

As posted, Type 3 cars are larger, handle better, and are safer, especially the IRS cars. Parts are a little harder to come by but not impossible.

Any old VW will take work to make reliable and safe, and require more periodic maintenance that most people like, but if you find a good one, nothing drives like these things!

vwracerdave · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 3:10 pm Post subject:

Anything 12 volt '67 or later. My preference would be 69 & later IRS.
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Brian · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 5:28 pm Post subject:

'69 - '71 are my favorite.

Put a Ghia front end on a Bug, get some larger tires and a larger motor and the freeway is a blast.
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hooker · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:10 pm Post subject:

-Zodiac- · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:42 pm Post subject:

Abscate · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 6:46 pm Post subject:

Mike..you don't want to,be driving any Beetle on the Northway in traffic anytime of year, except 0600 Sunday morning.

Around town, perfect. I wouldn't sweat the 6/12 V for a spare car, especially if you buy a 6/12 battery for a 6v...then you can take a 12 v jump!

I like the metal interior of the 1960-1970 Beetles, with the 1965 being my favourite.
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gt1953 · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 7:43 pm Post subject:

Like mentioned. Rust free, mechanically safe (brakes tires wipers lights signals heater/defrost ect.). 1600 cc at least for the engine.
The later ones have irs rear suspension along with the Supers with the strut front end. Type 3 fastback has always been my dream.
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Brian · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 8:43 pm Post subject:

-Zodiac- · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:16 pm Post subject:

hitest · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:18 pm Post subject:

DadsOld74 · Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 11:56 pm Post subject:

I love my 74 Standard Bug. It seems to do fine in traffic. It does well on the snowy roads, has a pretty capable 1600 motor, and is very straight-forward to work on. The entire electrical system is at my finger tips from under the bonnet.

Parts for it are very available and not too expensive and there are almost always more than one option to choose from.

Tags and insurance are the cheapest you'll find.

I've never had a type 3, but I'm sure they are superior to drive. My bug has trouble in high winds sometimes and doesn't have much storage space. So, there are down sides.

I know people with 71/72 supers who love them. So, maybe that would be a good option to consider.
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AlteWagen · Troll Joined: February 23, 2007 Posts: 8501 Location: PNW

Karly · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 3:04 am Post subject:

my vote is for a late type 3 square... roomy and nice to drive. I consider myself a convert that that type 3s are the best drivers.

Yes I am back to driving a bug and soon to be ghia but if I had the $$ I'd also have kept my old square (I'm a sucker for the ghias sleek lines). The only parts issue I had with the square was linkages for the dual carbies. It was the cheapest car to insure too but prices have finally risen a bit since then.
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andk5591 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 4:40 am Post subject:

Late bug (like 69 or newer). Better suspension, a little safer, more power. If you are driving it at all over the winter, you will be exposing the car to road salt. Even if the roads are clear and dry, salt remains for quite some time. That being said, you will be inviting corrosion or rust.

A couple times I pondered building a year round daily driver. (I am in PA). Would use a late since it would get beat up, would do a ground up build with LOTS of bedliner and powder coating on pan and suspension components. Would do as much treatment of body sections as possible with rust preventative coatings.

Next would be going through heating system real well adding blowers for heat circulation. Make sure engine temperature management systems work really well and go from there. Lots of expense and work.

The alternative is to treat the car as it was designed. Take reasonable care of it and junk it after about 5 years of winter salt, since it will rot out. A better alternative is to pick up a used Accord or something as a winter beater and take the VW off the road for the winter.
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Bugdog67 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:53 am Post subject:

DadsOld74 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:05 am Post subject:

Good point on the road salt. I wouldn't subject any ACVW to that. Wyoming, thankfully, does not use it at all. Only a little sand. So I can run mine year-round.
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--Brian ('74 standard bug)

"If one does not fail at times, then one has not challenged himself." - Ferdinand Porsche

B52Gunner · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 9:26 am Post subject:

I'm daily driving mine about 300 miles/week...1600 SP, mostly stock/original...no problems keeping up with traffic if I drive like a mad man, but I stick to the slow lane most of the time in order to reduce wear and tear on my 46 year old engine.
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mikec4193 · Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:34 am Post subject:

Hi Everyone

So from what I can read here...12 volts...67 and newer...1600 CC motor...I know my dad use to talk about driving his (1954 VW Beetle) on the German Autobahn and how fast it would run...that was different era for sure....and his VW Beetle was brand new at the time...

Todays traffic flow is a bit more frantic than it was then....

I learn everyday I am on here...

So what does the Ghia front end do for the vintage VW's??...I am a total newbie here for sure...

MikeC
_________________
Dad bought his first Beetle on Dec 17, 1953.


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Best year to drive as a stock daily driver?
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