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vwlovr73
Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2000
Posts: 273
Location: ND
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 Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:36 am Post subject: |
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| 79SuperVert wrote: |
But I still would not be able to go to sleep until I heard your bug pull into the driveway.  |
Well, I think my mom still can't sleep until she knows I'm home after I've been out bugging around town! 
_________________
1963 Beetle euro spec "Darrel" (since 2012)
Past - 1973 Beetle "Arthur" (owned 1998-2005)
Red River VW Club- http://www.redrivervwclub.com |
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offshores
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2012
Posts: 1085
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 8:55 am Post subject: |
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| With airplanes falling out of the skies, all the non VW related motor vehicle accidents, shootings at churches and movie theaters, e coli deaths from eating a carrot, cancers, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, suicide bombers, and the other 1 billion things that aren't "safe", I'd have to say that yes, I'd let my kid drive a Bug. My guess is that driving a Bug is much safer than the way parents feed their kids these days. |
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vwlovr73
Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2000
Posts: 273
Location: ND
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 10:43 am Post subject: |
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| offshores wrote: |
| With airplanes falling out of the skies, all the non VW related motor vehicle accidents, shootings at churches and movie theaters, e coli deaths from eating a carrot, cancers, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, suicide bombers, and the other 1 billion things that aren't "safe", I'd have to say that yes, I'd let my kid drive a Bug. My guess is that driving a Bug is much safer than the way parents feed their kids these days. |
mmmm. High fructose. Yum. 
_________________
1963 Beetle euro spec "Darrel" (since 2012)
Past - 1973 Beetle "Arthur" (owned 1998-2005)
Red River VW Club- http://www.redrivervwclub.com |
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offshores
Samba Member
Joined: February 08, 2012
Posts: 1085
Location: So Cal
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:32 am Post subject: |
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| vwlovr73 wrote: |
| mmmm. High fructose. Yum. |
mmmm. Fruit cake. Lame. |
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DeadheadSF
Samba Member
Joined: July 09, 2012
Posts: 129
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:32 pm Post subject: |
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| VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: |
| I want all the input good and bad. In reallity anyone can be seriuosly hurt in anything that we drive or ride on streets. We live in such a protected society in todays time. Driving around in a cocoon, unaware of our suroundings. |
That about sums it up beautifully - everyone oblivious in their little bubble.
Ultimately, it's up to you of course, but... how many teenagers drove a beetle as their first car? Quite a lot, I'd imagine. Here's some things to consider:
1. we live in a "protected society" - true. Part of the reason for that is that many people in the younger generations never learned how to live any OTHER way - even many 30+ year-olds are still as irresponsible as teenagers. Lack of experience plays a role in this...
2. Everyone's used to having "automatic"-everything (at least in the US). Driving a car requires no thought anymore, and as a result, people seldom learn to actually THINK when they're driving. If the majority of people here drove manual cars instead of automatics, I don't think we'd have nearly the problems with distracted driving. Further, driving a manual car makes you pay more attention to conditions around you since there's things you need to do to compensate that aren't necessary in an automatic.
3. Related to #2, learning to drive a very bare-bones manual car will teach a great deal of driving skill that most kids now never learn. Your son will be a better driver for it (at least, that's my opinion).
Yes, there's negatives, and everyone in this thread has covered them (no modern safety features: airbags, ABS, crumple zones; gas tank sitting right in front of you, fire hazards, poor handling, etc...) and the still large numbers of oversized gas-guzzlin' SUVs (rolling road hazards) - you'd think the high price of gas would've done something about that, but... no.
Just weigh the balance - consider driving conditions where you live. How crowded are the roads? Are quiet back roads and places where your son can learn the finer points of driving without much interference?
Some folks won't give a 16-year-old much credit... I can understand that to a point, but at 16, one should be considered old enough to be at least somewhat responsible. Not too long ago in our history, at age 16, you were expected to be working full time and possibly even getting married, etc... that all mostly changed in late 19th and early 20th centuries. Now, people are still children at 30 (or so it seems).
I'm trying to not make this into a philosophical thing because it's up to you anyway, but you wanted the good and bad sides, so there you go. It's a simple fact of life that bad things can and do happen; the best we can do is to learn how to handle them and prepare for them. But if everyone is afraid of everything (a common problem in our society), then no one is learning how to deal with problems and no one is really LIVING. You can't LIVE if you're hiding in the closet all your life out of fear of the unknown.
BTW, it's really cool you're going to do a rebuild project with your son. I never had many things like that growing up, but deeply wish I did... those are moments to cherish.
Good luck
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What a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG strange trip it's been...
'69 Standard Type 1 - stock, mint. |
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VOLKSWAGNUT
Fastest VW Belt Changer
Joined: October 14, 2007
Posts: 11160
Location: Flippin' a Belt........ .... Off-n-On ... NC USA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:48 pm Post subject: |
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I started this post... and have enjoyed every response.
It's nice to see opinions form and no real arguments come from it for a change.
To recap our personal decision,
We elected to forgo the 67 Beetle, as the main mode of transport for our son. We picked up a modern used GM car, actually a nice lil hot rod.
Its is a safer, yet much faster, has a few nice features, like A/C and Heat  , it is a manual trans per my insistence, requires less mainteance, less fiddling, less tinckering, (yeah for me), it has great fuel mileage, much better than the Beetles, and frankly it was the right choice for us.
Now we all (in our family) can drive the VW's any time we want to.
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aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
Usually and often edited |
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vwlovr73
Samba Member
Joined: April 20, 2000
Posts: 273
Location: ND
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 12:56 pm Post subject: |
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| VOLKSWAGNUT wrote: |
Now we all (in our family) can drive the VW's any time we want to. |
While having a daily driver VW for 7 years as a kid was a GREAT experience for me, I have to say that as an adult I am pretty damn glad I have a car with heated seats and 40 mpg, in our -30 degree winters. I ain't as tough as I used to be.
Really glad your kid got the manual though. I think it's important.
Funny story for ya:
Picture two people in a Uhaul store picking up rentals. One's me, 23 years old college girl, there to pick up a smallish van I'd reserved. The other's a guy in his 40s, there to rent the biggest truck they have, which he'd reserved. He finishes his transaction and goes out to the truck, i step up to the counter to begin my transaction.
The man comes back in to the store a few seconds later, obviously upset, and complains that the full size truck (which is quite old) is manual. The uhaul clerk says, 'thats all we have for that size. in fact it's our last truck aside from the little one this gal is picking up.' The guy yells at him something like "what's wrong with you! no one can drive a stick these days." The clerk looks at me and says "can you?" I say "yeah of course."
I drive away in the 26 footer and Mr Nobody-Drives-A-Stick gets my little van. My father was so proud. hah! Took me one trip to move my 1 bedroom apartment and didn't even have to stack anything.
_________________
1963 Beetle euro spec "Darrel" (since 2012)
Past - 1973 Beetle "Arthur" (owned 1998-2005)
Red River VW Club- http://www.redrivervwclub.com |
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VOLKSWAGNUT
Fastest VW Belt Changer
Joined: October 14, 2007
Posts: 11160
Location: Flippin' a Belt........ .... Off-n-On ... NC USA
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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| vwlovr73 wrote: |
Really glad your kid got the manual though. I think it's important.
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IMO....it should be a requirement.
It's like riding a bike, once you learn it..... you got it forever.
In addition it helps break up "cocoon syndrome"
_________________
aka Ken {o\!/o}
Its your vehicle- stop askin' for approval-do what YOU like for cryin' out loud
Better to roll em' how you want and wear em' out-than lettin' em' rot out
Its about the going not the showing
Rebuilt to drive not decorate
WANTED: Local Eatin' Joints, Triple D for TheSamba contributions here http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=570510
Search "VOLKSWAGNUT" on YouTube since you cant watch a "certain" BELT change video round here
Usually and often edited |
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Max Welton
Samba Member
Joined: May 19, 2003
Posts: 11047
Location: Black Forest, CO
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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| vwlovr73 wrote: |
The guy yells at him something like "what's wrong with you! no one can drive a stick these days." The clerk looks at me and says "can you?" I say "yeah of course."
I drive away in the 26 footer and Mr Nobody-Drives-A-Stick gets my little van. My father was so proud. hah! Took me one trip to move my 1 bedroom apartment and didn't even have to stack anything. |
Priceless! 
Max
_________________
1967 Type-3 Fastback
Under the Knife https://shoptalkforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=151582
Home Stretch https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=767836 |
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ach60 
Samba Member
Joined: May 14, 2001
Posts: 4137
Location: Santa Maria
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 9:53 pm Post subject: |
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I have to say that I'm intending on giving my old Passat wagon, or my old New Beetle to my sister's kids.
I wouldn't give them my old Air Cooled Beetle, because these kids just are not "car people".
They're better off with a safer car that is somewhat reliable, and damned safe.
Modern VW's (2000 & newer)are real safe cars, not to be confused with BIG cars or SUV's,
that may or may not really be that safe.
Link
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Good Luck
Al |
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VWAdam
Samba Member
Joined: February 14, 2002
Posts: 3350
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
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| Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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While I am in no way saying that a '59 Impala is safer than an '09, however there is evidence to show that test was a bit "modified".
You see dust coming out in places (rust, or possibly pre weakened areas) and I've seen someone show that car had no engine in it.
Kind of like that news expose on the explosive prone fuel tanks in Chevy trucks where the "test" was rigged to explode on impact.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-WYKYrq5FI
Same idea, old car still less safe but less dramatic with the actual crash.
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All he needed was a wheel in his hand and four on the road.
'59 Euro Beetle ragtop
'63 Standard Microbus
Come to my show! www.volksjam.com
Looking for badge/sticker/frame from Western Motors in Great Falls, Montana |
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