VW Bug buying advice?

[Matt Weiser]

Long story short, my wife really wants an older VW Bug.



I figure she's put up with my car habit long enough, I can give in and get her the car she really wants (even though I can't help thinking of the better, faster, more interesting used cars I could buy for the same money).



But I've never had the slightest interest in Bugs and don't know squat about them. Can someone educate me on Bugs? Good websites, books, buyer's guides? Of course, as long as I'm gonna have to wrench on another used car, I want it to be the best and fastest it can be, even though my wife will be the primary driver. So what's the best model/year to start with to build a fast Bug and what buildup recipe should I follow? I'm interest in making this Bug handle great as much as making it faster. And again I'm talking about an original Beetle, NOT the "New Beetle."

Many thanks in advance!

 

[scottyb]

motorworks.com
Also, grab an issue of VWTrends or FastVW's off the magazine rack.

As far as go-fast, I can't help as I was always into stock stuff. Even when I was driving them, I had the attitude just as now "If you want a fast car, start with a fast car". The nice thing is you can buy many engines out of those mags and drop them in with no mods.
My 69 was the best I had. No rust, not even under the battery. Others have agreed the 69 was the best.
My personal preference is for the pre-72 with single port heads and no emissions crap. They always were easier to tune and make smooth.
It's just like any car, look for signs of damage, excess rust etc etc. Be prepared to replace floorboards, the battery is under the back seat. And don't even look at a semi-automatic trans. Garbage.

 

[BoostedBug]

I can help with this one. Goto to www.thesamba.com . You can buy your bug off of there. Also when you start shopping I would say pre 67. the bugs after that had the small 4 lug wheels and but ugly front ends. Yes the 67 had the same front as a 68 and up but this car is a 1 year only car.


I would say look for a 66 down to 60. After that they get real exspensive. A good 2180 motor and a Berg 5 speed and you will be rollin. My 67 I had ran 11:70's throught the 1/4 on motor with 6" slick's. I have been into VW'S for over 17 years now and have since sold my buick and have gone back to the Bug. If you ever need any help or just have a question about them please feel free to email me. n2vws@bellsouth.net .

Also if you don't want to stroke the 1600 to 2180 you can always put a turbo on it. Hince see my user name. Look on thesamba.com and see what is available. Also as far as repair and tuning goes you can not go wrong with a set of Bug Me Videos. I have them and they are great!

 

[gn85]

Only know two things about a bug..

First thing I know is that they can float. Unless they've rusted out. I'm sure I wouldn't try this either way, but I have seen one floating before.

Second, I've heard friends tell me about Porsche motors in them. True? Fast?? Your wife said she just wanted a bug and we're hot-rodding the thing already.

 

[Steve D.]

Times sure have changed from the 80's

www.thesamba.com is good.

www.callookforum.com is a great site, the forum there is the best.

www.shoptalkforums.com has forums for all aspects of volkswagens, should be helpful.

VW Trends used to be good way back when, now they pretty much blow. HotVW's is a way better magazine.

Like I said, times sure have changed since the 1980's as far as aircooled volkswagen performance goes. Porsche motors and 2180's have kind of gone the way of the dinosaur. I built the 2276 for my '69 standard beetle, and it makes 170.5hp with the fan belt on, through the muffler, and 186hp with the belt off, through the muffler (hp @ crank).

Good luck, have fun with it!

 

[Matt Weiser]

Re: Only know two things about a bug..

Originally posted by gn85
Your wife said she just wanted a bug and we're hot-rodding the thing already.

Hey, isn't that what this place is all about? I've never been able to leave any car alone, and I'm not going to start now, especially with the hi-po aftermarket available for Bugs! The only limitations are the car's gotta stay dead-nuts reliable since the wife will be driving it. She also likes the stock Bug look, so no body kits or drastic lowering or crazy paint. But I figure she won't even notice a slightly lowered "Porsche stance" with wider wheels/tires.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. And I didn't mean to suggest that I thought Bugs are wimpy or anything, just not my cup 'o tea so far. My only real experience with them was a friend back in high school whose modded Bug used to shoot flames out the exhaust as I blew by him in my '69 Camaro!

Now I see there's a lot more potential than I thought. Like Steve D. said, things have changed a lot since the 80s! I like the big motor, 5-speed approach. 170 hp sure sounds adequate in a sub-2000 lb. car. I also like the look of the pre-'67 cars best, as BoostedBug suggested.

One thing I wonder: when did Bugs switch to a 12-volt system, and how hard is it to convert a 6-volt car? Also, the wife likes those big folding fabric sunroofs; were they only available certain years?

Thx again for the help!

 

[BoostedBug]

Re: Re: Only know two things about a bug..

Originally posted by Matt Weiser



Now I see there's a lot more potential than I thought. Like Steve D. said, things have changed a lot since the 80s! I like the big motor, 5-speed approach. 170 hp sure sounds adequate in a sub-2000 lb. car. I also like the look of the pre-'67 cars best, as BoostedBug suggested.

One thing I wonder: when did Bugs switch to a 12-volt system, and how hard is it to convert a 6-volt car? Also, the wife likes those big folding fabric sunroofs; were they only available certain years?

Thx again for the help!

170hp is easy to make now adays. I had a 1641 with a turbo and it put out 200hp and is 100% streetable. VW's switched to 12v in 1967 and that year had some one off items. The 3 fold top you are ref. are called a sliding rag top. They stopped putting the sliding rag on cars in 1962 if I remember correctly. You will see alot of cars that have these installed on them in later years as it is easy to buy a kit and cut away. Check out thesamba.com as they have alot of cars on there.

Converting a car from 6v to 12v is real easy. The hardest thing is the wiper motor and they make a box for it now.