Test Drive--1970 Volkswagen Beetle
I was driving down the hill from Griffith Park, when I caught sight of something round and brilliantly red. Even in the depths of my peripheral vision it burned its image like a laser into my synapses. My brain registered: Red - VW - Beetle - original - clean.
A few hours later I got a call from a friend: “I’m in your neighborhood and I found the most amazing car. It’s perfect.”
My Car Lust neural net fired: “You mean the red Beetle at the corner of Franklin? I’ve seen it. Check it out, that thing looks sweet.”
Then three fateful words:
“It’s - for - sale.”
My neural net glowed bright red:
“If it’s good and the price is right I’ll buy half of it with you.”
The car was clean and recently painted the most eye-catching red I’ve seen this side of a Ferrari. The bumpers were gorgeous, new looking, and perfectly chromed. I went into hyperdrive looking for flaws, but there did not appear to be any surface dings or damage whatsoever. The skin on this Bug was perfect. The running boards were solid--no undercarriage damage. I crawled around the car like a monkey looking for nits. No rust anywhere. I walked the surface of the Bug with the magnet checking for bondo--none.
We contacted the owner, who was across town and not available to show the car until the next day. It was Saturday, and we would have to wait until Sunday morning to drive it. The car was sitting at the side of the road with an array of clubs attached the steering wheel and locks on the pedals. But the doors were unlocked. So I opened one. No alarm. Interior good. Headliner clean and tight.
Emboldened by the positive results of opening the driver’s door I decided to take a few more chances and scope out the engine compartment...
Do you remember the scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, when they open the gilt sarcophagus and this intense power-of-god light bursts forth from the Ark of the Covenant knocking everyone off their feet?Yeah. It was just like that. The engine compartment was lined in vented stainless steel polished to a mirror-like finish. The engine was like an altar to some god king. The beauty of this engine and its shining compartment was so intense that space-time was bent asynchronously around me like some kind of Einsteinian experiment in relativity. As you can see even the photos we took with a cell phone are washed out by those god beams. (Err yeah, that explains the photo “quality.”)
And so ended Day 1 of the Sacred Beetle Inspection. Everything looked good with one small exception, the tires and wheels. The tread was good, and the car had some nice shiny chromed mags. But I noticed that the passenger side rear tire had a few odd markings on the outside edge of the tread. I started checking a little more and comparing tire/fender clearance on all corners. The right-rear corner of the car was sitting about an inch low. The marks on the tire were from the fender rubbing and cutting a groove in the tire. I’ve seen this kind of thing on a surprising number of used cars. In this case it was probably due to an incorrectly adjusted torsion bar spring in that corner of the car and a set of fat tires with a lot of offset in the hubs.
Day 2: 10 a.m.
I walked down the hill to meet Dagoberto, the owner. He spoke slightly more English than I spoke Spanish, but we were able to communicate pretty well. He had owned the car for about a year and wanted to sell it. His asking price was $4,500. He didn’t live in the neighborhood, but he had a great plan--leave the car where it would get noticed by people who liked vintage cars and could afford a few extra pennies for one in good shape. He picked a neighborhood filled with restored Vespas and nice older cars and stationed the car in plain view. The red homing beacon worked, at least on me.
There was a little more inspection. The holy engine was now running. It now emitted the sacred aroma unique to VW air coolers. As it idled one could hear the faint and distant hum of an angelic choir.
I pointed out the problem of the sagging rear suspension. Dagoberto acknowledged it with a look of concern. We discussed the status of the title. I called another friend on his cell phone to act as a translator for the finer points of legalese. With ownership issues resolved, the keys were handed over, and three adults climbed into the Beetle.
The experience of driving a 39-year-old car is interesting. I had always assumed that the Beetle had voluminous interior space. That’s what I remember from my days as a child passenger, but it’s just not so. The headroom is great, but there’s not much space for the legs of a 6’3” driver. Oh, and rear leg room? It’s almost non-existent. With three adults it was very cozy inside that car.
The car had been driven, so the engine was fully warm. That wasn't what I wanted. I prefer a stone cold engine to see how it starts. You really want to see a car at its “morning breath” worst--cranky, sleepy, and a little obnoxious. But one takes what one can get. I turned the key, and the car started almost immediately.
When I’m testing a car I start slowly, so I can get used to the car and avoid alarming nervous owners. This was an extremely slow start. The Beetle was never built for speed. First gear is set low for stump pulling. The shifting was typical VW, which means that you have no certainty of which gear, if any, you are in.
I’d forgotten that double clutching and downshifting into first always requires a lot of revs. I was reminded of the old days in my Squareback. It was the same deal with this Bug, you really need to get those revs way up to shift down to first. Just pushing harder on the shifter does not help. We drove up the hill to visit James Dean’s statue at the Griffith Park Observatory. This would test the car on winding and hilly roads and then test the brakes on the way down.
It was a steady and methodical ascent of the hill. Traversing speed bumps showed how rough the ride could be, and how worn the old KYB shocks were. The brakes worked well in that completely unassisted manual hydraulic brake way ... you build up strength in your arms and your right leg driving this car.
Overall, the car ran as a good Bug should. But there were some odd smells. Mostly exhaust. Lots of exhaust. I thought about this as I drove and mused on how the fumes were getting into the car. The exhaust system looked fine and was relatively quiet for a Beetle, but the cabin was filling with fumes and the windows were wide open.
Then I hit on the answer ... THE STAINLESS STEEL GOD-KING SHRINE! When rebuilding the engine compartment, the rear firewall must have been compromised. It now allowed exhaust fumes to fill the car at idle or during-low speed acceleration. The fumes were probably coming through those vents in the polished stainless engine compartment liner.
The next unexpected challenge was a u-turn that rapidly became a 3-point turn. I don’t think the car had really great steering lock to begin with. With wider tires there was almost none. It took a long time to get the car going in the opposite direction. Small cars are supposed to have small turning radii, but this was worthy of a land yacht.
Then while sitting waiting for a traffic light to change, I detected another smell--a new and familiar odor. What could it be? Something like rubber burning. Oh yes. That would be the rear passenger side tire. It was now giving off blue smoke from a little too much contact with the fender.
We drove back to our starting point and piled out of the car seeking fresh air. I showed Dagoberto the smoldering tire, and the accumulation of molten rubber that was now attached the fender. He was genuinely shocked. Never having driven the car with a full load, he had not encountered this problem. His spirits visibly sank. He knew he had to fix this before he could sell the car. I explained the relatively simple adjustment procedure, and he seemed to cheer up.
Summary:
This is a car perfect for someone who loves Beetles and loves them no matter what. Owning a Beetle requires that you drive it without reference to modern conveyances. You step back in time. Making this your single mode of transportation would require that you become an anachronism, living in the past and happily accepting the ancient and wonderful qualities of driving as it was 40 or 50 years ago.
I’m really happy I got a chance to drive this car. It cleared my head. I no longer wonder or fantasize about owning a Beetle. If I collected cars I’d think about buying this one and fixing the few glaring issues it has. But I’m not freaking Jay Leno. I don’t have room for that kind of collection in my life. I drive cars in particular ways and there are things that I require from my cars (performance and handling) in order to enjoy the driving experience. The Beetle was beautiful and lovely in a gentle and quirky way, but it’s the wrong car for me. I am content to love it from afar, appreciate it for the car that it is, and enjoy the memory of test driving an icon of automotive history.
--Mochi Mochi
Anthony Cagle on February 05, 2009 at 08:34 AM
>>It cleared my head. I no longer wonder or fantasize about owning a >>Beetle.
*snerk*
Chris Hafner on February 05, 2009 at 08:51 AM
Yeah, that was a great line. Sometimes a solid shot of reality is needed to clear the head from the intoxicating effects of Car Lust.
Fantastic story, Mochi. This is a great illustration of how all too often the reality doesn't match quite up with the fantasy of Car Lust. That's true of many forms of lust, I'm guessing.
That Car GuyThat Car Guy on February 05, 2009 at 09:05 AM
I like your photos! The sun rays offer an ethereal look that no computer program can match.
But the missing trim, the chrome eyelids, and those big wheels would have made me keep driving. Just too "custom" for my tastes. Yet I do like the smaller steering wheel, even though that made driving the Bug a bit harder.
Nice story!
David Colborne on February 05, 2009 at 09:12 AM
That's the problem with restorations - the devil is in the details. The other fun part about old cars like that is the maintenance schedule; if you've become used to the modern-day "I'll give this thing a 'tune-up' once every 100,000 miles, and, by 'tune-up', I mean 'change the spark plugs'" approach to maintenance, you'll find yourself in a Big Lebowski-style world of pain in pretty short order.
Worse yet, since that thing's a '70, you'd have to worry about passing smog. That ups the ante on those old cars a little higher than I'm usually comfortable with.
That Car Guy on February 05, 2009 at 09:26 AM
David, I have the cure for the smog test. Tell the seller that he has to provide a current valid certificate to make the deal. Ours are good for 90 days. That usually takes care of that problem.
Mochi Mochi on February 05, 2009 at 09:35 AM
The good news in California is that cars built prior to (not including) 1976 are exempt from smog (emissions) testing. Some one told me this was thanks to having the terminator as governor, but i don't actually think that is the case. It does how ever make 75's, and anything earlier, particularly attractive. I'm not adverse to adjusting points and replacing them and the condenser every 10k along with timing the engine. It used to be a fun way to kill an hour. But that's what CDI upgrade kits are for.
For a while I was shopping for a pre76 914. It seemed like a great idea until i found how badly those things rust - even in desert climates. Strangely these Beetles seem to have fewer rust issues either that or there are more of them and some how they've lasted due to sheer volume of production.
Cookie the Dog's Owner on February 05, 2009 at 09:45 AM
Like the Model T, the Beetle is an icon, one of the great automotive designs of all time. But in the 21st century, a Beetle pales in comparison to something as mundane as a base-model Aveo--just as a Model T would have seemed so painfully inadequate in 1970 if set alongside a Beetle.
A lovely article. I felt like I was right there test driving it with you.
Ben on February 05, 2009 at 10:24 AM
you could have done a lot better
yes, that 1970 Beetle is super clean and well cared for, but it still looks like it crawled right out of 1992
and if you were concerned about the tires rubbing even at that height, you don't know how low they can get, and just how many tires you go through in an average year
if you're going to get a beetle, get something pre-1969, they were just better looking and were much more 'beetle like'. the longer the beetles were in production, especially in those last few years, the more diluted they became.
that said, i owned a 1975 superbeetle, and although it was as ugly as sin and everyone in the VW community thought it was a joke (we call 'em Fat Chicks), it was still one of the greatest cars i've ever owned
i even learned to drive stick on it
but looking back, i would have liked to have stuck out the buying process and waited until i found something a little older
That Car Guy on February 05, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Before 1975 model cars, we did not have Federally-mandated catalytic converters, as much lead-free gas, or tiny gas filler receptacles. So those cars are exempt from smog tests since they had very little smog controls, certainly not enough to meet today's requirements. Leaded gas coats converters and ruins them, or so I'm told. 1975 also introduced points-free ignitions on most cars.
Oh, at the 100,000 mile "tune-up", please don't forget to replace the air cleaner LOL.
David Drucker on February 05, 2009 at 12:27 PM
Too bad it didn't work out for you. I was really rooting for the story to end "so I wrote a check..." I bought a 1971 Super Beetle, brand new, for $3000. That price included VW's wacky Automatic Stick Shift, the acronym for which should have been a clue. But my wife wouldn't drive a stick. The car also had dealer a/c, which accounted for roughly 25 percent of the total. It worked surprisingly well, if you weren't in a hurry to get anywhere.
My own take on buying an old Beetle today is this: 1967, or nothing. It was the last year for the old-style bumpers, and the first for 12-volt electrics. And the 1500cc engine cranked out a whopping 54 horsepower. Zero-to-sixty in three tries.
That Car Guy on February 05, 2009 at 01:02 PM
If you can imagine this, my father bought a two-horse trailer and tugged it home behind a 1965 Beetle. He really had to get a running start for a hill near us, but that was the way he saved gas to bring it home since he wasn't in the '59 Rambler station wagon that day.
John B on February 05, 2009 at 01:30 PM
When I was in high school I had acess to my brother's nice 62 Beetle convertible. It was available because he was in Vietnam...one of those rare meetings of two cultural milestones.
It was fun, and as a very new driver I didn't have much to compare it with other than dad's late model LTD or the families second car, our much beloved 63 Rambler 770.
So I accepted its underpowered nature, and little quirks like its dismally dim headlights,lack of heat and gas gauge.
But it did have charm....the familiar oil/fuel smellmixed with damp coco floormats and the aftermarket interior door levers that fell off if you hit a bump.
It was fun, especially after I got up the nerve to lower its top. I brought home my 11th grade woodshop project bookcase by lifting in the back seat. Later that summer, the neighbor's dog, an unusually bright basset-lab mix, would join me in drives to the A&W stand. Tuesday was 19 cent Coney days, and he did enjoy them.
One day it "failed to procede" as the English would say, and dad had it towed home. There it sat until my brother's early return a couple of weeks later. He was sore, thinking I had hurt his precious ride (in his eyes, it was a Porsche). He too was unused to the ways of old cars (though it was only 10 years old at the time), not understanding sometimes they just break.
helowrench on February 05, 2009 at 01:53 PM
That brought a tear to my eye,
Then I walked outside to look at my DD.
There it sits in all of it's glaringly green glory, a 1971 Karmann Ghia. For the few of you that are not familiar, it is a bug chassis with a sleek, hand fitted body. Love the car, and I actually enjoy putting 15K miles/yr on it. I love the looks when passengers realise that the radio has 1 speaker (radio not stereo).
I love that the tool kit needed for maintenance has nothing more complicated than a test light. I love that the maintenance on it takes me 3 hrs every 3 months. I love that it only costs about $20 each time. Funny how many exotics come zipping up in the rear view only to pause and give a thumbs up before they drive on past. It is absolutely amazing how it can silence crowds of 10yr olds when I pick up my daughter from school.
Short story is that yes the car has ZERO amenities other than a roof, and a nominal heater, but I still love it every day.
Rob
AlaskaBrant on February 05, 2009 at 02:47 PM
Back in Central Texas, Pastor Knippa had a black 1962 bug when I was a kid in the late 60's. He could fit all four of us kids in back with my mom up front on our trips to Vacation Bible School. I loved the white/ivory steering wheel and knobs. Then in the early 90's a roommate bought a used orange super beetle. I drove it a few times. I did not get on with the way the peddles flopped into the floor. I always worried the brake peddle would need to be shoved through the floor to really stop it in an emergancy. I am 6'3" myself and loved how first was up under my right knee somewhere.
I had visions of getting a Wolfsburg edition convertible many times, but darn, reality always came along and showed just how useless it would be as my only car. Like many, it wasn't until I hit 50 and the kid was gone that I can have more than one car at a time.
Reality can kill the lust everytime. Now in Alaska, a bug of any sort would be just too crazy.
Mochi Mochi on February 05, 2009 at 05:54 PM
I'm not sure Catalytic converters were ever federally mandated. The use of unleaded was. Lead will coat and kill a Cat but I think lead was a problem for more than just Cats. The lead particulate in the atmosphere just plane does horrible things to anything that lives and breaths. Does a nasty job on soil and plants too.
European manufacturers were able to keep up with emission restrictions through 1979. I think the last car able to run on leaded fuel was the 79 BWM 320i. Eventually, though, only so much could be done with ignition timing and exhaust gas recirculation, and combustion chamber shape - Cats were ultimately the answer. Now we have multistage Cats and a host of other controls, throttle bypasses, re-circulators (EGRs etc), and scrubbers. I believe a number of 3rd gen Toyota MR2s had a problem where pre-Cats would disintegrate and get recirculated through the EGR back into the engine... with less than optimal results. I'm guessing this is a problem to which many newer cars potentially susceptible.
That Car Guy on February 05, 2009 at 06:24 PM
No, Cats were not mandated, but the emissions requirements mandated Cats LOL. A few cars got away without them for a time. Older cars could be converted to run on unleaded gas with the change to stellite valves, for instance.
Shawn on February 05, 2009 at 08:31 PM
Charming story Mochi Mochi! Here's my Beetle-tale:
I was a car-obsessed 9 year old. My dad would take me to vintage car shows constantly but we never had one to call our own. I was really taken with VW's in general and one day when we were driving home from one of my soccer games I saw "the one". It was a Yukon Yellow 1969 Beetle Convertible sitting in a suburban driveway. As usual, I yelled out "BEETLE" as we were passing it, as I did for any Bug we saw on the road. But something else caught my eye: there was a FOR SALE sign on it! "Turn around Dad!!", I screamed with a fervor that could raise the hair on any father's neck. He hesitated for a short moment but realized he best humor me and we should go take a look.
To say my dad is "frugal" would be an understatement. But he always knows a good buy when he sees one. We were both shocked that the asking price was only $1000. We'd both looked at many Beetle sedans that weren't this nice for the money, and it was a convertible on top of it all. After a short test drive to make sure the engine wouldn't catch on fire or the wheels weren't about to fall off, a deal was hastily struck for $900 and we were driving it home. Mom wasn't even that upset about the proceedings. I knew she liked Beetles too.
For the next couple years, dad drove the car sparingly on weekends and good weather but decided to take it to the next level. A full restoration. The idea was to have it ready for me to use as my first car when I turned 16. There were two problems with this that became apparent in the (many) following years.
1. Once you take a car apart, you have to put it back together. It's the second part that has seen this car in various states of disassembly for nearly all of our ownership of it. (2009 marks the 20 year anniversary of this purchase). The car has had all the rust removed, a full paintjob, engine rebuild, and tons of new parts along the way. My dad is an upholsterer by trade so the convertible top, seats, and carpet are all his project. Though this should be the easiest step for us, it's the one that keeps it from being finished to this day. I guess when you work on other people's car interiors all day, it's tough to be motivated to do one of your own in your downtime.
2. Beetles are horrible daily transportation in the current age for anyone, much less a 16 year old first time driver. As I came closer to turning 16 I realized I was afraid to even drive this car. I was learning to drive on a modern Mazda and the Beetle was a different world altogether. The realization that first time drivers usually wreck their first car (I did) also had my dad scared to give the Beetle to me when the time came.
I REALLY would like to see the Bug finished someday. Having my own vintage car now (BMW 635CSi) that takes up all my wrenching time leaves me wondering if it'll ever get done. I know dad feels the same way.
John Bono on February 06, 2009 at 02:29 PM
>> First gear is set low for stump pulling.
After the stump has been pre-pulled by a tractor.
>> It now allowed exhaust fumes to fill the car at idle or during-low speed acceleration.
Um, in a beetle, is there really any other kind of acceleration available?
punditius on February 08, 2009 at 08:27 PM
I owned a 68 Beetle for a few years in the late 70s & early 80s. The heater didn't heat, but the car always started. No comfort at all, & if I had it today I probably couldn't drive it for 50 miles without suffering mightily.
But I wish I still had it. It's like my Mac Color Classic - way way out of date but still just so damn cool. And they both still work.
That Car Guy on February 09, 2009 at 01:26 PM
There was an aftermarket fan unit for Beetles that brought warm air from the engine to the defrost and heat ducts. If VW had installed one, maybe the cars would not have had the reputation of getting warm "When you got there".
stanczyk on February 10, 2009 at 08:38 AM
we all love little VW,
there's rumor that Hitler was a designer of this car,
if that's true I think he was talented guy ...
it's sweet, cool and cult car : like GolF I Cabrio, Peugot 205 GTI .. or Fiat 500
even we live in "personal, individualistic times", there's not so many cars that have that unique cool/cult factor ?! ,
Chuck on February 14, 2009 at 02:25 PM
Not sure if Hitler designed it or not, but I think he got somebody named Ferdinand Porsche to help. Wonder whatever became of him?
Paul in NJ on April 26, 2009 at 11:09 AM
My two brothers, my father, and I all owned, at various intervals a veritable fleet of Beetles in the late 70s to early 80s. I've lost count of the number of 1966 Bugs we drove, drove into the ground (and subsequently cannibalized for parts), had accidents with, repaired, and drove some more.
I eventually had a '70 Bug, which I proudly painted and cleaned up. The only problem -- and I know I ain't the only one -- was that somewhere in the floor there were holes. Driving in the rain meant puddles in the back. Well, that was part of the charm, too.
Pop quiz: How many people did it take to drop the engine out of a Beetle? Answer: just one -- given a good hydraulic floorjack, a pair of jack stands, and nerves of steel.
jevcent empleo on December 28, 2011 at 06:06 PM
how much??