A car you cannot go wrong with, its strong for the size, cheap, reliable and a part of history
Alternator burnt out, replacing it was 70.00 dollars.
Well I have a race engine and it handles nicely. I bought the engine for 700, but it burns out new cars easily.
It is a bit loud, but it's not too bad.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 10th April, 2003
Not perfect, but fun to drive, and as tough as nails!
Well considering that the car is 31 years old, very few things have gone wrong with it. But here they are:
Set of points $6.00.
New exhaust seals $15.00.
Generator had one laying around, so that's about it!
I don't if I'm the right person to write a review, because I am a dedicated VW enthusiast, and I live, eat sleep and breathe aircooled VWs.
A lot of people have complaints about Beetles, but I love this car. I drive it every day and she (her name is June) rarely fails to start. When something is wrong, I usually fix it in 10 minutes. It's so simple. I know what every part on the engine is and how it works.
The more I drive it, the more I love it. The heater will burn you up, although the defroster isn't very good. You have to open a vent window.
It's not that small on the inside, and I don't think it's that uncomfortable. It's no BMW though. The ride is choppy, but it is because it has one of the most durable suspensions ever built. It's at home on any terrain. Oh, and did I mention the traction? Excellent traction.
It only takes 2 1/2 quarts of oil, and you never have to add antifreeze, because there's no radiator! And it gets 29-31 MPG.
It's no Porsche, but the dual port 1600 has plenty of power to get out of its own way, and will cruise at 75mph nicely. It's noisy, yes, but it's a Bug, it's supposed to be. Plus I love that aircooled sound. In today's terms, it's not the safest car on the road, but I've seen some new cars (Geo Metro) that didn't hold up as well as some Bugs did.
Overall, a fun little car to drive and maintain. You gotta love 'em though. It's a piece of history you can drive every day.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 27th October, 2002
A cheap and smart investment!
The gas gage stopped working after driving the car for a couple weeks.
The heater boxes rusted through and I had to replace them with j-pipes.
The rod bearing on the number 3 cylinder ceased up, causing the engine to die at 117,000 miles.
This car has been the best vehicle I have ever owned, despite having to rebuild the engine.
It handles pretty good and it kinda feels like your driving a go-cart.
It has been very cheap on gas and parts, which I cannot say about the Ford.
Buy a beetle it will be a good investment on your part.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th September, 2002
One of the best cars in the world!
I haven't had to do anything major to my Volkswagen.
The gas mileage goes down to about 15 miles per gallon in the winter, but jumps to well over 20 miles per gallon in the summer.
Just make sure to change the oil and adjust the valves every 3,000 miles, and it will provide you with years of great performance.
My Super Beetle is fun and easy to work on. Almost anyone can work on one on these. Parts are very available and inexpensive.
It's pretty fast for a little 4 cylinder and it has a sporty suspension to it. This car runs and looks great for being 30 years old. It's a real attention getter!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 22nd July, 2001
I have recently found the video in Youtube channel, about a VW Beetle 1302S (same as your Super Beetle) recording 165km/h! indicated on Austrian Autobahn.
Discounting the speedometer error, she would record 150-155km/h as real speed, it's almost miraculous for mere a 50ps 1584cc motor. In fact, she's as fast as the likes of Ford Cortina 1600 (1593cc/72ps) and Renault 12TS (1289cc/60ps)!
Such mechanical efficiency is the very asset of whole Volkswagen products. I know an example of 1300 Beetle yielding just 40ps being able to reach 147km/h (91mph) in spite of manufacturer data of 120km/h, with small modifications little more than adding an oil-cooler!
By the way, your Super Beetle has front suspensions totally different from those of original 1200/1300/1500 lines. Namely front suspensions of yours are McPherson strut coil, while original series of Beetle uses torsionbar coil.
I prefer the one with torsionbar to McPherson-using version (1302/1303 series),for somewhat tricky but thrilling cornering attitude is more attractive to me than 1302/1303's mundane and unsubtle feeling.
I also respect whole Beetles' common virtue, the formidable tractability on snowy roads, where conventional cars easily slip.
Wiper washer pressure is from your spare tire, connected by a hose (use your wiper washer a lot & will have no air in spare tire).
Loud engine & road noise inside.
Air cooled engine.
Heater is a joke.
0-60mph is probably 15+ seconds.
They all leak oil straight from factory.
Built like a small tank.
Lots of room in front trunk.
To pull engine - have to lift back-end 3 feet off ground & lower engine down. Very basic engine to work on. Easy to find aftermarket parts for.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 10th November, 1998
16th May 2005, 11:19
Volkswagens when ran into a Buick at 35 like to throw there dashes at you. I wrecked my 71 a year ago and the gas tank, surprisingly didn't change shape at all it held up very well for being a Baja bug.