Thinking about Buying a VolksWagon AirCooled for the first time of my life...
I have owned plenty of Vehicles. Like Toy,Honda,Ford...etc...etc...
I need some advice from some old scool people out there.
Even tho, the wife thinks I am nuts to be even thinking of a 70's car. I on the other hand am really tired of spending big bucks just to have someone else TRY to fix it when I know I could have done it right the first time and saved a big crap of load of money doing it.
Anyway.... The car I am looking at right now. And I've looked at plenty of them. But, before I go splerging out 2500 dollars I figured I'd be safe to ask a few questions just to make sure I did everything I could to be best informed...
For Sale sign reads... 74 Beetle (NOT SUPER). 1641 CC, New Carb, Dist, Coil... Thing looks really good. Paint is pretty good condition too. No Dings or dents. There is some rust. But not bad. Looks like it got painted over and I am sure there is bondo in some places... Is this a good year to be looking at?
Ok, the body doesn't really concern me. But, what I want to know is since I am not too sure what to look for on air cooled engines. What should I be looking for that will stand out? What would you check or look for if you were buying a used car? How about the trans? Is there certain things to listen or feel for?
Hmm, So, you go ahead and insult mechanics, and then want to by a ACVW, that you know nothing about, looks like your going to need a good mechanic after all, what is up with that?
On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 07:11:02 GMT, "eric" , who was sitting in a corner eating his Xmas pie stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum and began to run off at the mouth like so:
I predict a quick end to the help eric will receive on this newsgroup.
Whoa, please don't let Douglas get under your skin. The rest of us are here to help ya! Follow the link to John's site and read the "What to look for" article and then you should be able to make a lot of these call for yourself. If you feel you need to ask more question here, do so. We have been in your shoes before and most people here will help where they can. There is a wealth of info here and some very knowledgeable people who frequent this forum. The good out number the bad by many times over.
BUT, one quick way to make people ignore you is to get into a flame war. News groups require thick skin and just because someone post a flame at you for what ever reason they decide to do so, does not reflect on the whole of this group. Disregarding a post like Douglas threw out there is the best return you can give. IMHO!!!
"Buying a bug"..first of all where are you in the world? This can effect the quality of the car and can help us determine how to help you. Ie. if your somewhere like Michigan or PA there are going to obviously be different things to look for then if you are in California.
The most important thing when buying a bug is the body. I don't care what anybody else says. Where I live you can always pick up a good running engine for 300-500 bucks. And sometimes people even take pity on you and give them to you for a case of beer. But if your body is shot you are screwed. You mentioned that 74 had rust, where was the rust? Listen to John Stafford's instructions about the heater channels if those are shot not only do you loose your heat (who needs heat anyway) but you loose your structural support of the car. Your doors won't close properly, your floor pans could split from the body, the whole side with the heater channel rusted away could begin to sag significantly and the vehicle could be declared unsafe to drive. Despite what some people will tell you heater channels are not minor body work as you have to first remove the body from the pan and then remove the channel from the actual body. Read John Henry's site he gives a good description of what to look for. I can show you pictures and signs of a rusted/rotted heater channels if you are interested.
Despite what John Stafford says about 70's beetles being ugly, for a first time bug buyer they are not bad. However having owned a 74 I would stay away as they tend to have some one year parts (ie. fenders) and they can be a real bitch to find parts for. Plus you just can't beat the look of an older car, however with that in mind it becomes harder to find parts because of the year, and things tend to be a titch more expensive. Check out
formatting link
and just get a feel for the different years available. It's the worst feeling when you go and buy a car and then you find things about that particular year that drive you crazy.
So when you go look at a car, check the following areas:
1) Look in the fender walls, is there any sign of rust on the body of the car here
2) Open and close the door, does it sag at all, is it hard to shut? Could be the hinges are tired but look down along the pillar where the door jam is there rust here? Any signs of bondo or fiberglass. What about the quarter area (between the door and the back fenders) Look down where the running board is, is there any rust there? It's hard to describe where heater channels are but they start under the back seat and run in an oval like shape along the outer edge of the car and end in the front where your feet go. You will notice heater vents on it. If he has this area carpeted you can generally feel is the area is solid by running your hands along the channels. I personally would ask that the carpets be removed considering that this is such an important area. I have looked at cars where I simply touched the heater channel and I heard "crunch" If this happens, Run quickly away from the car.
3) Check out the pans, look in areas where the pans match up to the body in the front foot area. A lot of times there will be small holes in the body where water can get in and cause rust etc. Get the seller to take the back seat out and look down around the battery tray, is there rust and debris here? This is a very common area for a bug to rust out, and you can buy the pan pieces separate however if it's rusty here it could require welding. Do you weld? If you don't body work is expensive unless you can find a backyard welder who will do good work for a decent price.
4) Open the hood and take a look at the front apron, is it clean/straight? does the hood sit right? I would be concerned if it was skewed, as the car could have been hit at somepoint and not drive straight. Also look inside the hood is there rust around the gas tank? What about down in the front apron?
5) Take a look at the engine compartment, look on the back walls and side walls of the engine area. Is it rusty here? If the engine compartment is starting to rust I'm going to bet your parcel tray has probably started too.
6) Look behind the back seat in the parcel tray, often at times people are careless and forget to replace the window rubber and water gets in here and rusts this area out. This replacement is almost as difficult as a heater channel, having helped a friend replace this area on his 67. I swear I thought the whole car was going to fold in on us.
I'm not trying to scare you away from buying a bug, but you must realize that if you are going to use this car as a daily driver you are better off to pay the extra 1000.00 for a more solid car then to have to pay for fixes in the future. I unfortunately learned this the hard way.
Good Luck with your bug, if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.
Anna
65 Bahama Blue Bug "Bebe Jones"
79 Auto Westy "Avy"
58 Panel Van "Glenn"
The abusive, anti-mechanic who asked for advise has got enough, don't you think? I will bet ten-to-one that if he does buy a Bug, he comes back with the following list:
"What's the big red light on the dash" 9. "Why does my Bug hesitate?" 8. "I just adjusted the valves and now it won't start." 7. "It runs hot!" 6. "Battery keeps going dead." 5. "What's this milti-plug box in the engine compartment?" 4. "Mileage stinks." 3. "What's a Pertronix?" 2. "What kind of oil? 1. "And just where is my ass, anyway?"
John chill out. I at one point probably asked 90% of those questions and you guys helped me out and look at my knowledge now. Everyone has to start somewhere, even people with attitudes.
Damn! I missed out on this one.....crap! Is it too late? Can I join in....pleasepleaseplease???? I like trolls.... especially with horse-ass ....errrr..... horse-radish and a nice chiante....
On his there is - the brake light. For you and me there's the flashing blue light in the mirrors, and it ain't a KMart special. Oh, now there's a good line next time I'm stopped, "Is this a roadside KMart special?"
On Mon, 28 Jul 2003 14:33:44 -0500, John Stafford , who was sitting in a corner eating his Xmas pie stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum and began to run off at the mouth like so:
Hmmm... I read something like that once on a really cool website...
At one point I pulled off of the road because the car was stalling out on me again and there was a COP behind me! Oh crap! My inspection sticker expired like literally um... six months ago! What to my wondering eyes did appear? A freakin' flashing blue light. And I wasn't at K-Mart...
Hey Eric. First off, welcome to the flame wars. Seriously though...ignore every insult you get on a board like this. There is some good advice here...definately check out the web site link above. My suggestion is to buy (I can't beleive no-one else has mentioned this yet) "How to Keep your Volkswagen alive" by John Muir. Best book an ACVW owner can get...or pre-owner. There is an excellent section; a whole chapter in fact, on how to do an exstensive pre-purchase inspection. This inspection includes body, rust, suspension AND engine. Get this book. Get this book BEFORE you get an ACVW then you can decide with the correct knowledge. For whoever said the 70's bugs were ugly...the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to own a 73 bug, and I think (even with black fenders on a the back...b/c they've been replaced and some minor rust on the hood) that she is the most beautiful car I've ever driven. I also happen to dislike the styling of earlier bugs. like I said...the beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.