Does anyone own a VW bug?

Question 1
Does anyone own a VW bug?...  Do you ever see people punch each other when you drive by?

Answers
1)   Yes and yes! Kids especially, but the guy at Starbucks got punched really really hard by his co-worker yesterday, and then wanted me to weigh in on it. It was pretty funny :) - wyllow

2)   all the time - J.R.

3)   i have 2 bugs, a silly looking pimp mobile with bodykit and spoiler and a 71' superbeetle w/ autostick tranny.

the superbug is real loud and blows flames and will drag off the usual street prowlers in holden commodoors. i dont see any people punch one another in a game of "punch buggy" but i do get a LOT of 5-9 year olds wave to me! least they dont throw food at the bug like they did with my crappy van.

BEETLE'S 4EVR!!!!!! - shaunmichaeljohnson

4)   Hi Miss
If you like good advice then read this entire thing in one sitting.
The later model VWS are much better that the earlier 1970's models due to the newer fuel injection systems even though they are old school.
Maintenance is going to be a headache and a nemesis in terms of financially keeping it up and running in the years to come.
If I were you I would invest in a classic car like a 1960's or 70's ford mustang with the V8 and a sweet sounding 289 under the hood.
Parts are never a problem if you know where to look and ford will help you out,even the e bay motors ford guys know where to find the parts to keep it running for a long time to come. Ford man old school man in san diego,ca - lwr735

5)   I have a 74 and people do comment on it wherever I go.

As to the punch dub commercials, I'm confused why people would play this with current VWs because they are one of the most bland makes out there. Nothing unique to see there. - Jay S


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Question 2
What would cause my rear brakes to lock only on my 1967 bug, then suddenly OK?...  

Answers
1)   Sound like your caliper is sticking.... get it repaired yesterday or it will/can stick to where you can't move the car. - LT

2)   Could be a couple of things. You may have a leaking wheel cylinder that got fluid on the shoes. It may also be the master cylinder. - uthockey32

3)   Bad master cylinder
dirty fluid (spec of dirt blocking brake line)
Sticky wheel cylinders
e-brake cable got caught on something under the bug

My 73 has a problem with the right front tire locking up and the rest do not help to stop it.......good times! I have a new master cylinder so I can replace the bad one this weekend - Rod Knocker

4)   All bugs had drum rear brakes. The parking brake was not likely to lock up.
It is almost certainly the wheel cylinder.
When it corrodes, it will bind.
But a binding wheel cylinder can eventually retract and be ok again for awhile.
When you try going back and forth, it can force the pistons past the rough spot.
But it will happen again.
And the heat can do a lot of damage.
Take the drum off and check.
You should be able to put a finger on each piston and easily push them to one side or the other, as a pair. Or you can simply put a screwdriver into the slot in the piston end, and turn it. It should be easy to turn. A corroded one will not be easy.
On a bug this old, this is also time to check and consider replacing any rusted brake lines.
They are cheap.

If this was from sitting a week or so with the parking brake on, it could just be adhesion.
Typically one just bangs on the backing plate with a hammer, and the shoes will break loose. - Motorhead

5)   It could be a wheel cylinder, but I have had more problems with the rubber brake hoses.
They get old, the insides swell up, not letting the fluid back to the master cylinder - onlyoldiron4me


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Question 3
Thinking of buying my first super beetle, please help.?...  I was driving down the road the other day and saw a beetle on the side of the road. Its a 74 Super Beetle, the owner was asking 2700, I saw some flaws and offered 1500. He then called me back a week later and I test drove it today. (he agreed to my price)

Jumping right into the pros and cons that I saw, I am looking for some help to see if this is a good buy.

Body - Great shape, no dents, dings, chrome in good shape, door line up. willing to buy off of looks alone

Paint - looks like a semi good paint job, but a big flake fell off the front hood, only place I could see, exposing a dark primer. 1-2 minor paint/rust bubbles around the window. Looks like a cheap paint job overall

Driving- kind of scary - the shifter has a lot of play in it, when in gear you can shift the shifter all over the place, it stays in gear, but feels like neutral in terms of how much it wobbles. What causes this?

Brakes- more scary, they just dont stop the car pumping the breaks helps but I would not trust it going 30 mph and not having 20-30 feet to stop. Possibly need to bleed the breaks, but not sure

Interior - upholstry in good shape, seat covers going on cant tell condition of seats, Dash is ruined by sun. Divers side window does not go down.

misc notes - owner said needs new ball joints, will give me one but need another, dont know cost to install. Engine sounds good, but never been in a bug before.

Over all, I want this car, have to admit i have been bitten by the bug. The owner wants 1700 but I am standing firm at 1500.

I would not mind putting another 1500 to fix up this car, but I expect that 1500 to cover me a long time, until I start major cosmetic work.

Any help would be great!

Answers
1)   Sounds like it has a lot of miles, you didn't mention milage. Ball joints wear out about 100,000 miles.Sounds like shifter needs new bushings and adjustment. It needs new brake job -$400 unless you do yourself. You can buy new dash or cover it. If you work on yourself it's ok deal. If not, theres a lot of these out there. A newer one with new body style is better to buy. - MRD

2)   Sounds pretty standard for a bug. Nice that (from your description) the body is sound. Check under the battery and heater channels (under doors) for signs of corrosion.

If you mechanical competent I'd say go for it. Judging from your question I'm guessing you not machanically anything. Keep in mind this is a 37+ year old vehicle, even if parts an labor are cheap expect lots of issues to continue popping up. A bug is so simple theres only a few things that really need to work, thats brakes, steering and engine. You need new shifter bushings, bugs have alot of shifter linkage. Brake bleed/brake job and maybe a master cylinder.

For the age, I'd plan on more money for upkeep if your not doing the work for yourself. If you are, that should be more than enough. - kbeefy

3)   Hey Guy
When you are buying something this old you can be in the market for numerous headaches and misery.
The newer VWs are a lot better especially the upper 1970's models because of things like fuel injection and electronic ignition systems.
The old school points systems are unreliable and when they get wet are hard to start,not to mention that the points are well obsolete even by today'sstandards.
The only thing to do is to sell it asap because you'll be so sorry you bought it in the first place,the costs outweigh the joys of owning one. - lwr735

4)   This is a difficult one. You will need expert assistance. You can try asking here
www.expresshelpline.com
Its a paid service and cheap. I personally like this service but thats just me.” - Sanjeev

5)   The easiest car in the world to work on.

The brakes probably need to be totally redone, but that is easy.
The wheel cylinders are only $20 apiece, and the master is about $100.
Shoes are $15/wheel.
The only hard part is getting the large axle nut off the back, (take to a shop and have then take it off and back on with air before you take them off yourself), and learning how to grease and adjust front bearings, (you pack between the bearing with as much grease as you can and adjust bearing to no freeplay but no preload).

The shifter is trivial, with a bushing in front and universal in back. Take and hour and cost $10.

Ball joints are also cheap and easy, $25 eash and an hour. But you will also probably need track arm bushings, that need to be pressed in, at $50 each.

Otherwise nothing to it.

Much better than newer cars because you don't have to fool around with expensive and finicky fuel injection, breakerless ignition, sensors, computer controls, etc., which are a total pain. - Motorhead


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Question 4
what car is beater subaru st-i or a jetta?...  

Answers
1)   The term beater is not limited to make and model. A beater is just an old car that has had a rough life. You don't care if it gets beat up more. However, I think an st-i is more likely to become a beater because it is more robust and reliable.

Most beaters are old pick ups or economy cars. - Headtater

2)   I think the Jetta is the better car, because it has more 3rd party parts available. It is easier to work on.
In Japan they impose a massive tax on cars more than 5 years old, so Japan does not engineer for long life. They tend to change parts often while manufacturing, depending on current price. This makes for difficulty in finding replacements. - Motorhead

3)   Sti's will kill any jetta. Sti's also have PLENTY of parts that are about the price of the German piece of s**t cars they call Volkswagen.

Overall subaru makes a better car. - baddogjmh

4)   I presume you meant better, not beater. The Subaru is better. More crash resilient and more reliable. - MRD


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Question 5
my seat ibiza i filled it with petrol?...  Seat ibiza 1.4 petrol mpi w reg i filled the tank i with 10 pounds of petrol and i got 60 miles out of this around town and stuff do you think this is very good or could be better.

Answers
1)   I think this is excellent! It makes me feel that the Oil refinery where i live has done its job proprly of keeping drivers informed. - joeyrodent2

2)   If you went on a longer journey and didn't speed you could probably do even better. Sounds good.To ensure you get the best from your car get it regularly serviced by a good mechanic..private ones charge less than the garages. - andianna

3)   It's your driving technique , or lack of. Drive smoothly and listen to your engine , it will tell you it's struggling in the wrong gear. You should get about 80mpg around town. Don't 'horse' the car in the wrong gear. - 16 seconds in

4)   its not bad though i do think you could do better. always drive in the highest gear possible :D - BargainBasement


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