is a 1973 VW Beetle a good car?

Question 1
is a 1973 VW Beetle a good car?...  i'm looking for my first car, and found a 1973 Beetle. it had a nice restored interior and original yellow paint, and little visual rust. do you think this iis a good first car? im worried about maintenance and reliability. what do you think?

Answers
1)   No. By todays standards they are maintenance nightmares and deathtraps.

Why the thumbs down? Air cooled brags about how reliable his VW bug is and then says "every 3000 miles you MUST, change oil and clean oil strainer, adjust valves, adjust carburetor if necessary, adjust brakes, check plug gap, points and condenser, adjust clutch pedal free play if necessary, and some other thing. not to mention you need to check the oil level at least twice a week and add as needed" That's what I call a maintenance nightmare. I have 60,000 miles on my 2008 Chevy and other than changing the oil every 6,000 miles the only thing I have ever done is put gas in it and bought one set of tires.

My Chevy has air bags, anti lock brakes, stability control, and does 0-60 in under 7 seconds. The VW takes almost 16 seconds making it dangerous to even take on the interstate. Get hit in the front in a VW at 20 mph and your probably going to lose your feet if you're lucky enough to survive. Many people walk away from 50 mph collisions in modern cars uninjured. - Howard L

2)   Unfortunately, no. It could be a very hazardous vehicle, the security features that they come equipped with is hardly much by todays standards. You're better of going with something in the 2000s+, and if money is an issue, you can find many cars better then the VW '73 for under $2500.00 (Such as a used Jetta). - Andrew Turko

3)   One reason that the old bugs were so popular was the ease of repair and a ready supply of used parts. In short they are not reliable, however they can be repaired by almost any one who has any mechanical sense.
As for a good first car, yes (provided you don't mind getting your hands dirty keeping it running).
Safety is a big issue!
Some claim Ralph Nader wrote the book "Unsafe at Any Speed" about the VW bug and was forced to switch the car in question from the Bug to the Corvair by the US State Department. These cars have handling quirks when pushed. The gas tank is up front, and leaking gas in a collision is a given. Fuel leaks can result in engine fires more readily because the engine is air cooled.
That said a lot of us outlived our VW bugs in spite of them, because as in all things automotive the primary problem is not the car but the owner/driver. - Old Man Dirt

4)   Old Man Dirt has it spot on! Cheap and easy to run and maintain, easy to modify as it's basically a Posche chassis, and as long as you drive it like a 1973 car and not a 2003 car, you'll be fine! It's a great little car that while not the safest in a high speed crash (not that "high speed" really applies to the Beetle!), is far more fun and unique to drive around in than the copycat little boxes most people choose as their first car! - Neil B

5)   i dont know where these other people get off say they are not reliable. they obviously do not own or drive one everyday, i do. the engine is air-cooled so as long as all the engine cooling parts in place, the engine will NEVER overheat even in 120F weather. parts are cheap and available at any parts store. they are also fun and easy to drive. Since ive owned my 1970 (almost 2 years) ive put about 9300 miles on it. I drove my 1970 bug 300 miles last week. 135 of those miles were continuous, no stopping at all, just driving at 60mph. and its the original 41 year old engine that has never been rebuilt with 82800 miles and running as strong as it did in 1971.

they do require more maintenance than modern cars. and if you dont do it yourself you will be spending a lot of money on mechanics bills. every 3000 miles you MUST, change oil and clean oil strainer, adjust valves, adjust carburetor if necessary, adjust brakes, check plug gap, points and condenser, adjust clutch pedal free play if necessary, and some other thing. not to mention you need to check the oil level at least twice a week and add as needed.

safety features.....well they have seat belts and thats about it. no crumple zones, airbags, roll over protection, reinforced doors power steering, power brakes or disc brakes. you have to drive a bug like you are in a glass car. be equally as defensive as aggressive because a lot of people i encounter on the road dont care that my car is slower, or less safe than theirs, they still cut me off and stop short. just keep an extra long following distance, especially in rain or snow. - Air-Cooled (o\ ! /o)

6)   No, not the 1973's. That was the first year they put pollution control ducts on the engine, and it was a nightmare.

The VW bugs up until 1970 were pretty good. Sure, they broke down a lot, but they were easy to fix. They don't have oil filters, so you have to change the oil every 1000 to 1500 miles, but that's pretty simple. Just undo the bolt under the engine, let the oil drain, replace the plug, and refill. Simple.
The valves need to be adjusted more frequently because it's an air-cooled engine. Luckily, it's a simple job that can be done quickly, once you get the hang of it. Back when I had my 1970 and 1966 bugs, I could do a complete tune-up (replace 4 spark plugs, condenser, adjust valves) and clean the air cleaner and change the oil in 45 minutes. Of course, the first time I tried, it took me 2 days -- I had completely removed the distributor (don't do this!) and put it back in backwards, lol . . . .

What you need before you buy a VW bug is a copy of the book, "How to keep your VW alive, a Guide for the Compleat Idiot" by John Muir. It'll explain lots of stuff, save you lots of $$$, and keep you rolling.

But anyway, the 1973's were terrible, mostly because of the pollution control devices. It was VW's first attempt to reduce emissions (BTW, my mom had one, so I'm familiar with it). The Feds also had a requirement that the emergency brake be illuminated, so VW put a pitiful little light under the dash pointed right at the yellow plastic handle. The light didn't fix anything, but then you'd have to be pretty dense not to know where the emergeny brake handle was. - David


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Question 2
What should I do to start a 1974 VW bus that hasn't been run in 5 years?...  It is a dual carb engine, and the gas has been sitting in there for at least that long. what should i do to make it run and fix it up? I know this is somewhat vague, but I really just need a first starting point.
thanks.

Answers
1)   Empty the gas from the gas tank, Change the oil, Get a new or god battery, and new air filters. If it dont sart then check the spark plugs and wires and coil - James Smith

2)   First of all does it spin freely? Meaning that you grasp the base of the fan, and turn it.
If it does, the following needs to be done.
-Drain the fuel tank, and have it cleaned
-Replace the spark plugs, coil and wires
-Change the oil
-Clean the carburetors
-Charge/replace the battery
-Change the fuel filter and air filter
-Fill the cleaned tank with fresh gas

Then again, you may need a charged battery, fresh fuel, and that rig may just start, it has happened. - djaca70

3)   Read "Zits" from about a year ago and do what Hector and Jeremy did. - kenny k

4)   Set the e-brake, and put the vehicle in neutral. I'd say first check that the engine has not seized up during that period. You should be able to turn it over by hand using large breaker bar and socket on the fan pulley nut. Ensure the fan belt's in good shape and that the alternator/fan assembly turn and are not seized or blocked from turning freely. Ah- check for critters which may have nested in the engine compartment or fan housing. It's a common thing to happen! Check that the points are set properly and that the fuel the engine is to get is clean and not contaminated with water. Use a freshly charged battery and finally, try to start the engine. You may have to prime the carburetor with a little gasoline.
Good luck! - tennisballeddie


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Question 3
What can i do to improve the performance of my VW Bus?...  I am an owner of a 1970 VW Bus and enjoy driving it however, i am not a mechanic and i wanted to get some opinions things i could do to modify my car to make it run better overall. Suggestions along with an approximate price estimate as to how much it would cost are greatly appreciated, thanks

Answers
1)   New aftermarket camshaft

New aftermarket induction parts (e.g. air filter)

New exhaust system.

Make the van lighter by emoving unneccessary things.

Take it in for a service.

All will improve speed and horsepower. - Ben Cole

2)   all it takes is money, you can add some performance modifications, it depends on what engine you have already, I know years ago they used to sell a big daddy kit for vw that pumped it up into a good strong engine, you can go single or dual cabs, with some exhaust modification that worked well and sounded better. If money is not a problem, there is a Porsche engine that was a bolt in back then. It was aw some it transformed a clattering noisy bus into this whisper quiet vehicle that whooshed past you going up a hill, (which those of us who had buses did not do any whooshing up hills anyway) I will do some checking on line and see what I find out
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
there are a lot of vw parts places, depending on what you are looking for, its a matter of researching what you want. A stock fresh 1,600 would probably work fine, or you can go bigger it all depends on how much cash you wanted to spend. something else I remembered about some older engines was it was a good idea to adjust the valves with each tune up which not every body did. but nowadays you can turbocharge a vw motor and make a real powerhouse out of one. do your research, find some vw forums and talk to the people who have already done what you want to do. best of luck. - roger

3)   Trying to add horsepower will shorten life span, so I don't recommend that.
What I do recommend is moving the oil cooler to an external location, so that you don't preheat cylinder #3 any more.
It also would not hurt to add a spin on oi filter and deep oil sump while you are at it. - Motorhead

4)   Information.

Get yourself a copy of John Muir's book, "How to keep your volkswagon alive, a guide for the compleat idiot" . . . It's a basic guide on how to fix a lot of things that will go wrong with your VW, and is full of info on how to keep it running well.

The air-cooled VW's need frequent oil changes because they don't have oil filters. If you were to make one modification to your bus, adding an external oil cooler and oil filter would be the very best thing you could do. Then, you should learn how to adjust the valves. Sure, it sounds intimidating to a mechanical novice, but keeping the valves properly adjusted is the other very very important thing you gotta do. It the valves are too loose, the engine sounds like it's full of crickets. If the valves are too tight, the engine will overheat and burn up. But once you learn how to do it, the whole process goes pretty quick.

Also, keep in mind that the VW bus wasn't designed as a racing or performance vehicle. Zero - to - sixty isn't supposed to impress anyone; the engines only have about 67 horsepower. You're doing good to climb a steep hill with passengers.

If your heater is still working, you might want to look around in your leisure time and see if you can find replacement heater parts, just to have on hand for when they do go out. Just a thought . . .

Best wishes, - David


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Question 4
2003 Volkswagen Jetta 2.0 underpowered?...  Just test drove this car. On the surface it didn't seem too underpowered, but there are a lot of reviews saying the car is "severely" or "horribly" underpowered with the 115 hp engine. I mean, it was a bit slow going up a really steep hill but it seemed to pick up fine and all. I'm mostly going to be in a flat city in a different state, with a few long highway trips throughout the year to go back and forth. I can get a great deal on the car. Should I do it? Will I be able to cruise at 80/85 on the highway?
It's 2.0L Automatic, GLS Trim

Answers
1)   The vintage Beetles that you see people driving around had less than 40HP and they get around fine. Driving a Mico Bus with the same engine and trying to pass a semi-trailer on the highway is another story though! Anyways, the engine is more than enough power to get you around town, and will certainly get up to 85 MPH without any trouble at all. The 2.0L 8V is the most reliable gasoline engine that VW ever produced, while it's not a screamer like the 1.8T or VR6, for the size of a Jetta it works just fine. - gti_4cefed4

2)   gti 4, is correct, however in the tuner crowd, the 2.0 litre is commonly called a "2slow." It'll do the job, albeit slow. - djaca70

3)   Hope this helps! http://addlife.info/190185/just-test - Alene Benson

4)   It will be more than enough power in the city. If you end up doing lots of long trips you might be annoyed with the lack of get up and go for passing! - 12977


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Question 5
Are VW Polos quite cheap to insure?...  I'm looking for my first car, and I know which cars are cheap to insure, but was wondering whether VW polos are cheap to insure, as I seem to be getting quotes ovr £2000 for majority of the cars I'm browsing.
I know that polo's are fairly cheap and reliable and I love them :)
Thanks.

Answers
1)   The polo will not be cheap.....

Best thing to check the price is by going to one of the price comparison sites...
type in all your details as if you had bought the car already and see what prices are quoted..
you are under no obligation to buy .. - Charlie Farley

2)   The base model Polos are fairly cheap as far as they go, but the reason you're getting quotes of £2,000 is that's what it costs for a new driver to insure any car these days.
A Polo will be the same. - EvelynThe ModifiedDog.

3)   i am 19, i have a mk4 6n2 polo 1.0

first year was 2500

second year was 1000

hope this gives you a rough idea.. - LoveLiveLife

4)   VW FOX is a real insurance bargain currently and a very nice small car. I would go for a FOX if low cost insurance is No1. They are as good as a Polo use to be before the Polo's started getting as big as the old Golf use to be (if you get my drift - a FOX is really a modern equivalent of the old model Polos).

This is a really handy web tool: Parkers - Find a car insurance group

http://www.parkers.co.uk/insurance - Rich Tea


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