Volkswagen - The Last Mile video

[Finnegan]

The family's '72 VW bus did none of the things my 16 year old self thought cars should do. I didn't Go. It didn't Stop. It didn't Turn.. The heater was some sort of German joke. And the engine compartment didn't lock so my buddies could just remove various bits at their leisure. I hated that thing.

[rexcramer]

First car was a 67 beetle. Learned how to wrench from my friends dads, older brothers. Everybody had a VW in the 60''s and 70's. My friend and I got to where we could pull an engine in 20 minutes. We had a VW parts house close. You could buy a piston, rings and cylinder for $25.00. A 30/30 over crank for $35.00. Orange County Bugins were great.

[itsnotanova]

I had 4 air cooled Volkswagen before I was even 16. 73 bug, 72 bug, 69 Ghia and a 914 and none of them ever ran. I ended up trading for a running 72 after I turned 16. I got back into them in the 90's and had a 68 bug, 73 SB and 70 Baja. I bought the 68 while I was living in Reno. One evening while cruising down town the car died and I instantly could smell wires burning. I saw this one wire under the dash start turning bright red. The car started filling up with smoke and I thought to myself "that's a lot of smoke for one wire". As soon as I thought that, I hear this rush of flames behind me. I turn around and flames were shooting out from under the back seat. That's where the battery is stored. I jump out and run into a casino. I yell at the top of my lungs "I NEED A FIRE EXTINGUISHER!!". The whole casino goes silent and everyone stares at me for 5 second. And like on cue, everybody goes back to gambling like nothing ever happen. I run back outside and by this time there's a huge crowd watching my car burn. People start asking whose car is that and I just melt in the crowd like it's not mine. Someone finally runs up and puts it out. The police and fire department show up and that's when I cower over and take ownership for the smoldering pile not far from the sign that reads "Biggest Little City". The cops are telling me I need to get it out of there before they tow it. I call my friends who have been drinking to get a rope and come tow me home. I think the cops knew we were all under the influence but didn't care. They just wanted that car out of there. So we start towing the car home with this tiny rope. As we start getting some speed, all the extinguisher spray starts blowing in my face. It partially blinds me and I get close to hitting other cars. People are yelling at me and flipping the bird but we manage to get it to our house. The next day I go out and examine the damage. The seats are nothing but springs, the windshield is completely bubbled and pitch black, headliner is gone, the dash knobs are semi melted and dropping down, the cluster glass is cracked and covered in soot. I stripped the interior and took a garden hose to it. The more I cleaned, the more I realized the car actually didn't get too damaged. I replaced the windshield, threw some seats in and spliced some wiring by the regulator. Not a month after that I drove it from Reno to central Pennsylvania were I started going to college. I drove that car for a whole semester with no problems. It sure would stink like burnt plastic when it was hot though. I miss the old air cooled Volkswagens. The new generation bug was a chic's car. I won't miss it
Just remembered I also owned a 62 and a fiberglass dune buggy too

[husker boxster]

Originally Posted by Finnegan

The heater was some sort of German joke.

That's the truth. Your ankle would burn off depending on which front seat you were in. But that was the only warm body part. And VW was the only car you had to scrape the frost off the INSIDE of the windshield as you drove.

[rexcramer]

And depending on how big of an oil leak you had, the cabin smelled like burning oil and you had to keep the window cracked a bit to breathe thus defeating the purpose of the heater.

Originally Posted by husker boxster

That's the truth. Your ankle would burn off depending on which front seat you were in. But that was the only warm body part. And VW was the only car you had to scrape the frost off the INSIDE of the windshield as you drove.

[Frodo]

Drove a '74 metallic blue 'Super Beetle' back in the late '70s, my second car—loved it!

It was my street legal go cart

[Qingdao]

Never was big on the German cars. About 5 or so years ago I got my Ghia, just cause I wanted a rear engine vehicle (I entertained the idea of a diesel pusher bus, but the Ghia looked better). After I got it I loved it.

The little design things are fun. Like the fuel pump's gearing off the distributer shaft. I don't know why I like that, but there are things like that throughout the engine/car.

I love the 911, like a fast bug and good looking. But its just not really possible to daily drive a 911 (air cooled) on a 5 figure salary. I don't want a car I can't beat on.

My wife said she like the boxster, and after I started looking figured it is cheap enough for most to have. So I bought her a "badge". I didn't realize that they handle pretty damn well. After that it was a no brainer to get another and make it fast.


So I guess it started with VW.

[MrBen]

I remember as a young lad riding in the rumble seat of mother's big. Once we riding down a country road and the front hood flew open. 4 kids in that thing no seat belt no air bag. You wonder how we ever survived. Later in high school several buddies had the super beetle. We could cruise for hours on a couple bucks for gas eight track tape playing smoke on the water. Those were cool cars for sure

[Boxstard]

Originally Posted by rexcramer

And depending on how big of an oil leak you had, the cabin smelled like burning oil and you had to keep the window cracked a bit to breathe thus defeating the purpose of the heater.

Burning oil is okay, carbon monoxide not so much.... I kept that triangle wing glass open to stay awake so never really had heat, and yes windshield frosted inside with my breath.

[Steelepuls]

I still have my fathers 1973 SuperBeetle sitting in my garage, I’ve kept it up and it still runs like it did when I learned how to drive manual when I was 16. Every year our neighborhood has a garage sale and I get more questions about the superbeetle than I get on the boxster.

This was the only car my parents had for a couple years until we got the Plymouth Volare Station wagon. It fit 4 kids and two adults, I still remember the family outings with all of the kids in the backseat. lol. Gotta love the 70’s. And this is where I learned how to work on cars, changing oil, adjusting valves and replacing brake shoes. This was my father’s precious, much like I treat the boxster now.