NPoCP: THATS ONE BEAUTIFUL BUG!

"In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you" (hoontheangelsing)
12/15/2014 at 16:39 • Filed to: None

1967 VW with a Stick! 8500 bucks! THIS WOULD BE A GREAT FIRST COOL CAR (I'm 16). IT HAS NICE BACK SEAT (>implying) CONVINCE MY PARENTS THAT THIS IS A GREAT CAR!! It also received new chrome trim too!

DISCUSSION (32)

deekster_caddy > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:42

No way I could say this is a good car for a 16 year old. As much as it pains me to say it, your first car should have ABS and airbags.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:44

Have you driven a pre-1980 car before? It is really cool but will be glacially slow. Like struggle to maintain 75 mph on the highway slow. Like Miatas literally have 2-3 times the horsepower as this little guy. Other than that, it's a cool little car and priced alright for the market.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > deekster_caddy
12/15/2014 at 16:45

But it's stupidly easy to fix! Also it's kind of fuel efficient.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > deekster_caddy
12/15/2014 at 16:46

Kinja'd!!!

I bought this non ABS, airbag-free behemoth to drive when I turn 16. I respect your opinion, but I prefer to have this than a semi-modern econobox.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
12/15/2014 at 16:46

isn't that why you drop a turbo on it?

Your boy, BJR > deekster_caddy
12/15/2014 at 16:46

although, he'd probably struggle to go faster than 50 so that's a plus

deekster_caddy > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:48

I have no problem with those arguments. But wait until you are 24. You don't want to lose your legs or neck because of something stupid. I did a lot of stupid things in my first few cars. Get the stupids out before you drive something with basically no more crash protection than some shitty brakes.

Your boy, BJR > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:48

Did they even make these with auto?

And no. It's a hateful, pitiful excuse for wheeled transportation. There's more dignity in riding a Huffy.

505Turbeaux > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:48

what is your mechanical background? Can you fix every part of it?

GhostZ > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:49

Beetle as a first car? Expect this:

Kinja'd!!!

Sorry, I'd have to say no. Awesome as bugs are, if you're 16 and getting your first car you will wreck it, spin it out, or Orlove it. Or, much more realistically, get rear-ended at 70mph because you can't pull out onto the highway on-ramp fast enough, skewering yourself on the steering wheel because of a lack of airbags and non-collapsible steering column (Beetle didn't have them until 1968 when they were mandated, I believe).

This would make a nice car show project or a weekend driver for someone who has another car already and has had a lot of experience with older cars (and/or doesn't care so much about what happens in a collision), but for a first car it's a bit extreme and unsafe. And that's coming from a guy whose requirements for "safe" is a stiff frame, an airbag, seatbelt, and a steering column that won't make close friends with your lungs in a collision.

Now, would I own one of these and daily drive a $1000 beater Nissan (chock full of airbags and safety equipment) from the 90s? Yes, heeellllll yes.

But consider what else you can get for $8500. There's a huge list of awesome cars at that price level.

bob and john > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:50

and then it gets complicated and you suddenly have a fast car with pre 19080's safety tech.

listen to deekster. your first car isnt going to be anything cool or fun or intresting. its going to be a tool for you to learn how to drive and deal with traffic on the road.

wait for the interesting stuff later.

deekster_caddy > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
12/15/2014 at 16:51

At least that has modern-ish brakes and some frontal crash protection.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > deekster_caddy
12/15/2014 at 16:53

Airbags are for wimps.

Your boy, BJR > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
12/15/2014 at 16:53

The difference is though, with Dayton wires and 'dros, this car could be KICK-ASS.

The bug, however is a direct product of Nazism, and about as fun as one of their rallies.

jkm7680 > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:55

Hate to say it, but that's a bad idea.

It's old, no ABS, no airbags, slow, unsafe.

desertdog5051 > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 16:55

Not too bad. Probably a good, simple car. As cletus pointed out, they are slow (about 52 hp), little safety equipment and their heaters/defrosters are not worth a crap. I would put $8500 into a more modern car.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > desertdog5051
12/15/2014 at 17:01

Like an STI modern or JDM AE86 modern?

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:08

Alright: Everyone in this bread; would a Deuce and Half be great 1st car. It can run on anything, has a 400+ mile range (due to having 2 150+ gallon fuel tanks). I don't have to worry about crashing it as I will win in a crash (an object with a higher mass will have less acceleration in crash than an object with a lower mass; that one will have a higher acceleration.). ITS COOL AS FUCK AND ITS SIX WHEELS OF FREEDOM.

promoted by the color red > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:08

So's a '90s Honda Accord, and that comes with ABS and airbags. You're better off buying something like that where you'll have a chance in hell of surviving a crash above 20 mph.

Steve in Manhattan > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:08

Most of the people who can fix it are dead, or in a home. You will have no A/C in the summer and no heat in the winter. Much of the mileage you put on it will be when it is preceded by a tow truck. It is barbaric, the brakes are impossibly vague, and the safety features consist of a safey glass windshield and crumple zones, although they're at random points where the rust is. Those seats do not appear to be original for the car, and there may be something to that. And $8,500? It's worth 1/4 of that max, and there are plenty of safe, fun cars to be had for 8 grand.

I am with deekster_caddy on this one. You will wreck early, perhaps often (I did at your age). You want something w/ two front and side impact airbags at minimum. You want crumple zones, you want safety equipment. In short, you want the most Volvo or Saab (if you really want to work on a car) you can afford. You want to survive, so you'll make it into the next demographic.

desertdog5051 > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:10

I don't think you have to go that far. Just something that has more safety equipment and is reliable and cheap to repair. My son bought a Corolla. Inexpensive and reliable and cheap to insure. Now that he is over 25, he can buy anything and not worry about insurance rates so much.

deekster_caddy > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
12/15/2014 at 17:17

I have a '73 Buick and a '54 MG. I know that if something happens to me while driving the MG, I'm basically impaled or crushed. That's okay for me to make that decision, I drive it on nice days and am extremely defensive while driving it. I'm also 42 and know a bit about defensive driving. I don't think it's a good idea for a 16yo to have a tin can with no frontal protection as a DD and a first car. If I got into a head-on collision with G_Body_man's '83 Cutlass shown above, the '73 Buick will win out of sheer mass. The '54 MG would collapse like a box of matchsticks, and probably catch fire too. I'm well aware of this while driving both vehicles. I guess you can call me a wimp then. Do Fucking Not Text While Driving.

coelacanthist > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:23

That's a fair price if the condition is as good as it appears... I hate to say it, but I would agree that this is a very bad first car. My first car was an aircooled beetle. I didn't think it was dangerous at the time, but when you are 16, nothing seems dangerous. Looking back I can't believe my parents let me drive that death trap. You don't have to be going very fast to get very injured in a beetle. Think of it this way, there is nothing between you and the front bumper except a steering shaft that wants to impale you, and a tank full of flammable liquid. 67's don't even have a padded dash (like that would help anyway). Its a total tin can.

Rater than spend 8K on an admittedly gorgeous veedub, why don't you find one for 4K that you can wrench on on the weekends, and spend another 4K on a used golf or jetta with airbags. Old beetles make great second cars... Plus you would be the only kid in school with a German car collection!

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:36

That depends. Would you DD it? Or would it be a car for enjoyment?

coelacanthist > coelacanthist
12/15/2014 at 17:50

Kinja'd!!!

Opposite Locksmith > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 17:57

why do people say "drop" for installing a turbocharger or a supercharger? It's not like that haha

Pretty car, 8.5 grand is way to fucking much to pay for this. Way. Too. Much.

In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage
12/15/2014 at 17:57

DD as I'm 16

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 18:23

Well, as a fellow 16 year old, I would probably say no. If possible, get two cars. That's how I do it, so I don't have to DD my 'Vette. If not, maybe look for something fun and DDable. Because, as everyone else in the comments said, that car would not be a good DD at all. If you do end up getting something older, make sure you know how to wrench on it. Because you will quite frequently. What's your budget?

I gotta say, though, that is one clean Beetle. Maybe not for $8.5k, but its pretty damn nice.

ranwhenparked > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 19:12

It is in beautiful shape. I had a 1971 Super Beetle as my first car back in 2001. I would caution that I only owned it for about a year, then sold it at a profit.

Some things to consider:

1) you will have no heat in winter, until the engine fully warms up and the car is moving at a decent speed, then you will possibly have way too much heat, 2) fuel economy isn't' that great, figure 25mpg, which combines with a small tank to mean frequent fill-ups, 3) no tachometer, so don't play the radio loud and learn to listen to the engine, 4) you will smell like oil and gas everywhere you go, doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the car, that's just what they do, 5) close all the windows every time you park, it is ridiculously easy to reach in through even a partly open quarter window and unlock the door, and 6) there is no rust protection, at all. They're fantastic in the snow, but be prepared to frequently and thoroughly power wash the underbody and wheelwheels on a regular basis, even then, you will probably have a few rust bubbles breaking out after a year or two.

There are still a number of air-cooled VW specialists around and parts are plentiful and cheap and insurance companies still consider them economy cars, so you may get a discount there.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > In a Mini; let them mock me as My Mini Countryman is higher than you
12/15/2014 at 23:19

parking/maneuvering would be a bitch but otherwise YES YES YES

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage
12/15/2014 at 23:19

you're 16 and have a vette? BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Tuned-Port-Injected-Rage > itranthelasttimeiparkedit
12/15/2014 at 23:30

Yep! An '86 Z51. Currently in winter storage.

Kinja'd!!!