Ok, bandi, school me. I now have a 60 mile round trip to work. Not gonna sell the jeep but a few offers have came in on the Z71. If you had to recommend a air cooled beetle for year round daily driving, what year, options, etc would you the Bug guru look for? Super or standard? I don't know vw that well, need ya advice.

"Purists" will hate me for it but the Super Beetle is a nicer driving car and has a lot more trunk space. It's just a car with more technological developments, so it's going to drive nicer. Anything '71 and after (When the Super was introduced), you get the dual port 1600cc engine.

I'm not saying Supers are my favorite, but without a doubt they drive more like a modern car. If I had to drive a Super Beetle, it'd be a '71-72, but I just prefer the way they look.

Supers from '73 up have a real dashboard/curved windshield.

'74+ had impact absorbing bumpers, and '75+ had electronic fuel injection, which again, a lot of people hate it but I've found it to be a super reliable system.

If you're doing a lot of interstate driving, it's probably not the best idea for a commuter car, keep in mind most of them are in their 40s now and cruising at 70mph for long periods of time just doesn't feel healthy with that little engine.

As for options... ummm, sunroof, gas auxiliary heater, semi-auto tranny and some had fabric instead of vinyl on the seats. Pretty simple.

Watch for rust... that's what kills these things. Look inside the front wheelarches towards the rear for patches, under the back seat, interior where the body meets the floorpans, around the battery, around the strut towers in the Supers, etc... and watch for butchery (fuel filter in the engine compartment, scary wiring fixes, etc).

They HAVE gotten to the point where a cheap old VW isn't really that cheap to run any more, they're classic cars with special needs and requirements, and in comparison to modern cars, don't really get fantastic mileage.

From a recent US rally. Enjoy

Heater channels!!! that's the main issue. As for cruising I drove mine at 85-90 for long periods on a 15 hour trip.

If the engine is healthy, with a stock carb top speed is cruising speed. Just remember when you let that engine breathe with dual carbs etc, top speed is not cruising speed. The stock carb acted as something of a restrictor I believe. I never had any engine problems until I went to dual carbs and over revved. Also, the generator/alternator belt is very VERY important. If it breaks, your engine is NOT being cooled.

Posted by Lord Awesome Heater channels!!! that's the main issue.

That's why I said where the body meets the floorpan- cuz someone who has driven weird liquid cooled cars their whole life is going to think a heater channel is something totally different.

I miss my '63, but would concur the later models are more tractable over distance. Mind you, I also miss my Ghia, and while we're at air-cooled memories, my 356A too. For some reason, I do not put my 911 in the same bucket, may be something to do with push-rod dack-dack... Do it! Neko.

Wow that Ghia looks fantastic on Fuchs.

Posted by bandiWow that Ghia looks fantastic on Fuchs.

I wish! Merely 14" Rover 2000 caps... I took them off, and just ran with the wider steels. Neko.

Posted by Kuroneko I wish! Merely 14" Rover 2000 caps... I took them off, and just ran with the wider steels. Neko.

Neko, if you're ever in North America...

Or you could buy a Snorkelstang.

Gotta love the Snorkelstang.

All hail the almighty!