1962 Volkswagen Beetle Reviews, Pricing & Specs

As I drove into the yard of the seller of my 1962 Volkswagen Bettle I noticed that the car had only one wheel on the rear axle, otherwise it was on blocks. I had flown three thousand miles to take possession of my dream car which only required minimal work to be road worthy. The reality of the situation was the car had beer recently dragged out of the bush after sitting for over 20 years. The car was not running, it had no brakes and it had many other problems keeping it from the road. Being an optimistic romatic I assured my wife that things were not as bad as they seemed. Wrong! you have to know when to fold them, know when to hold them, you gotta know when to walk away and know when to run. I decided to stay at the bed & breakfast owned by the seller of the car and fix the car up. A quick inspection indicated that the car needed a complete brake job including flex hoses and steel hydraulic line. In addition, the front wheel bearings were rusty and the rear axle nuts were seized after being untouched for possibly 40 years. The engine turned by hand and was complete. The car needed a new battery which could be installed after the hole in the battery box was repaired. The tires were weather checked and would require replacement. In additin, the interior required major cleaning and the installation of seat covers. Thank goodness the glass was still in the window. You think that you can drive it home? they asked, sure I would answer knowing the amount I had already invested left me with no way out and in reality no way home. I rendted a car and drove to Hinton Alberta, were I purchased tools, a hydraulic jack, a battery, car seat covers and cleaning supplies, my wife offered to do a clean up while I prepared the car for the road. Thank God for Fountain Tire, Canadian Tire and Napa Auto parts who patiently assisted me in getting new parts. I was able to buy all of the brake parts including wheel cylinders, master cylinder, brake shoes, steel line and the correct flex lines. I was able to remove the rear axle nuts allowing the rear brake drums to be removed. I spend one day replacing the clutch cable and freeing up the seized brake and clutch pedels. I patched the whole in the floor and installed a new 6 volt battery. I installed new points and a new ignition coil and after an oil change I tryed to start the engine. The engine turned a little tight ( it had not run for 20 years) with a roar it jumped into life smoothing out into a smooth high idle. The sound of a wheel tuned VW engine is a thrill which only VW owners appreciate. For me it was like having a new member come into my family. I dropped my wheels into Fountain Tire hopping they would have a low-priced safe set of tires. Well they ordered the tires which met our need. It took several days to bleed and adjust the brakes before having a firm brake pedal. In the engine the brakes were very good. Overall I had taken almost a week to get mobile with 4 wheels on the road, a running engine and brakes to slow her down. It was Monday morning when we said goodbye to Edson Alberta and headed for Edmonton with the plan to take the Norther route through Sask. to Manitobak, onward to Ontario and home. The car provided a brisk powerflow to the 4 speed manual shift transmission and was able to keep up with the traffic with ease. In fact there were times when it seemed to float ahead of the traffic with a mind of its own "herbie" eh. It was on our second day that things were going smooth we were heading for Saskatoon. I dozed off in the warm sun, my wife was driving, however, the tone of the engine changed and a tapping sound began. Much to my horror that little red oil light was glowing brightly, I knew that our journey was taking a nasty turn and that we would soon be walking. We hitch-hilked, road an over night bus and borrowed a truck and trailer to bring the car home. The journey was not without event and in fairness to the little car I feel it was unfair to demand the performance which we took along the highways. I still think that the 40 h,p, beetle is one of the finest examples of automotive design, it was a car before its time and could still be used in the greening of North America. Long live the Bug. 1Nov 10, 2007

Most cars in the Philippines are crap. My '62 Bao (turtle as they are called here) is no exception. Brought over here in 1968 from God only knows where, it's had almost 40 years of neglect abuse and maintainance by, so called, mechanics who's number one repair tool it a welder. The only saving grace was that the rusted body parts had been repaired and the motor ran... Sort of. I have about $2,000.00 in it now, includeing what I paid for it and it's a patched up POS. It is however my toy. I've learned it's personality, coaxed it into mobility and and lied to Edna about how much all that cost. Since being on the road here involves off-road conditions about 80% of the time I decided the advantages of the Baja style VW outweigh asthetics. Locals give me a confused look when I drive by, not sure what to make of a Millionaire foreigner in a car that no self respecting Filipino would drive. Through ups and downs over the past two and a half years I've learned it's strenghts and limitations and we have settled into a relationship we both can live with. And so it goes.Mar 13, 2007