1974 Volkswagen Beetle Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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User reviews for 1974 Volkswagen Beetle
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by Anonymous
Aug 18, 2013
We'll start with the obvious first. Performance or lack thereof. It was never mean to to be a performance car, and most buyers knew that.
It was basic transportation to get you back and forth, and the occasional road trip (I did many from Washington to Boston and back 2-3 times a year) so you can tell I had no problem driving it far and wide.
I had the best personality of any car I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot 'better' far more comfortable vehicles since, but for some reason can't get the car out of my head.
I had so many fun times in that car, loved the color; Dark Green with a tan 'leatherette' interior (which btw, you'd stick to in 10 minutes if it were hotter that 70 degrees out.
I could go one, but you get the idea. I loved the car, quirks and all. One of the more ingenious or epic fails depending on your view point, was the air for the washer was run off the spare time until it reached a certain level and it would stop so you wouldn't flatten the spare. The battery under the back seat; not the easiest place to get at I didn't find particularly wonderful either.
The only things I added were an Abarth exhaust system which had a wonderful note both inside and out, and some Michelin radial tires. What an improvement.
Of, I'm done. Hope you 74 owners found this interesting, as well as people who have never had the fun of at least driving one. Oh, one more thing. In high winds and on the highway you weren't driving as much sailing them.Aug 18, 2013
by Richard K
Jan 26, 2013
Lovely car, easy to work on and maintain, bags of character allthough it helps to be handy with the spanners!. Very noisy, brakes are awful, ride comfort and interior space is minimal however, that said, these cars are great fun and draws a lot of positive attention. Very easy to tune and modify for a car that isn't really built for speed!Jan 26, 2013
by Ibi Z
Feb 21, 2012
The car is pretty old and although iy has a 1.6l engine it doesn't accelerate great. It doesn't have disc breaks so the breaks aren't amazing but comparing them to the power they are very good.
When I first got the car i did all the repairs needed and since then i didn't have to fix anything.
It is an amazing car to drive, very economical and in my opinion looks amazing!Feb 21, 2012
User rating:
by Anonymous
Aug 18, 2013
We'll start with the obvious first. Performance or lack thereof. It was never mean to to be a performance car, and most buyers knew that.
It was basic transportation to get you back and forth, and the occasional road trip (I did many from Washington to Boston and back 2-3 times a year) so you can tell I had no problem driving it far and wide.
I had the best personality of any car I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot 'better' far more comfortable vehicles since, but for some reason can't get the car out of my head.
I had so many fun times in that car, loved the color; Dark Green with a tan 'leatherette' interior (which btw, you'd stick to in 10 minutes if it were hotter that 70 degrees out.
I could go one, but you get the idea. I loved the car, quirks and all. One of the more ingenious or epic fails depending on your view point, was the air for the washer was run off the spare time until it reached a certain level and it would stop so you wouldn't flatten the spare. The battery under the back seat; not the easiest place to get at I didn't find particularly wonderful either.
The only things I added were an Abarth exhaust system which had a wonderful note both inside and out, and some Michelin radial tires. What an improvement.
Of, I'm done. Hope you 74 owners found this interesting, as well as people who have never had the fun of at least driving one. Oh, one more thing. In high winds and on the highway you weren't driving as much sailing them.Aug 18, 2013
by Richard K
Jan 26, 2013
Lovely car, easy to work on and maintain, bags of character allthough it helps to be handy with the spanners!. Very noisy, brakes are awful, ride comfort and interior space is minimal however, that said, these cars are great fun and draws a lot of positive attention. Very easy to tune and modify for a car that isn't really built for speed!Jan 26, 2013
by Ibi Z
Feb 21, 2012
The car is pretty old and although iy has a 1.6l engine it doesn't accelerate great. It doesn't have disc breaks so the breaks aren't amazing but comparing them to the power they are very good.
When I first got the car i did all the repairs needed and since then i didn't have to fix anything.
It is an amazing car to drive, very economical and in my opinion looks amazing!Feb 21, 2012
by Katrina A
Nov 28, 2011
Love it! Have owned 3 so I obviously just by that have shown a bit of favortism. I have also owned 2 Toyota's, also good foreign transportation. & one Dodge, though my mom was a Ford girl. She had a 60 Falcon, bought new. Came home from the hospital in that car. She is really how I gained so much appreciation for anything auto. 2,3,4, 18 wheels.... even some things without.
Nov 28, 2011
by Anonymous
Jun 10, 2011
like a lot-great gas milage,fun,cute,no air,turn signals need work, but otherwise great, seems to drive great fun to go fast on turns, shifts wonderful--espically after not driving stick shift for 20 years, when test drove-he said looks like you got that dfown pat-amazing. so far i love it, my son even drove and said it was fun to drive.Jun 10, 2011
by Chris B
Aug 24, 2010
Performance - Pretty good when it runs.
Build Quality - Holds together fine as long as you have a fresh supply of duct tape.
Appearance - I think the rust spots are very stylish.
Cost of Ownership - Low gas costs because I can only put in about $5 worth at a time, but lots of mechanics costs.
Fun Factor - It is very.. interesting to drive!Aug 24, 2010
by Çağkan G
Aug 21, 2010
perf - lacks Horse Power , enough braking pwr, sometimes handling can be scary cause of driving height :D
build quality - great for its age
app - girls dig it:D very clean in inside
Extremely fun to drive
very good looking car
has ear-gasmic sound
Aug 21, 2010
by Bill F
Jul 30, 2010
First off the Bug is no longer cheap, there slow,poor brakes,most modern built cars beat them on gas mileage, Yea I have had 3 and drove the heck out of them. But to buy one today for practical reasons,not really. Try cruising across Montana at speed limit of 75 and it will change your view.Also lots of rebuild engines that don't hold up. Buy a used satern insteadJul 30, 2010
by Chris G
Apr 02, 2010
Performance- 1641cc duel 40 webers cb heads 40x 35.5 P&P matching intakes
CB dry sumped 8.5:1 type 3 front brakes and Stock rear drums
17x8.5" BBS RC wheels with Kumho SX 225/45R17F
235/45R17R. Bilsteins shocks
build Quality- it's getting there
Appearance- sparco racing Seats simpson 5 point belts sparco wheel
REAL carbon dash,door pannels,headlight rings,side mirrors
and rear quarter pannels, all trim and bumpers Shaved
2.5" and 3" wider fiberglass fenders and fiberglass decklid
HID's and smoked taillights Lexan windows.
cost to run- cheap on gas and great gas mileage,oil changes are abit costly due to the dry sump.. 10L of royal purple
Fun Factor- c'mon it's an F'en race bug lolApr 02, 2010
by David F
Mar 19, 2010
I drive a '74 Volkswagen Käfer, or like it's called in english a Volkswagen Beetle. It's an amazing car, absolutly funny to drive and you're always on the sunny cruising side of the road with it. And because of the unbelieveble numbers of built beetles you'll always find repair kits.Mar 19, 2010
by Heather H
Jan 04, 2010
my bug has ok performance, still working on all that. she's got a alittle more work to do. its a bug so there are pretty much always squeaks and rattles and what not. exterior: she has a pretty nice pant job, that me and my dad did... my boyfriend designed it. gas mileage is about.... i think that last time we calculated it it was about 29 miles/gallon. and that was when she wasn't running so hot. the interior still has sum work to do, not much. have to rhino line her... and then get new seats. maintenance isn't to bad.. im still learning alot. i have good teachers tho(dad, and seth).
my car is so much fun to drive... especially once all the off roading parts are put on. can't wait!!!Jan 04, 2010
by Matt T
Nov 04, 2009
I really enjoy the car and there isn't much on what i dislike about it except i don't have the money to do much to it. It is powered by a 48 hp flat 4 air cooled engine so there isn't much on the performance side of things. The germans built it right though. I had a '71 super a couple of years ago that i roled down the interstate and walked away from it. It is classified as one of the most recignazeable cars on the road. I bought the car for a grand and it runs great. I would recomend this car to anyone who wants to have fu driving and get noticed doing it!Nov 04, 2009
by Andre S
Jul 01, 2009
For a car from 1974, I think my car is still in very good nic, mostly because of its good build Quality.
It handles like a old car, but it's not too bad.
Interior is still original, and looking very good. Carpets need to be replaced, but seats are still good, without tears.
Fuel economy isn't great... but it's acceptable.Jul 01, 2009
by Jared T
Jun 26, 2009
acceleration is decent braking no the best, (has drums)
it has excellent build quality, engine easy to repair, not many repairs needed, no squeals or rattles, the exterior styling is timeles, the interiors pretty cool as well, with sports buckets standard. gas milage is great, maintanence costs dirt cheap, and the car is amazingly fun to drive i never get bored of it.Jun 26, 2009
by Murat D
Jun 24, 2009
very stable on road trustable on engine and body fun to drive
but very little space left for the luggages no good for a family
noisy but fun to hear that roar coming from back like a
sleeping tiger (a kitten indeed) very good driving chrakteristics on snow
and iceJun 24, 2009
by Jeffrey W
Dec 10, 2008
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by Abed K
Nov 25, 2008
im renewing my car so the picture is a facebook provided one.. mine will take place when ready inshalla. what i like about the car is its genuinity over the years. we use to own several volkswagens back there in germany and here. this car has a story of my life and i just love it.Nov 25, 2008
by Jeff G
Sep 12, 2008
This is a classic Volkswagen Super Beetle. They made about a million of them, or more. It was quite ahead of its time. It gets good gas mileage for a 1974. (about 26 MPG) It is super slow, and super fun. They are easy to get parts for and easy to work on. They are also a pain in the winter because of the poor defrost capabilities. But they perform well in the snow because the engine is over the rear tires. Overall the beetle has a lot of character, and I would rather drive an old bug than some little POS.Sep 12, 2008
by Zack R
Aug 11, 2008
What can I say? The VW beetle is truly what it is supposed to be! the people's car. It is cheap, good on gas, super easy and cheap to work on, and very fun and comfortable to drive! This car is truly like the energizer bunny! it keeps going and going! and it puts a smile on everybody's face, from the driver, to pedstriand! Everyone should own oneAug 11, 2008
by Andika E
Aug 02, 2008
Positivity:
classic Germany car from WW II
no need water for the engine
efficient fuel
cheap maintenance
easy to use
for old & young people
scarce stuff
nice handling
good appeareance
had a solid body
can be repaired everywere
everybody will drive fun with this car, hopefully...
very safe car...
Non Negativity...hehe
Aug 02, 2008
by Rex C
Jul 27, 2008
Mustang's and Camero's...or their owners don't like it. Handles pretty good but has a rough ride. Exhaust sounds good with single 2-1/2" glass pack and manderal bent exhaust. Interior is sparce with vinal seats and rubber floormatts but what more could you want. Gets lots of looks... Jul 27, 2008
by Stephan P
Jul 23, 2008
You can't kill 'em. As long as the floors don't rust out they will last forever. They are also so ugly they are cool!
Mine had a souped up (for a VW) engine. Competition shifter, and clutch. Hand crank sunroof, and no back seat.
Performance? Slightly better than VW-like due to the bumped up engine...
Quality, built in Germany, so it's built like a tank!
Appearance, gorgously fugly!
Rather cheap to run and maintain, especially if you are a do it yourselfer like I was.
MUGO fun to drive!Jul 23, 2008
by Daniel W
Jul 21, 2008
It's a classic... a little rough around the edges but what can you say? It's over 30 years old! Still a very solid little car... still needs some work it be in tip-top condition though. Very fun to drive... just hot in the summer without any air conditioning! ;-) Long throws in the transmission and a little vague but goes into gear easily... just takes a little getting used to if you have never driven an old car with a manual transmission before.Jul 21, 2008
by Ponce G
Jul 05, 2008
We built this Custom Bugatti for Classic Motor Carriages in Miami, Fl. They needed a prototype so we built this and did a builders manual and make a slide show to go with it to help them in sales since no one at the factory ever built one. We uses 19' Ford Model "A" wheels and tires with large headlights to make it look like a real classic. It was a one of a kind car and last I hear someone in Ohio bought it.Jul 05, 2008
by Timothy P
Jun 27, 2008
Amazin throughout, looks, performance, Atractability all awesumJun 27, 2008
by Anonymous
Jun 18, 2008
i had a 69 vw bug as my first car...takes a licking and keeps on ticking.Jun 18, 2008
by Anonymous
Jun 13, 2008
What I like:
- Luft cooled
- Comfy
- Handles beautifully
- Quick
What I don't like:
- A bit squished
- Driving like a grandpa because I'm afraid of other people crashing into it and not being able to restore it.
- Boot takes about 10 times of slamming it to shut properly.Jun 13, 2008
by Anonymous
May 28, 2008
Been driving it for 2 years now and my dad and I have had it since I was 4 years old. Wouldn't get rind of it for anything. May 28, 2008
by Mike C
Apr 02, 2008
This was a bit of an interim car I had a few months prior to going traveling having sold my
previous car. It was cheap, ran well and even when it had a small gas-line leak, it cost $15 to
fix. Gotta love that! I love my direct-steering, manual pedals and simple
transmissions...makes you much more connected to the road. The Bug is good for that, as
was my 60's Mini.Apr 02, 2008
by Chris M
Mar 30, 2008
I love Beetles, and the one I had was a classic. It was Orange and was the first model with the larger Tail Lights. It was indestructable and I can assure you that I made every effort to destroy it. It was a great car. Mar 30, 2008
by Anonymous
Mar 22, 2008
The bug that we own is a beut. One of only a couple thousand made, this one was born in 1974, and has a rounded front windshield, a sunroof, and a gold paintjob (which I guess was special for the time). I'll get more info up soon, but yeah.Mar 22, 2008
by Andy T
Jan 14, 2008
I owned 3 of these. The last one was like one pictured. 1974 VW Thing.....yep....they were called that....Imported from California.Jan 14, 2008
by Anonymous
Jan 10, 2008
A 1974 volkswagon, interior needs to be replacd, exterior needs to be repainted, a lot of parts have been replaced so it should be restorable. Just got it from a friend. If it is what I think it will turn out to be it will be going against the tide of supporting high gas usage. Looking forward to getting involved.Jan 10, 2008
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