Anybody here drive a classic VW?

[The Apprentice]

My parents have been talking about getting a car for me to drive, and they asked me for imput. When they first asked me I said, "I'll drive anything that isn't a Pontiac, preferrably anything that isn't American-built." (I'm patriotic like that...) At first they tell me they want me to drive something safer than a tiny Civic/Focus/Versa whatever. A bigger sedan or possibly a truck would be my vehicle, but they've known for a long time I hate trucks, so the best options would be something like a Ford Taurus/Toyota Camry.

Then my mom brings up something we had buried away for a couple of years now... Volkswagen. A few years ago when my family was in a good financial situation my mom wanted to get a Kharmann Ghia convertable that could be our in-town car, just for fun. That fell apart later on because my dad needed to get out of his Dodge truck to save money on gas. But as we're going into the mall to grab some dinner my mom asks me if I want to get a bus. A 70s era, because they're not so expensive. I really, really want to have one.



Something like that. But they say they can't get it until around my 17th birthday, and there's some things that need to be taken care of. My dad wants me to drive one first, so I can learn what it's like not to have air conditioning in Florida, what it's like to drive in a tin can with a lawnmower engine, and what it's like to start a carborator engine that doesn't want to cooperate.

Does anyone on here own one? If so, can you tell me what it's like to drive it?

[otaku]

THEY'RE cool and interesting in alot of ways. pickup this book:the art of volkswagen maintenance two guys go on a road trip in one of these. also check out some vw forums and I bet there are clubs in your area to.

Personally I love german,american and italian cars but I tend to buy american because of my love for this country and my fellow americans currently my family has three fords one of which is mine-a ford fusion this is probably out of your budget but if its not (might be able to get a 4banger for around 10k maybe less) they're stylish well built cars very comfy and really just as good as the japanese models american cars are no longer the pos they used to be.

BTW pontiac can make a good car to-the new G8 is a freaking monster sedan with a 400hp v8 for 30k I'd buy one of I had the $

Good luck with your first car!

[nickfil]

first car- i would just be happy with what you get. My brother and i got a real junker. It would stall if it idled too long, which always seemed to happen in the middle of an intersection. We called it the coffin.

lately i've been looking at american muscle cars from the late 60s and 70s. I kinda have my eye on a GTO or Charger. We'll see.

a van is good for high school/college though. Don't underestimate a car with a good amount of space. You can pack a lot of people in it for parties and road trips. Stuff like that. Plus, it will easily fit two people horizontally.

[corn619]

VWs have a very high maintenance cost. And things that shouldn't on cars break on VWs. And if safety is on your mind, that VW van is just about the most unsafe vehicle on the road. There is no front end protection so in a front end collision say bye bye to your legs. And getting parts for classic cars is a major hassle and expensive. Do some research on www.Edmunds.com its free and very informative. And new American made cars are getting just as high and sometimes higher scores as their Japanese competitors. The upfront savings on American made cars is a real bonus as well, but they depreciate faster though so thats something to consider. Good Luck with your purchase and whatever you do, just say away from that VW Van, their death traps.

[MrPopo]

I see far too many of those things here in Seattle (damn hippies). From what I've seen they seem to handle like ass.

My first car was my mom's '97 Subaru Outback, which was a fantastic vehicle. It was very sturdy and the all-wheel drive we had made it very safe on the midwestern roads in the winter. And it had a ton of space, which was nice while I was in college. You might want to look into a station wagon.

[The Apprentice]

VWs have a very high maintenance cost. And things that shouldn't on cars break on VWs. And if safety is on your mind, that VW van is just about the most unsafe vehicle on the road. There is no front end protection so in a front end collision say bye bye to your legs. And getting parts for classic cars is a major hassle and expensive. Do some research on http://www.Edmunds.com its free and very informative. And new American made cars are getting just as high and sometimes higher scores as their Japanese competitors. The upfront savings on American made cars is a real bonus as well, but they depreciate faster though so thats something to consider. Good Luck with your purchase and whatever you do, just say away from that VW Van, their death traps.

I've heard that Volkswagen made major saftey additions to the bus in 1973, using the same basic idea as the Vanagon's frontal crash impact technology used in 1980. I really hope that we can get one that has a reliable engine. A type 4 2.0 liter is preferable, but a 1.8 is still pretty good. I just don't want to get stuck in a type 1 engined car (A bus with a Beetle's engine )

One major thing that I really look forward to: My dad has made it abundantly clear to me that if we get a bus, he has no need for it and after I graduate he doesn't want it in his driveway... So if we get one, I get to keep it, and I don't have to pay for it. That's about the sweetest deal ever if you ask me.

Odd thing, MrPopo, Volkswagen used to advertise the bus as an unconventional station wagon, always advertising the ammount of space on the inside. If you go by cubic measurements, the Volkswagen can't be beat. And Otaku, the only thing I have against American car companies is their work ethics and their business practices. To put it simply, I hate the companies, not the cars... except for Pontiacs, which one in every three of the teens in my town have (usually a trans am) and they always look awful and sound pitiful as they go by in the parking lot.

One last safety related note... I've already had to promise my mom several times that I'll never take it onto the major highways and freeways and such. If I need to go from one place to another, I'll have to take the backroads -ahem- I mean, the scenic route. As long as I don't get into a crash head-on at 40+mph I'll be fine. Not too hard to do in my home town, that is, the not crashing part.

[Jrecee]

No VW bus, no matter how late the model, is going to be safer than any of those sub-compacts from today. I mean the versa's got 6 airbags standard. Basically a civic at 60mph is safer than a VW bus at 30mph.

Besides that, what's wrong with pontiac? I mean I know the brand is getting killed off but the G8 is one of the most awesome cars to come out in a while, and the solstice is pretty sweet too. Then again maybe those new cars aren't in your "used" budget, but even the GTO was pretty good and you can find those for under 15k.

Anyway, the maintenance costs could be astronomical on these things. You're either going to have to find something in reaaaaally good condition (which could be a lot, I'm not sure if Buses qualify as collectors cars yet) or do some serious restoration. Rust repair especially, which costs an insane amount to do.

Then there's the fact that even after all that it's not going to be particularly reliable. If you really need all that room you'd be better off just buying an early 2000s SUV, they're giving em away right now.

btw what's your budget?

[the King]

And Otaku, the only thing I have against American car companies is their work ethics and their business practices. To put it simply, I hate the companies, not the cars... except for Pontiacs, which one in every three of the teens in my town have (usually a trans am) and they always look awful and sound pitiful as they go by in the parking lot.

WTF are you talking about? You're a 16 year old kid whose parents are pretty much buying him the car of his choice and you want to talk about work ethic? And business practices? What in the hell do you know about those things?

[The Apprentice]

No VW bus, no matter how late the model, is going to be safer than any of those sub-compacts from today. I mean the versa's got 6 airbags standard. Basically a civic at 60mph is safer than a VW bus at 30mph.

Besides that, what's wrong with pontiac? I mean I know the brand is getting killed off but the G8 is one of the most awesome cars to come out in a while, and the solstice is pretty sweet too. Then again maybe those new cars aren't in your "used" budget, but even the GTO was pretty good and you can find those for under 15k.

Anyway, the maintenance costs could be astronomical on these things. You're either going to have to find something in reaaaaally good condition (which could be a lot, I'm not sure if Buses qualify as collectors cars yet) or do some serious restoration. Rust repair especially, which costs an insane amount to do.

Then there's the fact that even after all that it's not going to be particularly reliable. If you really need all that room you'd be better off just buying an early 2000s SUV, they're giving em away right now.

btw what's your budget?

Maximum $5000. Which could evenually get us something like this: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/ ... ?id=763714

I never said it was sfer than the compacts, we're just willing to sacrifice some safety features for the cool factor of having one of these things.

The reason I hate Pontiacs: http://orlando.craigslist.org/ctd/1191265878.html Imagine a parking lot where every third car is one of these... and none look anywhere near as nice, with paint damage, dents, and poorly done modifications by the teenage owners. Where I live, everybody has one, and you get tired of them FAST.

Take it easy, King. I didn't start this thread to argue with anyone.

[corn619]

And Otaku, the only thing I have against American car companies is their work ethics and their business practices. To put it simply, I hate the companies, not the cars... except for Pontiacs, which one in every three of the teens in my town have (usually a trans am) and they always look awful and sound pitiful as they go by in the parking lot.

WTF are you talking about? You're a 16 year old kid whose parents are pretty much buying him the car of his choice and you want to talk about work ethic? And business practices? What in the hell do you know about those things?

The King, please edit and fix the typo on that comment because I didn't write that.