... it was funny to me....

[vreihen]

.

 

[Uwe]

"NO Problems"?

How many people became VW mechanics out of sheer necessity because they took long road trips in their air-cooled VWs?

-Uwe-

 

[vreihen]

How many people became VW mechanics out of sheer necessity because they took long road trips in their air-cooled VWs?

One of my favorite books...and I never even owned a Beetle et. al.....

.

 

[Uwe]

One of my favorite books..

Like you, I never owned an air-cooled VW, but I did cross the Alps in the back seat of one when I was still much too young to drive.

Since I did own Rabbits, first a 1977, and then a 1984 GTI, I went for Poor Richard's Rabbit Book. Different author, but I think the same illustrator? Invaluable to me at the time!

-Uwe-

 

[DV52]

Like you, I never owned an air-cooled VW, but I did cross the Alps in the back seat of one when I was still much too young to drive.

@Uwe: Ain't much "Alps" down here! So not quite the same as driving an air-cooled VW (the classic combi-van) on the Eyre Highway across the Nullarbor Plain in Australia's south west (800 miles of treeless straight-road -Nullarbor means "no trees" in Latin)

Not sure how many folk know that it's entirely possible to change drivers in a combi while traveling at speed (without stopping the car) - but only if the occupants of the car are young and silly!!

Don

PS: the other claim to fame of the Eyre Highway is that it has the longest golf course in the world (800 kms long, with a hole at each town or roadhouse along the way - the concept of "greens" doesn't apply and definitely, no need to replace divots )!!

 

[NZDubNurd]

My aircooled VW's NEVER left me stranded anywhere (that I recall)... I was always able to make them function enough to get me somewhere... even that time it broke down one morning outisde a primary school and the police visited me at work to ask why I stopped multiple times along the road by young children walking to school

But now that I own "modern" VW's, I've decided my Land Rover is now my "reliable" vehicle

 

[Crasher]

My 1302LS has been 100% reliable in the 26 years it has been sitting in my garage waiting for me to have some time.

 

[vreihen]

Like you, I never owned an air-cooled VW, but I did cross the Alps in the back seat of one when I was still much too young to drive.

My father owned a few Fastbacks back when I was a kid. One of them probably made the news on every NYC traffic report, having seized in the Lincoln Tunnel during rush hour.

I still appreciate the aircooled VW engine for the quality time my family had with one sitting around the dining room table...with the engine cases split doing a complete rebuild. It was my first experience with Plastigauge for checking crank/rod bearing clearances.....

 

[morris39]

"NO Problems"?

How many people became VW mechanics out of sheer necessity because they took long road trips in their air-cooled VWs?

-Uwe-

"NO Problems"?

How many people became VW mechanics out of sheer necessity because they took long road trips in their air-cooled VWs?

-Uwe-

I crossed Canada & US along the southern border in a 1958 VW , 2000miles x 2 without any problems but the car only had 17k miles at the start. Thought I might have problem when approaching the continental divide (in Montana?) and the car couldn't top 68 mph, but there was an easterly headwind.
Also owned a 1975 Rabbit a very buggy car but easy to fix. It rusted out completely in 7 years.

 

[Uwe]

Also owned a 1975 Rabbit a very buggy car but easy to fix. It rusted out completely in 7 years.

My first one was a 1977 that I got late in 1982 for $1500. I owned it until 1986, when I upgraded to a 1984 GTI and sold it to my younger brother. He kept it for a while after that. I won't say it was entirely rust-free, but it seemed to have far fewer rust problems than the '75 and '76 models that were rapidly disappearing by then. A few years later I mentioned this to some people in Germany. They claimed that VW had gotten a really good deal on a whole lot of steel from Russia, and that's what the first few models years were built from, but when it ran out, they switched to a better source.

-Uwe-

 

[vreihen]

My first Mk1 was a 1980 4-door model that I bought from our neighbor for $300 in 1986, with a 1488cc engine and 1 BBL Solex carb mounted on a rubber manifold adapter. The neighbor bought it brand new for his wife, and they got divorced over the car because she hated it! It sat parked in their driveway for years, and I had to put a battery in it and replace all of the brakes that rusted stuck from sitting essentially since new.

The engine wasn't strong enough to hold 50 MPH on a slight highway hill, and was only a slight improvement over the Rabbit diesels of the day. I met a mechanic who drag raced 4-cylinder Mopars (when they used VW's motors), and let's just say that a few one-off parts wound up on my engine. When done, I could snap the windshield from being too hard on the throttle.....

 

[morris39]

I crossed Canada & US along the southern border in a 1958 VW , 2000miles x 2 without any problems but the car only had 17k miles at the start. Thought I might have problem when approaching the continental divide (in Montana?) and the car couldn't top 68 mph, but there was an easterly headwind.
Also owned a 1975 Rabbit a very buggy car but easy to fix. It rusted out completely in 7 years.

Typo. Should have said 58mph not 68. Car struggled to reach 70 mph on level road.

 

[Uwe]

My first Mk1 was a 1980 4-door model that I bought from our neighbor for $300 in 1986, with a 1488cc engine and 1 BBL Solex carb mounted on a rubber manifold adapter. [...] The engine wasn't strong enough to hold 50 MPH on a slight highway hill,

My '77 was a 1.6l CIS-injected one, one of the very few cars that were certified to US emissions standards without a catalytic convener after 1975. It wasn't exactly fast, but I never felt it was lacking for power either.

Of course that was back in the 55 mph national limit days, so I rarely asked it to do more than about 70 for any length of time. It crossed the Appalachians in PA on a number of occasions and I don't recall it ever slowing down on the grades.

-Uwe-

 

[Crasher]

but I did cross the Alps in the back seat of one

I bought mine when I was 18 and I never crossed the alps in the back seat but did uncross a few legs on the back seat and found the B pillar mounted "ankle straps" came in handy...

 

[Uwe]

Recently a routine Police patrol car parked outside a local neighborhood pub late in the evening. The officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk. The man stumbled around the parking lot for a few minutes, with the officer quietly observing. After what seemed an eternity and trying his keys on five vehicles, the man finally managed to find his car, which he fell into. He was there for a few minutes as a number of other patrons left the bar and drove off. Finally he started the car, switched the wipers on and off (it was a fine dry night), then flicked the indicators on, then off, tooted the horn and then switched on the lights. He moved the vehicle forward a few yards, reversed a little and then remained stationary for a few more minutes as some more vehicles left. At last he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive slowly down the road. The Police officer, having patiently waited all this time, now started up the patrol car, put on the flashing lights, pulled the man over and carried out a breathalyser test. To his amazement the breathalyser indicated no evidence of the man's intoxication. The Police officer said "I'll have to ask you to accompany me to the Police station - this breathalyser equipment must be broken." "I doubt it," said the man, "tonight I'm the designated decoy".

-Uwe-

 

[Jef]

Not kid friendly or in good taste.... this is an actual voicemail I received.

 

[vreihen]

.

 

[vreihen]

.

 

[DrPeter]

Saw this last night....

 

[stefdds]

Wonder when the "Audi II" is coming out? And, YES, the seller is serious about the price!

04 Audi RS6 Typ 4B Original Factory Center Console Cellphone Vintage ULTRA RARE! | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 04 Audi RS6 Typ 4B Original Factory Center Console Cellphone Vintage ULTRA RARE! at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com