1970 VW Beetle (Type 1) / Irreplaceable

The old Type 1 was a beautifully simple car that served the world for decade after decade. Today I am going to explore the Beetle and try to find out how this managed to be so successful despite offering such a basic experience.
Thank you, Royal on the Eastside, for letting me test out this Beetle.
royalontheeastside.com
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Article on Rust and other things to keep in mind for a purchase
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Video on the Auto Stickshift
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[@jeffmorse645]

I was a kid in the 70s. I remember visiting my aunt who lived in the Sierra Nevada not far from Yosemite. We'd be traveling on the highway in the mountains when suddenly the traffic would slow to a crawl and there would be a huge string of traffic piled up. There would always be a VW Beetle or Bus at the front of the line holding everyone up. Living in Northern California (Hippie Central ) there were lots of Volkswagens.😄 Still, people swore by them. I had an older cousin who commuted from the East Bay to San Francisco every day in her Beetle. She still fondly talks about it.

[@bag2963]

" East Bay to San Francisco every day' How did she do that, is her spine all right? How many hours did it take? So it means it was ultra reliable.

[@jeffmorse645]

@@bag2963 It was about an hour to SFO (where she worked). Of course the cars changed over the years. She eventually traded it for a Porsche 914 and did the commute in that for like 20 years!

[@hiyahandsome]

What a lovely ride down memory lane, I had friends in high school and college who owned VW Beetles and taught me to drive a manual transmission on them. They were so ubiquitous on college campuses in the early 1970s and a fun, reliable car. Thanks for the memories, Tyler.

[@Realistick]

Glad you enjoyed it, it would be a great car to learn manual on, thank you for watching!

[@ianbrown9082]

Good to see you weren't over revving it for the 0-60. In the 1960's and 70's when the car magazines tested these things back in the day, they were shifting at 4500rpm which is too high, which resulted in them wrongly publishing 0-60's in the 23-25 second range. Beetle racing drivers learned early on you have to short-shift for the quickest times and rely on the cars low down torque

[@jdub_vdub]

They were crazy good in the snow

[@Realistick]

If we catch some snow before it sells, I'll try to test it out if that dealer will let me.

[@NGMonocrom]

And I thought my 1998 Ford Escort was slow at 13.5 seconds 0-60mph. White-knuckling it down the entrance ramp of the expressway. Clearly that Beatle is an around-town only car. But, tons of charm. I was your 1,000th view on this video. 👍

[@Realistick]

Just like there will always be someone faster, there will always be someone slower 🫡

[@100M2B]

I have subscribed so many small car review channels and watched them grow. I kinda can tell if the channel will become big or not. Some channels got it and others don't. I think you've got it. So stay patient and keep up the good work.

[@Realistick]

Thank you, that means a lot.

[@jdub_vdub]

I love Beetles so much haha. I’ve owned 9 and currently have 3 Turbo S New Beetles, one of them only has 9k miles (2003).

[@tiyukitv6508]

The most fun i had with my Super Beetle is when i drive it in the freeway... you have to make it reliable though. its so much fun. Keep buggin guys❤

[@bryanrobles3555]

Wow, I love this Beetle! 🤩 Thank you for sharing this blast from the past 🙏 As with all your vids, such a great review!

[@EricAtMazda]

Great review, these things are hilarious. I have a 1957 with the original 36hp 1192cc engine. Having just had the front king pins replaced, new tires, and an alignment done, it's feeling better than ever and reduced most of the "terror" your test example seems to exhibit. When worn, they can do the death wobble if you hit a bump just right (for anybody reading this if that happens, quickly jab the brakes and release quickly to make it stop). Otherwise, I've yet to come across a car with a better feeling clutch pedal and I drive it every chance I get all summer long.

[@lnddave]

I find the comment about this being a “only” 4-5 seater funny because my aunt had a beetle when we were growing up and we road around in it all the time. And by “we” I mean my aunt, my mother, me and my two brothers, my two cousins, and their dog (black lab).

[@NitsujWrenches]

I have this exact model mid-"rustoration" in my garage. I hope that dealer dropped their price, as during the video, I could see how many pieces it was missing. Most notably the tubes for the heating system that come out of the fan shroud. It's a neat community to be a part of. Probably the biggest selling point in my mind, actually.

[@bigrr64]

When I was a kid I had a couple of these bugs. There were so much fun to drive I've always wanted to get another one. They do require a lot of little maintenance as things Rattle and Shake loose all the time, but it's a really fun little second weekend car.

[@parsley0120]

Loved this review! Growing up I was pulled over a lot for speeding (I’m only 30) so my parents started having me drive a 1964 Bug with a 1600 swap. I didn’t get pulled over anymore. 😂 I miss that car so much! I would put 1,000 to 2,000 miles a month on that car. I’ll be buying myself a Bug one of these days. The experience is so raw, it’s nothing like what we get with cars these days.

[@jdub_vdub]

The lady bugs for the rear view mirror though. Nice.

[@Realistick]

Fitting since the car was called the lady bug in France I believe

[@MaxFromSydney1]

My parents owned a mustard coloured 1500cc Beetle in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. An anti-social kid managed to smash the windscreen with a rock. The replacement screen leaked, causing the floor to rust out badly, so I have not so fond childhood memories of clearly seeing the road through a big rust hole in the front passenger footwell. The huge body roll through corners was anxiety-inducing bordering on alarming. I thought the car might roll at any second, even at the fairly sedate pace the car could achieve. Yeah, the engine noise inside the cabin was also pretty epic, probably not helped by the rust holes!

[@Groveland64]

I had a new 1967. After market a/c was available. The blower unit sat behind the back seat. I never saw it in operation and can’t imagine that little engine powering it.

[@jonell1425]

12K seems like an awful lot for that particular example.

[@Realistick]

It seems in line with what I'm seeing elsewhere for a good body/engine, the wiring and interior need some love.

[@djkenny1202]

I see them under $5000, nicer. We have a nice 70 Vert on Craigslist for $7000. Theres nice drivers needs some work under $3000. That Dealer is on Crack 😂

[@susynne2124]

lol, 50 feels so fast in a bug!

[@sametyldrm8837]

Are you gonna review the sonata 1.6T and accord 1.5T ?

[@Realistick]

Actively trying for more press cars and dealers.