New vs Old

[Will]

When VW annouced the New Beetle I was pretty excited because I have had a bunch of the old ones and love them. It was a fun car to drive and fun to modify. I have pulled countless engines from them and rebuilt them. So I was excited until I read what the NB was. It was everything the old one wasn't execpt the shape was similar. They went from a basic, inexpensive, air cooled, rear engine, rear wheel drive car to a complex, expensive, water cooled, front engine, front wheel drive car. It has just never set well with me. I own one now (a diesel, one step farther from the original) and like it just fine. I got it just because it was a diesel and gets 45mpg. To me it is not "The Beetle" but it is cool none the less. Just wondering if others feel the disconnect.

Will

[boblamb58]

Ahh.. the old Beetle.. I sure do miss mine an awful lot sometimes. It was a fun car. The new one.. yeah, it's shaped like one, but underneath it's an entirely different automobile. I also got the diesel.. it has a very distinctive sound.

If I ever can get together enough extra cash, I am definitely getting another aircooled bug.

That's another thing I have noticed.. the new one is a "Beetle", yet not a "Bug". I have never referred to my TDI as a bug. Pod yes, but not a bug.

[Jian]

I don't compare my 67 to my 98, the only thing they share is the same name. I like them both but for different rasons.

[niki]

I fell in love with the New Beelte when it came out in 98, even before I could drive one. I wanted one so bad.

Back when I was even younger than that I wanted a red Old Beelt eand I was going to put black spots on it. As I got older, my like of the Old Beetle grew less and less. I don't not like them now, but I don't like them. I would never own one. Maybe this is because I am young, who knows? I know plenty of people my age that do like them. They have just never appealed to me much... besides the ladybug one I wanted when I was like 7!

[SilverSportNOLA]

I feel the disconnect every time the speedo needle is sitting on a number that is double what the originals top speed is. I have not owned an old beetle, nor an aircooled, that seems odd since I am in my 40's. One day I will find a Kahrmann Ghia, the only air cooler I have ever wanted, in need of TLC. And hopefully it will be a vert.

[dnyed]

Never have owned an air-cooled, but my brother had an old AC Bug. The thing was a gutless wonder. It wouldn't go 45, even with a tail wind. Let alone go up the coastal capes in anything but 1st gear. I had no love for it.

But I kinda liked my other brothers water-cooled champagne colored '78 Rabbit. I babysat it while he was in Japan for a year, and I had to carry jumper cables, as it had a weak charging system, but it was fun to drive.

[Toad]

I also have never owned, or even driven and air cooled. I do like them thogh, and i'd love to own one someday, but there is a single air cooled car that got me into vw and beetles, and of course, he's named Herbie. And well, it's all history. When VW relesed the New Beetle, i knew one had to be mine. Just had to be mine. had to be. just had to be. no other car would do. i just had to have one. i needed one. i pined for one. i made it rediculously obvious that i wanted one. and when the time came for me to replace my 89 daytona, i wouldnt settle for any other car.

[kcfoxie]

I feel the disconnect, and then I don't. The new beetle is far more practical being it's a hatchback then the sedan aircooled. I own both, I loved and only drove the aircooled for so long. Now I can't live without the hatch. I also prefer FWD to RWD in winter conditions, so for at least 4 months out of the year the NB would be driven.

[Shay]

Originally Posted by bmxbugzzi

I fell in love with the New Beelte when it came out in 98, even before I could drive one. I wanted one so bad.

Back when I was even younger than that I wanted a red Old Beelt eand I was going to put black spots on it. As I got older, my like of the Old Beetle grew less and less. I don't not like them now, but I don't like them. I would never own one. Maybe this is because I am young, who knows? I know plenty of people my age that do like them. They have just never appealed to me much... besides the ladybug one I wanted when I was like 7!

I completely agree with you Niki

being 20, i never grew up with the OB, In 1998 when the NB came out I also fell in love. I like the OB and it would be cool to own one for those nice summer weekends but I will stick with my watercooled Beetle.

[kcfoxie]

Originally Posted by Shay

I completely agree with you Niki

being 20, i never grew up with the OB, In 1998 when the NB came out I also fell in love. I like the OB and it would be cool to own one for those nice summer weekends but I will stick with my watercooled Beetle.

How can you say that? I'm 3 years older, and we definetly played Slug Bug till the mid 1990s when they really disappeared from the roadways and didn't make a come back till 1999 when the NB really kicked the VW interest into high gear. Me neighbors had beetles, I remember. Black and Red. My mom said it was my first word. Always loved those cars, tattoo'd the VIN of my first aircooled (first/only/whatever) on me. I won't forget my roots -- the modern reincantation was a Golf-functionality branded as a classic icon, the new beetle w/out the rear hatch wouldn't be of any interest to me had the original not been so famous for it's economy and simplicity. In comparison to other cars of 1998, the new beetle is NOT simplistic... compare a 2006 to ohter 2006s and it's really, really a simple vehicle. (Seriously, the Jetta has 10 to 12 air bags .... we have 4... my 1998 Bug has 3 ECUs, the 2002 with less features has like 10 or 12).

[mgwerks]

Originally Posted by dnyed

Never have owned an air-cooled, but my brother had an old AC Bug. The thing was a gutless wonder. It wouldn't go 45, even with a tail wind. Let alone go up the coastal capes in anything but 1st gear. I had no love for it.

Must been in need of TLC. As someone who owned over 20 aircoolers, I can tell you that my old 40-hp beetle was faster than that - stock. My 72 Super saw right at 100 once, the only mod being headers. And my 66 Beetle would run the 1/4 in the high 14's, steel-bodied and street-legal. No reason for a slow a/c Beetle.

[from Margaritaville...]

There's just a lot of stuff on the old "Beets" that were unique. The spare tire-pressure washer system, the ultra accesssible panels throughout, no dashboard deck, a really hot floor heater, the unique feel of the floor shift, my coco mats, the wood knobs, (and, maybe, the repressed feeling that if you ever got hit by some truck or muscle car, that your life would be over or would be seriously maimed forever. I miss that too).

[JuggBug]

Air cooled, water cooled, I them both! Each for totally different reasons....

I get my air cooled fix with Baldy's Karmann Ghia....there's just something about that smell and the sound of the engine that still makes my vdubbin skip a beat! But then I get to hop in my sweet lil' water cooled and I've got mad love for it as well. And as big of a pain in the as my son's Bughole is, I can't freakin' wait to tool it around town while he's in school!

[from Margaritaville...]

Originally Posted by JuggBug

And as big of a pain in the as my son's Bughole is, I can't freakin' wait to tool it around town while he's in school!

"Hey Mom?! What all this girl stuff doin' in my car?"

[JuggBug]

Originally Posted by Alan Margosian

"Hey Mom?! What all this girl stuff doin' in my car?"

I won't be able to help it! There is just something about driving an air cooled that is special. The sound, the smell....it's intoxicating! And Baldy won't let me drive his Karmann Ghia, so I've got my on Bughole!

[wawalker]

Originally Posted by kcfoxie

How can you say that? I'm 3 years older, and we definetly played Slug Bug till the mid 1990s when they really disappeared from the roadways ....

Ohio=rust. They disappear much sooner here.

I had a span of 12 years where I went through a few air-coolers. I love the old cars, but they are no longer practical today for other than hobbyist use. I still want one, but only for fun.

[Shay]

Originally Posted by kcfoxie

How can you say that? I'm 3 years older, and we definetly played Slug Bug till the mid 1990s when they really disappeared from the roadways and didn't make a come back till 1999 when the NB really kicked the VW interest into high gear. Me neighbors had beetles, I remember. Black and Red. My mom said it was my first word. Always loved those cars, tattoo'd the VIN of my first aircooled (first/only/whatever) on me. I won't forget my roots -- the modern reincantation was a Golf-functionality branded as a classic icon, the new beetle w/out the rear hatch wouldn't be of any interest to me had the original not been so famous for it's economy and simplicity. In comparison to other cars of 1998, the new beetle is NOT simplistic... compare a 2006 to ohter 2006s and it's really, really a simple vehicle. (Seriously, the Jetta has 10 to 12 air bags .... we have 4... my 1998 Bug has 3 ECUs, the 2002 with less features has like 10 or 12).

I didnt grow up around the Old Beetles... I knew they were around but I didnt really see any, heck the only OB I know of that is close to me is Tom's (Fovway) OB.

Its just how it is...

[niki]

I see them all the time. I played slug bug. They just never seriously appealed to me as a car I would want to own. I had a few boyfriends that had OB. One was orange and slow, one was primer and fast. But both were noisy, no AC, no radio... I just didn't like them. I like my quiet, cool little bubble

[dnyed]

Originally Posted by mgwerks

Must been in need of TLC.

Quite possibly. I'm talking the late '70s when he had it, and I think the Bug was a late '50, early '60s year. It was dark blue. I think it was just tired.

[from Margaritaville...]

Forgot to add that I had my 4-track player bolted to the dash beneath the glove box (had mine full of gloves way back then, too)...

Old beetles had LARGER glove boxes...