I agree; I was fortunate enought to buy a '73 SB nine years ago from a pro
who had restored it completely. Since then it has been my daily driver
through moves from California to Missouri and now to Illinois. Granted, I
know only drive six miles/day round-trip to work, so I'm only putting about
1500-2000 miles/year on it.

You're right--the fun part is people who tell you stories about their bug
(often, their first car) and thinking they'd still like to have that car.

I'm fortunate to have a great mechanic here in town who keeps the bug
going--I'm a total mechanical know-nothing. He gives it its annual
physical, plus makes the needed repairs quickly and at a reasonable price.
I need to re-paint the bug next summer (starting to getting nicks here and
there, plus that seemingly inevitable rust just behind and below the rear
passenger windows).

So, I don't spend alot each year on the bug: its annual physical, usually
one major repair (this year: rear brakes and CV joint), gas (1.5 fillups per
month) and liability insurance. Heck of a lot better than car payments, for
sure, and the smiles and comments from others are a bonus. I'm a middle
school principal, and the kids at my school LOVE the bug!

~Birdlander



"ilambert" > wrote in message
...
> It really is not so hard.Do we enjoy it? if the answer is yes,we
continue.If
> it is no,the quest continues.I enjoy messing with ACVW(old cars in
general)
> and I will until I decide it's not fun anymore.
> "Mike C." > wrote in message
> k.net...
> > If you don't own a thirty year old plus automobile it's sort of hard
> > understanding how much a pain in the ass it is to keep it running,
> > especially if you're not a rich dude who can plunk down money to get an
> > old car restored like it ain't no thing. I bought my car ten years ago
> > about and put a new engine and transmission in it and thought that once
I
> > was a rich and succesful professional I'd just finish it and be done
with
> > it and then rub it lovingly with a soft cloth diaper. Well, my financial
> > aspirations haven't quite worked out as I hope, and that's partially a
> > fault of the cosmos and partially my own fault. Unfortunately it has an
> > effect on my vehicle restoration goals, which haven't worked out quite
as
> > I hoped. My bug, while seemingly mechincally OK (I have to take it in
soon
> > to get it looked at before the winter and change all my window seals and
> > replace the muffler), still looks like an old POS, which isn't fair to
the
> > car. I'm sure, like any other lady in her thirties, she'd appreciate a
> > little nip and tuck where ever it's possible so I really have to get on
> > the ball with that. Basically, this all leads me to the point I was
going
> > to make about my car, which is the pressure I get from lots of peope,
most
> > in my own family, to just get rid of the car since it's a financial and
> > emotional drain.
> >
> > This brings me back to the main point I was going to make. I don't want
to
> > get rid of my car because, a) it's a piece of history now. As you can
> > probably guess from the way I dress, talk, feel, and mostly live, I sort
> > of have a neo-hippy attitude at life (ok...not always and especially not
> > lately since my karmic energies have been on the seriously negative
side)
> > and this car gives me a physical and emotional connection to the
original
> > hippsters that populated our world many many moons ago. The baby-boomers
> > that danced naked in a mud-pit at woodstock, now currently voting
> > republican because their tax rates are low. I don't want to call them
sell
> > outs, since it's easy to sell out when you have privat school they have
to
> > pay for their kids and stuff like that. I can at least voice my
> > disappointment however. Anywho, it's sort of like, when I listen to the
> > classic rock station and a particular song comes on the radio, I can
sort
> > of feel like my car is saying, "yeah..I remember when this song was
first
> > on the radio, and we were driving to an anti-nuke rally with Moonbeam
and
> > Rainbow with some hash hidden in an old guitar on the back seat...". I'm
> > sort of an anachronistic throw-back to that time and while clubs like
the
> > SCA like to re-create the Renaissance, no one is out there recreating
the
> > late 60's and the 70's. Well, maybe Ben and Jerry but that isn't enough.
> >
> > The second reason, is because my car makes people happy. It just does.
> > Last night was another example. I was hanging with some friends and near
> > totally out of gas I stopped at a station to fill up (now costing me $15
> > to fill up my 8 gallon tank...it never cost me $15 dollars) and this
dude
> > in front of me just came up and told me I just totally made his day
> > because when he was younger he bought a car that looked just like mine
as
> > his first car, and we got to talking and stuff like that. I get that a
> > lot. I get all kinds of stuff like that...people telling me about a
beetle
> > they owned or their parents or their favorite aunty or something and how
> > it ties into one of their favorite memories. I totally dig how it brings
> > people happy memories. And no one ever plays Punch Buick...no one
> > does...it's Punch Buggy...and it's becoming hard since there aren't that
> > many left around. Punch Buggy may potentially die off as a cultural icon
> > if I don't help to preserve it...how much of a bummer would that be?
> >
> > Anywho, I figured that since I was up so early on a Sunday morning and
> > since there wasn't much else to do I'd post this little story. Keep on
> > truckin' and have a good day. Peace
> >
> >
> >
>
>