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Where should a total newbie get started?



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 26th 05, 06:50 AM
Rachel Garrett
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Default Where should a total newbie get started?

Greetings! My first and only car (an old Honda Civic) is dying. Instead
of keeping it on life support, I'm going to allow it to have death with
dignity: at the end of the month, it's being sold as scrap.

I'd love to get a car that is somewhat user-friendly. I've heard
positive things about the old VW Beetles, from car-savvy and
non-car-savvy people alike. (Particularly appealing is the fact that
they're air-cooled; I spent hundreds of dollars getting the entire
coolant system fixed in the Honda, and it STILL broke six months
later.) The problem is, I know approximately this much about cars in
general:

o <-- very small dot

All I know about cars is from looking stuff up in Chilton and on the
Internet whenever something broke on the Civic. I can find stuff in
Google, but I'm looking for something a little more systematic, because
I'd like to really OWN a car and not just USE it. Where do I get
started? What do I read and who do I talk to?

I think a VW Beetle might make a good "starter" project car for someone
like me doesn't know a whole lot, but likes to figure things out.
Input? Feedback? Are there complexities lurking in wait to bite the
amateur? Where do you even find a project car in the first place? What
are some good Internet sites that talk about restoring, repairing, or
playing with Beetles?

And so on. Hope this made sense. I'm going to go read your archives
now.

--Rachel

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  #2  
Old February 26th 05, 07:02 AM
Ben Boyle
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Beetles are great, but there are some cautions. Any Beetle you are going to buy now is going to pretty much be 30+ years
old and bring with it the problems associated with a piece of machinery that is so old. You have to carefully inspect
one you are to buy and ensure there is no serious rust. Odds are any car you buy is going to have a lot of little
failures that can make your life difficult until you start to get ahead. There is also the issue of safety, I think that
their rear engined configuration takes a bit of getting used to and their braking system isn't the greatest when
travelling modern day speeds. Here's a good article that can help you make an informed decision.
http://www.thebugshop.org/bsfqbyng.htm
"Rachel Garrett" > wrote in message ups.com...
> Greetings! My first and only car (an old Honda Civic) is dying. Instead
> of keeping it on life support, I'm going to allow it to have death with
> dignity: at the end of the month, it's being sold as scrap.
>
> I'd love to get a car that is somewhat user-friendly. I've heard
> positive things about the old VW Beetles, from car-savvy and
> non-car-savvy people alike. (Particularly appealing is the fact that
> they're air-cooled; I spent hundreds of dollars getting the entire
> coolant system fixed in the Honda, and it STILL broke six months
> later.) The problem is, I know approximately this much about cars in
> general:
>
> o <-- very small dot
>
> All I know about cars is from looking stuff up in Chilton and on the
> Internet whenever something broke on the Civic. I can find stuff in
> Google, but I'm looking for something a little more systematic, because
> I'd like to really OWN a car and not just USE it. Where do I get
> started? What do I read and who do I talk to?
>
> I think a VW Beetle might make a good "starter" project car for someone
> like me doesn't know a whole lot, but likes to figure things out.
> Input? Feedback? Are there complexities lurking in wait to bite the
> amateur? Where do you even find a project car in the first place? What
> are some good Internet sites that talk about restoring, repairing, or
> playing with Beetles?
>
> And so on. Hope this made sense. I'm going to go read your archives
> now.
>
> --Rachel
>



  #3  
Old February 26th 05, 02:29 PM
jtbartlett
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Hi Rachel.
Please do not take this offensively but you really do not want an old
aircooled VW for a daily driver if you indeed know nothing about cars.
Yes the are great cars for many different reasons however....they are
getting on in age, 30+ years almost guaranties repairs and
replacements. You could do much worse for a PROJECT car though. They do
pass the time well and you might learn a thing or two over the rebuild
and maintenance cycles. Although you may have bad feelings about an
older Honda or Toyota they are by far the better choice for a reliable
vehicle. In fact, the same make and model you currently own would be
great as you have some parts, tires..etc.

Joel Bartlett

  #4  
Old February 26th 05, 03:36 PM
remco
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We have an Accura (=Honda), a Nissan and a Subaru in the family. We've owned
other cars (Toyotas, Ford, Volvo, Saabs, hoopty Scamp) and have done most of
the work on them. Worked on many others as favors to friends and family.

Recently I was given a beetle because I was interested in making that a
project car -- did you notice how I didn't select any of the above as a
project car and those cars I know relatively well. So why did I do it?

I am not looking to make the bug into a daily driver.Nothing is more
frustrating than _having_ to work on a car on a perfectly good sunny weekend
to take you back to work that monday. The bug will be a car to drive around
on the weekend for fun.With its quirky heating system, I'd imagine that it
won't be used in winter.

This being my first bug, I am a total bug newbie but I like its design --
everything seems to be made so anyone can service it. You don't need an
engine hoist. The engine is relatively small and light. It is a simple car,
does not take a lot of space, does not take expensive special tools, parts
are available. It is so ugly, it is pretty. Whenever I see a bug being
driven, it makes you smile.

If you were looking for a good project car, a bug is a good choice. Mine was
given to me, but from what I hear you can get project cars and
project-project-project cars. Some are worst than others, so you'll want to
be careful as to how much work you want to get into. Mine for instance will
take engine work, welding, body work and interior work. Mine is a
project-project-project-project-project car
It will not be cheap to fix, I am sure -- ebay is your friend

One last plus: If you see someone driving a bug, you immediately assume
he/she must know the car intimately, so you get immediate bragging right
(you don't get that with a project Civic, for instance).

Sorry for going on and on -- others will have a lot more to say, I am sure.
Hope to see you here with your bug.
Remco


  #5  
Old February 26th 05, 04:04 PM
jjs
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"Rachel Garrett" > wrote
> [...]


If you can't walk or take a cab to work and shopping, don't get a Bug for a
daily driver. Make it your second car and enjoy.

Some here have heard of my Hippie Brother's car adventure. He learned the
basic maintenance (grease, valves, oil/filter change, tuning) and followed
it religiously and made his Toyota last over thirty years, over 450,000
miles. You ain't going to do that with an ACVW. No way. It was built for
much lower expectations.


  #6  
Old February 26th 05, 04:06 PM
bill may
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i drive a 67 beetle everyday,i live in san diego,ca. ,so weather is
nice 340 days a year and no salt on roads.i have been driving them
(beetles) since august 1965 -

  #7  
Old February 26th 05, 04:09 PM
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i agree with him my car is a n ol vw and there is something always
wrong with it or maybe it is jsut me and howi drive it but guess waht
it is sitting in my driveway broken i wich i had a better daily driver
.. it is a good car whenit wants to be

  #8  
Old February 26th 05, 04:16 PM
remco
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"bill may" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> i drive a 67 beetle everyday,i live in san diego,ca. ,so weather is
> nice 340 days a year and no salt on roads.i have been driving them
> (beetles) since august 1965 -


Wow! youve been driving your bugs since 65?!?!? That's great! You da man!
(See, Rachel, what I said about Bragging Rights??

I would drive my 75 in San Diegeo as well year around but CT roads are
pretty brutal in winter.
Growing up in Holland, I had neighbors that drove them all the time so I
know it is possible, even in CT.
When I get mine all running again, don't want to beat on it too hard,
though.




  #9  
Old February 26th 05, 04:29 PM
remco
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> If you can't walk or take a cab to work and shopping, don't get a Bug for
a
> daily driver. Make it your second car and enjoy.
>
> Some here have heard of my Hippie Brother's car adventure. He learned the
> basic maintenance (grease, valves, oil/filter change, tuning) and followed
> it religiously and made his Toyota last over thirty years, over 450,000
> miles. You ain't going to do that with an ACVW. No way. It was built for
> much lower expectations.


Agreed there -- Had a Subaru and drove it 110 miles/day. Other than the
usual maintenance, never had real problems with it. It was unfortunately
taken out by an accident at 232K. It was truly a great car! Not fast, nor
comfortable, no frills but very reliable.

Actually a funny story after that:
I then sold it to a guy for parts or so he said. Months later I got a call
from the state police in the middle of the night, asking if I owned this
car.
Apparently, the guy that bought it from me kept on driving it, never even
registering it. He was drunk one night, got caught speeding by the cops and
tried to outrun them!! A real genius, this guy!! He ran into a ditch, rolled
the car three times, from what the cop told me. Later on, I again saw him,
still driving my old subie -- albeit with a huge dent in the roof and sides.


Some of those cars last forever if you take care of them.
Knowing all about Subaru reliability, I still didn't select it as a project
car, though




  #10  
Old February 26th 05, 04:30 PM
jjs
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"bill may" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>i drive a 67 beetle everyday,i live in san diego,ca. ,so weather is
> nice 340 days a year and no salt on roads.i have been driving them
> (beetles) since august 1965 -


With no down-time? Call Guinness.


 




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