how did you get into VWs?

[16sec65]

i just lost my Grandfather this week. He was 76 years old. He had always been into vws ever since they came out He would pass his knowledge onto my father, who would then pass it to me and my brother. they are my life and i cant help but think, if it wasnt for him, i wouldnt be who i am today. its kinda funny that you think of these things that someone started after you lose them. So how did you become a vw person? Dad had one? Boyfriend/girlfriend had one?

[amchair67]

In 79, when I was 4, my Mom's 74 Subary DL wagon (orange with a white interior) was on its last legs, and her dad-my grandfather told my Dad to get her a decent car. The ex McHenry County patrol car 1968 Beetle with a billion miles on it that he brought home was NOT what he was talking about. While he "had" to get her a new Toyota, I was hooked on the Bug right away. My dad ended up using the VW daily for several years, had the body redone, and then my mom drove it daily for several more years. Neither one really did any maintenance or care on it and the heat never worked, but it did the job and made me fall in love with VWs for life.

[Glenn]

My Dad had a 55, 63 and 68. So when I needed a car I bought a 74 new.

I still have it.

[bugracer99]

I've told the story on other threads before but,  when I got out of the service back in '66 (ya I'm that old) I put every cent I had into a new (to me) '65 Dodge Coronet with factory dragracing package. 426, dual quads, 4-speed, aluminum hood, fenders etc. Thought I had the fastest car in the world!  First time I took it to the local drags during my first pass during time trials, a VW was in the lane next to me. Didn't pay it any attention at all.  After all I was so kool & it was just a VW.  Anyway by the time I got to the end of the 1/4 he was so far in front I got a great look at the REAR of the EMPI VW.  After I got over the shock I slowly fell for VW's.  I've had one or more ever since.

Tom V

[The Inspector]

 I usually just open the door and climb in !

[Zach Gomulka]

Brought home from the hospital in our '71 Westy. It was just a given that my first car would be a VW- but I dont think my parents ever thought Id take it this far

[James2]

personally, I don't like VW's much, boring little economy cars.



My 56, I hate it.

[J. Matsko]

Thought i had a bad a$$ vega (v8 of coarse) on the street till a little vw wanted a race from the stop light, well i never heard it but as it passed me like i was standing still.i never saw an exhaust on that car. after years of building a vw with webbers that was fast, i finally realized it was turbocharged. i have been hooked ever since about 25 years now.
By the way i found out later that the driver of said vw was Ron Townsend and named his vw Tanfastic. awsome car.
Thanks for the memory.
Jerry

[Kathy Lachance Post]

I met Mark Herbert and Danny Deacon in the late 70's.  Who wouldn't want to be a part of anything that those two were involved in! 

[skeeter!]

My parents had a Bug shortly after I was born-- the coolest thing I remember about it was that my dad made a fake police microphone and left it in the back seat-- drivers next to me couldn't figure out why a little kid would be talking on something like that... When I was 10, we cruised up the coast from So Cal to Canada and back in a Westy (can't remember what year right now); had the sink, porta potty, the works. My dad swore that we would camp out, park wherever, sleep in the thing... of course, when we actually made the trip, we drove around for hours trying to find an actual motel. It lasted until about Barstow coming back, then started acting up-- we limped it home and took his full-size truck for the rest of the vacation... My first VW (the '68) I just bought on a fluke-- I was a die-hard Toyota guy in 2000, and my truck had just seized up. I bought the car from a friend of my brother for 600 bucks, and have had it ever since... didn't know about the whole subculture thing until about a year later, then started going to cruises and events! Now, I'm the guy who gets to Nick's at noon during Classic Week!

[brian rogers]

Friend in highschool and I had the usual American Iron. He kept breaking and pouring money into a 56 Ford sedan delivery. His sister owned a bug and wasn't doing to bad with it. She had friends in Orange County that hung out at their house. Bill then built a '66 and drove all over the place with his. I bought my first '67 bug after I'd moved to Utah as a commuter for school. I've had a '67 ever since

[J Dotson]

Around 1969 or 1970 i was bagging groceries at the Super Duper and driving a 1952 Pontiac.I was saving up my money to get a newer car and kept going by the Import Car Lot but really was wanting a Triumpth.I did not have too much cash and had noticed the 1964 Bug and finally took it for a ride and had to have it.I bought the Muir Idiot book to figure out how to work on it.I was in Auto Shop at High School but the instructor said i was on my own on that thing.First big job on it in 1971 was putting a clutch in it in Auto Hobby shop at McConnel AFB in Wichita Ks. also Pace extractor,010,8 track player etc.My High Performance tinkering only came into play mid 80's when i was in New Mexico and Arizona in the Air Force.
Here is me in my Bug in about 1970 sometime...

[jeff68]

I was born in '64. My Dad had a ruby red '62 Beetle. Drove it for ten years then traded it for a new '72 super Beetle. Drove that one for 15 years. I learned to drive when I was 14 in the ''72. Drove it on the highway, it was awesome. I remember being behind the seat in the '62 when I was little enough to fot back there. We went everywhere in that car (my parents and two sisters). In around '76 my father put a dual thenderbird header and other EMPI appearance goodies on his '72. That was it. I used to wait outside to listen for that car when I knew my Dad would be coming home from work. I can still hear it.  Thanks Dad!

[Iowa Mark]

It all started with a faded red bug that had a hole in the top of it sitting in the back row at the local Ford dealer. They wanted $250 for it in 1969 and being the smooth talker that I was, I talked them down to $245. Got a set of metric sockets with some of Mom's green stamps, took all the dowels off the flywheel within a couple of weeks. I was on that slide into addiction that is still with me.

[killer_canary]

a neighbor had a.... i think it was a 67 bug.  it was lowered, was like a neon green, black interior, had 5 spokes on it, really nice looking car.  though it was cool, but never paid much attention to it.  then in 1996, (i was almost 13 at the time)  one day in the city of Lakewood (by the autozone, on woodruff.)  i saw a dark green bug on 5 spokes, had a roof rack, was lowered.  i remember watching it go buy in the opposite direction and thinking "that is the coolest thing ever,  i have got to get me one of those".  then a couple months later me and some friends had skated over to a liquor store, don't remember why.  and i walked out with the august 96 issue of hot vw's.  fast forward a few years to september 1999 and i bought my 71 super beetle.  went to the auto zone a month later looking for wiper blades and that lowered green bug was in the back of the parking lot.  the guy behind the counter of the auto zone was like, we don't have bug parts.  go to so cal imports.  told me where so cal was, and gave me directions.  i get halfway to so cal and it hits me.  you know what dumbass, i bet that was the guy that owns that green bug.  i have not seen that green bug sense