1965 Volkswagen Beetle review from North America
"A monument to the absurdity of the belief that"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
I purchased a 1966 Beetle new in January 1966. To date (2003), that car still rates in the top 3 WORST cars I have ever owned.
I purchased the car at the time I was first married, for economy purposes. My Beetle never got more than 17mpg, and that was immediately after the dealer typical service (points, plugs, etc), which seemed to be required about every 5,000 miles.
At 12,000 miles the third clutch was installed (dealer). It still was on the third clutch when I dumped it at 14,000 miles.
While in use, the windshield wiper arms would fall out on the hood regularly. The mounting was a ball type (engineering?) which could not be tightened sufficiently. I eventually drilled a hole through the whole thing and bolted it.
The heater control functionally had two positions, OFF and HOT, nothing in between.
When I traded the vehicle in 1967, the right rear axle seal was leaking.
I submit this antiquated review to rebut a glowing current review of this particular car. I never again considered buying a Volkswagen.
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| 1967 - Beetle Std 1.6 4 cylinder Boxer Not perfect, but lots of fun |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1966 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1967 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 CC Manual |
| Performance marks | 4/10 |
| Reliability marks | 2/10 |
| Comfort marks | 3/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 5/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 50 miles |
| Most recent distance | 14000 miles |
| Date of Entry | 7th June, 2003 |