1967 Volkswagen Beetle 111 Sedan review from North America

Generator belt broke.

Although I only owned my 1967 Beetle for a few months. The Beetle was my first car and my first of 10 Volkswagens I have owned thus far.

I purchased this shiny black Beetle with a red interior for $950. from the local Dodge dealer, shortly after my 16th birthday.

The little Beetle was in nearly new condition. It was equipped with an AM radio and little else. My Beetle had a 4 speed manual transmission. It had no fresh air vents, and no carpeting (the floor was covered with a rubber mat).

The 1967 Beetle was a transition model for Volkswagen. They still used the old-style bumpers, but they were now equipped with 12 volt electrics. Thus the headlights weren't cover with those glass globes like the 6 volt models.

I think the '67 Beetle is one of the most desirable models, due to the classic "Bug" styling and 12 volt system.

The Beetle was certainly no hot-rod, but this is probably a good thing for a 16 year-old kid. It really wasn't built for high speeds. As a matter of fact

this Bug experienced axle hop at speeds over 75 mph.

The Beetle wasn't the best handling car in the world either. I remember one instance (driving on a wet road) when I

took at left turn to head south, and ended up facing north as the Beetle spun out.

This was the one and only incident that I had with my Beetle, as from there on I

respected the fact that the engine was

behind me.

What the Bug was was fun to drive, economical, inexpensive to maintain, and extremely reliable.

The only ocassion that it needed work was one evening as I was driving some of my friends home, the little green generator light came on. I drove about a half a mile before it dawned on me that I'd better check the generator belt. Sure enough, it had broken, and by the side of the road my friends and I

replaced the belt with the spare I kept in the trunk. (I was very thankful there was a spare!)

Other than that, nothing broke or required repair in the short time that I owned it.

I guess I gave in to peer pressure and ended up trading my Beetle for a '69 Chevelle Mailbu. Even 32 years later, I regret doing so. However I have owned

two other Beetles, and a total of 10 VWs

since.

My current VW (a Cabriolet) is also black and shiny, so in a way I've come full circle. This one came with carpeting however!

In summary although the 1967 VW Beetle was basic transportation it was also a great little car.