1973 Volkswagen Beetle super beetle from North America - Comments

Odometer stopped working even when repaired once and replaced another time.

Engine overhauled by a non-dealer repair shop.

Clutch cable broke.

Generator and starter replaced.

Suffered from serious front frame rust.

Heat exchanger cables froze up.

The car was a family hand me down since my father bought it new for $2500.00. It was handed down to me unfortunately when all of the repairs were needed.

Fun car to drive- slow, but it feel like you were driving faster than you were going. The winter time was challenging because of a poor heater and the windows would ice up inside requiring that you pull off the road and scrape the windows again. But these cars had excellent traction in the days of few SUV, s and 4x4 trucks.

This car ended up being T-boned by a 18 wheeler at an intersection and the front axle broke because of years of salt and rust. I eventually sold it for parts.

This car will always have a special memory for me.

Hi, I'm considering buying a Super Beetle. Are they a good car?

How much MPG or Litres per KM do they use of petrol?

I would like real answers not bias.

I really love these cars, but need to know any cons?

Even just post a comment to show interest in beetles?

I'm a newbie. Is there a big difference in 72 or 73 models to justify paying more for purchase price?

In responce to your comment- Super beetles were pretty decent automobiles benefitting from decades of refinements made on the beetle, with an advantage of greater trunk space. Beetles of the mid-1970's averaged about 20-25 mpg, beetle's became heavier and were loaded with emission equipment so fuel economy suffered. Rust, especially underneath is the biggest problem and can be expensive to repair. The biggest difference visually between the 72 and 73 were the taillights. In 73 VW used a tri-color lens and it was bigger. Depending on when the car was made, some beetles may have certain components carried over from 72 models. If you can live with little heat and heavy winds they're a fun car.

Thank you for your comment.

I come from Australia, and petrol costs like a 1.50 a litre.

What I was trying to get at was I've found that there's like a thousand dollar difference in prices, between 1302 1303 models Aus for good Beetles. Am I going to notice that much difference to justify the price difference, like is the handling of the two models that different?

I know they upgraded the heating in 1303. Is it still going to be freezing?

I know they upgraded the suspension on paper.

To the average person, will they notice the upgrades?

Thank you to the poster of the second comment.

Nice chose in cars. I love the super beetle. For 1973 the windshield was deeply curved and not flat as in the previous two years. Also the seats were slightly different, made with foam instead of horse hair. You may or may not care about the windshield, but with the curved window the interior is supposed to look bigger and more modern, according to VW. Good luck with your new car!

I have recently bought a 71 Super for restoration. I found it in Arkansas in a field and what surprised me was after sitting two years in a field all I had to do to get it to run was to add oil, put some gas in the tank, and replace the battery.

I have 1300.00 USD in it and I am ready to paint it this spring. I fixed up the brakes for 80.00 and I need to replace some front end bushings and ball joints, but other than that, it runs down the road just fine.

I also purchased a 73 standard Beetle that I am using for a daily driver. You can still buy parts for them, and if you are mechanically inclined and stick to the maintenance schedule, you will have many hours of driving enjoyment.

P.S. I don't see what all the fuss is about the heaters. My 73 get hot enough to cook you if you turn the controls all the way up and I drive it in below freezing conditions.

Something that no one mentioned that is a problem with the Super Beetles, are the air vents behind the rear side windows. The moon-shaped vents unique to the Super Beetles, after years of exposure to weathering, cause the body to rust, causing an ugly, bubbly-looking mess at the back to both sides of the rear-window. Unless the person restoring the car cared about his/her work, the car would rust through a cover-up paint job in less than a year. Be careful!! The main body of the car cannot be changed! Either buy a good specimen, or be prepared to fix a rusty body.

I had these when I was a young driver.

The plain 73-74 beetles handled better. The longer wheel base on the Super also cost more for front end work.

The Super Beetle blower for the heater was a big plus... the plain beetle lacked that. It took a while to heat, and I remember stomping my feet, waiting to have the forced air heater to make enough heat.

We had them new. The 73-74 had more hp than earlier models also. The 73 had the smaller bumpers and the 74 larger. I really liked the big tailights and new it was actually kind of an incentive to buy just over the modern lights. The bigger motor too.

Given a preference, I always liked driving the plain model not the Super. I had them, my dad had Supers all new. I also had older bugs starting with a 63 30 HP; a slug but cute; liked the ivory knobs, then a 69 plain Beetle. Stay away from the Auto Stick Shift.

I also bought a used 75 Bug; pretty body and paint, but it was truly horrible; replaced the motor, gas tank, electrical gremlins, but then it was 16 years old at the time. Wave of nostalgia I guess also for our son. Never could get it to pass inspection over electrical issues. We had an expert VW mechanic would fix and then reoccur. The pretty paint along the road and my new teen driver wanted it. We sold it quick; it was a real hassle and bought a used Mustang GT 5.0, which was the best bang for buck we ever had used, and troublefree for our teen.