1972 Volkswagen Beetle 1300 review from UK and Ireland
"A challenging car, but with a huge reward"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Gear-box failed after 800 miles.
Engine failed after 30,000 miles.
Second engine (a second-hand unit for £70) failed after 120 miles!
Third engine (a re-conditioned 1641cc unit from Volkspares) failed after two months. It was repaired under warranty only to fail again a month later. After this I demanded my money back which took a further two months of phoning.
General comments?
Despite all the problems I've had with this car, I wouldn't change it for anything. It's a damn good car to drive.
I love the way it looks and the roar of the engine (it has a very loud stinger exhaust and merged header manifold) this also helps greatly with the performance over a stock set-up.
I would advise anyone who wants an "old-style" Beetle to study the following:
Budget for repairs.
Learn how to do the repairs yourself (easy once you get started!)
Never ever ever buy a Volkspares engine (I recommend a Vege 1600cc re-con unit, it's never let me down!)
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1972 |
| First year of ownership | 1997 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 5 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 198792 miles |
| Most recent distance | 265344 miles |
| Previous car | Daihatsu Sportrak |
| Date of Entry | 10th April, 2001 |