1971 Volkswagen Beetle Super review from North America

I bought this car with the idea that it would be a reliable and economical winter car. It was neither.

This was the 4th VW that I owned, and it was destined to be the last. The worst things about the car was the heater basically didn't work. The heat exchangers would rust out every few years, making replacement a necessity if you wanted heat. The engine was woefully underpowered, making any passing situation a real adrenaline rush. The car had several annoying minor problems. But the topper was the this: while driving down the NYS thru-way, the engine blew. Just going the speed limit and not doing anything crazy, a valve broke which basically destroyed the motor...

Strictly a warm weather car. These things do not fare well in cold weather.

Although replacement parts were cheap at the time, be ready to make regular trips to the parts store.

Mileage was reasonable, but nothing to write home about. There are much more economical cars that have better performance.