1963 Volkswagen Beetle Deluxe review from North America

Brakes and tires needed replacement.

Replaced muffler.

Tuned up motor, replaced spark plugs.

This is a classic iteration of the Beetle. Mine had the little "hoops" on the bumpers, the big moon hubcaps, the 6 volt battery, and a Sears AM radio. What a cool little jitney.

When I bought this Beetle, it was already heavily used, but it was a one owner, and had been well maintained. The heater setup leaves a bit to be desired (running over a puddle meant a blast of fog onto the windshield), but unless you had leaky exhaust pipes, it was reasonably safe. The later model heat exchangers could probably be retrofit and made to work.

The 1200 motor had been replaced by a 1600 motor, but it was still a single port head and a tiny little Solex one barrel carb. Still, the car was plenty fast and could pull any hill at highway speed, and got great gas mileage. Rust was everywhere on the body pan; had I kept it, would have gone for a full restoration.

It was a fabulous, good looking car; every time I see one go by (and it's amazing how many early 60's Beetles are still out there!) I feel pangs of regret at selling mine.