Want a classic VW that you don’t have to shift yourself? This 1973 VW Super Beetle might be the car to cruise around wherever you live. You’ll find it here on craigslist for an asking price of $15,500. It has been advertised for nearly two weeks, so you might well get it for less. You’ll then fly to New Jersey and drive it home. Or get it shipped, your call.
To some, not having to mash the gears might take some of the fun out of owning and driving this VW. I learned to drive on a 1974 (I think it was) Volkswagen, and my dad was adamant: run it hard; that’s how they like to be driven. It was a lot of laughs that this car wouldn’t give. On the other hand, one gets to an age when pushing in a clutch isn’t so desirable anymore, so there’s give and take. The other thing to be worried about is potential need for repair. I was on the trail of a similar car in California a couple of years ago. The seller disclosed a trans leak. I called around all over the place and couldn’t find a seal kit. Even a local VW shop said the best course of action was a four-speed manual conversion. Do your homework before you leap.
I’m not an expert, but I’ve been told that the Super Beetle, which is mainly different in the front suspension and body size (it’s longer, as explained here), is not as desirable as the regular Beetle of similar vintage. Then again, there are two factors working in favor of this car. One is that as the supply of regular Bugs runs thin, collectors will naturally have to refocus their interests to include the “Super” variety of such cars. Anyway, driving this car around would give as much pleasure as driving any other model, wouldn’t it? The other factor to consider is that whether Super Beetle or regular, you’re hardly going to find a car as tidy and original as this one very often. The claims are simple but profound: original paint and rust-free. One owner. 58,000 miles on the original, unkillable engine.
The biggest surprise of all? This Super Beetle is air conditioned! No word as to whether that’s factory or not, but it sure would make a road trip in this little yellow stunner a lot more fun in a warming world. So what kind of number are you willing to put on a car with originality, some patina, and miles of fun left under its hood. I mean, trunk?
I disagree. I think that the 72-73-74 supers were the best of breed. I owned several of each (supers and regulars) back in the day. They were $1,500 cars in the 80s. That extra zero is crazy.
That car is not equipped with an automatic transmission. It is equipped with what was called a semiautomatic transmission. There is no clutch pedal, but there is still a requirement to shift gears when driving. This was a unique transmission employing three forward speeds and one reverse. There was a torque converter separating the engine and transmission. Behind the torque converter would be a clutch that is vacuum operated. The two piece shifter handle would apply vacuum to the clutch the moment the shifter is touched, enabling the selection of the desired gear with the car stopped. Once in motion in first gear, a shift to second gear would typically happen once the car is up to moderate speed. A very interesting transmission it was, but apparently nothing internal was serviceable.
Having said that, this is the very first Beetle I’ve ever seen with an A/C compressor. This cannot possibly be a factory option given how these cars were famous for their simplicity.
I’m not a beetle expert although I did own about 10 different ones during the late 70s through mid-80s. If I recall correctly, I think that VW called it an “auto-stick” transmission or something similar. I never had one of those. However, there were actual cars with factory AC. I had it in one of the 74 supers that I owned. It didn’t push much cfm, however the interiors were small, so they were still better than the old 2-55 systems of the day (driving 55 with 2 windows down).
This is a dealer installed A/C kit or it could have been installed at port but they were not installed when they were produced at the factory. The Super beetles got a grill below the front bumper to facilitate the installation of A/C where the condenser was placed. Talk about a slow Beetle with A/C and a Autostick. Also all the Autostick cars leaked oil so there is no point in trying to reseal them. I think the Autostick cars were the first to come with IRS suspension as well.
A/C was always a dealer installed aftermarket system. I believe the brand was “ADP” or something along that line. Rare, but not totally uncommon. Didn’t exactly make the beetle quicker! :>)
I like it, I wish I was in a position to get it and fly back and drive it the 2500 miles +/- home I think it would be a fun road trip, I would change the Google maps settings and try to avoid major highways that would make for a more interesting trip.
Oh. It would be interesting all right.
I have (and am selling) a car that looks identical to this one but no A/C and standard tranny. I can barely go autobahn speed! Ach du Lieber!
Just missed a blue ‘73 super beetle at Tucson auction. Complete, but not running. Sold for $1,400!
The engines in these were definitely not unkillable, at least in the ’60s they weren’t. I owned two, a ’64 and a ’65, and the number three cylinder would overheat due to poor ventilation and they’d suck a valve. I know because it happened to me in Arizona at close to midnight on my way to CA when I was in my early 20s and my girlfriend and I had to hitchhike to Yuma. Fortunately a trucker was willing to pick us up at that hour, and the next day a guy who had a garage drove us out in his pickup and towed us over 90 miles back (at 90mph with a strap believe it or not.. it was the most harrowing experience of my life up to that point) and he found a junk yard engine put in it because mine wasn’t rebuildable. Plus we lost three days of what was supposed to be our awesome SoCal beach vacation before we had to head back to CO.
No acceleration. No cruising speed. No handling. No brakes. No cooling. No heat. Sure, you could keep it running with duct tape and coat hangers. My Briggs and Stratton 2 h/p lawn mower was just as reliable. And I had about as much fun with that as I would have with this.