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Original Paint: 1972 VW Super Beetle

I would have loved to yanked open the garage door and seen this beautiful Beetle sitting inside. Said to wear original paint and show low mileage of just 60,000, this Super Beetle is located in or near Kansas City and selling for $9,450. While cheaper cars are out there, the difference in price between a project-grade Beetle and one like this is small enough to justify the added cost. Find it here on craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

This 1972 model is a nice mix of both early and later generations. The smaller taillights and the chrome bumpers that sit a touch closer to the body are subtle differences that set it apart from the ’74 model year when the bumpers were pushed out a bit and the taillights got chunky. This one is completely original, says the seller, and is effectively a timewarp example of the highest trim Beetle available in 1972. The paint looks great, as do the polished hubcaps.

The later Beetles began to feel a bit more modern inside, and I’ve always felt the dashboards lost some of their charm when they transitioned to the black plastic fascia. The older models, with their painted dashes and old-school radios, seemed to have more character to me. Regardless, VW worked hard to create more space without distorting the exterior appearance, and the Super Beetle was longer and wider than its predecessor, while still remaining unmistakable as the People’s Car.

The seller mentions that this Beetle has a “sad story” but “…one that saved it for you.” I can only assume this means the Beetle belonged to a service member who didn’t return home or some other young person who died unexpectedly. It doesn’t necessarily add value, but anecdotes like those can at least help affirm how an economy car like this Beetle remained in such fine condition for so long. If this truly is a no-needs car, under $10K seems like a fair deal.

Comments

  1. Avatar grimmmr

    Wow. That’s a good price for an original relatively low mileage bug, even if it is a Super. I have a 71 and my dad has a 72 Marathon Blue Super. Fun car to own and easy to work on. Very to cool to see it so original.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar grant

    I never really understood the whole “even if it is a Super” thing. While I agree a standard bug looks better to me, anyone who’s ever driven one knows that they’re objectively terrible cars. The Super was a better car in nearly every way. I dig this one, and I want to say the price seems a bit optimistic but in all honesty I’ll be surprised if it’s still on the market tomorrow.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Dan

      Exactly. To 99% of the world, a beetle is a beetle. And I really like this one.

      Like 0
  3. Avatar half cab

    Cool bug for sure. I had one a long time ago. The heater was always a problem.

    Like 0
    • Avatar 68custom

      But it keeps your ankles warm!

      Like 0
  4. Avatar Steve R

    Nice looking car. I hope it sells quickly.

    Steve R

    Like 0
  5. Avatar Jimmy

    It is not a Super Beetle, supers had a curved windshield and Macpherson strut front suspension, Beetles had a flat windshield and torsion tube front suspension. Still a great looking bug!👍🏼

    Like 0
    • Avatar Rabbit

      Supers didn’t get the curved windshield until either 73 or 74. Can’t remember which.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Rube Goldberg Member

      It’s a Super. Curved windshield came out in ’73.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Beaver

      Jimmy sorry , I had a 72 super with auto shift trans and it had a flat windshield it was a great car I don’t mean to put you down just inform!

      Like 0
      • Avatar Wally

        Gee, thanks Beav

        Like 0
  6. Avatar Andrew

    Original paint except where it was painted. lol. Rookie error. The fender welting on beetles are the easiest “tell” if a beetle has had paintwork. They are ALWAYS black as that’s how the left wolfsburg. This is not a original car.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Rube Goldberg Member

    Man, another nice bug, darn. This car cost $1,985 new, $140 dollars more than the standard Beetle. By this time, the other imports had caught up with VW, the cheapest car in the late 60’s. In ’72, I read Toyota Corolla was the cheapest at $1,798 and the Opel at $1,828, with Pinto the cheapest US car at $1,960 and Gremlin at $1,999. While that seems cheap, today that’s still over $12,000 dollars. I think for that money, the VW was the best of all the offerings. Great find!!!

    Like 0
  8. Avatar Sparkster

    My sister had a 73′ super beetle with a ” curved ” windshield. Which I found was quite a bit quieter than the flat windshield . Seem to have less air buffeting while at highway speeds. So someone fill me in on the beef about these having McPherson struts rather than a torsion front suspension ?

    Like 0
    • Avatar grant

      Idk if there’s a “beef” so much as the purists tend to prefer the looks of the standard bug a bit more. It does look a lot leaner than a Super. The Super has fatter fenders to accomodations the struts. In terms of how each drives there’s just no comparison. The Super drives like a car. The Standard drives like a swing arm tuna can on wheels, to blatantly plagiarize an auto writer who’s name I can’t recall. Still, who doesn’t love a Bug?

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Dave Mc

    Me and my pops each bought bugs in ’74 during the gas crunch. When winter hit in Minnesota they were both sold the next spring. He moved to a full sized LTD and I bought a ’65 sedan de ville.
    We kinda went the other way lmao

    Like 0
  10. Avatar KO

    Beautiful car, and it’s not had amateur mechanics making mistakes on it for 40 years. Well worth it.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar jw454

    Again, buying this one would be saving you a significant amount of money over buying a rusty, worn out one, and then trying to get it into this one’s condition.
    This is a very good deal.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar David

    The clincher is under the front hood. Regular Bugs had the spare standing up. The supers have room to lay it flat.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bill Corn

      On the ’72, the spare tire on the Super was positioned the same as the standard. It was standing up. Everyone thinks that the way to tell them apart is the curved windshield, which started in ’73 when they “grew up”, but in ’72 the Super was a package that was basically a more powerful engine and maybe a couple of other things. They did continue the regular flat windshield Beetle along with the curved window Super Beetle for at least ’73, but I don’t remember how much longer. I still have a ’72 Super Beetle. My dad bought it on a whim at the credit union repo lot. It was six months old. It became my brother’s car, when I totaled his Pinto.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Michael

        No, the spare on all Supers laid flat. Even on the ’71 and ’72. You sure yours is a Super? The spare should lay flat.

        Part of the Super beetle selling point was the extra space from the McPherson Struts which gave it more trunk(frunk) space since the spare laid flat.

        Like 0
  13. Avatar Frank

    This is a fair deal to me because it’s so complete. My dad drove bugs his whole life and I learned to drive on his 1974 Super. These began my love for 911’s.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Frank
    • Avatar Robbie R.

      Interesting story, thanks for posting the link.

      Like 0
  15. Avatar Luke Fitzgerald

    Love the look, quality materials fit and finish – just wouldn’t drive one to the shops

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Vintageant

    Whatever the pros and cons of Super Beetles are, they just look funny (as in strange, not amusing)!

    Like 0
  17. Avatar Maestro1

    Nice car, good value.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar Rick D Borstein

    Wow, memories. My very first car was a 71 Super Beetle in this exact color. I wish I had garage space for this.

    Like 0
  19. Avatar David Miraglia

    Any Beetle is fine with me…

    Like 1
  20. Avatar Stephan Homewood

    72 super, is a bug from the windshield back. McPherson struts and longer hood from the windshield forward.The car is not wider. The hood and front fenders only fit that year as does the front clip,not that easy to find if you stuff the car.Tail lights are hard to find.I have worked on a lot of VW,s in the past and have never not ever seen one with matching colour fender beads. also slots under fron bumper for ac condensor cooling Just saying.SKH

    Like 0
  21. Avatar Chebby Member

    My grandpa had one exactly like this, I think only the steering wheel was different. I remember washing it for him one time, and his eyes bugging out when I made sure to spray lots of hose water up the exhaust pipes.

    Like 0
  22. Avatar George

    Great car, made quite a good living supplying rebuilt engines and working on VW’S as an independent for years.Don’t think the vacuum advance would work well hooked up to the air cleaner though.

    Like 0
  23. Avatar Trayla

    Myth #2 – Super Beetles all had big curved windshields
    Truth – 1971 and 1972 Super Beetles had the “flat” windshield (well, they weren’t truly flat, but lets not go into that here!). These two years used the same windshield as the standard Beetle. In 1973, the Super Beetle was redesigned and a new larger, curved windshield was added. No other Beetle used this windshield.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Beaver

      You are right on I had a 72 that I loved on the down side my EX wife loved it and her BOY friend more so it went down the road UNTIL she wrecked it. and I got it back the bank said I should sell it to pay her debts off HA HA!!

      Like 0

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