While it never achieved quite the cult status of the Beetle, Volkswagen’s Squareback still retains a strong following in the classic car community. It brought additional levels of flexibility and refinement over its sibling, and good examples can command impressive prices today. Our feature Squareback is a two-owner survivor in a mechanically sound state. It is structurally solid, and its next owner could decide to treat it to a cosmetic refresh or allow it to wear its survivor badge with pride. Located in Granbury, Texas, you will find the Volkswagen listed for sale here on eBay. Bidding has pushed the price to $1,835, although this figure remains short of the reserve.
It seems that Volkswagen wasn’t opposed to playing a game of “smoke and mirrors” with the motoring press in the 1960s. They denied plans to launch a new model when quizzed in 1960 but announced the Type 3 variants in 1961. These included the Squareback model, and while sales volumes never reached those experienced by the Beetle, they were still warmly accepted by the buying public. This Squareback wears Gentian Blue paint, a shade offered on the Squareback for a single model year. The paint looks tired, and there’s little doubt that it would benefit from a cosmetic refresh. However, its lack of rust and other panel problems means that this is by no means compulsory. If the buyer wanted to retain the car as an original survivor, it would attract as much attention now as it would fully restored. Given its life in Texas, its lack of rust problems is no surprise. Underside shots reveal surface corrosion on the floors, but there is no evidence of penetrating rust. It would be worth the time and effort to treat the corrosion so that it couldn’t deteriorate further, and this would be a great way of filling time until the weather turns warm again. The exterior trim looks acceptable for a survivor-grade car, although a couple of minor pieces are missing. The glass appears excellent, and it seems that this car has no immediate needs.
While its next owner may not splash much cash on this Squareback’s exterior, they may decide to spend a few dollars on its interior. There’s nothing radically wrong, but it is showing signs of age. The worst problem is the significant tear in the driver seat, which is beyond the point of repair. The remaining upholstered surfaces look tired, but I would treat everything to a deep clean before I spent any money. I suspect that some of the upholstered surfaces may respond positively and may save a few dollars on this restoration. For me, the shopping list would include new seat covers and a carpet set, along with a replacement dash pad. It has a substantial crack, and I suspect that it is irreparable. A quick search revealed a full seatcover set for $700, a carpet set for $350, and a dash pad for $280. My search was pretty brief, so a more detailed approach could reduce those figures further. If the next owner can salvage the remaining upholstery, whipping this interior into shape may not break the bank. There have been no aftermarket additions, and its original AM/FM radio remains intact.
In keeping with a long-established tradition, the Squareback features a rear-mounted air-cooled flat-four engine that sends its power through a four-speed manual transaxle to the rear wheels. In this case, the motor in question has a capacity of 1,584cc and a power output of 54hp. That may not be a recipe for lightning acceleration, but with a weight of 2,116lbs, the Squareback could still find its way to a top speed of 84mph. It seems that when the seller located this VW, its original owner had left it sitting for years. After dragging it home, he handed it to a Volkswagen specialist to return it to a roadworthy state. After performing a thorough inspection and fluid change, the mechanic replaced the carburetors, the master cylinder, the rear brake shoes, the brake hoses and rebuilt the front calipers. He added a new fuel pump and lines and bolted on new tires. It seems that it was worth the effort because this Squareback runs and drives exceptionally well. It appears that it is ready to be enjoyed by its next (and third) owner.
If you were to make a play to park this 1972 Volkswagen Squareback in your workshop, what would be your next step? It is structurally sound and has no immediate needs. Addressing the surface corrosion on its underside would be wise, but a cosmetic refresh would not be essential. If I became its next owner, I would probably tackle the corrosion, refresh the interior, and leave the exterior untouched. It would make a bold statement and garner plenty of attention. Your approach may be different from mine, which makes the classic world a fascinating place.
These are really good cars. Owned two Notchbacks and got good service and performance out of both of them, all though the high compression kit, cam, and carb enhancements we put on the one in Europe really upped the fun factor.
The perfect dog owner’s car; you could put the dog(s) in the wayback, the groceries in the frunk and still have the back seat for human passengers. If only it had roll-down rear windows preferably as part of having four doors (like the Corvair Lakewood…)
Christmas of 73 working a gas station in Central Pa. Lady pulls in in the middle of a white out. I grab a coat and head out to the pumps. She’s yelling that the car is over heating and for me to check the “RADIATOR” I told her is DON’T HAVE ONE. She cusses me out as I walk away. Well she stalls it and it won’t start. So my cousin and I sat in the warm office as she getting madder. She come in to use the phone and get’s even more PI$$ED when I show her the PAY PHONE. I offer her a quarter and she walks out. We watch her on the phone and about 20 minutes later another car pulls in. This guy get’s out talks to her and she points our way. My cousin has already got SHOP DOG RUGER Out and we wait. This guy come in the door CUSSING A STORM and wanted to know who called his wife a DUMB A$$. I said I talked to her and when she stated cussing me out I CALLED HER STUPID. He said that was wrong and I said She was Stupid for wanting me to CHECK A HOT Radiator ON A CAR THAT DIDN’T HAVE ONE. He shut up real quick and left. Two days later they both came back in to say they were sorry That’s my Volkswagen Squareback story.
That’s a great human interaction note…
Loved” Got Shop Dog Ruger out and we wait” LOL……ya neva know.
Somebody likes it, up to 4k so far.
I had two squarebacks in the early 80’s. A 71 & a 72. Adirondack Mountain roads were kind of tough on the little motors. The salt treated roads rusted the he** out of the rockers and floor pans.
When I was a kid Dad had a ’64 Variant 1500S (Euro Squareback). He burned up two engines inside of 20K miles as Dad did not like to rev up the engine. I, as a 15 year-old kid, told him it is air-cooled and he needed to wind it up a bit more between the gears, but my pleading fell upon deaf ears. Dad was adamant he did not need to “hot rod” it and paid the price when the #3 cylinder dropped a valve both times.
I later bought a ’69 Squareback while in college. Engine was “iffy” with a rod knock, but she held together until I sold it to buy a Triumph GT6.
Fast forward to present day…love my’60 Beetle & ’66 Squareback which is Cardinal Red with a Platinum (white) interior. Car is absolutely stock including the factory sunroof and AM/FM/SW (shortwave) radio. Wife and I love to take our German Shepherd to car shows and the dog loves it to as the visibility is excellent. Folks often ask if the car is for sale and I answer with a resounding “No. The car is in my will for my youngest son to inherit.”
These are very comfortable cars and popularity is increasing. Not much larger than a Beetle but SO MUCH MORE ROOM. And every time I drive it I am almost transported to my youth with the familiar sounds and smells only an air-cooled VW can emit. Somebody is going to have a lot of fun with the auction ends for this car!
It is starting to rust in bad places. Look above the taillight, behind the side glass at the hatch opening.
AND the carburetors…The fuel injection is what made these cars and it worked and was simple. Carbs = lower mileage/power and have running issue.
“Carbs make more HP!” is horse hockey. Carbs, by their design, have to have venturi which (wait for it!) RESTRICTS THE AIR!. The original air cleaner had a rubber connection to the air cooling “plenum” in the body which meant it was ingesting COOL AIR. These little chrome things are breathing hot dirty air from under the engine lid. If you’re not smart enough to make the FI system run? Take it to someone who is. Those carbs are a show-stopper for me. What ELSE didn’t they know enough to care for correctly????
Year ago the Bosch Brain was $2,000. A weber conversion was around $200, so do the math. The car was only worth a few grand back in the 80’s & 90’s if that. I’d bet over 90% of these we changed over to Weber’s.
I have been working on Bosch FI systems since they came out (68 Type 3 VWs) and I have had to replace exactly ZERO “brain boxes” The faulty “brain box” is the one between the technician’s ears. OK..talk to me about old fuel hoses and I’m in agreement with you. Gotta keep those puppies fresh and the clamps (of the proper type!) tight. The injector windings finally giving up due to the insulation not being resistant to modern fuels? I’m with you. Computers? Nope. VW had a TSB about the control units (brain box) which stated that of ALL the ones returned as faulty (and there were pallets of them) exactly two of them had issues and both were from physical damage. Carb is a 4-letter word. If you can’t read a wiring diagram and use a DVOM (a scope makes the work faster!) then gently close the engine lid and walk away. This ain’t your kinda car…
I miss seeing these. They used to be all over but I never see them anymore. This looks like a good compounding, wax and a buff would make it nice. As for running, it looks like it needs some TLC. I’d have to climb under it to check for rust first, either way.
Carburetors?
I always liked the looks of these Squarebacks. I came close to buying one back in the day but decided against it…thank God.
Steve. You don’t know what you have missed.
The fuel injection was what killed these cars reputation wise. It came out in ‘68 ( I had a ‘67) and gave endless headaches. I’ll bet 90% of the early FI models were converted to carbs within two years. I don’t know if VW ever got it to work right but it killed the type 3. My ‘67 was a great car.
Never had one I couldn’t make run perfectly . The VW dealer techs had an issue due to VW’s “training” and reliance on this…box..with all these buttons and lights that you plugged the harness into. VW treated the techs like morons. They “trained” them and did not educate them. The techs, for their part, had been working on what is really 1930’s technology and didn’t want to know “nuttin” about these “new fangled” cars. The Bosch system is bullet-proof but can have bad connections (90% of the issues were grounds) just like anything on any car. I had one come in where the owner (VW owners were always looking to save a dime) had changed his own spark plugs (asked him what he’s torqued them to and he developed a blank look). The car was running super rich with clouds of black smoke. He’d been told the FI was crap and he need a set of carbs. I listen to him, opened the engine lid, reinstalled the hose from the manifold to the air pressure sensor (now called a “MAP” sensor) and the car smoothed out and ran perfectly. He’d knocked it off while fussing with the plug wires. “Will there be anything else…?” I left him standing there with his mouth agape.. So yeah, if you REALLY wanted to make sure, that hose needed clamps on both ends to keep fumble fingers from dislodging it while poking around where he really didn’t belong. There is nothing WRONG with those EFI systems
MikeH, I had a beetle with fi . It was the automatic stick shift. Basically electric clutch, I got it for the cost of the new battery in it. My Uncle worked for Engle VW in kalamazoo. He told me to wd-40 the heck out of the shifter and wiggle it around. I drove that thing to work for 2 years before it was worn out and used more oil than gas 🤣 my intent was to build it into a fine buggy but getting a permanent lady off back in 81 meant you’d be lucky to find a job. I sold it to a neighbor.
Precisely why I have recently purchased a Model T Ford. I am sick of all this BS technology. Call me a dinosaur, call me old-fashioned, but never ever call me late for dinner! Seriously, I subscribe to the KISS principal. Keep It Simple Stupid. And electric cars are certainly not the answer, IMHO.
OK this isn’t the forum for this but I can’t help myself. In the fleet is an Electric car (Ford) which has given over 80K miles with only tires, wiper blades two adjustable upper rear control arms. THEN the coolant system developed a leak INTO the battery (really Ford? the COOLING system?!?! You can’t make one that doesn’t LEAK!?!?) It is currently down until I get the chance to drop the battery and fix that. 84 VW van converted to Subaru power WITH all the FI stuff on it. 412K miles with over 250K on Subaru power with NO ISSUES. Sprinter van with common rail injection. It “blew” one injector once which kills it. Pulled it to work with Electric Ford! 430K on that one and that’s the ONE problem I’ve had. About one hour to diagnose and repair. That injection system is all electronic! AND then a 65 DIESEL Land Rover. Guess which one requires the most of my time to keep running…. NOT because it’s old (all the systems have been overhauled) but rather they were designed to be easy to work on because you had to all the time! Hey, nothing else here need valve adjustments! So, short of a EMP attack, any of my machines work better that the “simple one” BECAUSE of the electronics on them! Get a good one, maintain it and you have few if any problems. My $0.02
BTW..The 68 cars were the ones to have. THOSE systems shut off the fuel injectors on the overrun down to about 1200 RPM. Carefully driven, 35-38 MPG was common. They dropped that feature for 1969 and added a “cold start valve which is another injector that sprays into the manifold center when starting in cold weather. Both of those changes killed the MPG. Now we’re 29-30 all the time. My 68 squareback started instantly at -30F. Cold start valve? Where are you planning on parking this thing!
This may be a ’72 however, someone has done a retro back to dual carbs. The Squareback starting in 1968 had fuel injection. Dad bought one in Europe with US spec’s. He ordered a ’67 but when he picked it up at the factory they had already switched model years on the production line for the US spec cars. Drove the pee out of it and it never gave up. We did have a couple of injection problems early on but dealer never replaced the board. They had a tech who had gotten the factory training. 90% of the injection problems were the injectors themselves. Loved it until it had over 200K miles on it and blew the crankcase apart breaking up the transmission as well. Oh It’s been bid over $4200 now.
I inherited my Great Grandfather’s 1972 Square back 10 years ago. Later I gave it to my uncle as a keepsake of his Grandfather’s with the understanding it would be returned to me at my uncles demise. True to his word, the VW has been returned and it still has 14,000 original miles, is a true automatic, not a slap stick, but a real automatic. Heading to pick it up soon and this posting reminded me of the story my dad told me when he went to Radford Virginia to the VW dealership and helped his grandfather pick out a car. Said the finance manager tried to pin him down and make payments…..dad said his grandfather patted his right trouser pocket and said….”son the country is in serious trouble if a man’s gotta finance a car,….don’t buy what you can’t pay for”
He paid $3,100 for it, in Cash.
Sun yellow exterior with black vinyl seats and carpet.
Very cool story Allen! Keep it in the family.
Had one, drove the cr@p out of it, lived in it, moved multiple times with every possession I owned in back. Had a fire due to the cracked injector lines, had multiple valve jobs, finally cracked the case to end its life with me. At the time I thought it was a good car. Now I have a Subaru with 159K miles, tons of power, with nothing more than routing maint. Cars have become so much more reliable and we have come to expect that. I wouldn’t want the VW maint anymore.
If this one is to slow, I put a 1640 kit cam and dual carbs in mine.
Down farther on this page is a 73 with a 454 in it ! 🤪🤪