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To: Army Air Corps
1974 VW Super Beetle.

Bought it in 1979 from a retired German couple in Pirmasens, Germany.

Only used to go to and from church on every other Sunday.

Didn't mention that church was in Rota, Spain!

Things I found out AFTER I bought it:

Speedo was altered...later REAL mileage was estimated at over 300000 km, versus 40000 shown. Seasoned VW mechanic marveled at the fact that it was still running.

Sunroof leaked and drain channels were plugged with rust...resulting in a bath (usually a COLD one) when stopping in reverse, from collected water splashing out of channel.

Wiring at some time had been redone...using one color of wire...red. No easy way to trace any electrical route.

EVERY lug on drivers side wheels stripped. They had been replaced with some sort of oversized bolt, installed with 5000 psi air wrench, I think. Once they were out, they were never going to go back in. Had to replace wheels, drums, etc.

Radio worked, when it wanted to. Woken by Polizei one night, about 2 AM, warned to turn off loud radio of my car, parked on the street. I had NOT turned it on, much less tuned it to Disco Synthesized AM crap station out of Frankfurt, at FULL BLAST. That happened at least 6-8 more times...once while driving down the A-6...scaring the fecal matter out of me. Did I mention that was the ONLY station it would receive?

Rear engine cover (trunk lid/hood...?) removed itself from car once on the A-6...never found by me, but returned to me by Polizei, along with ticket for 40 DM, traced through US Forces green tag...too late, since I had already bought a new-used one and replaced tag.

Heater never worked. Typical of VW's...but at least some heat comes out of most...that one: nothing, nada, zip. My wife packed at least 4 blankets for every trip she accompanied me on and I scraped ice off the INSIDE windshield every morning to get to work.

When I finally broke down and replaced the worn out engine (it actually used more OIL than gas), mechanic discovered old one was held in by two bolts. As opposed to the four it should have had.

No spring left in drivers seat...literally, no springs...someone had replaced the inner works of the seat with an office chair bottom. Looked amazingly like original, but worked like a cement block. I never knew the difference, until my wife pointed it out...and I replaced it with a junkyard seat...which was Lazy-Boy comfort compared to the old one.

Headlights had a tendency to "wig-wag"...imagine an emergency vehicle of today...another legacy of the "red wire only" rewiring job, I suppose, which I was never able to correct.

Many, many more incidents, but one good thing came from it all...paid $750 US equivalent for it, sold it for nearly $2000 US equivalent, after driving it for nearly three years.

(But I did have to put a rebuilt engine in it, for around $300 US)

My wife absolutely refused to drive it...so I had to invest in a good used Merc for her...a 250D...never had a problem with it.

Resold to a soldier for what I bought it for when we left.

I never, not once, had the thought of owning a damned VW go through my mind since that time.

Even now, I think, were someone to GIVE me a new Tiquan...I'd sell it and buy a DODGE or something...anything, anything but a damned VW.

64 posted on 10/20/2017 8:16:05 AM PDT by OldSmaj (The only thing washed on a filthy liberal is their damned brains.)
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To: OldSmaj

That ol’ gal had been rode hard, and put-up wet.


69 posted on 10/20/2017 8:27:51 AM PDT by Army Air Corps (Four Fried Chickens and a Coke)
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