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I had a couple of VW vans. The clutch cables were always breaking, and I’d sometimes drive for a few weeks before replacing one.

Once a few of us were going somewhere in an Audi with a manual, and the driver thought we’d have to turn back because the clutch was getting to where it wouldn’t disengage. I taught him to shift without using the clutch that day, and we made it to our destination and back. It’s a good skill for anyone to learn. Fewer people each year can drive a manual at all, and most of those can’t do it at all well.

I owned one '69 VW bug, a '71 Type III square-back, five VW vans, and finally a '78 VW Westfalia Camper with the pop-up top. My wife and I traveled all over the US in those vehicles, camping most of the way because we were young and broke. I got so good at working on the engines, that I would carry a whole box of parts and tools and could get us up and running again on the road 90% of the time when we had a breakdown (which seemed to be often).

When my son got ready to drive and have his own car, I bought him a VW bug to teach him to work on. He learned the same things I had to learn to keep them on the road and running. Keep the valves adjusted, always carry an extra fan belt and points and learn how to shift when the clutch cable would break. I handed down to him my well-used, greasy repair manual, "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive For the Complete Idiot".

Most fun cars I ever had. I miss them sometimes because they remind me of my youth. Great memories of many fun adventures on the road with stories about traveling and breaking down in our VWs that my wife and still tell to this day.