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.
Lots of memories here, too. My first car was a 1966 bug that I bought from my brother in 1974. That was also my first engine rebuild a couple of years later. Then I had a ‘68 van until a tree fell on it in 1980, and a ‘69 van from 1987 until 1998. I too carried many parts and tools, as well a a copy of John Muir’s indispensable book (though it was a mistake when they changed away from a spiral binding in the later editions).
I learned 4-wheel sliding on gravel roads in the bug, and took the vans into some horrible places and got out again. Lived in the ‘68 van one summer while working for the Forest Service.
I miss having a VW sometimes, but I really don’t miss trudging along the highway at 55 or so, and slower up hills.