36654
New member
A 1974 Senegal Red Super Beetle, purchased used in the summer of 1977 for $2000, took me to college everyday (yes, I had the economy college experience ...... commuted from home) and my first real job.
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BMW flashback
- Thread starter motodan
- Start date
A 1974 Senegal Red Super Beetle, purchased used in the summer of 1977 for $2000, took me to college everyday (yes, I had the economy college experience ...... commuted from home) and my first real job.
gregfeeler
Dances With Sheep
Bingo! I also bought a 1972 R60/5 for about the same price, had it three months until it was totaled when a car ran through in intersection in front of me. After my broken wrist healed up I bought and R75/5. There was a VW dealership just down the street from the BMW dealer and Beatles were about just what you said. I still have that R75/5 and probably would not still have a Beetle of I would have bought one instead, so I think I made the better choice.
I love those, and at the time they were about a $1 a pound to buy.
36654
New member
I just don't remember them being as small as they are.....
Those VW bugs were small.
Never the less my parents were avid skiers and we would take rather long trips from SoCal up to Mammoth, as far as SLC in a '66 bug, with 2 adults and 4 kids and all ski gear in there! A roof rack helped. 40 HP meant a lot of time in 3rd gear 35-40 mph.
Thread drift light off, sorry.
Never the less my parents were avid skiers and we would take rather long trips from SoCal up to Mammoth, as far as SLC in a '66 bug, with 2 adults and 4 kids and all ski gear in there! A roof rack helped. 40 HP meant a lot of time in 3rd gear 35-40 mph.
Thread drift light off, sorry.
lee
Debbie's Servant
Two in the back seat and two on the rack?
There were 8 kids in my wife's family. When they all went somewhere my wife stood on the hump and hung onto the rope that some cars had on the back of the front seat.
36654
New member
Let me help you with your family memories....... "My parents were sadists obsessed with skiing. They had four victims, known as their children."
pglaves
#13338
gregfeeler
Dances With Sheep
Over the years I had two VW Beatles and a Type III station wagon. One of the Beatles was an automatic stick shift, which was a mechanical trip. Traditional 4-speed gearbox with 1st gear removed, a torque converter plus clutch, and a box of adjustable mechanical relays in the engine compartment to control the releasing and engaging of the clutch all controlled by an adjustable switch plate under the gear shift knob. I got it really cheap and the local VW shop wouldn't work on the auto clutch, so I bought the factory manual and sorted it myself. Like so many things German, fiddly to get right but once there worked pretty well, and once you understand it no so bad to keep it right. NOT fast off the line with the torque converter but that also kept the engine spun up which made the heater work really well for a bug in the winter.
36654
New member
gregfeeler
Dances With Sheep
Somethings should just stay in the closet................
If you think that's the weirdest "mechanical" story I have, you don't know the half of it!
I like how this started with old BMW motorcycles-price adjusted with the new ones and then take a turn with how much VW beetles were in same time frame. I remember this well. I bought a brand new 1974 special edition gold super beetle(sun roof) for 3100 dollars. The VW dealership sweetened the deal by throwing in floormats. The only new car I ever bought until 2009. I loved that car until I sold it In 1979 with 60,000 miles for 2400 dollars. Top dollar then because of oil embargo spring of '79. Always carried a spare set of ignition points in glove box-common problem with most VW. The 1975 and later models were fuel injected and a major problem for VW mechanics to keep running right.
36654
New member
I'm guessing a lot of BMW riders from that era were first exposed to German vehicles by the Beetle. It was relatively fuel-efficient and reliable with a non-Detroit style engine.
I owned a Beetle long before my first Bmw. The R60 looked like it was fitted with half a Beetle engine.
Beetles and Bmws were both simple, lightweight, and easy to maintain. Both were acquired tastes and had their odd quirks.
Back then you could probably put VW roundels on a Bmw bike and convince most people it was made by Volkswagen.
gregfeeler
Dances With Sheep
And don't forget all the VW engine transplants to /2 bikes even before the /5 was introduced.
KenDittrick
Rocky Bow BMW Riders #197
Agreed! This treasure trove of model information should be kept on the MOA site preferably no more than a very few clicks from 'home'. This is the history of our marque and should be cherished. At the very least let's give this a special place in the forums - garage - motorrad area.
