Taken the day I bought the car.
The VW Cabrio made such an impression on me, I wanted a Volkswagen to pound around in for the winter. This one fit the bill. Cheap, inspected, new snow tires, and cheap!
I really enjoyed driving the little Cabrio. It felt so solid and firm on the road, it was a ball to drive. I started watching Kijiji for a cheap decent Volkswagen. This one turned up two hours from home, for $800. With new snow tires and a valid MVI, it was worth a look. It drove well, and no major issues seemed to be apparent. It was just what I was looking for…a 2.0 gas 5-speed car. It was owned by a 19-year old girl who went away for college. Her parents had spent some money on it, including the tires, and some power steering lines. They had no need for the extra car.
Just look at the rhinestones!!!
She had spent a pile of time decorating the inside of the car. I found it to be a really comfortable car to drive, but my wife hated it. She found the seats hard on her back. It was an absolute ball to drive. It didn’t have a ton of power, but the engine was eager and it went through the gears pretty well. Being a VW of a certain age, quite a bit didn’t work. The door locks never worked right at all. They, as I recall, had a pile of switches in the latches to tell the door computers and the security system if they were open, closed, locked, or unlocked. The heated mirrors no longer worked, the power trunk didn’t work right, the airbag light was on, the ABS light was on, and the check engine light was on for oxygen sensor wiring issues. For an $800 car, I wasn’t going to complain.
Pretty. I have no idea what the red hash mark at 50 was for though.
The backlighting was a deep purplish colour. There were lots of lights – many of them illuminated permanently. The temperature light would glow blue until the car warmed up. There was lots of heat once that light went out. I wasn’t sure about the purple backlighting, but it wasn’t too bad on the eyes.
The car served well for the winter. Lots of fun playing with it in the snow. It handled like a go-kart, and wasn’t bad on fuel at all. It saved me from having to drive the truck too much in the salt. Once the winter ended, I’d intended to keep it and try to sort out some of the issues, but one of my co-workers was after me to sell it to him. You wouldn’t think a Beetle would be the kind of car a guy would like – but I sold it to him. It confirmed him as a car enthusiast. He hammered on it for a few months, and gave it to his grandfather to use as a car to putter around in. He went from that to a new GTI, and from that to a fancy turbocharged 6-cylinder BMW. That VW wasn’t a great car – but it was a great-handling car compared to what he and I were used to.
On an excursion around the Cabot Trail.
The little car was a lot of fun for not much money. Have any of you had something similar?
Similar in what regard? In cheapness, certainly. Never had a front wheel drive anything, though. I bought, for $100, a 1984 Grand Marquis that, to my knowledge, I still own. It was a lot of fun for not a lot of money. I should go find that car. It couldn’t have gone far with no battery.
As for my experience with Beetles of this vintage, I think they’re rather underrated. My ex-girlfriend had a new Beetle and I actually liked driving it, even with the automatic. It was a peppy little car that drove very nicely and had good manners. It suffered from some electrical problems, as I recall. The turn signals were particularly problematic. I never had any complaints about the seats. I even sat in the back seat a couple of times. It lacked head room, but there was plenty of leg and shoulder room to make up for that.
I cannot comment on the quality of the rhinestones, as my ex-girlfriend’s bug lacked that feature.
Glad you had such a blast with this car; it does look like fun. It is great when an inexpensive purchase works out so well. Not sure about the rhinestones, though, especially on that airbag.
“But it was such a low-speed accident, officer! What’s the cause of death?”
“Another senseless rhinestone shrapnel incident. They can reach 500 mph when launched by an airbag, you know.”
“So true. But the victim looks _fabulous_.”
I had a Yugo a long time ago that worked out pretty well. I needed a cheap commuter car for my daily 60 mile drive in Atlanta back in the 90’s. I didn’t originally *want* a Yugo, but they were super cheap. I figured for $1000, if I got a year out of the thing, I could find something a little better and be rid of it.
It was fairly well taken care of and had a few extras, like a half decent stereo, air conditioning and Cromodoro wheels. The car was straight, no dents, tracked true, burned no oil and damned little fuel. I was getting 40+ MPG on my commute. The little engine was not strong, but willing and once I put proper tires on the thing, it drove well.
Much to my dismay, it was totaled in a traffic accident. Since there was no value in a 6 year old Yugo, I took the carcass home and used the nice bits from this car to put on my second Yugo.
I’ve seen a red mark like that on the speedometer before, except on the 55-mph line rather than the 50. I believe this was a reference to when 55 was still the national mandated speed limit in the United States and possibly the most fuel-efficient driving speed as well. I believe it stayed on many cars afterwards for quite a while, as my ’96 Aerostar had one, as well as my grandparents’ Cutlass Ciera (but NOT red). Depending on the specific vehicle, it either was red (or any color different from the other speeds), had a circle around the 55, or had some other way of distinguishing that number (such as 2 tick marks instead of just one). Not mine, but this speedometer (from a ’97 Aerostar) is a good example of the 55-mph distinction.
And here’s one from a 1988 Cutlass Ciera (again, someone else’s):
Yes, it was mandated for 1980 model year by Joan Claybrook who assumed the 55-mph speed limit would be permanent. President Reagan nullified that mandate in 1982 and pushed for 65-mph national speed limit in 1987.
The red hashmark is at 50 km/h which is the in-town speed limit in Germany and most of Europe.
I had a cheap FWD car that was fun to drive. A ’98 Mazda Protégé, 5 speed. It was not as cheap as your Beetle, it was slower than your Beetle, but it was fun non the less. I did a few Autocross with it and it served each of my two boys as their first car.
A true car guy pays $800 for a car and understands that: 1) “issues” come as standard equipment; and 2) they can live with them and have some fun with the car.
My all time favorite beater was my 82 Ford Escort for $100. It ran well, wasn’t a sports car, and allowed me to ignore it.
Had a ’66 Dart 4-door back in 1982. Called it “Dartface.” Always ran, never let me down. Great winter beater.
It has been a long time since I took a flier on something way down in the cheap end of the used car market. A “beater” for me has to at least look presentable inside and out. I can be “eccentric lawyer” but not “broke-ass no-pride” lawyer. 🙂
The closest I came was the 1983 Plymouth Colt I bought from my BIL in around 1991 for $1000. It had been Mrs. JPC’s first new car and then her bachelor-brother bought it as a second car when she bought her Accord in 88. I got my investment up to about $1600 with some new Michelin tires and a pair of used un-bent rims. It was probably the best transportation bargain of my adult life – presentable, reliable and air conditioned. Unfortunately, it was totaled in a crash.
The idea of a sub-$1000 car still intrigues me, but I have reached the age where I lack the inclination to deal with the issues (via either wrenches or patience).
6 weeks before i was drafted in 1968 I sold my 1954 Porsche and needed cheap car. I was sold a $50 1959 Ford Taunus 17M with a bad fuel pump. I rebuilt the pump and installed a Fiat front seat. The tires were poor and the spare had a big bubble in the white side wall. I had a flat and finally got it jacked up with the rusty jack socket. The spare rotated once or twice and blew out and fell off the rim. I carried the empty rim to a nearby gas station and picked a 13 inch tire from the scrap heap. I then foot stomped the two ply tire onto the rim. I sold it for $50. The new owner bought new cheap whitewall tires and his father was still driving it a year later.
In 1972 or so I bought a 1966 Chrysler station wagon for $300 for use as a truck. It fit the criteria of being big, and having fake wood, a roof rack and a trailer hitch. Someone gave me 4 almost new Firestone 500’s. The wagon fit in my $5 rental garage if I chained the doors shut.
I traded it in on a new 1974 Fiat 124 Coupe. I got 5 cents a pound.
I just saw n add for a late Lincoln Towncar with low miles for $1000. The right front tire blew and took out the fender liner, some wiring and a fuse box . I’m tempted
Bought my ’82 AMC Concord 2-dr back about 1992 or so for $150. Getting it roadworthy cost only $400 or so. Drove it for 18 months without any issues but just got tired of the big heavy doors. Was actually one of the better cars I’ve owned.
If the airbag light was on full-time then likely the airbags wouldn’t deploy in a crash. This may or may not have been important to you, depending on whether or not you were wearing your seatbelt. Back in the early oughts Mrs. jpj had a Chrysler PT Cruiser with a constantly glowing airbag light; we tried three different dealers and none of them could figure out a way to deal with the issue. Finally the service manager at the dealer where we had purchased the car said that if it were his vehicle he would get rid of it. We took his advice and swapped the PT Cruiser for a new Camry later than afternoon.
“cheap decent Volkswagen”. Dangerous oxymoron detected, captain!! Raise shields, full reverse! Actually, the service you got for your 800 bucks was pretty good. Probably a good thing you sold it before a major repair flipped the value equation. How many miles on this?
“It was owned by a 19-year old girl who went away for college. ”
You don’t say! The snottiest little brat in my high school class had one of these.
Have any of you had something similar?
That would be my 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity, once having a very eventful life as a fleet car. I got it for $900 in 1989 and spend a thousand dollars in fixing up lot of mechanical issues. I used Haynes so much that I bought the replacement a few years later.
My brother has 2002 New Beetle that his former wife dumped it on him due to extensive mechanical problems. The irony isn’t lost on him that his New Beetle had a lemon yellow paint. He spent a lot of times sourcing the German-built parts to replace the Mexican-built parts, specifically the fuel pump and delivery system. After the replacement, his New Beetle is trouble-free and more fun to drive than before.
About 15 years ago, Mrs. TheMann and I were driving through town and saw a very-faded red 1993 Tempo 2-door next to a very, very blue house. It had a sign in the window that said $400 OBO.(The car, not the house) I asked the young couple who answered the door if I could look at it. For some reason I liked these things, even though I had already owned two briefly as beaters and neither was very good. Well, the door opened like new, it had 121,000 miles on the odo and it started right up like a good car.
Then came the fog.
An unbelievable amount of coolant was smoking out of the tailpipe. It was like a mosquito-fogging truck. I test drove it anyway, since I was already sitting there and it was a comfortable enough seat to justify my time invested so far. It was idling just right, went right into gear, drove and braked smoothly around the block. The “check engine” light was on, of course. I turned off the KISS concert smoke machine and looked under the hood. All clean, all there. Even the belt was newer. I had noticed a lot of exhaust sounds during the insect-fogging and sure enough, the exhaust had many holes and wanky connections. My wife, who had no interest in junky Tempos as I did, was shaking her head slowly from our car, itself neither classy nor powerful, but a decent-looking and non-smoking 1992 Mustang LX. (Not a 5.0) The previously-red-but-now-pinkish Tempo was plated for the current year, and I knew it would need an emissions test in about 8 months to get plated for me for the next year. So I had 8 months, and took a gamble that that magic silver powder would stop the hemorrhaging of green lifeblood.
So I offered the couple $100 for it.
The man was not offended at the low-ball offer, and his lady seemed happy to get any bite at all on the hook. So away I went in my latest acquisition to JunkCars.me, with my wife behind in the humble Mustang. I got home, parked the Tempo, in the driveway and popped the hood. I went to the parts store in the Mustang and got some of that magical powder.
Which worked completely and almost immediately.
I then set about over the afternoon rigging clamps, brackets and wire to the exhaust to make it quiet if not completely sealed. But I used whatever I had in the shed including wire coat hangers, and while a barely-adequate job, it was free and therefore genius.
I had a problem occur with the stop-leak powder years ago in my Zephyr, after using it repeatedly to delay a water pump replacement. It had sealed up the thin gap in the old-style thermostat, and starved the engine of coolant. (I had pulled over immediately after noticing the heat had suddenly stopped blowing warm. How I had guessed the problem so quickly was unlike my usual cluelessness, but I had guessed correctly)
To avoid this, I removed the thermostat completely from the Tempo, expecting to have to use the powder a couple more times, and not wanting to deal with it later. It was spring, and I would have many months before I would need heat and wasn’t going to get it fixed properly anyway. I would drive it until it got colder and then junk it. So far I was out only $106 and some shed-junk. Some nuts and bolts too I suppose. Okay, $107. So I would drive it so my wife could have the Mustang as her own. I was always the only income and wasn’t having the best go of it. (No college for me, moved out at 16 out of necessity) My point is that the Mustang was the best car I could give her even though she deserved much better. So that is why I drove the Tempo.
And drive it I did.
My son was about 6 at the time. We spent almost every day going to some kind of County Park, zoo, sand dune, feeding-random-horses-apples and all that kind of stuff. I have little interest in that stuff, to be honest, but early on he did, and I wanted his childhood to be a happier one than mine or my wife’s which was also a trainwreck. So everywhere we went was away from where we lived, which wasn’t BAD but also not interesting to a nature lover at all. So I drove a lot of miles with him to immerse him into the most colorful natury surroundings I could. He was a good artist and studied the horses, deer, cows, and even coyotes we would see. He would later make money doing internet art for people around the world. He is kind of a known-player in that world. But anyway, back to the Tempo.
That old car drove us through rutted country roads, mud, dirt hills, through narrow abandoned gravel roads overgrown with foilage, and everything else. I never had to worry about scratched paint, pebble damage or cracks in the windshield. And it got all of that quickly, as this freedom from vanity enabled me to drive through places that I would never take a car whose appearance mattered to me. I did have one of those late 90s cellphones which were expensive to use for the inevitable breakdown. Which in the Tempo never occurred. I had extra fluids and basic tools in the trunk and never had to use them. We went for long hikes through woods and sand dunes and tracked an ungodly amount of crap into the car. We once drove for miles over an overgrown abandoned road where tree branches scraped against the car hard the entire time, and we kept the windows closed to avoid ticks getting in, until we reached a beautiful wide open valley full of deer. We ate lunch on top the car, watching the deer do their deer stuff which was utterly fascinating to him. There is a place in Indiana to watch sandhill cranes come through by the thousands, no exaggeration, a couple of times a year, on their way to and from wherever they go. I actually forget. I have no interest in birds but it meant everything to him. We’ve been there in other cars over time, but the “roads” are a whitish powdery gravel with dust so fine it could be a dry lubricant. It gets into EVERYTHING on a car. You can never get it all out. God forbid you have the windows open. Which in the Tempo we always did because it didn’t matter.
And it was all possible in a $100 car. Okay, $130, because I changed the oil and gave it a tune-up. Okay, $200 including plates. It helped me get priceless memories with my son, and apparently meant a lot to him as he is 22 now and still talks about all the trips. In Northwest Indiana there isn’t a lot of that environment to explore, but I think we found most of it there and in the surrounding counties. I still don’t care about birds and nature very much, except to leave it alone as much as possible. We went on exploration drives before and after, but never to the extent that we did in the 8 months of that wonderful, disposable Tempo.
AMEN
And happy holidays
Great story, thanks for sharing it!
I still see far more New Beetles on the road than one would expect, given the numerous quality issues they had in the day. Long-time readers will of course remember my ’00 NB TDI, that I bought new and drove nearly 220K miles over 12+ years. I had all the common quality issues, but after fixing them, the car was actually quite reliable from about 150K miles on.
I sold it to a (then) high school student in early 2013, and still see it around town to this day.
The closest to a beater I’ve ever owned (besides DDs from earlier in my life when circumstances simply wouldn’t afford better) would be my ’69 F-100 farm truck. I think I put maybe 3K miles a year on it, and it was really only used for hauling hay or loads to the landfill. I think I did press it into DD service once or twice when my main whip was down. I even entered it in our annual car show at work, complete with jumper cables and drip tray.
The closest I’ve been to this was our 1989 Mazda Protege. Twin-cam, 102 hp, 5-speed stick, sunroof, black, all-wheel IRS and disc brakes, and I paid $1600 for it with 79,000 miles on it (I think this was in 2002 or so).
The former owner told me it was considered a Japanese BMW. I’ve never driven a BMW, so I don’t know that for a fact.
What I DO know is that it was fun to drive. And remained so until it would only run on 3 cylinders and wasn’t worth fixing.
Guess I have something similar…a (albeit 2000 Golf) with the 2.0 and also 5 speed.
I bought it new, my 3rd VW since 1981, and it is my only car, so I don’t think of it as a beater (don’t want to beat on my only car!) though it has its scars it drives just fine. I still wax it twice a year, though the paint is faded on top of plastic pieces like the side mirror and outside door handles, the rest looks OK with no obvious fading (does silver paint still fade worse than most colors?) though it has been in the sunbelt its whole life (so no rust fortunately). No rhinestones nor bud vase inside either (which I guess doesn’t go so much with a Golf).
As you mention, most of the problems I’ve had have been with the “accessories” primarily the darned power locks, which I wish I never had, but came standard with the mk4 version (which I think your beetle is also). I haven’t torn apart the doors to get at the locks, but I work around them as most people would live with it…I’ve had the power window regulators replaced in the front but that was before the locks started to go.
I have had one problem that left me stranded (and another that probably should have)…the first was simply the ignition switch…didn’t have tools to tear apart my steering column and try to start it (not sure if it would with the anti theft part of the key).
The other time was this summer when the bushings in my gear selector lever went and I coasted into a parking lot and lucked into getting the selector lever on top of the transaxle into 2nd gear so I could nurse it home (fortunately didn’t need reverse too).
The 2.0 is hardly a rocket, but I think it is long-lived, having much the same block in my previous ’86 GTi 8v and ’78 Scirocco. It is pretty fun to drive with the 5 speed (when I can shift it). It has high final drive ratio which makes it good around town, but it gets winded on the highway…which is OK for me, as I do mostly in-town driving and in my old age have taken to driving like a codger (that I’ve probably become) where everybody passes me (even on highway exits….when I’m also trying to take the same exit). I probably need to do the timing belt again (did it 9 years ago or so)…but had the suspension replaced all around about 7 years ago, so I guess it handles like a 7 year old car, not the 18 year old car that it is.
My cheap beater car was a 1986 VW Golf 5 speed diesel, that I bought for $400 from my landlord in 2001.
I had just finished college and was commuting about 45 miles to work each way and needed something easy on fuel. That car was slow, basic, and burned almost as much oil as diesel, but it was one of my favorite vehicles I’ve owned. It was always the go to vehicle for road trips with my friends since it got about 50 MPG. Even though it had its fair share of issues, mostly electrical, it never left me stranded. I ended up selling it for $50 to a VW enthusiast since it had a softball size rust hole in one of the rear strut towers and the duct tape I put over the hole was no longer keeping the water out.
I had a lot of fun with that car and have wanted another Golf ever since.
Back in 2015 I picked up a twin to my ’86 Jetta (the rear car, its an ’87 with 266k miles) for $700. Both are gas engine 5 speeds in polar silver. Was going to be a nieces first car, she was excited when I got it, but then decided she would only drive automatic and didn’t want it anymore. It needed rear brakes, then upon closer inspection I discovered a bent wishbone and drive axle, and needed 2 tires. I am guilty of buying the twenty dollar Walmart wheel covers, but didn’t like the black steelies look. Put $300 into it to get it up to snuff, now it’s like a lost puppy that followed me home and won’t go away. I really should sell it, but it has collector plates so no registration fee, I switch the Jettas from month to month on insurance so it costs nothing to keep and use it. The front Jetta I bought in ’91 (for $2000).
The cheapest car I ever bought was a ’68 New Yorker from my neighbor who lost his license from too many DUI’s. $100. Ran well, had a dented front fender. Sister borrowed it, it blew a freeze plug and got driven until the engine seized.
That would make a good QOTD – “What’s the cheapest DD You’ve Bought?” Mine was also $100, rebuilt the engine and drove it for eight years, six of which were DD.
In 1985 I needed a car but had no money. A freinds father had just bought a new car to replace his 73 Plymouth Duster. He planned on Junking the Duster that still ran but was rough. I offered the going junk price which was $25. He accepted and told me to pay his wife, she would handle the paperwork. She wrote out the bill of sale for $25 as agreed. I gave her two tens and a five. She took the money and after pausing, pushed $5 back to me. I told her that her husband and I had agreed on a price of $25. She said that that car wasnt worth $25 and then pushed $10 more back to me and told me to shut up. Final sale price, $10. I drove it for 6 months with sloppy manual steering and stomp and pray brakes. I junked it for $25.
A little over 10 years ago, I bought a 95 Buick Regal from the parents of a friend of mine for $500 to use as a cheap beater – I was tired of putting money (and premium fuel) into my 96 deVille, and the only thing wrong with the Buick was the paint looked like hell from the clear coat peeling off in sheets. The radio worked, the A/C worked, and it it handled great in the snow.
A year later I bought my coworkers 97 Suburban, and the $500 beater was gifted to a friend of mine who wrecked his car…and after HE was done with it, his dad used it for a few months, then sent it off to Kars 4 Kids as a tax writeoff.
That car had 9 lives…and we went thru half of them before it went off to the crusher in 2010!
Oddly enough, my 1995 Deville was my cheap beater car that I drove in the snow and put miles on instead of my truck
It made a great beater