Introducing the newest member of my family....

[SacredCow]

Heidi is her name, and she is now officially mine:







Her insides aren't as pretty...




Off she goes to the upholstery shop very soon for a new top, and then begins the task of gutting the inside and finding all of her little rust spots.... I'm glad that she's been taken care of in the engine and transmission department. I drove her a good bit this weekend, and she purrs like a lolcat.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. My dear SacredCow!

Aw, she's really cute!

I know you'll be happy...

Those cars were built for dependability...

And cosmetic things can be fixed!

Have a ball with Heidi!

I wish you many happy miles...

:toast:

[SacredCow]

4. Thanks!

It'll keep me out of trouble for a while, at least... And be a healthy outlet for my obsessive-compulsive behavior!

[Meshuga]

2. Nice! n/t

[leeroysphitz]

3. "She" is very very cool SacredCow. I'm envious.

Have fun!

[SacredCow]

5. Prolly won't be so envious when I'm covered in 30 years of filth!

In the process of gutting that nasty interior... But that's the way it'll have to be!

[leeroysphitz]

8. Never mind the filth. It'll be a labour of love. n/t

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. Many shall envy thee. Few shall approach thy level of cool.

Sweet ride!

[SacredCow]

7. Thanks...

I have high hopes for her....

[lizziegrace]

9. She's great!

lots of potential there.

:)

[Oilwellian]

10. My 1st was a 64 Beetle

Graduated to a brand new 1973 Super Beetle...I remember that tiny dash added made such a difference in room. LOLOL! My ex & I took many a trip from Louisiana to New Jersey in that thing...I think we got burnt out because of it and traded it in for a larger model car. But it was a sweet car to have during the oil embargo. You could only buy $1 worth of gas at a time and that gave me 3 gallons worth.

Have fun in your new baby!

[SacredCow]

15. By all estimations...

my 2006 Ion (seen on the street in one of the pics) will get better mileage than Heidi... But it's OK- I didn't ever think she'd be a daily driver. If all goes well, I'll probably run her 2 or 3 times per week.

[Whoa_Nelly]

11. Sweet!!!!!!!

Lucky You!!!!
(4x/owner of VWs...am envious! :D )


CONGRATS! :toast:

[Bombero1956]

12. what year?

looks like a 78.

[SacredCow]

14. It's a 1979... n/t

[bertha katzenengel]

13. *gasp* oh, my god!

:thumbsup:

[ThoughtCriminal]

16. Ahh... Remembering the smell of Dad's Carmengia

No other make had that smell.

[SacredCow]

17. I'm wondering if the smell will still be there when I gut it....

Within a few months, probably the dashboard and the seat frames will be the only original items left...

[yellowdogintexas]

18. wow what a beauty! Everyone should have a classic Beetle in their

life at some point. I had a '65 and my hubby had a '68 or '69

gotta love 'em.

[SacredCow]

29. If this goes well I might seek out an earlier one....

The Super Beetles seem to be a little less desirable, but no matter- she's still a looker!

[BuddhaGirl]

19. Congratulations!

my first car was a '69 red beetle that used to belong to my grandfather. I drove that cutie for about 18 years. It was a great car!! :-)

[SacredCow]

22. Thanks....

I'm hoping to get some good times out of her!

[Corgigal]

20. My hubby SO wants one of these

If the kids ever get out of the house , that would be a great time for him to own an old bug. Looks like a fun ride.

[SacredCow]

21. I've always wanted one, too....

but not as my only transportation- just something to drive 2 or 3 times per week and take out on nice weekends for a change of pace.

[SallyMander]

23. Adorable! And what a pretty color

Our '82 Vanagon would probably have a crush on her. :D

[SacredCow]

25. Cool Van!

That's another VW that I've always wanted (pop-top camper), but in the past that would have been MUCH harder to justify...

If you ever head down to Louisiana in it, I'm sure we could set them up! :) I very seriously doubt that I'll be doing much long-distance driving in Heidi!

[SallyMander]

26. Thanks! :-)

We justified it by buying it as/for our honeymoon. Not sure where we'll be heading yet, but it will certainly be an adventure. ;-)

Where did you find Heidi? Looks like the exterior is in great shape! :D

[SacredCow]

27. A friend sold her to me....

He had her for about 5 years (her 3rd owner) and intended to restore her, but circumstances didn't allow for that (time, money, nasty breakup, etc). Now, he needs the money and offered her to me for a lowball price, because of the top and interior condition, and because he knew my OCD tendencies would require that I fix her problems and take good care of her! :)

The first owner kept meticulous records, which was nice- I know her first 15 years in great detail. The 2nd owner- not so much. There's little documentation of this 10 years, but I know she removed the AC compressor (this one came with factory air) and got into a fender-bender at some point (found a small area of a bondo or fiberglass repair right next to the right-front fender). I suspect the fender was replaced entirely and the side panel was repaired to match up.

My buddy took her and for 5 years took care of the mechanical neglect from the previous owner (new cylinder head, new gas tank, new muffler, new tires, etc... and just kept her tuned up and running, waiting for the opportunity to fix her up. I've promised him that he'll be allowed to visit and take her out for a spin when he feels the need...

[SallyMander]

30. I'm sure he will appreciate the visitation arrangement

He must be sad he had to sell that beauty! At least she's not going to a stranger.

We bought the Vanagon from its original owners... the husband was TOTALLY obsessive about record-keeping, which is awesome for us. We know the exact mileage of every oil change, filter replacement, etc (and those were every 1500 miles, btw!!!). :wow:

The wife cried when we picked it up... which i can totally understand... these old VWs just have a load of personality and they're too much fun! :toast:

[SacredCow]

31. Sounds like you got a gem....

My experience (all water-cooled VW's- this is my first air-cooled) is that VW's will last forever as long as they are well-maintained. Neglect their needs, and you'll rue the day!!!

Besides this I had a 1980 Rabbit, a 1986 GTI, and a 1999 Passat (which I lost in the divorce :( ).

[IzaSparrow]

24. sweet

:highfive:

[Pool Hall Ace]

28. Heidi is gorgeous

Congratulations! :hi: