ignorant
ignorant SuperDork
5/19/08 5:15 p.m.

http://www.mvillemure.com/1972Beetle-forsale.htm

A oldschool SCCA rally beetle, which along with the thoughts of a project I saw on the old board, has me thinking about one as a daily driver.

How good would a vw baja bug do for a daily? mpg wise?

phillyj
phillyj New Reader
5/19/08 7:06 p.m.
How good would a vw baja bug do for a daily? mpg wise?

Thats what i been trying to find out since someone posted a baja bug on the other forum. It probably won't be too low b/c it is lightweight, i think about 2000 lbs at the most.

its got no engine!! and 15k, i don't think most of us here can afford that

ignorant
ignorant SuperDork
5/19/08 7:34 p.m.

still..

Hot.

BajaGringo
BajaGringo None
5/20/08 3:30 a.m.

Hot Baja! Having had various "Classic Beetles" as DD's I can recommend them if you are willing to give up the creature comforts of more modern cars. Shorter commutes (1/2 hour each way) were tolerable for me as a DD. Your exhaust and the amount of original interior and firewall sound absorption will have a lot to do with how long you can tolerate the interior. Don't forget no A/C and no interior heat with a set of "J-pipe" exhausts from the two forward cylinders. My Cal-Style 2180cc, dual 48IDF Weber beast got about 20 mpg IIRC. My mild cammed 1776 w/dual Kadron carbs & header probably got about 25 mpg. Overall the 1776 was more enjoyable in the long run because it only required the periodic maintenance of a standard 1.6L motor and provided adequate power. Both motors were in a full bodied sedan. A Baja would be lighter, but as you go higher and increase the wheel/tire weights and diameters economy and/or performance may suffer.

mad_machine
mad_machine New Reader
5/20/08 5:12 p.m.

I may have to pick one up as a challenge car...

Nashco
Nashco Dork
5/20/08 6:17 p.m.

2000 lbs would be a very heavy bug; they were around 1800-1900 lbs in stock trim, and for general hooliganry you can strip quite a bit of weight off of them (interior, fiberglass body panels, light wheels, aftermarket/aluminum suspension parts, etc). I've seen most guys around 1800 lbs race weight after putting a full cage into steel bodied cars. Considering how old they are, state of tune, gearing, suspension, driver, etc. can have a big effect on mileage but anywhere from 20 (mods) to 30 (stock) mpg is expected. They're stupid easy to work on and the aftermarket knows no bounds.

Bryce

ValuePack
ValuePack HalfDork
5/21/08 11:11 a.m.

Other than the paint scheme and lack of engine, that's about my ideal daily driver. Shame about the price, though, it looks great.

John Brown
John Brown SuperDork
5/21/08 11:17 a.m.

Is that 15,000 pesos?

beaulieu
beaulieu New Reader
5/21/08 6:35 p.m.

1200cc bugs get GREAT milage 30-40mpg, but are real slow ,

1500-1600 stock bugs get around 25 mpg stock

if you build a big motor you will have your foot in it and milage will go down a lot ,

A baja bug has the small anount of stock bug aerodynamics killed off , so its more of a brick.....

But they are fun !

Beaulieu

down to only 4 VWs right now

mad_machine
mad_machine SuperDork
5/21/08 8:09 p.m.

I always wondered how efficent a Type 1 engine could be if you megaquirted it instead of running a carb?

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