How hard is it to find an air cooled Beetle that isn't a rust bucket, but also not stupid money?

to me the best driving bug is a 1969 thru 1976  standard bug , 

factory 12v , IRS suspension , good size brakes and you can switch to Ghia disc brakes by changing to Ghia spindles , 

Electrical is simple , only "black box"  is for the turn signals and you can work around that , 

In SoCal  you can find complete cars for less than $5000 all the time , 

If you are in SoCal , there is a VW show , swap meet tomorrow morning in Long Beach , its mostly old buses , but lots of bugs too.

I wonder if it's about time for someone to build a fiberglass Bug kit car out of a Subaru?

I wouldn't consider an air cooled Beetle a safe car to drive.  If you have the budget, an E46 M3 is a great choice

In reply to David S. Wallens :

Precisely. Experience was my thought. If the pickings are that good in So Cal, that's a good excuse to go so San Diego again and ship one back. The BRZ isn't "fast" but it's quick enough to be an absolute blast to drive. Modern conveniences, safety, etc. 

In reply to eastsideTime :

To be fair, even thought the BRZ is modern, being in Oklahoma the amount of full-size trucks/SUVs is insane. My car is lowered so it's but it's not uncommon for me to look over at a stop light and my eye level is at the bottom 1/3 or rocker panel of the door. And people miss me all the time and the car is bright red. 

I'd turn an S10 into a raucous wild person's vehicle, huge flares, chunky tires, etc. 

In reply to californiamilleghia :

Thanks for the year range. I knew earlier models had 6v electrics and a weird rear suspension set up, but I hadn't dug too hard into specifics. 

In reply to Kreb :

While I do love Southern California weather, I also don't make enough to maintain my current standard of living. We'd essentially need to double our household income and I don't see that happening. 

docwyte said:

I wouldn't consider an air cooled Beetle a safe car to drive.  If you have the budget, an E46 M3 is a great choice

Love 'em, but I wouldn't a "project level" level E46 M3. Good ones are way more than I was thinking of for buy-in.

Hit up  The Samba for all things air-cooled VW.

PNW is good for not rusting old cars too. Here's one for $5k.

https://seattle.craigslist.org/sno/cto/d/everett-1971-vw-super-beetle/7818103195.html

pointofdeparture said:

At least here in California, lots of options abound in the $7500-10k price bracket.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/concord-mexican-beetle/7820433607.html

This one is particularly compelling as a late Mexican car.

That looks like a bargain. 

pointofdeparture said:

At least here in California, lots of options abound in the $7500-10k price bracket.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/d/concord-mexican-beetle/7820433607.html

This one is particularly compelling as a late Mexican car.

That looks like a bargain. 

z31maniac said:

I kind of have an image in my head of what I'd like to do.

At least that stupid AI is good for something. Something like this I hope. 

In reply to VolvoHeretic :

Minus the wing and decals, yes. But after I go drive one tomorrow (well technically later today, just looked at the time), I'll know if it's something I want to pursue.

In reply to z31maniac :

confuZion3 said:

There used to be a place near me that had a lot full of these old Beetles. The shop probably went away in the 2000s. There is only one left anywhere around me that I see from time to time, and it's a gem. They're really cool cars, just... there don't seem to be many left.

Now you've got me looking for Mark II and III Supras. 

How about the 3000 GT and Stealth?

3000 GT-VR4, is what I would want. But IIRC, they are VERY heavy for a car of the 90s, difficult to work on and many replacement parts have been out of production for years.

1988RedT2 said:

That '57 ragtop is a lovely car, but I can't help but wonder how many of you folks have driven a 1200cc ACVW that puts out 36 hp?

Seem to see a lot of bug/beetle rollers without engine.  My sister was into the oldvolks scene, the acvw scene is the tightest one of all car clubs. The great clubs and awesome aftermarket would be a great selling point.  You can build a car with a catalog from scratch.  I just don't really like vdubs, sure wish I did.  

z31maniac said:

In reply to VolvoHeretic :

Minus the wing and decals, yes. But after I go drive one tomorrow (well technically later today, just looked at the time), I'll know if it's something I want to pursue.

Just remember, as I recall from the VW drag racing magazine I had in the 70s, Bugs start flying at 112 mph.

I also just noticed that they make super wide body Bug fenders nowadays.

Lots of aftermarket support and the engines are a size and weight that you could build one on your kitchen table.  There is the potential for a bit of hp:

https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2024/05/air-cooled-turbocharged-vw-engine-eotw/

I always thought if I was building a Beetle I'd send MoFoCo a check for an engine then head up to Milwaukee to pick it up.  Grab a bratwurst on the way home. 
 

https://www.mofoco.com/category/Type_1_Performance_Longblocks/c71

Ok, evidently things have changed in some 50 years and Bugs go substantially faster.