First, I know virtually nothing about cars. Second, looking to commute with car. Looking at a 67 beetle - very decent shape - $5800 - want to use it 7 months of year - 5 to commute to work (27 mi daily). Has a 68 motor. Mileage unknown. Previously owned by a woman in Hardwick who commuted about 3 miles a day.
Am I looking at $$$$$ to keep this car running?
Thank you
Kiddie54
First, I know virtually nothing about cars. Second, looking to commute with car. Looking at a 67 beetle
This would not be a good daily commuter for some one who knows nothing about cars. You can do better for your $5800.
Not a good Idea, at this point a 67 beetle is a toy, not a daily driver.
I would be looking at a toyota corolla or similar.
Where do you live? That would make a difference, but probably not the best daily driver.
Just so you don’t live in San Francisco:
I bought a 67 Beetle in 1982 for $700. The old beetles needed a lot of upkeep to stay running. The oil needs to be changed and the valves adjusted every 3k miles. My Beetle would go through a set of points every 4 to 5k miles. I kept a set in the glove compartment for the quick side of the road repair. I had a lot of fun with it, but calling it a “death trap” would be kind. Brakes, steering, and handling were terrible by 1980s standards. Parts were hard to get in 1982 also. I kept for a few years, then traded it to my cousin for some carpentry work.
I remember I was thrilled because I was getting 19-20 mpg in city driving, better than the 10 mpg of my Buick.
It would be a fun toy for somebody with good mechanical skills, a lot of tools and plenty of time and money.
Ed B.
It is not a daily driver. No car that old is. If you want a commuter car, find a late model compact car in excellent condition. Expect to pay more than $6000 for something that will be reliable for several years. If you have an unreliable daily driver, you will need another way to get to work. In addition to repair costs, you will need a second car or rental car, and the additional cost just isn’t worth it.
@Kiddie54–You say you don’t know anything about cars, but if you buy that VW, you will have to learn a lot and fast. There aren’t that many mechanics still working that understand the car. Although the VW got good mileage for its day, it isn’t nearly as good as today’s Corolla. Leave that VW to someone who wants the car for a hobby and doesn’t need it to commute to a job.
There is a kid who has bought one of these in our hood. You can know he is coming from the noise and the exhaust smell. I think it causes more pollution than 100 new cars put together.
If you really have to have a “bug”, at least get the newer ones. But even those are not highly ranked for reliability.
Everything mentioned above is true. I would add the lack of A/C and an effective heater and defroster is a huge negative today. And the asking price is way out of line…
You certainly don’t want a project car …if you’re not going to participate in the project.
You state you don’t know anything about cars and THAT says it all right there.
With a project car like this, you’d be paying a shop dearly for what should be a d.i.y. weekender if you were car savy.
On the bright side;
since you know virtually nothing about cars…you came to the right place to ask that question…and therefore learn in leaps and bounds 
Agree with the others. Its just hard to take this kind of question seriously. Its like I don’t know anything about farming but is it a good idea to buy a 2000 acre farm? And what color tractors are the best-red, green, orange?
Green tractors. But I know @dagosa prefers orange ones.
Like Bing, I am having a hard time taking this question seriously, but…assuming that it was asked in an earnest manner, then the OP should realize that he would be driving a car that…
…rides like a buck-board
…needs much more maintenance than modern cars
…has brakes that are very poor by modern standards
…cannot be worked on by most mechanics nowadays
…cannot accelerate fast enough to enter expressways safely
…lacks even the most basic passenger protection equipment–with the exception of aged lap belts
and…if the preceding is not enough…
…has a gas tank that sits essentially 2 feet in front of the driver, with no engine in front to buffer the effect of impact.
If, knowing all that I and the others have said, you still think that this car is something that should be used as a daily driver, then…go for it.
A 1967 VW Beetle is not a car in the true sense of the word…it’s just a vehicle looking for an owner who has money and can take care of it.
“it’s just a vehicle looking for an owner who has money and can take care of it.”
…and who doesn’t need a car that can be counted on to start, run, and STOP on a daily basis…
I have a co worker who daily drives his, but keep in mind he knows exactly how to repair and maintain these. There are books out there to teach you how to repair the Beetle but for the same money you can buy a much newer VW that would be better for you.
For someone who knows what he’s buying and understands its limitations, the old bugs are a blast. I have fond memories of my '61… of course, it WAS still the sixties when I owned it!
But for someone looking for a daily driver a '67 bug is an absolutely terrible choice. The only worse choice would be an Isetta. The acceleration is abysmal (could not keep up with modern traffic), the brakes pathetic, passenger protection totally nonexistent, handling very poor (especially in the wind), almost no heat, no A/C at all, needy of gas additives to run on 10% octane gas, needy of an occasional tow to keep on the road, and if you ever hit anything… even a bird… your entire front end will crumple into your legs. And God forbid anyone should ever hit you in the side.
I guess my point wasn’t very clear @VDCdriver because you missed it. We all want “a car that can be counted on to start, run, and STOP on a daily basis…” but we don’t want one that will cost an arm and a leg to do it.
if you are well off and have a good mechanic inspect the car and service it regularly, go for it. but get the corolla too.
“And God forbid anyone should ever hit you in the side.”
Yeah, I was hit in the side with my 59 Bug. I spose the guy was going maybe 20-30 through an intersection. I was probably going 25. Hit me right in the drivers side and totaled it. I had about half of my seat left. Tried to roll with it, standing on the brake and clutch as I went up over the curb heading for the boulevard tree. I just got a stiff hip for a while but the girl I was with got thrown against the door handle and broke her arm which didn’t heal very well. I got out through the sunroof. Next week I bought a big 59 Pontiac and put seat belts in it, and I’ve been belted ever since. I guess maybe if I would have had a seat belt on I might have had internal injuries instead of sliding across the seat, but who knows?