When I was 19 years old, the popular car among my college friends was the Civic hatchback, but it wasn’t nearly as popular. Several of my friends owned them though.
You’re obviously a LOT younger than I am.
When I was an undergraduate, the “popular” car among my friends was any used American car that they could buy for less than $1k. Most of them drove American cars of the 56-59 vintage, with the price and the condition of the vehicle being much more important than the make and model.
@VDCdriver. The 1956 to 1959 full size cars that were available for less than $1000 may have been less expensive to run and maintain than a VW Beetle in your time period if the $1000 car was carefully selected. As I remember, the valves on the VW were supposed to be adjusted every 3000 miles. A full sized Ford 6 or Chevy 6 was simple to maintain and the parts were less expensive as a whole than VW parts. While the engine could be removed in half an hour on a VW, not everyone, particularly a college student had the facilities to do this. Replacing the generator on most American cars back then was easier than replacing the generator on a VW.
I gave up the bug about 1968 when my 59 sunroof version was demolished. I then preferred larger cars like a full sized Pontiac with self-installed seat belts and a wonder bar radio. Yeah and that car never left me stranded either like the bug did. The bad part was, I couldn’t visit the owner’s daughter anymore at the VW dealer.
That was the case for me too. Civics were very popular. I had a car-less gf in college who told me she was finally gonna buy her own car. I just assumed it was gonna be a Civic. Unfortunately when I later saw her pulling up to the dorms parking lot she was driving an AMC Gremlin. I decided I couldn’t have a gf who drove an AMC Gremlin. So I dumped her. Well, the truth is she dumped me for a linebacker on the college football team; but my version is the better story … 
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You are right about costs… and finding a mechanic in the early 60’s who could fix a VW was tricky, even with that simplistic engine. I referred to them as high-tech crude, since little things were way over machined, others reduced to their simplest form.
Maintenance was never a problem, except valves. You could do those quickly enough, with the tools that came with the car’s toolkit. 3K is recommended today, I recall it was 6K back then. Twice a year, though most were ignored for a couple years. Owners learned to always carry a spare fan belt. You could change it beside the road, but not w/o the belt.
Part of the appeal was their low cost. The '59 cost $1500 vs $2500 for the low end (6 banger) Chevy. Options? Well, you could get a radio, a shift lever extension, and floor mats. Goofy little cars… didn’t even have a gas gauge until '60, but did have turn signals and the “bigger” tail lights. (Bigger than a half dollar. You could see them, if you paid close attention.)
Parts from the dealer were expensive, but by '65 they were available almost everywhere, cheaper than comparable American car parts and you could buy repair kits for many items. A fuel pump went out in my parent’s '66 bus… the kit was $2, if memory serves. Just don’t get in an accident. It had strong bumpers, but not much backing those bumpers up.
I guess that wasn’t my experience with my 59 bug. I always used the dealer who was close to school. Most everything cost $50. I backed into a lamp post and the bumper cost me $10. Thing is if I didn’t replace the points every 2000 miles, it would leave me stranded. Whatever the cause was, that was the story. I did have to have a generator put in at home and there was a garage in town that specialized in foreign cars. Cost me $30. Don’t remember ever changing the belt or carrying a spare. I always thought the best thing was it would float if I ran off a bridge. Never tested that though. I never understood why the radio did not shut off with the switch though. You had to remember to shut it off every time you got out of the car. Still I think the owner’s manual was one of the best I saw at that time.
Yeah, the belt usually blew at 30K, in a pouring rain, at dusk. I carried an army surplus poncho. Carrying a spare guaranteed not needing another. Expensive parts may have been a local thing. It was a nice shop, but overpriced. His car prices were 50% higher than the dealer 120 miles away. (It was the 60’s… a long distance.)
I’ve got a local newspaper from the mid 60s (kept it for a very detailed and photo heavy story of a motorcycle rally) and the ad for the VW Bugs (not Beetles then) is fun to read. There’s no way anyone would hear that kind of honesty today when talking about the cars they sell.
I won’t recite the entire article but here’s some blurbs from the ad.
Early VWs had problems.
It was noisy.
Shifting was kind of tough.
Visibility was not too good.
Over 3000 changes made over 15 years; 28 this year alone.
The old VW may have made a racket but it made a point.
The VW may not be perfect but it’s a good 15 years better than the first one.
No way on Earth would you hear a car manufacturer or dealer even hinting at things like this today.
A friend’s older brother had an original 57 Chevy, and you could stand inside the engine bay without trouble, feet on the ground.
Extraordinary. Love how it looks. Very neat way of showcasing their tribe’s traditional art form. But wonder how much weight all that glass beading added and if the engine, suspension system, brakes, etc. could handle the extra weight.
You might have even been able to stand inside the engine bay!
I think that was part of VW’s ad campaign. A large ad in newspapers, listing year and the major changes. I carried it in my wallet for years.
I remember an old TV show. The guy replaces his Beetle with a new one. “Why? Because it hasn’t changed… and looks 10 years old?” For parts, you needed the VIN. VW would make a change, then wait 'til the old parts ran out. That confused Americans, for some reason.
I had a 60 with a gas gauge and the reserve tank.
For the beaded VW, it says approx 350 pounds. Our local shop took an old Beetle convert and converted it into a big flower pot.
Ah, missed that. Guess I was too busy admiring the pictures to properly really notice the written details. 
A big bug as a flower pot, huh? Uhm…innovative!
Many year’s ago when I lived in SW Fa. there was a pest control co. I can’t recall the name but they had VV bug’s scattered around with mickey mouse ear’s & TAIL’S WITH THE co name for advertisment
I’ve seen ads like that… VW’s painted like a bug.
A local heavy equipment company has had VWs for years. All their big cranes had one mounted behind the cab, but they cashed out on all but one. They drive to a work site, set up the crane, and the driver has transport.
Where is that I remember seeing that many year ago when I was driving over the road?
One of the best things about the Beetle was John Muir (not the naturalist)'s book How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step by Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot.
I read it and though I never owned or worked on a VW, it helped give me confidence to work on my own cars starting in my 20s. Still at it at 70.
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Another one I remmember seeing was in Texas ( I know you have seen driveway’s with big brick gate post’s on both side’s of the drivway with some type of statue on them ) there was a ranch called V-W ( V bar W ) they had a VW on top of each on with the V-BAR painted on them.
I’m pretty sure it was Truly Nolen.