Production of the Volkswagen Beetle officially comes to an end

[KiwiElf]

Production of the Volkswagen Beetle officially comes to an end
Darrell Etherington@etherington / 3 hours ago

https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/09/volkswagen-beetle-production-ends/

41074

2019 Beetle Final Edition

The Volkswagen Beetle is taking a bow, after its return and restyle in 2011 (and earlier rebirth in 1997 — the one with the built-in flower vase). The last of the most recent generation of Beetles has already come off the production line, and will be put on display at the Volkswagen museum in Puebla near the plant that produced it.

Volkswagen’s 2011 Beetle redesign did away with much of the hippy throw-back appeal of the 1998 model year New Beetle, though it kept many of its curves and vaguely bug-like look that earned it its name to begin with. The U.S. run of the original Beetle ended in 1979, so it was nearly 20 years before it got its second life — and it’s been 21 years now that both revised versions have been on sale.

Last year, VW announced its intent to end production of the car in 2019, so it’s not catching anyone by surprise. As for whether a resurrection is in the cards down the road, the jury’s still out — VW didn’t rule out the possibility when it announced the end of the line, but it also didn’t commit to anything. Meanwhile, the automaker is refocusing many of its efforts to its new electric vehicle platform, which will provide the basis for its I.D. line of vehicles.

Today’s been a day for oddball things that nevertheless had ardent fans coming to an end.

Bye bye, little Beetle.

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[Valerie Villars]

We have a 2003 Turbo Diesel Injection VW. The car drives like a dream, but there has been one problem after another with it. And every time something breaks you almost have to take the whole engine out to fix the damn thing.

Just recently, in time for 98 degree heat and 80% humidity, the air conditioning went out and it would cost far too much to fix it. It's almost like owning a Mercedes except not nearly so nice :), as it costs you a mortgage to repair it.

It does get 40 miles to the gallon and we intend to run it into the ground.

I learned to drive in an old stick VW, back in the 70's. I was lurching down the road and almost ran into the front of the post office. A cop told me to go home and not come back onto the road until I had properly learned to shift. This was 74. That car saw a LOT of action. I was pretty wild back then.

[mgray]

I'm on my 4th Bug, the last three were convertibles. I really do love the ride and use the stick but I miss the clutch.

[Bill Ryan]

Some fun to be had on this Ecuador car sales page.


https://ecuador.patiotuerca.com/usados/-/autos/-/volkswagen?orderBy=price,ASC

These photos are all of VWs for sale — today. :)

They're all over the place, here. There are many more.... I'd have to go to several more posts to show them all.

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/682018/1028409/o_o/1028409_1533565968261_267.jpeg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/2222019/1193646/o_o/1193646_1550867123015_358.jpg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/2252019/1268175/o_o/pt_1268175_7417570.jpg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/6112018/1097890/o_o/pt_1097890_6101722.jpg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/1612019/1160943/o_o/1160943_1547689104220_958.jpeg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/2112019/1165021/o_o/pt_1165021_6615902.jpg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/3152019/1275284/o_o/1275284_1559321758589_724.jpg

https://images.latamautos.com/thumbs/w/300x177xC/amz_ptf_ecuador/1112018/1095199/o_o/pt_1095199_6087159.jpg

[Mike]

ah what a shame!

my first car was a volks jetta, 1991. the boxy one. but like Val's it cost a fortune to fix. it was a "wolfsburg edition". and every time i had it fixed and asked why it cost so much, the mechanic would say the same damn thing:"..because it's a wolfsburg edition and...." etc etc etc. i would then tune out his mechanic talk, so i still have no idea why that type of car was such a pain.

then i had a couple manual/shift volks foxes. i still dream i'm driving it sometimes

my brother had several volks beetles, taking one of them completely apart and putting it all back together. i have a pic of him somewhere standing in the engine carriage, in the back of the car of course.

he had a volks bus too, very similar to the color in Bill's first pic (he was a bit of a hippie)

the beetles lost their soul a little later on. it was the quirkiness factor that drew us all to that particular car; no one ever wanted it to look like a honda. that's where they went wrong imo.

quick funny story: i was visiting a friend in Irvive, California, and his car was in the shop. So for about a week, we'd drop his girlfriend off at work and use her car to get around: a pink volkwagon beetle convertible:bigsmile:

the first day i just kind of sunk into the seat and covered my face in embarrassment. but on day 2 my buddy put the top down and we were totally exposed. grown men were laughing hysterically and honking and cat-calling us like a couple of women...as some sort of cruel joke LOL. here's the thing: somehow we broke the roof because we couldn't get it back up. so for a good week we drove around like that.. two very straight men giving the very wrong impression to the rest of southern california in that pink volkswagon beetle

[Franny]

My second car was a VW and I loved it! Took me a while to figure out the manual transmission :)

I drove it to East Texas from California with everything I owned including a steamer trunk and a western saddle. And it wasn't even crowded.

[Hym]

Cool, Bill. That's the first time I've seen a Bug with suicide doors, the Blue VW in 2nd pic.

My folks had a 70's gold, white topped, VW bus with giant slicks for the back tires. I liked the feel of it's own limited speed so much I once almost missed a curve heading down from Mt.Baldy in SoCal. That would have been our last ride. It wasn't until I tried to slow down I realized that the brakes in the back couldn't handle the weight on the rear axle and the combined weight of all the people inside.

The last bug bus I had was a rare 60's dual, double door van. I sold it to a builder who had looked for that rare bus for years.

The last time I saw him and the bus he had cut one each of the double doors off, shortening the length, and he then put a souped up Mazda engine in it. He installed a small wheelie bar in the back for the times he would pull wheelies in it, which was one of the reasons for chopping out 2 of the middle doors, a sight which took some of the rarity out of the van.

(Wheelies are when a car's front tires and front end are raised high off of the ground and the wheelie bar keeps the rear of the car/van/bus from touching the ground. Often used in drag racing.)

[Franny]

Mt Baldy huh? Great place, had some fine times there myself :)

[Constance]

I've never owned a VW beetle but one of my old roommates did. It was a 66' Beetle.

Anyway, one day I was standing in the kitchen minding my own business when I heard a huge commotion outside.

I ran to the front door to find out what the commotion was about. To my astonishment, my dishevelled and dazed roommate was standing outside on the front lawn, holding her car steering wheel in her hands.

Whilst she was driving, the steering wheel had come off in her hands!

My flatmate drove like a bat out of hell.

Luckily, the wheel had fallen off just as she was turning the corner into our street.

The car instantly struck and mounted the curb before tearing through our next door neighbours beautifully manicured garden bed.:juggle:

[Star Tsar]

Is there any truth behind the rumour of Hitler, This model of car & Germany?

[Constance]

Cool, Bill. That's the first time I've seen a Bug with suicide doors, the Blue VW in 2nd pic.



Hym,

I'm really curious, why did you call those doors "suicide" doors?:idea:

They look odd and back-to-front but have those doors been christened that name for a special reason?

[Franny]

Yes, even wikipedia couldn't mess this one up.

Volkswagen Beetle (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle)

[Hym]

When these oppositely oriented doors open onto any oncoming traffic that comes too close to your car they will most often get torn off, leaving any passenger inside wide open to injury. So, opening that type of door is considered suicide.

I've seen doors torn off when they open either way, but it is almost guaranteed when it's a suicide door. Normally oriented doors, when opened, will most likely be slammed shut when the other car hits the door.

The older Ford Sedans, like my friend's '37, have passenger doors that open the opposite way as most doors, thus suicide doors.

[Ron Mauer Sr]

I loved my 1963 Beetle. But I had second thoughts when traveling at 75MPH and a large whitetail deer crossed very close in front of me. About 50 years later, at high speed, another deer got me and totally demolished my Mazda. It was a heavier car and no damage to my meat suit.

[Star Tsar]

Why don't they make an electric version? Anyway I found this

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[Hym]

They're advertising a new electric version of the VW van now. HOWEVER, I would not drive any electric vehicle without testing it for the high probability that the EMF field it produces may be very dangerous to your health.

Just as the makers of all the toxins in industrial, pharmaceutical, and consumer products knew of the cancer causing properties of these products, before their introduction into common use, it is highly likely that the makers of all of the electric cars, windmills and home-based solar inverters know exactly how dangerous to our common electro-biologies these products are. No trust earned there.

The EMF expert Sam Milham, author of "Dirty Electricity", when asked about the safety of using electric cars said this,

"You have to examine the cars one at a time. Some are clean, some are very dirty, Also, the Onstar system is very bad. New cars with collision avoidance radar are bad. I measured a Tesla a few years ago, and it was really dirty."

[Constance]

They're advertising a new electric version of the VW van now. HOWEVER, I would not drive any electric vehicle without testing it for the high probability that the EMF field it produces may be very dangerous to your health.

Just as the makers of all the toxins in industrial, pharmaceutical, and consumer products knew of the cancer causing properties of these products, before their introduction into common use, it is highly likely that the makers of all of the electric cars, windmills and home-based solar inverters know exactly how dangerous to our common electro-biologies these products are. No trust earned there.

The EMF expert Sam Milham, author of "Dirty Electricity", when asked about the safety of using electric cars said this,

"You have to examine the cars one at a time. Some are clean, some are very dirty, Also, the Onstar system is very bad. New cars with collision avoidance radar are bad. I measured a Tesla a few years ago, and it was really dirty."

This is really interesting Hym. Thank you so much for sharing :flower:

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[Carmody]

Not a VW story, but i miss the fun of it, the timelessness of it.

How about driving a chevy Chevette at an average of about 135 k/hr, doing a 1150 km run (about 700 miles), in under 9 hours.

And getting home, turning into the driveway, and as I turned to go into the driveway...the steering box...snapped.


Or, doing the same run, about what, 6-7 years ago, approx, on roads that were closed, due to a huge blizzard.

quite a few of the participants in the 'here and now' thread dreamt about it, at the same time (it's in the thread, somewhere). I drove all night on heavily snow covered roads, in impossible conditions, at that same speed. So out of control, that I had to keep moving the wheel constantly. Always in a full slide, always on the edge of losing control. Non stop. No one else out there, no police, nothing. Just me. Heavily covered means, in this case unplowed, big snow banks, constantly slamming into and through them. In a blizzard. A rental. Rentals are the fastest car on the road....

Just..because. The opportunity was there, so I took it.

I played this tune on the car stereo, on infinite repeat, to hold 'the moment'. Timeless, and in the zone, totally zen, in the moment:

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I like to drive, it seems...