Should You Buy A Classic Vw Beetle? (1972 Volkswagen Beetle Mk1 Test Drive & Riview

All right guys, how's it going? Welcome back. Now I know this channel is usually filled with boggy BMWs, scruffy old Mercedes and the odd £5,000 Bentley, but today we're going back to basics. Today we're in a car that put millions of people on the road. It's this. It's a 1972 VW Beetle and it's one of the most iconic cars ever made. But what's it like to live with in 2075? Does it still make a good usable classic? And does it deserve its cult following? Well today we're going to find out. The VW Beetle doesn't really need much of an introduction. It was designed in the 1930s by Ferdinand Porsche under the instruction of the infamous Adolf Hitler. It was known as the Type 1 until it finally got its Beetle name in the 60s and it was one of the best-selling cars of all time with over 21 million units built. It's hard to believe but this was built well into the 21st century, making it the longest production period of any single generation of automobile. This particular model is from 1972 which means it features one of the old air-cooled engines. I'm currently in the south of Spain in the middle of summer on one of the hottest days of the year in an air-cooled car. Should be fun, shouldn't it? This particular series of Beetle came out in 1968 but it essentially uses the same formula. So you get an engine in the back which powers the rear wheels and, well, not a lot else. It has under here, so I'm told, a little 1.2 litre flat-four engine with around 34 brake horsepower so it'll do nought to 60... allegedly. I've driven this car all morning and I haven't actually managed to get to 60 but it is quite a charming little thing. It certainly turns heads and gets an awful lot of looks and I suppose really speed isn't the whole point of this car. It's more about the whole experience. It's a very characterful car. I mean, let's face it, you don't buy one of these cars for performance, do you? You buy it for style and character. I should point out at this early stage that I've never been a huge fan of the original Beetle but having said that, having driven it now all morning, it is growing on me. I mean, just look at it. It's really hard not to like it. It's got way more character than most modern cars. I mean, take a look at that cash guy next to it, for example. Boring! This is a car that's brimming with personality. The grey cash guy on the other hand is not. This one's finished in like a Cotswolds Cottage Green and I think it's adorable. You get chrome bumpers front and rear, these little bug-eyed headlamps and these running boards. It's like something from a kid's storybook. It's almost impossible not to smile when you see it, which is weird considering this was the brainchild of one of those evil men of the 20th century. I think it's a very balanced design. I love the little door mirrors and I love the quarter lights. Also I've been told by the owner it's a very easy car to work on so it could be a perfect usable classic. Now inside the old Beetle it's just as simple and I mean that in a good way. You get a nice wooden steering wheel, a speedometer and a little fuel gauge but that's about it. There are no screens, no driving modes, no start button, just a simple key, turn it on and off you go. Now the seats are thin but weirdly comfortable. They're really bouncy but on the downside there's not an awful lot of room in here it's a bit like driving an old Defender. There's nowhere for your elbow to go, there's nowhere for your left leg and the pedals are hinged from the floor not up top so I do feel a bit like a bus driver. Visibility in the hardtop Beetle I imagine would be quite good but in this convertible when the roof's down you just can't see an awful lot and those little cute door mirrors are more of a gesture than a useful tool. You can't see an awful lot. One thing that surprised me though was the build quality. It's very good this considering it's 53 years old. I quite like the thin little indicator stalks and wiper stalks, they're almost made out of flat bar, they're very easy to use. But again the whole interior is just very honest and very charming. Even the little glove compartment looks like it was made by Smeg. It's quite a cool viewpoint you get here behind the steering wheel because you're looking out over that iconic curved bonnet. I like the fact that you've got that vertical chrome strip that leads to the VW badge. It's all very 1950s and I like that. I know I'm overusing the word charming here but listen to this little charming horn. Anyway shall we fire her up so you can hear this little flat four in action? Sounds quite good doesn't it? Again it's just brimming with character for such a little engine. Really makes a statement. Anyway shall we get this little German car on the road? Let's do it. Firstly let me put my seat belt on which is somewhere around the back here. Watch my elbows because there's no room for them. There we go right handbrake off, dip the clutch, find first and we are away. I'll be honest it did take me a good few minutes to get used to the gearbox. I keep finding myself getting third when I really wanted first. Still I suppose with time I'd get the knack for it. When you get this thing going though it does keep up with modern traffic in a fashion. It's not dangerously slow or anything it just takes it a couple of seconds longer. It's an old girl this and you've got to treat it with respect. I do like the noise this little air-cooled engine makes though. It gives this car a nice little soundtrack. It kind of sounds like a sewing machine only a loud one but again it's part of its charm. Also this probably won't come as a surprise but there's no power steering and the steering is very vague. Very vague, very heavy and a little bit dangerous. It's been years since I've driven something without power steering and I've forgotten just how bad they were. You see the quicker you go the lighter it gets which is fine until you come to a corner and all of a sudden it goes very heavy again and it's quite dangerous. Each time I come to a corner in this I have a moment of panic. You might be thinking I'm sweating here because of the weather but no I'm sweating because of the fear of death every time I go into a corner. The gearbox itself though is nice and smooth and when you get used to the weird pedal position they're all right. They're quite easy to operate although you will find yourself with a bit of a stiff ankle because it's always up and like I mentioned earlier there's nowhere for your left leg. What this car does really is make you appreciate modern design. If you're in the market for a classic car or motorbike then it's really important that you do a thorough vehicle history check first and I always use a company called CarVertical. With CarVertical it couldn't be easier. All you do is go to carvertical.com, don't worry I'll leave the link below in the video description, and type in the reg or the vin. And by the way this isn't just a UK thing it works in over 35 different countries so it'll tell you if the car's ever been stolen, written off, had a and with an old car like this that's really important. In addition to that it shows you the ownership changes, the reg plate changes, the MOT history, all that sort of stuff so it's a really valuable tool. It doesn't take long to produce that report and it isn't expensive and it's cheaper still if you use my promo code HYPEAK. That's HYPEAK all one word H-I-G-H-P-E-A-K and you'll save yourself 20% off each and every check that you do and you can use that promo code as many times as you like. So thanks CarVertical for sponsoring today's video. Right back to the Beetle. This really isn't a car you'd want to be stuck in in heavy traffic but once you get it going on the open road it travels along very nicely. It's actually very nice and smooth and these seats are incredibly comfortable. It's almost like sitting in an old Saab. Here comes a corner, just wipe the sweat there from my forehead. You really don't drive this car quickly because, well because you can't, but also because it's just more more charming to sit here at 30 miles an hour and just float along. This car really changes the way you drive because you find yourself having to keep momentum. It's far easier to drive once it's going already. Make sure I'm in second there and not reverse. Are we in first or third? You'll guess. It's as good as mine. No, I think that's first. We're good. I don't like sitting stationed in this car for too long because I'm terrified of it overheating. It hasn't done so far but it's about 35 degrees here today and I'm relying on fresh air going through the engine to keep it cool so I'm much happier once we're on the road. There's a laughable amount of body roll here, not like a 2CV, but there's an awful lot of body roll and my steering's very heavy and I have arms like Schwarzenegger at the end of this video, aren't I? There we go and we're on the move again but it is all very charming and it does put a smile on your face. I've enjoyed this whole experience. You get a nice little whiff of petrol as you drive along. In fact, there's a new Beetle there. Also right-hand drive. I do find myself nursing this car along a bit. I'm trying to be mindful of its mechanics and its age. So what's this car like to live with then on a regular basis? Well, like anything, there are pros and cons. After speaking to this car's owner, I'm told it's very easy to work on. You can fix most things with a bit of common sense and a screwdriver and a mallet, which is very much my kind of mechanics. There's nothing fiddly or complex with this. The other good thing is parts are cheap and easy to get hold of. There's a huge aftermarket scene with these. You know, this is the second best-selling car of all time with 21.5 million examples sold, so as such there are lots of clubs to join and lots of enthusiasts out there to help keep these on the road. So this isn't some rare obscure classic that you will struggle to keep on the road. It really isn't. The other good thing is, as I mentioned earlier, it gets loads of attention. I stopped for fuel before and I had people taking photographs of it. It's just one of those cars you'll have people coming up to you to say, oh my grandfather had one of those, oh my dad had one of those. Speaking of which, my grandmother had one of these, a 1972 Beetle, way back in the 70s. And having driven this car today, I've got even more respect for her. She used to drive regularly from Manchester to Glasgow in hers. I can't quite imagine that. I've enjoyed this today for a few hours driving around in the Spanish sunshine, but the thought of driving it on a Monday morning up to Glasgow makes me panic like that. The other good thing is, I think you'll really enjoy driving this car if you're not a fast driver, which I'm not. I'd rather just waft along and enjoy the whole experience. So there are the positive bits out of the way, so let's talk about the bad bits. Well, it's a 53-year-old car, so it isn't the easiest thing to drive. Once you get going it's okay, but you can never really switch off. That's thanks to the fact the brakes are very spongy, the steering's very vague, very heavy, and then very light, all of a sudden with no warning, and there's no room for your left leg. And I do already have cramp in my left leg. Also, because it's an old car, there are zero safety features. You know, there's no ABS, no crumple zones, so if you do get yourself into an accident, you'd better hope that your affairs are in order. You know what, I am getting better at driving this. I'm slowly learning all of its quirks. The other negative thing to tell you is the heating system. Not that I need it here today, of course, but it's not great. If you're thinking about buying one of these, make sure you check them out for rust, because they do rust really badly. If you're looking to get one, then I'd probably advise you buy one from a warm country like this. That way it should be completely rust-free and you shouldn't have any trouble. But if you buy an old English one, then you'll be lucky if it's still got its floor. If you can find yourself a rust-free solid example, then these are some of the easiest classics to maintain and keep on the road. The steering is really becoming a bit of an issue with this. What would ordinarily be a 3-point turn in this becomes a 12-point turn. Still, when you get it going again, it is quite good fun. Now, for the same money as this, you could get yourself an old classic Mini, or a Triumph Spitfire, or an MGB GT. And that's true, but I'd argue that none of them have the same global legacy as the Beetle. You know, none of those were built to such a scale or supported by the same huge community as the Beetle. I don't want to sound cheesy now, but this isn't just a car. It's more of a movement. There's something about Beetle ownership that people just love. And until I'd driven one, I never really understood it. But they really become part of the family. Still, I think I'd rather have one on my driveway and look at it and appreciate the design than ever use it. Because here I am today with sunburn, a sore ankle, sore arms, and a sore leg. So what's the verdict? Well, like most things in life, there are lots of positives but also lots of negatives. It isn't fast, it isn't great to drive, and it's about as luxurious as a phone booth. But none of that matters. Because what this is, really, is honest. It's fun, it's charming, it's characterful. It doesn't take itself too seriously. And on top of that, it's cheap to run, cheap to maintain, and everybody loves it. So if you're after a classic car that you can tinker with on the weekends and maybe take to a local classic car show, the Beetle makes a very strong case. You see, in a world that's going electric and automated, it is quite refreshing to be in a car as basic as this. This car's about as basic as it gets. All you can hear as you're driving along is the little flat four buzzing along nicely. As far as prices go, then they're about as all over the place as the steering. You can pick one of these up on eBay for just a couple of grand, but it'll probably be a complete rock box. For a nice example like this, you'd be looking maybe fifteen, twenty thousand pounds. So it is a lot of money, granted, but cars like this are a safe investment. There's always somebody out there looking for something like this. So anyway, I think that's about it. Thank you once again for watching. Make sure you give the video a thumbs up if you enjoyed it. Make sure you subscribe if you haven't done already. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok. I'll leave the links below. And yeah, cheers guys. I'll see you next time.