What's special about a 1973 VW beetle?

....well it's an AIR cooled engine...that's special....well it is one of the WORST polluters (they just made it work without refinement)....for example the oil cooler is situated above the number three cylinder....as a consequence the no.3 cylinder is always the first to go~ Does not need coolant...that is special~ a unique easily identifiable sound...that is special too~

...they bailed on this design knowing that controlling the temperature could only be accomplished with coolant...hence the NEW beetle design which has a coolant loooop~ this is NOT a unique car~

It's valued between $2650-$8650 depending on condition. Average price is around $5100. Not a Volkswagen nut......as long as it looks good, runs good and is inspectable, then you will have yourself a fun little classic. Here's a site to give you an idea of some of the current values of restored ' 73 beetle classics.......http://classiccars.com/listings/find/1973/volkswagen/beetl e

I've owned 19 beetles over the years and was wondering why they always made the suspension rough N ready....all the delicateness is in the seat...that's why the grabby handles are needed...because it's unwily...really loved my twin carb squareback...but when it starts smokin' and does have NO power...it's finished...the 66 with PERFECT interior threw an oil pump goin' over the Dublin grade....again if a vehicle strands you...you need to GET RID of that vehicle so that the sensation of the ole boy letting you down again will not even be on the map...sadly got rid of my '61 Cadillac for this reason...strand strand and leave you in a compromising situation~ regardless of the beauty of the thing we just cannot have this in our lives anymore~ the '61 olds pictured had the engine fitted with hardened valve seats...a money pit kept gobblin' all the money and still body mounts made of rubber had deteriorated meaning a body-off frame restoration was needed....serves me right for starting with a previously salvaged car~

....achem..."no results to display" think the nuts about these cars cannot really do much to help the price...perhaps aftermarket air-conditioning...heating?

Maria...you haven't even GOT a VW beetle in YOUR garage...owooof~

We'll I'm not maria and I do actually have a '73 beetle IN my garage. The carb. Needs to b rebuilt but it runs good. I'm putting an add on hemmings and wanted some input about it. My family owned a 73 super beetle w/ a sunroof bought new and stayed in our family for 20 years cause we loved it so much. How would I know for sure if it's a super beetle tho?

a 5speed in a 73 is special, very special.

,,,aftermarket....to bad they did not put an extra oil cooler for enhanced lifespan~

Trish...you have no Avatar and NO cars in "your garage"....VW's are "the people's car" which like or love them are what they were~

To Trish, you can tell it's a Super Beetle by the curved windshield and a semblance of a dash board. I had a 1974 Super Beetle which I absolutely loved. It had 120,000 miles when I got forced off the road and hit a rather unforgiving guardrail. I went everywhere in Esmerelda. Was in college in Wash. DC and commuted pretty regularly from Boston to DC. It was hard to believe it had 46 HP (I think) and in the 0-150 foot drag race, nothing could beat it because of the low end grunt. It also had dealer installed A/C which worked pretty well considering it only had three vents and was mounted on the lower part of the dash. I loved the car, especially on cold winter days when you got to use the 'throttles' to regulate the heat and the defrost modes wondering who would win out. A friend of mine says she likes cars with character, well that car had more character than a burlesque show. The only thing other than install the A/C was put radial tires and an Abarth exhaust. It sounded wonderful, and did increase power by more than a little. It beat everyone in the 0-200 foot urban drag race. Sometimes though she could be a handful. Especially in high winds and air wakes from trucks. It took a little practice, and you might have to back off the throttle. Being air cooled there were never any issues with starting, and having the engine over the rear wheels it went almost anywhere in the snow. I miss that car. There was something wonderfully engaging about it and it just 'felt' right.. I was so simple to operate. I loved it's simplicity.

You can tell if it is a Super Beetle by the position of the spare tire. The tire lies flat ( or horilzontally) in the trunk of a Super Beetle.

The spare was it still the power behind the windshield washers....use the air in the spare to put jets of juice onto your windshield~.....fine until you need it for flat tire repair~

jumpy-jostle ride...loose a tooth...not a Lincoln...not a Cadillac....~

I thought VW considered the spare tire as an airbag too.

Actually Judge Roy, they had something in the spare tire that would prevent the tire from that happening. You would fill the spare to something like 45psi, and when it got to 32 or so, it would deactivate the washer function. .At least mine did. It was however a was a full sized spare.

The tire was to be inflated between 55 and 60 lbs,and every time you hit a service station you checked ALL your air and fluids,so it stayed full.