I grew up in a family that had convertibles up until I ten. We almost never had the top down because it would raise havoc on my mom's hair.
The last family convertible was replaced by my dad's '66 bug. That was the car with which I learned to drive (ages 12-14 until it was sold).
For a variety of reasons, I didn't own a convertible even though I always wanted one. My desire for an air-cooled VW slowly faded as other concerns would enter my life. I did get a VW in '86 -- a new Jetta -- that had a sunroof. The sunroof proved to be a poor man's drop-top but the car was fantastic as it lasted over 16 years in my possession and is still probably bringing enjoyment to someone.
Oddly, that Jetta was the springboard for our family becoming a VW-only family. After I paid off student loans which was after I went back to school which was after I decided to change professions, I wanted an air-cooled convertible to satisfy the two desires which got rekindled from my youth.
I was helping my then-85 year old dad look for a new car when 9/11 happened. My dad, a WW II vet, cooled to the idea of getting a new car. Most of the US reacted similarly. Being a contrarian by nature, I bought a new Cabrio. (My dad would soon buy a Passat and my wife a TDI Golf as well.)
While this took care of my desires for a 'vert, it did nothing for my air-cooled desires. In fact, I didn't know what I even wanted anymore. A Karmann Ghia convertible, a Thing, or a 914 seemed like drop-top overkill. Everyone owned a bug at some time or so it seemed, so that didn't fit my need to be a contrarian. Finding a suitable Type 3 or Type 4 seemed daunting.
Then in 2002, either
Hot VWs or the now defunct-
VW Trends had an article on the different "looks" of the Beetle. I immediately fell in love with the German Look and what it was about.
Since I knew next to nothing, I started to buy books and magazines from all over the world. I started going to sites like Super Beetles Only, German Look and here.
The more I read, the more I wanted a Super despite my mechanic's plea to do otherwise.
The more I read, the more I wanted a Type 4 engine despite my mechanic's plea to do otherwise.
In both cases, I would take the solid arguments for the above to my mechanic. He never disputed anything brought to him. In fact, he eventually conceded the Type 4 engine was a better engine that got a bad rep because VW's own mechanics were not so well versed in them and VW was in the process of switching to water-cooled cars.
He still discouraged me from a Type 4 because of its expense. He did not argue against the up-front expense versus the down-the-road expense argument.
In 2004, I finally bought a 1302 as my platform. Over the past two-plus years, I have upgraded the suspension, the brakes, the interior and a few other basic items.
By the end of this week, I will be picking up my '71 Super with a 2056 T4, a DTM, and one of Jake's "B" trannies from NO_H2O, the builder of Jake's awesome Spyder and the specialist making it all happen for me.
My decision on a Type 4 engine went beyond the expense argument I presented to my mechanic. It might have taken me a while to grasp the clinical definition of torque, but I knew the practical definition of it through the driving of my wife's TDI. Having that kind of a power curve with an engine that doesn't mind RPM's is exactly what I want -- and will be getting.
First stop on my way back home: the show at Toccoa.