I’ve had four VW bugs over the years. Three were for that Rollwagen project, and I had one for basic transportation many many years ago. They were all old and in rough condition when I got them. The first and last for the Rollswagen project were cleaned up and tuned up by my mechanic, I called him maestro, a genius with German stuff. The other two ran when I got them, and I did minimal things to maintain or improve them.
The VW bugs are strange creatures. I can’t really ever say that they ran very well, but also can’t say that they ran very poorly. It seemed they got 1,000,000 miles a gallon, but everything else I had was big and was a hog. They were kind of funky to drive around, funky to maintain, funky on your head, etc., etc., but like the Mercedes I had before about 1990, they always ran and they always got you to where you’re going or got you home even when they broke. Maybe not all the time, but 98% of the time. That’s worth something right there.
And I also sold every one for a lot more than I paid for them, including what I put into them. It’s a cult thing.
And I just remembered I also had a diesel Volkswagen truck. People hated them, I loved mine. A couple of years after they came out, their book value was under $1500. They were not a success in the United States. I ended up tossing keys on a Dodge Rampage, remember those little El Camino looking things? Mine was a sporty, red and black model. I wish I had both back!