The Rise And Fall Of The Volkswagen Beetle 

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My older brother taught me how to recognize a Lincoln, Cadillac, Pontiac and Buick. The first time I saw a Volkswagen was in 1964. It's shape was one of a kind; it was easily identifiable.

They broke a trust and this alone hurt the VW.

Isn’t any car that isn’t driven that much?

It's more like vw lost their focus on beetle because vw's growth was unbelievable.

With an electric motor

Not sure they can meet NCAP/IIHS saftey rating with that design.

@7000000000th Human yes there are a lot to consider and improve. That's why how I wish and mentioned specifically 'look' and not every single aspect.

@ Horrible reliability reports? What are you talking about? Reliable and simple to maintain. And I'm talking from experience.

@@sobelou Have to agree. My Beetle has been very reliable and low maintenance.

Yes I heared that. The beetle production in Germany stopped around the 80s but my parents drove alot of used ones. Then I heared that it was produced in brasil into the 90s and in Mexico until 2003

Mine is my baby, my love, its like my child, as we say here in Brazil :" não empresto, não troco e não vendo".

I agree, the new beetle is just a golf with different body and totally overpriced. I drove a few of them and literally grew up in one. My mother drove a 1964 twelve hundred with a six volt electrical system. I knew all the tricks on keeping it going.

Do the Brazilian Beetles also run on up to E100?

@@dave_sic1365 I sure would like to see them produce them and bring them into the USA there over 25 years old now so they can and they would sell you can bet on that.

Exactly what I was going to say! My dad worked for GM for 40 years but his first love was Porsches and Beetles. He bought one in 54 when he got out of the army. He took a lot of abuse over the decades from everyone because of his love of air cooled cars. He used to say, nothing wrong with a VW, just a poor man’s Porsche

I wish Volkswagen still making original beetle, with some modern safety features and fuel injection. It probably get over 100 mpg, then who need electric cars.

Actually most people called it the "vocho"

@@thatonekidisback9223 what?

@@thatonekidisback9223 huh?

THATONE KIDISBACK it’s lame to like your own comment

i called Vocho.

Yea, me n my brother gave each other plenty of bruises over this damned car.

Punch buggy. Also I remember playing that with PT Cruisers as well, strange.

Slug bug!!! (That’s what we call it)

I still play it with my parents ☺

Radley Lessley sameness

more like make the beetle have a stroke

Why did I read that in a Bob Ross voice🤣✌

Zakiara Parker just got my beetle about a week ago.. I kno it's no Toyota as far as longevity but it to was my dream car😍😍 so I had to get it!! you will have no regrets it's so fun to drive!!

They're good cars. I have one and it was my dream car since i was a kid!

dallasgurl1989 same to me Brett are looking very beautiful

dallasgurl1989 Enjoy it, they’re a fun car!

I’m a 6ft 200lbs young adult and I look funny getting in and out of that car but it’s the most punk rock car I’ve ever owned.

Let's not forget the best one, the autobahn

Good old Blitzkreig

Except they didnt invent the jet engine

@@scraggerson the british did

Jet Engineers were invented in several countries at the same time, the Germans put them into combat first.

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In 1972 National Lampoon had a fake beetle add in their magazine "If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagon, he would be President today". This was referring to the Chappaquiddick incident.

So bumblebee is also a part of Nazi that time when he is surveying our Earth...

Reyes馬克喬爾 Espionage

RIGHT

😂 And win it you will Bumblebee.

Cuntlebee pleas pea for me

I feel you man. I wanted a beetle as my first car. So as soon as I turned 16 I got my license and begged. Like begged for one and now I have a silver new beetle. We got it for a 1000 dollars and it only had 73000 miles. They are fun to drive

Lia Lee omg that’s so cool. Like I thought I could get a fait 500 instead, I’m in the UK so the mini and faits are the go to small cars

@@fiveelms2011 I believe fait 500 is close to a beetle in my opinion. They look pretty similar. I think it would be so cool if you can get that car honestly. 👍 Also there is that certain sense of freedom when you get a car.

Literally came to the comments to tell people to look into Fiats. It's what I drive (my first car) and I love it. Driving in general is a form a freedom, but the way you can zip zoop around in a Fiat in incredible. People who drive big cars and trucks could never even imagine, it's like flying

I was the same way and I got one (2010 model) , but I think the worst part is how hard it is to replace the headlights. I love my adorable bug but it's the worst car ever trust me. lol.

This kind of comment is something I see on each of these vids and. I think they are just reluctant to make fun of these companies products when they probably have spoken to them and need their data. Not a slight against the writers of the videos, I get it, not their choice likely

There are still many on the road today. They will never bring it back, so your best bet is to get an old one. They are a good entry level classic car as parts are still easy to obtain and they are not complicated to work on. Get them while they are still relatively cheap.

New beetle was fun to drive but my neighbor had so many issues with their New Beetle. It was always in the shop and their kid would borrow their parent's boring Honda and Toyota instead. I love how they would park the New Beetle in front of my house and it would look like a huge tulip.

Same, I daily a '73 Super. It didn't fail at all, eventually it's time had passed but it was in production way longer than any other car, at least without complete mechanical redesign (people who are fans of the original don't usually consider the New Beetle as the same car). Just that a design from 1938 isn't still in production now isn't any reason to consider it a failure. I don't think any other design that old is still in production even only in name. Likewise, as is the case for both of us, it is one of very few cars it's age that can reasonably be used as an everyday car, I know quite a few people who daily them, some such as myself have it as their only car. A lot of people like collecting other classic cars, things like Mustangs and Corvettes and other things that are undeniably sexier, but in all cases they are hobby cars driven on weekends, while going to work and gettin' the groceries is in something more modern.

Quill Maurer I’m currently redoing a 73 Super to use as s daily!

Prasanna KC Awesome!!

I live in kc and daily drive an 88 Nissan stanza wagon

nice

dane ikr...

No, not Hitler, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche

C.C. Hiliner it’s a joke, but you are correct

@@RNKel1 I know, but the first Beetles produced, did indeed have the unfortunate nickname "Hitler Mouse"

The idea came from Joseph Ganz, a Jew

The aspect I recall about my '67 Beetle (in the US) that I drove while in college: The engine was very forgiving when it came to upkeep, as a person could be neglectful with seldomly doing engine tuneups, where it would still run; whereas other car engines would have stalled.

Eventually once people realize the damage SUVs have caused to our roads they will start buying small cars again. The government may have to step in but theyre in bed with oil companies. They have ruined the roads, made them extremely unsafe and hazardous. Pedestrians are three times more likely to die if hit by an suv or truck, they are far wider making lane splitting/filtering dangerous and have have blind spots that cause wrecks.

Yea there’s gonna be a electric one next

Maybe will be back in 2036-38 at the 100th anniversary

God I hope not

Dynacorn makes Mustang bodies what they need to do is start making Beetle bodies

Same, my fav car

i have a toy beetle

My father had two when I was growing up. A 68 or 69 and I think the other was a 73. I would work on those cars whenever he was home.

I'd say go for it if you can, they're cheap

Not a change because the safety equipments can't be installed.

no they wont. dumbest shit i have heard. In American, if it isnt a suv, it doesnt sell.

@Conspiracy Theorist Lives Don't Matter even old ones sell for less than a new model would to make it profitable. I bought mine for £1,000 here in the UK and we spent £200 making it road legal and so far another £500 on extras, such as new wheels and a narrow air beam. We still have to get it repainted, as someone put white sides on it, but that won't cost anymore than a couple of hundred, as well as new seating trim which will only cost a couple of hundred too. I think we could do £2,500 in it and still only sell it for £6,000 which is a good profit, but half of what it was worth 50 years ago according to this documentary

@@Theaverageazn247 what are you talking about? Whenever this was done for short runs they sell out easily. when the dodge challenger and charger were first released (the new ones) they were sold out. Same thing with the New beetles. Maybe its not a good idea to have them kept up for every year, but if they made a short run such as the beetle or the challenger, or the nissan 270z, or the el camino, they would sell out easily.

@@maxpoweroverdrive The hardest part would probably be meeting pedestrian safety standards, but you could possibly fix that with a soft composite hood. Body panels would have to be made thicker, but if volkswagen dumped tons of money into it, it could be done.

It make me smile hearing people say my new beetle in 1999/2021-or my when my grandmother was an (adult) give her a break. Laughing out loud thanks...

I owned five of them. They didn't leak as you say, but simply seeped, mostly from the push rod tubes, a small amount of oil. Never had to add a quart between 3000 mile oil changes. The engine case's were machined for metal to metal contact, no gaskets, and sealed almost perfectly. Loved the simplicity of that car.

@Gran Turismo Lover 5540 THANK GOD

I wanted one until I was in the backseat of one. Plus the reliability issues. Anyway, it's a shame more fun subcompacts don't exist anymore in the US!

@@ihrtblanchett with 24 millions units sold, its pretty fair to say its gonna stay around for a while hahaha

@@TheArtofOilRainbows reliability? When keep in driving conditions, wich is cheap and easy to do, is actually pretty reliable, in all aspects. Of course some parts will never stand working more than 40 years, so you only need to be aware that is a pretty old car.

There is a 2020 new beetle so it's not over for the new.

A beetle is still kind of cheap and common even if they are not manufactured anymore Just a good care and they will last

theyre actually pretty cheap right now, could easily find you cheap listings if needed

Christ it's older than my dad

@@hifiteen49 hahaha its older than me. It was made in december 1970. Next month will be 50 years old.

Lol, I'm finishing college soon, and I hope to buy one

@@straightbusta2609 once u get into it u will fall in love with it

Depending on where you live your son might want a non-oil powered car as petrol cars will be stopped from production in about 10 years, and with that petrol stations will be on decline.

In the Philippines, it called as Kotseng Kuba or Humpback Car, Pendong Peace, Bolks(which is refers as a German word for people) and Ba-o (just like coconut)

But they didn’t.

The old beetles were not reliable cleaning carbs and adjusting them every 30,000km and they also would overheat when going uphill for a long time cause there were air cooled

@@hubertkam7647 I've had three of them and found them very reliable ...but they are quirky. You need a good mechanic who knows and loves them. Take care of them and they will go forever.

My 2014 is super reliable! The 1998-2010 is what sealed the fate of the Beetle it was too "girly" and didn't appeal to the male market who were the ones "tinkering" with the original bug, the 2012 model significantly improved that and made it look closer to its predecessor including the dashboard, and general exterior shape. If they had launched it in 1998 like this model I think it would still be with us today. Also, how come Mini sells like hotcakes? If there is no market for these quirky retro cars, shouldn't they be failing...

Same.

Strange mind

😂 😂 😂

His yellow beetle :-)

😂😂

Probably as an electric SUV... 😶

Specially 2 years ago to now, it came back to the "hippy teen culture", where a lot o young people are getting one, since its so easy to maintain and customize to your style. I know rich people that own one and drives it more than they modern cars

And finland

@Sml adventure studios Animation It's super cool to see how it became a culture icon for an entire country, and how the economics and social ways of Brazil made it possible, from the need of a cheap, reliable car more than a luxury, to a reflex of the culture itself. At some point, the beetle was even a police car here (as in a lot of European countries). It is really a fun part of our history here.

And Germany.

@@phalanxHH Und Ex - Jugoslawien

Do you sill have it?

Only there wasn't a spare tank just by moving the lever it let you have use of the bottom of gas tank remains. I used it once and had to replace the now funky filled gas filter. But I'm glad the lever was there for sure. Only on a old VW bug...

Or at least maybe one that's more stock when talking about their original production. The one showed mostly appeared to be a '74 or up Standard with quiet-pack muffler, twin carbs, and an aluminum degree wheel, among other modifications. All pretty common upgrades (and still way closer to stock than my own specimen) but I don't think it's very representative of the Beetle as Volkswagen designed and built it. But this in turn is another thing they ought to have mentioned that people like about the Beetle, both in it's original time and in present day - it's super easy to modify, and probably more of the present-day enthusiasts have modified beetles than stock. That it is so easily modifiable, the thriving aftermarket parts industry, and a feeling that it's okay to modify it into something different than stock because it's not some priceless classic is much of the appeal.

geoffrey cylwik RIGHT!?! These freaking BI videos are sooo mid-informed! Mind-boggling! Don’t watch the Harley “Rise and Fall” if you don’t like inaccuracies! I wish they’d just stop making these.

You talk like they're muscle cars when they're just good winter beaters.

@@1965Gindy Beetles are objectively cooler than muscle cars. Especially in the current economy. lol

😀😄

Poor little beetle XD

You're ugly.

I know 😂😂🤣🤣🤣

Its cute

That was one of the ironies of the air-cooled flat-four VW engine; as it could be temperamental to run in frigid weather; yet, conventional thinking would have us assuming the engine would thrive. In the early 1970s I lived in California with the temps barely going below freezing, and on those cold mornings getting the engine to behave properly in my '67 Beetle was a chore. The reason why? The cold carburetor. Unlike conventional V8 engines (in the US) back then where the carburetor was affixed to the engine block and got warmed quickly in cold weather; the Beetle's carburetor was some distance away from the engine block and it took a long time for the carb to warm up. The VW designers compensated for that with a rudimentary _carburetor heater_ using paper-style, wire reinforced, tubes from the exhaust system to the air cleaner's intake; but it was feeble, as the tubes would wear out after several years. Once the carb got warmed up in cold weather, the air-cool flat-four engine ran like a charm; with no concerns of the engine overheating.

The federal gov didn't shut him down. VW stopped producing the new cars he needed for the conversions.

@@e-curb The federal government should shut you down.

You're not saying it right. It's Vocho. There's even a magazine called that dedicated to the car.

I can relate to that, as I got my (US) driver's license with the '67 Beetle my mom owned. The other family car was a HUGE Buick; which for me, was intimidating; especially so when considering the parallel parking aspect of the driver's test. The Beetle was a breeze to drive. To this day I'm very appreciative to my patient mom that rode along with me with my driver's permit; as I had to learn how to use the manual transmission competently prior to the driver's test. Engaging the clutch with first-gear took a lot of practice.

Volkswagen has to work on reliability because it sucks. Toyota will take over if they are not careful.

VWs are known for their excellent reliability 😂

@@louvendran7273 VW ranked higher than Toyota in the latest consumer reliability survey

I’m restoring a 1972 and I looked seriously at the 2016 Beetle. I liked the more classic looking styling of the 2nd gen modern beetle but in the end it was just a MUCH less practical Golf. I also ended up in a wrx because it has a proper flat four engine : p (actually because I hated the GTI clutch)

@@harrymurray-jones219 Not in america.

I had a '67 VW Beetle as a hand-me-down from Mom when I attended college. For the 50K miles I put on it, I found it remarkable the amount of maintenance neglect could be subjected to that engine, and it still ran to an acceptable level.

Let's get this up to at least 53 likes!

now i actaully wanna see it

Hopefully The Beetle will make a comeback as an electric vehicle.

@@JackAttack65 yeah

True and manufactures are notoriously greedy now, profit profit profit nothing is built to last any more just to make money for the shareholders.

Yeah someone i know their tiguan broke after 4 years then they had to go out amd buy a new car

Another thing was how cheap they were, the new beetles aren't economic at all

Wrong. I've owned 26 VW's in a row since 1977. I've been driving them for 44 years. Not one recall on any of them. I can't remember a time when I had to take it back because of a manufacturing fault. The reliability of the ones I've owned has been awesome.

@@deutsch-kanadier901 my '95 Golf has been very reliable, with only 150k miles.

My dad had a 1961, green bug..😎😎😎 I learned how to drive it, had fun shifting, driving around town, and dreading stopping on a hill or incline ... He had that car until an unattentive driver slammed into the back of it, totaling it. Years later he got a new Beetle, an automatic. Traded in for a new one. I now own it. ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️🎵♥️♥️♥️

Primarily because it is illegal to do so due to the Nanny state.

The transmission is bad, but the engine is far away from trash. With modern knowledge, you can re-build a original air cooled flat 4 to decent performance, without getting crazy with tecnological things. In brazil we had a version of the VW Bus (Kombi as is called here) with electronic fuel injection, on top of the same old air cooled engine, with engenieering improvements, of course. Its doable, but not on the market and sales point of view