The Volkswagen Thing Is Slow, Old, Unsafe... and Amazing 

It looks like the Jeep from hill climb racing

Is this the Tesla cybertruck everyone is talking about

Wood and orange. My god, it's the Home Depot of cars.

Here in Germany we say "Kübelwagen" or in dialect where I live "Kiablwagen" Word by word translated to English it means "bucket car"

With the windshield down, some minimal eye-protection is advisable. A mosquito in the eye at 40MPH would hurt like hell.

Wood floorboards are a military feature. It was original to the predecessor, the Kubelwagen. It let hot shell casings fall below a passenger's feet.

Had one. Lots of fun. Real pop can of a car, light as a feather. You could drive real deep into rugged terrain. If you get stuck everyone piles out and lifts the car over the log or whatever. (Not joking!)

Imagine seeing a dude driving past you in an orange box yelling into his dashboard

In Latin America, it was sold under the name Safari. My father gave me one and it was very fun and reliable. No a/c, no radio but who cares when you are 14 years old and have a car? I drove everywhere with it and my friends loved it!

"...the rollcage is my skull." Pissing myself laughing.

this car is as simple as it gets. no computers, no electronics, no complex technology. I bet it will still be running fine in 30 years with basic maintenance

9:42 you scratched the paintwork

9:42 Doug casually chips the paint

Breaking news: all cars tend to have motor on one wiper and then the bar attached to other one...

I've ridden in a Thing before. When i was about 13 my neighbors had one. They also raised fighting chickens.

I owned a Thing as my first car. It has more power than you are commenting on, i drove my Thing across country, 2500 miles, on freeways and off road. It did make it up to speed easily and i even got a speeding ticket for speeding on the freeway. The wood floor was put in probably by an old owner. You also did not mention that the doors come off. I put a roll bar, bought at the VW dealer, then moved one of the back seat belts and made it into a shoulder seat belt, before they were standard equipment in cars. It’s high off the ground for off roading. It was a Super Beatle chassis with a WWIi inspired body. If you watch the old sit-com Hogan’s Heroes, you can see a WWII staff car, in green once in awhile. The Thing came in 3 colors, white, orange and yellow. The windshield wiper motor on the one you shone must have been a replacement as mine was much smaller, it did not touch the hood. The heater was gas, as in gasoline, so if you were low on gas you went cold. It had two settings, lava and freezing. I lined my car with carpet to match the color, orange, which deadened the sound a bit. Also, the back seats folded down giving you quite a bit of storage, for traveling across country. Remember, this car was built in the 70’s, before there were safety features on any cars, pre-standard AC, pre-child seats. AKA the good old days, so lighten up on the comments. You could say the same things about a Corvette, Triumph, MG, or even a VW bug from that era, which were all very popular cars, way back when.

When your car can’t even reach the speed limit on the sign

Sorry, but I'd take the looks of a VW Thing over a Pontiac Aztek any day.

No Doug Score because it might take the Mclaren's F1 spot on the list.

That is a '73. As a Thing owner, I can confirm that it is the most fun car to drive of all time.

Did I miss the video where you admit defeat and gave up the brick mic?

This is what Patty and Selma drive in the Simpsons 😂

Drove one while in the army! Doug forgotten one amazing feature. The windshield washer is “powered” by the pressure in the spare tire.

Ah, yes, the car you used to draw in pre-school is now a *thing*

9:41 You scrached the door with the window.

The main reason for the fold-down windscreen is a relic from the Things' military heritage. Just like the American Jeep, a windscreen that folds-down won't reflect sunlight and give away the position to the enemy.

Hi, My wife and I visited a VW dealer in La Vegas…..The sales agent offered us a test ride…….the lot was next to an empty desert lot…..He took us through a good part of the lot……That was part of the demo to show us that it was indestructible. We didn’t buy it. Later, after buying our first our first home, we found ourselves needing to remove a bunch of rocks we dug up while preparing the lot for sod installation…..how to get rid of these rocks? I’ll tell you how…You load a wheelbarrow, place it at the rear of a VW bug, stand on the rear bumper, supporting the wheelbarrow handles, the have your wife drive the VW away from the development to a desert road. Once you reach a good desert spot empty the wheelbarrow……the return home for additional loads. We did this late at night so as to not be seen. We succeeded in removing all the rocks and planting a nice lawn

The Thing is (see what i did there?) that you think that this is a car, but it's not. This is the military's answer to the question: "What's the cheapest thing we can make that's better than walking?" Technically it's a motorized backpack with wheels, that also happens to have some seats in it.

THAT DOES NOT MEAN PUT IN PREMIUM FUEL 91 RON AND 91 AKI are not the same. 91 RON is roughly 87 AKI which is regular for the US.

Why bully a old vintage utilitarian vehicle with current standards?

I have owned a lot of vehicles, but the Thing was my absolute favorite car!

“The roll cage is my skull” ~ Doug Demuro

It’s modeled after the Kübelwagen. A German field car used by SS and Wehrmacht officers.

IKt's virtually a Kubelwagon if you paint it grey you can invade Poland with it.

That looks like a '73. The '74 had the boxy air intake in the rear.

I want this

always felt that was a square Beetle Also this is designed after the Kubelwagen from WW2

@6:27 "the acceleration is minimal, to be charitable, although the it does make so much noise" so it's a Honda ?

Here in Italy the Thing was called the "Pescaccia", because it was marketed as ideal for hobbies like fishing ("pesca") and hunting ("caccia")

Calm down, you have a piece of history in your hands...

Right, If I am not mistaking, this is actually a Kubelwagen sort of demilitarized. Which was designed for war, and it actually outperformed the Jeep in most aspects. No need to go into all details, you can check them on the internet. Of course it is hilarious as a civilian car in 2016, but it kicked ass at what it was actually designed to do. Aircooled simple engine, torsion bars for suspesnion, flat under body to go over mud and snow - just some of the features.

Don't talk crap about my dream car

When I was a kid, Wonder Woman drove a yellow one of these on television. I thought that was odd, because in the previous season she was fighting the Nazis in WWII. It's a great general purpose military vehicle, though. It never freezes or boils over, it can go over rough terrain, and it can't go any faster than the marching troops.

You'd laugh at it in battle right up until they start firing the MG42 mounted on it, still kinda comical though

Having owned two THINGS, you are nuts. I would drive from my home to Santa Barbara, CA to work, almost 60 miles one way. Freeway speeds of 65 to 70. Not a day went by that I did not get a thumbs up or some one taking my picture. It was the most fun I have ever had. By the way I'm 71 years old.

The VW Thing is a classic beach vehicle, it was built for its day

Lower geared for off road conditions, just remember this was designed to be in a similar class as the Original Jeep, how fast were they, 50 to 60 miles an hour. I know that a thing will do 70 Volkswagens will scream their guts out all day as well. Not as fast as a Beetle as they had different rear end ratios, but could climb a hill a hell of a lot better.

One of the most BEAUTIFUL cars ever ! :)

2:12 - What? How can a guy that makes videos about cars not know that every single car has only one wiper motor? And btw, that's not a cable, it's a rod! : D

The VW thing wasn't made for comfort, speed or safety and it's still awesome! How many other cars can say that?

I have one, its a 74 and I am considering "electrifying" it! Its the best "thing" I have! Love it...

dude, who the hell buys an older vw for the amenities and safety?

I always saw these as "beach" cars

91 RON is not equivalent to Premium fuel.RON is how they rate fuel in Europe and other places. Here in the states we use AKI. 91 RON would be roughly the same as 87 AKI in the USA.

I always wanted one of these cars when I was a kid

91 RON (Research Octane Number) is equivalent to about 87 "octane". So it is telling you to put in Regular.

you forgot, the doors you can remove them and the top can be removed all together. oh I can see a 50 caliber machine gun mounted in the back seat, then the thing would be very cool

The thing is actually a VW 181 and it has its roots in WW2.

2:10 Doug that's how most wipers work, its just not so obvious because the motor and the (slightly more complicated) linkage are hidden from view.

you do realize this is just a VW bug with different body don't you

91 RON is 87 AKI, it is asking for regular. I'm surprised you don't know the difference with all your European cars!

Isn't this pretty much a WW2 Kübelwagen?

The doors come off too, try driving it with no doors on and front screen down on a sunny day on a costal road... amazing

You may mock the "Thing" as a wartime vehicle, but it's the direct descendent of the Volkswagen Kübelwagen in WW II. That too had a rear-engined flat 4, initially with a 985cc 23.5 hp engine and later a 1,131cc 25hp version. Those weighed just 750 kg as against the 910 kg of the Thing. These were never meant to provide anything in the way of protection, but as a way of moving small units of soldiers and supplies over very rough ground which they did surprisingly well considering that they were only rear wheel drive (and in German tests beat many 4WD vehicles because the flat under-body allowed them to slide across muddy terrain). They were also very simple to fix in the field. They were also cheap to build using a lot less material and fuel than a Wileys Jeep. Given the shortages that the Germans suffered it was rather important. The Type 181, as the army vehicles was called, was based on the floorpan of the VW Karman Ghia and is, of course, essentially just a variation on a VW Beetle's running gear. It was only ever meant to be an interim whilst a European consortium developed a "Euro Jeep" which, in the event, never appeared. If you want to try a British version of this which is probably even more ridiculous, then try and find a Mini-Moke. That was based on Mini mechanicals with the intention of selling it for military use and eventually became another recreational vehicle. It's quite a lot lighter than the Thing and I imagine the 1,275 version is a bit nippier too. A US electric version was built in 2016 and a couple were even adapted to run on railways in Australia.

91 octane is not premium in Europe. We have 95 and 98 octane.

"The roll cage is my skull." 😂😂😂

facepalm, such a common mistake, 91 RON is not "premium" to what America sees as octane ratings, 91 RON is 87 in America, or 87 (R+M)/2 as its measured here.

Bought mine new in 1973 for $2,800 at University VW in Fort Worth, drove it to TCU as a college student. Still have it. 56k miles. All original, never painted, replaced top, seat covers, side windows, but otherwise original. This video is a ‘73 not a ‘74. 1.6L VW engine, same as Beetle. Gasoline heater is independent from the engine, so can run heater without starting the car. OK off road performance. Will easily cruise 65-70, unless you have a strong headwind. Gets about 22 mpg. 10 gallon tank. Mine is white with tan interior. I’ve had a lot of cars but never considered selling this one, my all time favorite.

Its just kubelwagen 1920s( type 82) with facelift 😂

I pretty much love all old vw's. VW bus, Bug, Beetle, Karman Ghia, Thing.

It was good enough to invade Poland.

The best part of this video...its old! And NO cars&bids ads! B4 the sell out!

That "thing" has 20 more horses than my lawn mower. Literally.

News flash. Most cars only have one wiper motor, and a bell crank and arm transmission system to operate both blades.

Yeez do your research... The "fences" are called *duckboards* and the reason they are there? This car isn't just based on a 60's army car, it's based on Nazi Germany most used ww2 vehicle: The famous Kubelwagen. And in the war you would have these boards so that if u fire a weapon in it the brass wouldn't roll around and get under the pedals... And weak? No. They are very sturdy, and making fun of the looks is stupid, it's made to work, not to be pretty. Just like the jeep. And both are successful as civilian cars.

I love how normal people rent a car to get around Doug probably goes in and says “uh yes I will be getting it on the road and giving it a Doug score”

9:43 who saw Doug scratch the car?

“Hey Germany, why did you lose two world wars?” “Well, you see, the thing is....”

The Army of Belgium has 100 of these cars and Unimogs trucks from the 60s still ready for combat. They are pretty good for offroad use and very easy to maintain, if there ever is a nuclear strike, solar flame or a nuclear reactor melt down the EMP that follows such events will melt any electrical component and make any modern car or modern technology as useful as a brick. These cars have nothing that can be damaged by EMPS for that reason they still have them stored on a military base somewhere.

I had one, yellow and I loved it. You could take the doors off and let the windshield down. No need for AC. I usually got nice comments from people about it. It was so versatile as well. I could move my apt using it as the back seats folded down. The battery was under the back seat. Weird place, I had a strong battery installed and it started after two weeks not plugged in during a 30 below freeze for two weeks in Calgary when I came back from being out with the military. It was something to enjoy.

My friends father bought him one in '74 and we had a blast in that "Thing", you know when you're young and think you'll live forever! I never realized what a death trap it really was.

My grandmother’s neighbor had one when we were kids. She lived in northern Michigan. My cousins and I would pile in and drive around her farm looking for deer in her fields at night with a big flood light. It was awesome. Great memories! Thanks for helping me remember that!

Good old times, where a Volkswagen was made for lifetime.

Now a review of a Citroën Mehari! Citroën has such a large collection of weird cars that should be reviewed by doug.

I used a heavily modded '74 as a daily driver for several years. The previous owner had installed a lift kit, roll cage, bucket seats, dual carbs, external oil cooler, etc., for runs through the Mojave. I had many interesting conversations with strangers. My favorites: Hip Hop Kid: "Hey yo, is this really called a Thing?" Me: "Yup." Kid: "Yeah, cuz my dad said, 'hey yo, look, it's a Thing!' And I was like, nah, man, it ain't called that, fer real?" Drunk: "Hey man, dyoo wanna sell this car?" Me: "How much do you have on you right now?" Drunk: "I'm gonna buy this car. They need these in Hawaii." Me: "That's a long way to drive." Drunk: "Hey will you buy me a beer man?"

i want one even more than i have my whole life. it's frickin glorious

This car is basically a modern remake of the 1943 Volkswagen Kunelwagen. This was an off-road military vehicle used by all branches of the German military during World War II.

The first time I ever saw one of these was in some movie called "Extreme Days", mistakenly identified as a "reconstructed Jeep with a rebuilt Tay-ota engine still firing on all three cylinders". The second time I saw one parked behind tall iron gates in the corridor of some government building in Washington, DC with bumper stickers that read "Cap and Trade, Dumb and Dumber", "If you think health care is expensive now, wait until it's free", and "You have to be *real secure* to be seen in a car like this".

So Doug borrowed this Volkswagen, and after a little time with it, he chips the paint on it. XD

People prounouce Volkswagen Volkswagen, yet it should be pronouced Folksvagen.

You need to make a quarter mile with it against the S cargo :P

@03:06 How poor would someone be to break into this thing 😭

Most cars have just one wiper motor with the wiper arms linked together... Also, speaking of unsafe... You are not supposed to drive without a windshield unless you are wearing glasses...ask any biker about this one... A car is only as safe as the nut behind the wheel.

No Doug score? I was wondering if this broke the low record!

Millennial sees old car for the first time.

The windows removal had me rolling 😂

All wiper motors on all cars are singular and used linkage for the 2nd wiper. Obviously the one you rented one in bad shape. The dual port 1600 engine had 56 hp, not 46, and got 33 mpg. They never came with wooden floors. They had thick rubber mats to absorb sound. They accelerated very well, and I always drove mine on the highway at 75 mph. They don't need a roll bar because the chassis pan construction and opposed engine made the weight so low that it was virtually impossible to flip. That is the same reason why it does not need side intrusion beams. The pan is far stronger side protection than any vehicle made. It was one of the safest cars made because it has a huge shock absorbing crumple zone in the trunk. People have done 60 mph head on collisions in these things, and walked away. And yes, they came with seat belts, like all VWs, since 1966. What was the most interesting, that you missed entirely, is that this was the 1971 thing, because it had no heat exchanges, and instead only had a small gasoline furnace in the trunk. You obviously know very little about cars and are not a mechanic. The Thing was a very nice car. It ran very well off road, and weighs about a third that of a Jeep. I slid off the highway once after hitting a big snow drift, and we picked up each end, one at a time, and walked it back on the road. That is extremely practical and useful.

9:40-9:44 he scratches the door.

The car does not require premium gasoline, the 91 rating is a european standard, it is called RON as shown on the lable in the video. This european rating is equivalent to 87 octane used in America. This mistake has appeared in more than one of DeMuros videos. So filler up your Thing with Regular Gasoline.

i was in one of these that got totaled last summer. both driver and passenger ended up with major concussions & stitches. i walked away fine lol