1600L, 1976 Beetle, an old-school plastic dash, no drop-dash but the luxury of two side mirrors. This was the beast that I called my first car, writes Ryan O’Connor in his first column for CAR magazine.
A rare sight now, and what seems to be a classic and collectors item for the youth of today, was a means of transport that I was lucky to have but brought about many a battle between man and machine… well, me and said Beetle. Bare in mind, this was a battle that extended far beyond just trying to clutch control the bloody thing.
The car was first my dad’s, then my mom’s, before becoming mine. Of course the car was special to me, and I am a great appreciator of Volkswagen vehicles and engineering, but I would venture to say that I don’t quite attach the same sentimentality to that Volksie that many associate with their first cars.
WATCH: Former Springbok captain takes a drive in the Toyota Prado!
Playing a soccer game once I joined some oak having a laugh at a car that was burning up on the side of the field. Pointing fingers and chuckling I then realised that the match attraction was in fact my wheels. Once-was-green, momentarily charred, and then sprayed red at the same time as I had the engine rebuilt.
This was around 94, and by 97 I was on radio and traversing between town and the northern suburbs became just too much for the little machine. I’d say I got a good 24 months out of the beats before I had to swap it out for something else.
Buy your first or next car on Car Mag. Or sell it right here.
My options were limited to finding a new mode of transport or spending about 30 grand (in the 90s!) on repairs on a car that was probably worth around six grand at the time.
I’d love to say it gave me some status socially – I even tried to add my own flair with the red paint job – but I think the social status attached to a Beetle is far greater in 2021 than it was in the mid 90s.
WATCH: Toyota Yaris GR Review | featuring Ryan O’Connor and Kurt Schoonraad
I’d also love to say that I harbour some great affection for my first car, like the many nostalgic stories I’ve heard from others, but take me to a dealership now and ask me if I’d like an old BMW 3 series or my first Beetle and I would ask you how the tires are on the Beamer.
Again, let this be no indictment on the brilliance of Volkswagen as a brand, but more a fable of a young man trying to make use of a family antique with limited success.
Ryan O’Connor is Car Magazine’s Social & Digital Media Consulting Editor and hosts the O’Connor Afternoon Drive on Heart FM
