My late father had a 1962 Beetle which he bought in 1990 and kept it till 2002. We absolutely loved that car; it was something that we grew up in. It was sort of pistachio green color at first and then we had it repainted in 1997 to red and it looked marvelous. It had all stock parts and tyres, plus it was real strong as far as the car’s body is concerned. At first with all the curves and lines, you might suspect instant dents. Once a teen in an old Honda hit the rear side fender but all that happened was a scratch to the Beetle and the bumper of the Honda loosened up a bit. The 1300cc engine was incredible when I would drive it, plus the lack of a radiator was truly an amazing innovation in modern mechanics.
The new Beetle looks a bit cute right now, but the engine in the front makes it a turn-off, disregarding the traditional “engine in the back” Beetles of the old. That was what made it stand out, among other things.
My father sold the Beetle in 2002 when he was getting a good price for it. It was a pretty sad moment; 12 years just don’t wash away easy. A year later the last of the old generation Beetles were assembled in Mexico and production ceased afterwards.