tired of our cars getting a bad wrap

[crack monkey]

i am getting real tired of people thinking that autostick suck without even driving one.  they say 'i found this really great car.... except its an autostick'  people dont realize what a cool thing it is to drive these cars.  i've had 2 and getting a 3rd soon.


had to vent a bit

ryan

[bookwus]

Hiya Ryan,

I hear ya' buddy.

But, you know, it's kind of interesting that the people who tend to knock AutoSticks are usually from the younger crowd and mostly interested in speed and performance.  And they are usually very misinformed.  I had some kid tell me the other day that the AutoStick robs the engine of 15% of its horsepower.  Honestly, I don't know where or how these guys dream this stuff up.  I guess they think you gotta bang that shifter around to be really driving.

Ironically, the AutoStick is much closer to the original envisioned purpose of the Volkswagen than their slammed, metallic, high horsepower jobs will ever be.  But guys who have been around for awhile (like me) and others who appreciate the Volkswagen as a piece of fine engineering can still value the AutoStick.  It certainly has deserved its place in VW history.

Mike

1970 AS Bug

[dmc]

I have to admit, when I first saw the beetle that is sitting in the garage my first thought was 'damn its an autostick'.  But the body was in such good shape (california car) that we might as well take a better look at it.  Talked to the owner and took it for a test drive.  It definately was not like driving my old manual van but it was alot more fun than I ever expected it to be.  My dad was even talking about converting it to a manual but after driving it a couple times its going to stay Auto as long as we own it.

http://www.fotonutt.com/VW/bug.htm

more pictures to come as we begin taking it apart

[74autostick]

I HAD A 1966 BUG AND IT WAS FUN TO DRIVE EVERY BODY LEFT
ME ALONE BUT NOW A HAVE A 1974 SUPER BEETLE AND IT IS A
AUTO-STICK I LIVE IN PUYALLUP AND THAY HAVE A LOT OF
VW SHOWS NOW EVERY ONE MAKES FUN OF ME AND TRY'S
TO RACE ME BUT THATS OK BECUSE MY AUTO_STICK IS MUCH
FASTER THAN MOST BUGS THAY LAGHT AT ME WIN THE LIGHT IS RED BUT I LAGHT WIN THE LIGHT TURNS GREEN  I LOVE MY AUTO-STICK
AND I WILL KEEP IF FOR EVER

P.S  I AM ONLY 19  SO NOT ALL OF THE YOUNGER CROWD IS INTO
PERFORMANCE


MIKE :twisted:

[ConductorX]

Are you the same Crack Monkey from Volksrodder Forum?

[amaroarts]

I love my 69 Autoshift, its the best I have ever had and a great driving machine too.

I find nothing wrong with these cars, as a matter a fact I think they are better then any stick or automatic.

It gives it its originality to the car, not many around.

:wink:

[68AutoBug]

I also love My 68AutoStick and will never sell it either...
There are even more rare in Australia...
Normal Beetles with manual transmissions were made or assembled here in Australia but AutoSticks were ONLY made in Germany...
Its will be a sad day if it ever has to be changed into a manual beetle.....

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

Lee
[/color][/b]

[Dennis Flora]

In California, the autostick never went over too well. If you can find one, they go pretty cheap here. I picked my 74 for $300.00 with a leaking torque converter seal. It had been sitting for 5 years unregistered. I thought I only paid $200 until I went thru my receipts earlier...  I will say this though, as a mechanic, I don't like working on them in car form because of all the hoses and such, but as a Trike, it's a joy to deal with. Since my Trike is an open frame type, the whole thing is a joy to work on. It never breaks though, at least in the last 30,000 miles since I built it in 2003. I love my autostick !!!  It's the berries !!!

[68AutoBug]

Having a removable rear valance has made taking the engine out so easy, but adjusting the clutch etc is so difficult with the LH heater box installed ... it looks like I may be cutting a hole above the clutch adjuster arm so I can adjust it so much easier....
I have had J pipes on the car up until recently, when I installed the new heater boxes and installed the heater pipes etc.....
Now that everything is fitted correctly I don't want to undo them etc....
so, a hole in the floor may be the answer to adjust the clutch arm...

Lee Noonan --- 68AutoBug --- Australia ---

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug


[/b]

[Dennis Flora]

I feel your pain....   If I ever need to, I can get to my clutch adjustment standing up and just leaning over. Same with the trans fill plug...  I have so many Trike customers now, you have to hold me at gunpoint to get me to work on a car. I like em when it rains, but thats about it. Every bug I can get my hands on turn into a Trike... Fastbacks and Squarebacks too. There's nothin more fun to me than ridin a nice trike, but it has to be a VW for me. I must be part German....

[NOVA Ghia Owner]

I recently purchased a 1970 Ghia with an AS.  I too was a bit hesitant at first but I really like it.  In my opinion it drives the same as a manual without the need to shift.

People who knock this transmission are uninformed.

[Dennis Flora]

What ????  No need to shift ??? What do you do, leave it in 3rd gear ???
It's not an automatic... It's a 3 speed manual with a auto clutch, and a torque converter so you can be in gear and sit still at the lights waiting to go. You should still use all the gears. I would'nt even do that with my 1000 lb trike. it's simply not good for it. #1- it lugs the engine.  #2- it gets the torque converter fluid too hot.  #3 it creates excessive fluid pressure, and can cause the torque converter seal to fail. Thats how the previous owners of the car I built my Trike out of drove it, and thats also why it had a blown torque converter seal. If you use all the gears, all the time, it will never break, ever !!!  I discussed this with a factory mechanic years ago, and he told me that Volkswagon made a huge mistake when they referred to these gears as drive ranges, and it was also the reason for so many of them winding up in their shop with torque converter seals leaking. Ultimately, thats why people did'nt like them. They broke all the time. If you use all the gears all the time, the seal will never fail, until it rots from old age.

[Cobey]

I love mine.  Edel came to me as a perfect match.  An autostick, a convertible, and an early flat window Super.  The day I brought her home she proved herself - 2 hours of stop-and-go traffic and my leg wasn't the left bit sore.  LOL.

[NOVA Ghia Owner]

I didn't mean to say "not shifting" - just not using the clutch.  I always run it through the gears.

[Antwells]

I have owned my '68 stick shift for 2 years i'ts so much better than the manual I had before Ihaven't had any problems with at all although the gearbox is  a bit whiney now.  Its so much better not having a clutch to worry about. Great site by the way.