Cannot get into first gear?
While moving the car to get it covered and ready for winter I could not get it in first gear. This includes when it is on and not running. If this is an adjustment can I expect the cost to be minor?
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1971 Volkswagen Beetle Reviews, Pricing & Specs
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Joining the standard Volkswagen Beetle in 1971 was the new Super Beetle, which was three inches longer than its popular sibling. The Super Beetle also came with larger brakes, an upgraded suspension with MacPherson struts, and twice the luggage space as the standard model. Both models, however, were equipped with the same 1600 four-cylinder, air-cooled engine, which for 1971 had its horsepower upped to 60.
Not to be left in the dust, the standard Beetle received a number of upgrades for 1971, including a wider engine cooling fan, a larger oil pump, and a new clutch assembly. In addition, headlights now turned off with the ignition, and new vents behind the rear windows provided improved ventilation.
Standard features included swiveling sun visors, coat hooks, assist straps, an automatic windshield washer, an overhead light, folding rear seats, and luggage space under the front hood and in a three-foot carpeted compartment behind the rear seats. A convertible top was optional.
Published Aug 9, 2022 by CarGurus Editorial Team
User reviews for 1971 Volkswagen Beetle
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by Anonymous
Jul 22, 2011
I like every thing about the car, and parts are plentiful , and pretty much inexpensive , learning to work on the car is a breeze , and easy to teach once learned , and already getting Cute little Bug and Ive only just started Jul 22, 2011
by Lester M
May 05, 2011
I bought this car in Germany from Germans near where I lived. The brakes were stuck, so we freed them up. The muffler needed replacing, so we did that. The tires were not the best, but they would work, so I figured. I got it so I would not have to drive my 84 VW Rabbit GTI in the winter. The bottom part of the body had had some rust repairs done ages ago, but the pan (frame on a Bug) was solid. The motor was clean and ran great. It drove as well as any Beetle I ever owned. It was more than worth the $75.00 I paid for it.May 05, 2011
by Anonymous
Apr 10, 2011
I absolutely love my 1971 beetle! A 40 year old car is quirky to say the
least, but she was owned by her original owner up until I bought her and
she runs like a champ. Thanks goodness he took such great care of her.
I'm absolutely in love with my car.Apr 10, 2011
User rating:
by Anonymous
Jul 22, 2011
I like every thing about the car, and parts are plentiful , and pretty much inexpensive , learning to work on the car is a breeze , and easy to teach once learned , and already getting Cute little Bug and Ive only just started Jul 22, 2011
by Lester M
May 05, 2011
I bought this car in Germany from Germans near where I lived. The brakes were stuck, so we freed them up. The muffler needed replacing, so we did that. The tires were not the best, but they would work, so I figured. I got it so I would not have to drive my 84 VW Rabbit GTI in the winter. The bottom part of the body had had some rust repairs done ages ago, but the pan (frame on a Bug) was solid. The motor was clean and ran great. It drove as well as any Beetle I ever owned. It was more than worth the $75.00 I paid for it.May 05, 2011
by Anonymous
Apr 10, 2011
I absolutely love my 1971 beetle! A 40 year old car is quirky to say the
least, but she was owned by her original owner up until I bought her and
she runs like a champ. Thanks goodness he took such great care of her.
I'm absolutely in love with my car.Apr 10, 2011
by Pe P
Mar 01, 2011
is the best car ever built because is so reliable, maybe not even a fast car but with 40 years old it looks much better than many new cars, performance is good and fuel consumption, it´s a Volkswagen what else you need to knowMar 01, 2011
by Wojciech L
Sep 28, 2010
VW garbus
pojemność 1200
moc 34HP
wkrótce pojemność silnika zostanie powiększona do 1600 moc tego motoru wynosi około 46HP
dodatkowo zawieszenie zostanie ekstremalnie obniżone xP
obecnie przyspiesza od 0 do stu km/h w 24s.
droga hamowania jest jest dwa razy dłuższa w stosunku do prędkości jazdy :P
auto to potrafi przejechać 100km na 5 litrach benzyny
jeździ się nim niezbyt bezpiecznie zato jazda dostarcza niesamowitej frajdy i sporo adrenalinySep 28, 2010
by Rebecca H
Apr 01, 2010
just love her, she deffo a way of life, no worries (not too many worries,well for my dad anyway as he restored her). may not have power steering or anything modern but who cares if you have to do 50 shunts around a car park, i like the simple things in life lol.xApr 01, 2010
by Anonymous
Mar 13, 2010
I loved this thing. It had a 1600 dual port engine, which I don't think was standard in the '71 because I talked to an old Bug collector (would you call a collector of VW Bugs an "entomologist"??)and he thought I was lying when I told him it had the 1600 dual port engine.
Anyway it seemed to have decent power for what it is, .. a 4 cylinder S-10 was unable to keep up with me.
Driving it was unlike any car. With the rear engine and the unique sound, it was more like a big go-kart than anything else. But the engineering was impressivly simplistic. It was 30 years old and the doors didn't sag. Just push gently, two clicks and they're shut. Engine came out in 30 minutes, just 4 bolts, 2 wires, a fuel line and throttle cable. Didn't have the exhaust heat system.
It had minor rear-end damage when I bought it. I had the car for about 2 years, then hit a deer that destroyed the front end beyond reasonable repair so I gave it to a friend. We took the body off and made a street-legal dune buggy out of it.
I used to hate how it would attract attention from old balding middle-aged hippies would try to start conversations with me about the VW Bugs they had back in the day when they were filty, stinky, hairy drug-addicts.Mar 13, 2010
by Andrew H
Feb 20, 2010
Performance = FUN!
Build Quality = FUN!
Appearance = FUN!
Cost of Ownership = FUN!
Fun Factor = FUN!
What can I say....My First car.....a traffic cone orange 71 "Flat Screen" Bug with Banana Bumpers.....only those "in the know" know what I'm on about! The most fun I've ever had driving (and fixing) a car.....mine's personality was different from anyone one else's....as was everyone else's I know who ever owned one.....THE ABSOLUTE MOST AWESOME CAR EVER!!!!!! I would take one on the Pan-American or Mongol Rallye any day!!!
Tools required: Hammer, 3 screw drivers, one crowbar, bailing wire and gaffer tape......and they all fit in the glovebox!Feb 20, 2010
by Tyler H
Oct 26, 2009
71 Vert, 1641 Dual Port, Total restore done, purple with white top and interior. Awesome cruiser. Great gas milage, no problems, easy to work on, and fun to tinker with. Now that I have one VW 1 definately want and need more. So a 57 Oval Rag, 66 Sedan, 912 Porsche, and 356c Prosche are on the list of cars to add to the garage.......I better start building a bigger garage. lolOct 26, 2009
by Zaigham R
Oct 22, 2009
Nothing to say about this Car, specially in Pakistan, at its age still looks cool and cute. Found only this car, looks really great in any color or tone of colors. Fun to drive. Safe on high speed. Sounds great, even on other LPG and CNG, run superb.
I would recommend it to be The First Car for college boys/girls. It will let you understand and learn whom to say a CAR.
The Car I had recently was in Ornage Colored, and famous by named, "Fanty".Oct 22, 2009
by Fady M
Aug 01, 2009
Verry Speedy , Braks are always missing, Very Good Handelling
Always Need REpairs ,cause there are no Good Spare Parts ..
Interior Poor Exterior Very Very Ritch
Gas Saver , no need for more caches
It\s Driving Veryy Differant From Any Other carAug 01, 2009
by Pg P
Jul 27, 2009
Gebou om te hou. Defnetief nie vir spoed nie mar dis oraait hy kry my van punt a na bunt b in styl en met harde music he he. j j j j j jj jj j j j j j j jJul 27, 2009
by Rami E
Apr 14, 2009
Just your run of the mill super beetle nothing special here. It has a stock 1600DP engine with a H30/31 carb and SVDA distributor. Cheap to drive and maintain an awesome car to own and gets looks and conversations started!!!! Sweeeeet.Apr 14, 2009
by Kim. G
Jan 25, 2009
bloody love it dont you ? fun sexy wat more you want well maybe a porche or scooby engine in her next . everbody loves it and just need a garage to put her in and restore agian never trust a\ mate to respary your car Jan 25, 2009
by Jay C
Jan 25, 2009
Hitler's revenge. Piece of junk that broke down far more often than it should have, usually in the most inconvenient locations such as 300 miles from home the night before Thanksgiving in a sleet storm, when the electrical system packed it in. HATED THIS CAR with a passion.Jan 25, 2009
by Sandra L
Jan 03, 2009
Min fiiina fiiina bubbla!! Den ska no fixas ännu lite! Ja borde föra den o målas liye men man ska ju ha cash ti d oxå =D PÅ sommarn ska ja no ut o raga lite me den! O ti Bugrun borde man oxå fara! Bara man får den i körskick så blir d rolit! Bublan får vara min sommarbil så har man mazdan som bvinter bil :PJan 03, 2009
by Ryan L
Dec 24, 2008
i do not drive a stock 1971 VW bug. The car that i drive is modded to be a Baja style car. It has a decent lift and ride on 29 inch tires. The engine is mounted in the rear and is air cooled. I do not have vacume lines or an oil filter. No need for them . Though i do plan on adding an external oil cooler. Dec 24, 2008
by Genevieve S
Dec 18, 2008
My car handles very well and is rather fast for a old beetle, it rattles a lot but still comfortable to drive. the petrol pedals in this beetle tends to lean to the right after time until it breaks, but everything to fix is rather cheap. the original spray job only put 1 coat of paint on which is now chiping off, so i will need a better job soon. the passanger window does not seal properly and now i see there is rust developing on the inner door at the bottom where rain settled. Both mom & me have one - paid R16000 each and in total the best deal ever. Handles well on long trips too.Dec 18, 2008
by Bobbi V
Jul 23, 2008
IT'S AWESOME! It started off pretty bad but then I ended up having to but a new motor for it. So the pictures that you see now aren't excactly what the engine looks like, but it is going to be a lot sweeter!!! I can't wait for it to run!Jul 23, 2008
by Andy D
Jul 06, 2008
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by Amanda W
Jun 19, 2008
I love everything about my car (of course!!!)Jun 19, 2008
by Ben S
Jun 16, 2008
It sounds great, it looks geat, it's cool as! Just not so keen on the reliability side of things.Jun 16, 2008
by Dave G
Jun 11, 2008
goes anywhere in the dunesJun 11, 2008
by Subodh S
Jun 08, 2008
u have to get used to the interior, and when u do get used to it, there's nothing like it. trust me.Jun 08, 2008
by Rebecca B
May 26, 2008
Cute car, it was fun to putz around in.May 26, 2008
by Anonymous
May 17, 2008
I just bought the car a couple of weeks ago and I love it, it's in excllent conditon with 85,650 original miles on it. May 17, 2008
by Outi B
Apr 22, 2008
simply the best. i love my kena-kuppeli <3<3Apr 22, 2008
by Richard H
Apr 20, 2008
Great bug but it caught on fire while I was driving,
Lucky I had a 2ltr juice in the car and I put it out,
Fire is a common fault of the VW because they use press in fittings for the fuel lineApr 20, 2008
by Whitaker W
Apr 02, 2008
This car is highly modifiedApr 02, 2008
by John L
Apr 01, 2008
i can peel rubber, set of car alarms and outmaneuver just about anything...Apr 01, 2008
by Anonymous
Mar 21, 2008
The bug that we own is a beut. One of only a couple thousand made during the early 1970s, ours has a rounded front windshield, a sunroof, and a gold paintjob (which I guess was special for the time). I'll get more info up soon, but yeah.Mar 21, 2008
by John B
Mar 09, 2008
This little monster has made it up and down every trail that i've seen a jeep go up and it only has two wheel drive.Mar 09, 2008
by Sam C
Feb 29, 2008
Ralphy was lovely! I couldn't keep him though- had too many!Feb 29, 2008
by Dave B
Feb 03, 2008
brakes crap , steering not much better,street cred great!!Feb 03, 2008
by Mike En Nathalie F
Jan 09, 2008
Repainted winter 2006-7
Engine set in in ordre 2006
Real fun car with lots of history
And it realy is fun to drive open in summerJan 09, 2008
by Tomasz N
Dec 27, 2007
This is a 1971 VW Beetle Automatic (auto-stick). Needs a lot of love and a lot of patience, for it likes to break down unexpected. But I have had it for more than 8 years now, and it breaks my heart just thinking of selling it.Dec 27, 2007
by Anonymous
Dec 18, 2007
I love vintage Volkswagens.Dec 18, 2007
by Anonymous
Dec 13, 2007
Easy to work on. Easy to figure them out. Tough as a tank. Fun to drive.Dec 13, 2007
by Jonathan Y
Nov 05, 2007
Awesome car that couldn't go over 120kph without drafting and when I did that I blew a chunk out of the engine. Bought for $3100, sold for $700, loved every cent, kilometer and bit of it.Nov 05, 2007
by Anonymous
Jul 06, 2007
I brought the car after it was parked for 20 years. A new battery, starter, fuel pump and fuel line and I had it on the road.
That pretty much says it all.Jul 06, 2007
by Anonymous
May 22, 2007
I like my bug alot and wouldnt trade it for anything. my bug is my joy.May 22, 2007
What users have asked
Rear seat bottom sits at a strong angle - is that fixable?
This 71 super beetle has cloth seats. Does that indicate they are replacements? The rear bottom is too wide (front to back) to settle down into the box on the floor that contains the battery. If I inset the seat bottom flange into the box on the floor I cannot get the back of the seat under the rear of the upper part of the seat. The thing sits at a strong v shape and that won’t work for the dog.
21 views
Preventing break downs
Is there a resource I could use to make a checklist of what I should have done in the spring to prevent trouble during the driving season and a list of those things that can cause the car not to start which I could address with the know how and tools and avoid a tow. Thanks all who are being so helpful.
25 views
What more can I do to protect the car in my drive for the winter?
I cannot find a place to store my recently acquired 71 super beetle convertible. I bought a good cover, and have a long enough asphalt drive to keep the Prius on the street end of the drive and live on a one block street with low traffic and salt use. What more can I do to protect it for the winter?
39 views
Fuel for 1971 super beetle
I just bought this car and of course the manual was written before ethanol and the change in other gas formulations and ratings. Is it different in its fuel needs from earlier models? Do I need to add a lead additive and should I use regular or premium? It seems the regular may be higher now than it was in 1971. I may well just have to use whatever ethanol free is available. The sound of the car is so different from my Prius - but familiar in a long ago way when I rode with my boyfriend in 1970 in his beetle.
60 views
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