1974 Volkswagen Beetle Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Write a review

--

Original MSRP

--

expert review

4.5

avg user rating

(33 reviews)
1974 Volkswagen Beetle Preview summaryImage

Volkswagen introduced two more limited-edition Beetles for 1974, continuing a trend that had started in the early 1970s. The Love Bug was available in either Phoenix Red or Ravenna (lime) green, and came with sports wheels, special bumpers and headlights, side stripes, and special badging. The Sun Bug came with nut-brown sports seats with matching panels and carpeting, a wood-finish dashboard, sports GT wheels, and a sunroof with a wind reflector. It was painted metallic beige.

The standard Beetle received a few minor upgrades, including a softer steering wheel to improve the car's safety factor, a quieter muffler, and energy-absorbing bumpers that could return to their original shape if dinged.

The Beetle was equipped with the 1600 four-cylinder, air-cooled engine that generated 58 horsepower, as well as with a dual braking system, four-wheel independent suspension, and a flow-through ventilation system.

In addition, standard features for the Beetle included seat belts for the driver and passengers, two-speed windshield wipers with a pneumatic washer system, swiveling sun visors, coat hooks, assist straps, 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.

CarGurus Editorial Team
Published Aug 9, 2022 by CarGurus Editorial Team
While we highlight specific author bylines where possible, sometimes our content results from the combined efforts of several members of the CarGurus editorial team. As with all our editorial content, you can expect high levels of automotive insight and expertise delivered in a style that is approachable and free from jargon.

User reviews for 1974 Volkswagen Beetle

Write a review
User rating:
by Anonymous
Aug 18, 2013
We'll start with the obvious first. Performance or lack thereof. It was never mean to to be a performance car, and most buyers knew that. It was basic transportation to get you back and forth, and the occasional road trip (I did many from Washington to Boston and back 2-3 times a year) so you can tell I had no problem driving it far and wide. I had the best personality of any car I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot 'better' far more comfortable vehicles since, but for some reason can't get the car out of my head. I had so many fun times in that car, loved the color; Dark Green with a tan 'leatherette' interior (which btw, you'd stick to in 10 minutes if it were hotter that 70 degrees out. I could go one, but you get the idea. I loved the car, quirks and all. One of the more ingenious or epic fails depending on your view point, was the air for the washer was run off the spare time until it reached a certain level and it would stop so you wouldn't flatten the spare. The battery under the back seat; not the easiest place to get at I didn't find particularly wonderful either. The only things I added were an Abarth exhaust system which had a wonderful note both inside and out, and some Michelin radial tires. What an improvement. Of, I'm done. Hope you 74 owners found this interesting, as well as people who have never had the fun of at least driving one. Oh, one more thing. In high winds and on the highway you weren't driving as much sailing them.Aug 18, 2013
by Richard K
Jan 26, 2013
Lovely car, easy to work on and maintain, bags of character allthough it helps to be handy with the spanners!. Very noisy, brakes are awful, ride comfort and interior space is minimal however, that said, these cars are great fun and draws a lot of positive attention. Very easy to tune and modify for a car that isn't really built for speed!Jan 26, 2013
by Ibi Z
Feb 21, 2012
The car is pretty old and although iy has a 1.6l engine it doesn't accelerate great. It doesn't have disc breaks so the breaks aren't amazing but comparing them to the power they are very good. When I first got the car i did all the repairs needed and since then i didn't have to fix anything. It is an amazing car to drive, very economical and in my opinion looks amazing!Feb 21, 2012

1974 Volkswagen Beetle Pricing

Original MSRP
N/A
Price range
N/A
Average price on CG
N/A
YoY price change
N/A
Volkswagen Beetle price trends

Other years

1974 Volkswagen Beetle For Sale

Related Models For Sale