1973 Volkswagen Thing Base 1.6l on 2040-cars
Henderson, Nevada, United States
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Restored red 1973 VW Thing that spent all its life in southern California. Runs great. No oil leaks period! Zero rust or body damage. Rebuilt original motor that purrs. Clutch and brakes are excellent. Tires are almost brand new. The top was replaced just 2 weeks ago and looks and fits perfect. Comes with the glass side curtains instead of the cheaper plastic curtains. All seats are in perfect condition also. New hubcaps, seat belts, tail light and front turn signal lenses. New "Thing" rocker panel graphics. The car was repainted a couple of years ago and is a 10 footer. Not perfect, but nice. Windshield wipers stopped working. The car is equipped with the optional heater, but I have not tested it. This is not your average fixer upper VW Thing. This car is complete and beautiful. Please email me if you have any questions. It may look like the illegitimate love child of a corrugated shipping container and a dumpster, but the Volkswagen Thing was in fact the resurrection of a German military vehicle known as the Kubelwagen. More than a specific model, the Kubelwagen was a concept; consider how Americans tend to call any military runabout a Jeep, and you've got the idea. And with Kubel meaning "bucket" and Wagen meaning "car," what could have been a better name for such a steel tub than, of course, the Thing?But VW's convertible breadbox was called the Thing only in North America, where it went on sale in 1973; it was known elsewhere as the Trekker, the Safari, or, simply, the Type 181 (right-hand-drive models were called the Type 182). The Thing was built on the same chassis as the pre-1968 Microbus and was propelled by VW's air-cooled, 46-hp, 1600-cc flat four. A four-speed manual was the only transmission. Acceleration was ludicrously slow: 0 to 60 mph took more than 23 seconds. They only came in 3 original colors Pumpkin Orange, Sunshine Yellow and Blizard White. The interior was the very definition of stripped. The only instrumentation was a speedometer that housed a fuel gauge on its dial, and the glove box was really just a glove hole, since it lacked a door. VW also boasted that the Thing's cabin could be hosed out.It wasn't conveniences or ability that sucked people in, though--it was how screwy the Thing was. The windshield folded and the detachable doors were swappable front to rear. Warmth was provided by an optional gasoline-fueled heater hooked directly to the fuel tank. Most important, however, was that the Thing looked so very, very weird. It wasn't the vehicle a housewife or a two-term Republican or anybody normal would buy. Naturally, America's youth loved the Thing--the only problem was that few of them could afford it. In 1973, the Thing cost $3150, almost as much as many sports cars and nearly $1000 more than the '73 Beetle. Prices dropped slightly for 1974, but the Thing remained expensive for such simple transportation. To downplay this fact, Volkswagen advertising talked up the Thing's modest off-road ability and pitted it against more expensive trucks such as the Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser. But the two-wheel-drive Thing, with its four-wheel independent suspension, had as much chance of keeping up with an FJ40 on the trails as a roller-derby queen with an inner-ear problem. In 1973, Ralph Nader pushed to have the Thing pulled from the U.S. market on the grounds that it failed to meet safety standards for passenger cars. He soon got his wish, as tightened regulations forced VW to stop importation after the 1974 model year. Only about 25,000 examples were imported, and the Thing remains as goofy and unusual today as it was thirty years ago. Since so many parts are shared with the Beetle and the Microbus, the Thing is inexpensive to run and maintain--but what else would you expect from a bucket car? |
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Bosch fuel pumps spark recall of 2015 Golf, GTI and Audi A3
Tue, Apr 28 2015A few weeks ago, BMW and Nissan both issued recalls for some of their vehicles to replace Bosch-supplied fuel pumps. The pumps had nickel plating that could flake off and cause a failure. Volkswagen Group is the latest automaker to be affected by the problem and has a campaign for the 2015 Audi A3, VW Golf and GTI. In total, 6,204 units of these models are in need of repair. The problem with the VW Group vehicles is identical to the previous recalls. It's possible for the pump's nickel plating to come off and cause increased friction. Eventually, this can result in the component's failure. According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (as a PDF, here), there are no reports of accidents or injuries from this issue in the VW Group models. Bosch spokesperson Linda Beckmeyer tells Autoblog that these vehicles don't all necessary share an identical fuel pump, but the parts all use the same plating process. The problem also prompted repairs of the 2014 Ford Escape several months ago, she indicated. When asked if the issue could prompt more campaigns, Beckmeyer said that she "can't speak to that" because automakers decide on the recalls. Owners should receive notice of the problem soon, but according to the NHTSA documentation, there currently aren't enough pumps to fix all of these vehicles. "Bosch is working closely with automakers regarding replacement parts," Beckmeyer said. When available, dealers will replace the components free of charge for affected customers. Related Video: RECALL Subject : Improper Plating may cause Fuel Pump to Fail Report Receipt Date: APR 17, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V229000 Component(s): FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE Potential Number of Units Affected: 6,204 All Products Associated with this Recall Vehicle Make Model Model Year(s) AUDI A3 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2015 VOLKSWAGEN GTI 2015 Details Manufacturer: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. SUMMARY: Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (Volkswagen) is recalling certain model year 2015 Volkswagen Golf, GTI, and Audi A3 vehicles. Improper nickel plating of components within the fuel pump may result in the fuel pump failing. CONSEQUENCE: If the fuel pump fails, the vehicle will not start, or if the engine is running, it will stop and the vehicle will stall, increasing the risk of a crash. REMEDY: Volkswagen will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any affected fuel pumps, free of charge.
This month's deals on wheels: 3 cars with incentives, rebates
Fri, Apr 7 2017On television, they come at you rapid-fire: truck deals, car deals, SUV deals. You don't have time to read the fine print, and many sound too good to be true. What follows are three deals that are both good and true. And check out our entire list of incentives and rebates. VOLKSWAGEN JETTA: With Dieselgate winding down and VW's all-new three-row SUV – the Atlas – winding up, Volkswagen is selling sedans with incentives. The Jetta remains VW's bestseller in the US. If you're looking for an immodest deal on modest transportation, you can do worse than a lease on the 2017 Jetta S. THE DETAILS: Purchase at 0.9% APR (no down payment required, available on new 2017 Jetta models financed by Volkswagen Credit, participating dealers only). At that rate, you could save $1,600 over the life of a loan. Offer ends May 1, but given the tepid market interest in sedans, incentives will probably continue through the balance of the model year. NISSAN TITAN CREW CAB: While some buyers will wait for Nissan's recently announced Titan King Cab, and commercial users will grab the regular cab and 8-foot bed, we'll recommend a lightly optioned 4X4 crew cab with standard V8 power, California-penned sheetmetal and a made-in-America footprint. Nissan's full-size pickup is finally a credible competitor in the pickup segment. THE DETAILS: With $3,500 cash back, on top of whatever deal you negotiate, Nissan is effectively reducing the window sticker of a Titan S crew cab by almost 10 percent. MITSUBISHI OUTLANDER: Some cars show up on buyers' radar, some don't. Some aren't anywhere near the radar room. Mitsubishi's Outlander is one of those. But that doesn't diminish its basic attractiveness, especially for young families looking for an affordable three-row SUV with responsive power and competitive features. Add one of the industry's longest warranties and a compelling deal, and you suddenly have reason to track down a Mitsubishi dealer. THE DETAILS: It couldn't be simpler – negotiate your best deal on a 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander, and then receive a $2,000 rebate; on a remaining 2016, it's $3,000. We'd select a fully-equipped GT 3.0S – AWC, which hooks Mitsubishi's V6 to a conventional automatic (vs. a CVT on lower-priced models) and all-wheel drive. That's a window sticker of about $34,000, and you can count on an aggressive posture by the dealer to get your business. Mitsubishi Nissan Volkswagen Car Buying Buying Guide Truck SUV Sedan
Volkswagen drops "GTi" lawsuit against Suzuki
Tue, 02 Oct 2012Way back in 2004, Volkswagen took umbrage with Suzuki being granted permission to use the nameplate "SWIFT GTi" for a performance variant of its small-car offering (2012 equivalent seen here). Now, eight years and surely some very steep legal bills later, VW has finally dropped its claim against Suzuki.
The General Court of the European Union stated, back in March of this year, that Suzuki's GTi registration could not be confused with VW's "Golf GTI." Volkswagen had appealed that ruling, though has now reportedly called off the dogs. In fact, Germany's Die Welt reports that the appeal has been dead for several weeks now.
This news comes amongst continued arbitration acrimony between the two automakers, all revolving around VW's forced divestiture of nearly 20-percent stake it purchased in Suzuki some two years ago.