Who owns a Beach Buggy?
Discussion
For some reason I've got it into my mind that I want a Beach Buggy so was wondering if anyone on here owns one. I have no experience with Volkswagens at all & although I could build one myself I'm tempted to buy one ready made & simply change it to my personal tastes. I'm not worried about speed, as long as it can sit comfortably at 80 then I'd probably be happy with that.
So I'm wondering if any one knows what exactly to look for in regards to engine size, type of gearbox, does & don'ts etc. Prices for anything half decent seem to start at about £4500 & go skyward, I saw one for £10,000. From what I can gather if I was to build my own I'd probably be looking at about £3000, but I don't seem to have the time these days for projects. Any advice would be much appreciated.
This is the sort of thing I'm thinking of.
(This image was found on the internet & if the owner wants it removed please email me)
So I'm wondering if any one knows what exactly to look for in regards to engine size, type of gearbox, does & don'ts etc. Prices for anything half decent seem to start at about £4500 & go skyward, I saw one for £10,000. From what I can gather if I was to build my own I'd probably be looking at about £3000, but I don't seem to have the time these days for projects. Any advice would be much appreciated.
This is the sort of thing I'm thinking of.
(This image was found on the internet & if the owner wants it removed please email me)
Since you'd be using an old Beetle engine, gearbox and floorpan in 90% of cases, you wouldn't want to do 80-mph for much more than a few seconds. Beach Buggys are for low-speed fun, not blasting up and down the motorway. Take a look at http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/forumdisplay.php?f=20 there are a few buggys for sale owned by people who know about VWs.
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=6549...
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=6550...
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=6549...
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=6550...
Edited by Mr Gear on Thursday 29th July 10:06
A buggy like that is unlikely to cost you much less than £5,000 especially if it's well sorted mechanically. Could easily cost you more. IMO the stuff you see advertised at £7,000 or more is either owned by optimists or strictly for the purists!
As you say, prices for a realistic purchase start from about £3,000 although you only get what you pay for. 1600cc is quite sufficient in a plastic bath tub and front disc brakes are nice to have. Don't have a crash in it though.
If you want a nice one my guess is you need to go shopping from about £4,500 and make sure you ask all the usual questions about service history etc. Parts may be cheap and many jobs may be straightforward but labour costs are much the same on an old car as they are on a new car.
As you say, prices for a realistic purchase start from about £3,000 although you only get what you pay for. 1600cc is quite sufficient in a plastic bath tub and front disc brakes are nice to have. Don't have a crash in it though.
If you want a nice one my guess is you need to go shopping from about £4,500 and make sure you ask all the usual questions about service history etc. Parts may be cheap and many jobs may be straightforward but labour costs are much the same on an old car as they are on a new car.
Ozzie Osmond said:
but labour costs are much the same on an old car as they are on a new car.
But he'll be able to fix everything with a 13mm spanner so shouldn't have many costs. 
The link from My Gear is the best place to start but you need to drive a couple before a purchase as some are much better than others.
I owned one when I stayed in South Africa briefly at the start of 2008. It was great fun! As others have said, 80mph is extremely optimistic - I would expect top cruise to be maybe 50mph, at absolute best! I didn't really do my homework and bought a cheap one, and got what I paid for - ended up losing vast amounts of money getting rid of the thing as repairs would have needed to be extensive. I can however tell you that it was a brilliant laugh, the exposed nature made it so much fun to drive and the rumble of the flat four through cannon exhausts and completely unshielded by bodywork made it sound like a mini V8 muscle car 
Wow! Thanks for the quick replies.
Ok, maybe 80 is a bit optimistic but didn't know if there was an up to date gearbox available to fit.
Also I should have said that I know a bit about old technology owning a 1983 stage 1 & a 1960 Land Rover, also a 1967 convertible Camaro & can do my own mechanics.
I'm looking at those links now, thanks Mr Gear.
Ok, maybe 80 is a bit optimistic but didn't know if there was an up to date gearbox available to fit.
Also I should have said that I know a bit about old technology owning a 1983 stage 1 & a 1960 Land Rover, also a 1967 convertible Camaro & can do my own mechanics.
I'm looking at those links now, thanks Mr Gear.
My dad had one in the 70's when he was a long haired 'yoof', it was an absolute machine by all accounts...
He built it himself, and I think the kit was a GP one. He got a local bodyshop to paint the body, and he found a set of cool wide polished 1970's steel wheels for it, but decided that the rears weren't wide enough so he took them to a local engineering place and got then to cut the wheels in half and add another couple of inches of width! He assures me it was a precision job.
He then got the same local welder guy to make him an exhaust system for it which was a work of polished steel art, with very little silencing and twin 'trumpet' outlets as he had just been watching the cool beach buggy scene on 'The Thomas Crown affair'...
The original beetle engine blew up after a few months and my dad insists this was because of the fact that the air flow needed to cool the motor was not sufficient as the beetle shell was properly designed to maximise cooling but not so with the buggy.
He then replaced the engine with an 1800cc one from a 1970 'Transporter' van/camper, which combined with some fettling kicked out about 85bhp, and in something almost entirely made from glass fibre, made it really really quick. My mum testifies that it would actually wheelie briefly if you revved it and dumped the clutch in 1st...
The rear tyres had to be sourced from a place that sold tyres to grand prix type track cars as they were so wide (he just bought a set of racing 'wets').
All in all from the extensive photos he has of it, and the 'cine' film, it looked a very nicely finished car and reeked of 70's surfer cool... My dad reckons it wasn't even that hard to put together, and he isn't a mechanic!
Do it!
He built it himself, and I think the kit was a GP one. He got a local bodyshop to paint the body, and he found a set of cool wide polished 1970's steel wheels for it, but decided that the rears weren't wide enough so he took them to a local engineering place and got then to cut the wheels in half and add another couple of inches of width! He assures me it was a precision job.
He then got the same local welder guy to make him an exhaust system for it which was a work of polished steel art, with very little silencing and twin 'trumpet' outlets as he had just been watching the cool beach buggy scene on 'The Thomas Crown affair'...
The original beetle engine blew up after a few months and my dad insists this was because of the fact that the air flow needed to cool the motor was not sufficient as the beetle shell was properly designed to maximise cooling but not so with the buggy.
He then replaced the engine with an 1800cc one from a 1970 'Transporter' van/camper, which combined with some fettling kicked out about 85bhp, and in something almost entirely made from glass fibre, made it really really quick. My mum testifies that it would actually wheelie briefly if you revved it and dumped the clutch in 1st...
The rear tyres had to be sourced from a place that sold tyres to grand prix type track cars as they were so wide (he just bought a set of racing 'wets').
All in all from the extensive photos he has of it, and the 'cine' film, it looked a very nicely finished car and reeked of 70's surfer cool... My dad reckons it wasn't even that hard to put together, and he isn't a mechanic!
Do it!
They're great and you'll never regret it.
Speed will needless to say depend on the engine, and importantly how standard it is. Depending on how proficient you are with a spanner, a standard engine is obviously easier to self maintain than one that is not, and depending on where you live, you may have problems finding someone who can properly tune a properly modified beetle engine.
Mine would do 80 but I'd never sit on a motorway doing that speed.
Speed will needless to say depend on the engine, and importantly how standard it is. Depending on how proficient you are with a spanner, a standard engine is obviously easier to self maintain than one that is not, and depending on where you live, you may have problems finding someone who can properly tune a properly modified beetle engine.
Mine would do 80 but I'd never sit on a motorway doing that speed.
Don't rule out sandrails either, as an alternative with some crash protection 
Having had both, I personally preferred the sandrail. You can even adapt as I did to have some form of wet weather gear!! I used both the sandrail and dune buggy as a daily driver (including regular journeys from Hampshire to Sheffield...) and can honestly say that it's... bloody awful good fun for blats to the beach though!
Personally if doing it again I'd be wanting a minimum of a 2ltr camper unit, all well and good accepting slow pootling but it can be a drag going to shows. Frankly I'd likely go Subaru engined instead next time I think.
I'd build it yourself too - you can put one together in a matter of weeks!
Having had both, I personally preferred the sandrail. You can even adapt as I did to have some form of wet weather gear!! I used both the sandrail and dune buggy as a daily driver (including regular journeys from Hampshire to Sheffield...) and can honestly say that it's... bloody awful
good fun for blats to the beach though!Personally if doing it again I'd be wanting a minimum of a 2ltr camper unit, all well and good accepting slow pootling but it can be a drag going to shows. Frankly I'd likely go Subaru engined instead next time I think.
I'd build it yourself too - you can put one together in a matter of weeks!
Two of my brothers have recently built a couple of them, though they've also built several over the years. They are fun, but speed is NOT their thing!
You have to get the GP short wheel base version everything else is just wrong
My Bro's last creation - since sold to a friend in Barnstaple
You have to get the GP short wheel base version everything else is just wrong
My Bro's last creation - since sold to a friend in Barnstaple
Fetchez la vache said:
Davi said:
cptsideways said:
You have to get the GP short wheel base version everything else is just wrong
So, so true of beach buggies. GP or nowt.I'll try & get some pics from my Bro's old buggy
Whilst being lwb this one looks good for the money
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=6565...
http://www.volkszone.com/VZi/showthread.php?t=6565...
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