Bug Lust
So as I've posted, I want to get rid of my Subaru wagon. Partially because of the manual transmission and partially because of the mediocre gas mileage. I've wanted an xB, but at ~$10K+ they are way out of my price range.

Somehow I recalled the VW "autostick" transmissions available in the old beetles. They are a manual transmission, but the clutch is fully automatic. And my poor coordination with a clutch is why I want out of a manual car. Plus the old beetles get upwards of 30mpg, and are damn cool. Perfect! (in my rationalization)

So I've been looking for an autostick bug in good condition. I want something that is ready to go, or not more than a few days work away from reliably drivable.

I went and test drove one car, which turned out to be a rather terrifying heap (important car-buying note, parts should not fly off the car while driving at 20mph). And have been keeping an eye out for others.

Well while surfing thesamba.com today, I came across this '62 Bug. It isn't an autostick, it's early enough to be a 6-volt bug, and shouldn't even be on my radar.

Except that I owned a bug briefly when I was 14, it had sat in a neighbor's yard for decades and was a rotted pile of junk. I never got it running or on the road, but it was my "first car".

That '62 is the same year, model, color, and interior as my first bug. It has the accessories I had or wanted on "my" bug (roofrack, parcel shelf, overrider bumpers). And is all around what I wanted "my" bug to look like.

I am smitten. I wonder if you can retrofit an autostick into an earlier bug...