VW Beetle 1303… Value and where the steering wheel is

Auto Motor Klassiek » Special » VW Beetle 1303… Value and where the steering wheel is
Purchasing classics there

Classics are regularly offered with 'the steering wheel on the wrong side'. That steering wheel on the right was once fairly normal. The split of spirits came later. The approach is that classics from countries that are driven on the right have the steering wheel on the left. Only in myramar is it apparently different. Left-hand drivers have the steering wheel on the right. Here in the Netherlands people usually drive on the right.

So most people look for a classic with the steering wheel on the left

Incidentally, driving a car with the steering wheel on the 'wrong' side is more a matter of getting used to than of owning almost supernatural drivers. And parking it tightly along the curb just makes it easier. Switching, on the other hand, remains uncomfortable for longer. It also does not make catching up because of the lack of views. Paying at a ticket machine in a parking garage becomes challenging. We knew someone who previously had such a barbeque with him to expand his reach. And you can only reverse a mcDrive. But yes: who still eats fast food these days?

The value

The value of a classic is determined by supply and demand. There is little targeted demand for right-hand drive cars in the Netherlands, so you are counting on a considerably lower price for sales or purchases. If it's about one recent car, then it is certainly not a sales party. Then assume only half the value of a left-hand drive car.

The differences are less extreme in classic country. But for British classics from the higher segment, it is apparently worthwhile to convert right-hand drive copies to the left-hand drive version.

The 'disadvantages' of the steering wheel on the wrong side are not too bad in the more limited deployment in the classic country. Moreover, it is funny how people look when they catch you driving in your Land Rover while your dog is happy in 'the driver's seat'.

We came to this text after the tip about the beautiful VW Beetle 1303 that Gerard Kramer from Wolvega has for sale. On the 1973'er 1303 LS there is little or nothing to criticize except for the fact that the steering wheel is on the right. The price for the characteristic red orange Beetle is € 4.950. Copies in the same emotional condition but with the left-hand drive are in the corner between € 6.500-8.500. So steering right can be a great option.

So those 'new' Beetles

And then there were Beetles with McPherson legs. In the 1973 model year, the Super Beetle was modified with an emphatically curved windshield and a radically different dashboard. The newcomer is called 1303. It was actually developed for fear that US safety legislation would require a greater distance between the driver / front passenger and the windscreen in the short term than the 1302 series offered. The investment did not pay, as such plans were stopped by the US authorities. Although the modernist dashboard of the 1303 was rejected by many Beetle owners, the curved windshield was entirely suitable for the Cabriolet, which gave it a much nicer roof line.

VW Beetle 1303

VW Beetle 1303

VW Beetle 1303

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A reaction

  1. Our first car in 1969. Got it from Grandpa. After a week of standing still, first carefully brake. Then braked like a tank. Then it went well. Air conditioning through the windows and the stove could be lit by switching back and making more revs. Never had any problems. Then family expansion and what then? The pram in the trunk. Then the view to the front is limited. Beetle exchanged and for that bought a VW variant, a station wagon say. Again the engine in the back but now with more luggage space. The sandbag of the beetle fitted seamlessly into the variant. For the non-connoisseurs: it made the car less sensitive to wind. At least that me and many with me. I think back with a smile.

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