Nano in the US - any takers?

[theholycow]

I'm pretty sure VW still manufactures original Beetles in Mexico (not to be exported to other countries).

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Mexican production stopped in 2003. Their version couldn't comply with new emissions standards, apparently.

(according to wikipedia, so the usual grain of salt applies)

[GasSavers_BEEF]

here again wikipedia but here is part of what it said

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle

The car was designed to be as simple as possible mechanically, so that there were less to go wrong; the aircooled 985 cc 25 horsepower (19 kW) motors proved especially effective in actions of the German Afrika Korps in Africa's desert heat. This was due to the built-in oil-cooler, and the superior performance of the flat-4 engine configuration. The innovative suspension design used compact torsion bars instead of coil or leaf springs. The Beetle is more or less airtight and will float on water, indeed it is hard to slam the door on one since the difference in air pressure pushes it back before it shuts.

I am sure they had different motors throughout the years and I didn't read the entire article but they had one motor that only had 25 hp. I would love to test drive a nano to really see how it stacks up against other cars.

[GasSavers_maximilian]

Older cars had really deficient crash safety. They could be very light as a consequence, with tiny engines. My favorite past vehicle would be a death trap.

There are a few road test articles out there. I read a very in depth one yesterday, but now I can't seem to find it. Careful though,some of them are older than others (one was from 2008 and just was based on riding in the back seat of a nano).

[dkjones96]

Oh c'mon!!! You know the Nano doesn't weigh anything and with it being rear engine rear wheel drive it'd do wheelstands if you gave it an even halfway decent engine!

Show those ricer punks what's up!

[dkjones96]

You can still bring one of those Mexican Beetles over tho. I've seen more than a handful of them here in ABQ.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Are they still making the original design in Mexico? I thought it was finally discontinued.

-Jay

[dkjones96]

It was discontinued but I think you can still get new EFI engines and such from over there.

They are mostly just EFI versions of the 60's beetles but from what I understand they have corrected some of the head cracking issues that early beetles were prone to getting. Most people I know that built dune buggies didn't even bother with the original flat 4 and got a new one from Mexico.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I'd imagine the later models from Mexico also had some more modern comforts on them. Do you know if they had a/c, power windows, or locks?

-Jay

[theholycow]

For a cheap second car, I could do without A/C, power windows, and power locks. For my main or only vehicle, I could certainly do without power locks and power drivers window...but if the vehicle's not narrow enough to roll up the passenger window while driving, it needs a power passenger window. No matter what I need A/C for a significant portion of the summer.