Minor or Beetle?

[daveallgood]

"Should I buy a VW Beetle or a Morris Minor ?" I was asked recently.
"You're always telling me how much money you earn, buy both", was my off-hand response.
I'm quite intruiged by the question now, and I've been wondering how other people would answer and why? (If you were trying to be helpful and not off-hand).

[aupickup]

i have often thought about getting a beetle

but they are harder to sort out the front subframes when they rot and also are more prone to rot so i am told

the minor is easier to weld panels in than the beetle and they have a complicated heating chambers for the hot air to the dash

even after saying that i still fancy one and will get a good one hopefully next year

[alzax3]

In some ways, I've got both - though the Beetle is clothed in a slightly more interesting black plastic body...... on balance, for everything except exotic styling - I'd go for a Minor every time. It's a no-brainer as to which is more actual 'use'!

[Blaketon]

I assume you mean the rear engined Beetle (There is very little, being made today, I would touch).

I'll probably get shot down in flames for saying this but the Beetle was better built and better finished than the Minor (FACT!!) and most other cars for that matter! That said, unless you’re buying an original little used/unused car, the build quality is only as good as the restoration work carried out. The bombproof Beetle was also capable of being driven flat out, for hour after hour, with no ill effects, whereas I would not feel happy driving a standard Minor 1000 endlessly at 75mph.

That’s about it in favour of the Beetle. The layout of the car does not lend itself to good road holding (Where the Minor scores so well) and engine access is dire. You can drop the motor by undoing 4 bolts, plus various connections, though I would say this is a little over the top for routine servicing (This was standard practice in main dealerships) by owner drivers. Again the Minor is an extremely easy car to work on and the inline four OHV engine is (In my opinion) simpler than the twin headed, split crankcase flat four (I can’t speak for the side valve).

Some Beetles had 1600cc engines and front disc brakes (Even strut front suspension) but there are now plenty of Minors with 1275 engines (Equally as powerful at the 1600 VW engine) and front disc brakes.

The Minor is more economical than the Beetle.

The Minor has the advantage of being available as an estate and a van/pick up. The Beetle had a front boot and space behind the back seat (Which could be folded flat to make more luggage room. However the access was not so good via the car doors. On balance, I’d say the Minor saloon has it on useful easy luggage space.

I think both are well catered for in terms of spares back up and clubs (There does seem to be more of a boy racer element in VW circles), though the latter may not be important to all.

Issigonis made some comparative notes on the subject, which are written in his biography. I think both cars have gone down in history as milestone cars (The Beetle was made in mind boggling numbers and was the car which knocked the Model T Ford off its pedestal). I have some experience of both cars. Maybe if I had been buying new in the 1960s, I might have swayed to the Beetle (Because it was so so so well built) but nowadays, I have a Minor Traveller.

[PSL184]

Having owned both marques I would say that there is not alot to choose between a 2 door Minor and a Beetle - However, it stops there if only for the availability of a 4 door Minor or a Traveller. Biggest problem in a Beetle is luggage space and the "marmite" drone of the engine.....

[aupickup]

i bought a 3 year old one in 1970 and was quite pleased with it
i also had a minor van then as well so could not really compare

[timmo]

I had been restoring/driving Beetles and campers for last 10 years or so, there is alot of rubbish out there for silly money (same with alot of classic cars i know) Engines go on for ever! oil changes are important, engine held in by 4 bolts so easy to remove..think records something like a minute.Heater channels are the thing to look out for...major strength of the car..found them filled with expanding foam in the past so they dont collapse when mot man taps them Spares are of poor quaility, and priced high....Now finished with VW's and gone onto Minors, completely restoring a Traveller now and enjoying it more than any Beetle ive done

[Blaketon]

Someone, who worked with my father, had a clapped out Beetle and the heat exchangers had gone, thus allowing exhaust fumes into the car, via the heater .

[Arnie]

I would consider the poor fuel economy, high emissions, potentially lethal heater design and high cost of purchase,restoration and parts as good reasons for not buying one. Being a passenger in one half a dozen times was enough. Being a passenger in a Minor once was enough to make me want one.

[rich-legg]

I've got 2 Beetles, and 2 MM's.
I prefer working on & welding Beetles, the body work is of a simpler design, but better engineered IMO. The Minor is very nippy & easy to drive, and has better access to the engine.

The 1951 Split had been off the road for nearly 40 years when I bought it from Sweden. I bought a new 60 year old 25hp engine for it in the summer, hadn't run for well over 5 years & never re-built. I fitted it the day before driving it 1,000 miles to a show in Germany & back and didn't miss a beat.

Beetles & the parts for them are more expensive, and for early models (like mine), pretty much non-existent. The Split bug owes me over 15k, and the Blue one (no longer mine) cost aprox £25k to build.
In the VW scene now, there is more emphasis on things begin correct and original.

[StaffsMoggie]

I ran a 1303 Beetle for a year a bit back. Although I have never been interested in them it really surprised me. That old VW would happily chug along in all weathers, thats the best part, freezing temperatures do not bother a Beetle. There were no rattles inside and the car did feel well built compared to many other cars of the era.

That engine is strange, but it was interesting to get to know how it worked, changing a heat exchanger was fun until someone told me it was easier to take the engine out. 20 min later the engine was on the floor..

Getting the heating system to work was interesting but once it was sorted the car was quite warm inside, nowhere near as hot as a decent Minor heater though.

The carb was a right fiddle to set up but that was probably down to my lack of knowledge. Everything on a Beetle seems different to any other car!

What really surprised me was the appalling quality of spares for sale. We moan about Minor parts standards but believe me there is some utter rubbish sold for VWs.

Beetles are much more likely to have been messed about with than Minors, they appeal to the younger market perhaps? This is another big difference. The club side of the VW scene is far more vibrant than the Minor movement and the VW publications are aimed at a different market to the Minor ones.

There are plenty of VW websites out there, the one I used was this one, there is detailed information on every part of the car and how to do all the jobs, it is a great source of information.

http://www.vw-resource.com/

I was sorry to sell that Beetle, but it had to go to fund my pick-up project. I enjoyed my time with it and found it an interesting and reliable little car.

[Blaketon]

That old VW would happily chug along in all weathers, thats the best part, freezing temperatures do not bother a Beetle.

Getting the heating system to work was interesting but once it was sorted the car was quite warm inside, nowhere near as hot as a decent Minor heater though.

The carb was a right fiddle to set up but that was probably down to my lack of knowledge.

My parents had a number of aircooled VWs and the only one that was upset by very cold weather was the Type 2 (Camper). It had twin carbs and they were prone to ice up.

Heaters should be like blast furnaces (Well perhaps not on something as large as a camper). The cars had heater vents in the healboard and it was too hot to keep your foot in front of it. My father's razor box was melted by the heater in the Type 3 . My Mk 2 Golf also had a very good heater.

VW carbs were always funny (The best of them were the manaul choke ones, on the basic models like the 900cc Polo). My father had a MK Golf 1600 and that was prone to cut out and was never the best from new. The best of the lot were the K Jetronic cars of later years.

[d_harris]

I'm SURE I've seen that splitty before. Might have been at a show or possibly in Volksworld, or Similar....

[aupickup]

look better than any moggie modded up

[Cam]

I do like early beetles (split or oval), but I think I'd have to have a lottery win to actually own one as it's near the bottom of my top 10 fantasy garage.

[MarkyB]

The build quality on beetles was really good.
On a new one you had to open a window a little or the door wouldn't slam because of the air pressure.
I believe they would float when new too.

[MarkyB]

The build quality on beetles was really good.
On a new one you had to open a window a little or the door wouldn't slam because of the air pressure.
I believe they would float when new too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qB0lb401ZU

[Blaketon]

The build quality on beetles was really good.
On a new one you had to open a window a little or the door wouldn't slam because of the air pressure.

Yes I remember that they were very well sealed!!!

[rich-legg]

I'm SURE I've seen that splitty before. Might have been at a show or possibly in Volksworld, or Similar....

Quite possably, it was in VolksWorld several times last year.
the blue one was front cover a couple of years ago.

[Dean]

Well if your moggy is half as good as those Beetles..... wow!!!