- Bill C.-

Our Vdubber this month is Jason , a high school senior, soon to be college freshman (a.k.a. college new guy). I bet he hates the idea of going from “senior-to-freshman.” Such is the story of life, though. But, at least he will still qualify for the full-time student discount membership for 4 or 5 more years.

He and his family have been members for nearly 2 years and he has been active in the club; all this with school, dating, working, HS baseball, and an “entertaining” Super Beetle named “Great White.” Next fall, he will be attending the University of Memphis (GO TIGERS!) on a FULL scholarship (I’m proud to know him!). Even though mom Laura and dad Don are not real crazy about Great White’s noise and stereo, they love that bug. Jason’s twin sisters are looking forward to getting to drive it someday. What’s that, Jason? Not likely? Ha!

Great White is a Mustang White ’73 (good year) daily-driver Super Beetle, which he claims is an ongoing lesson in patience and mechanics… and sometimes, the implementation of roadside contingency plans. By the way, he is very thankful for the invention of cell phones.

Jason is the 3^rd owner, after purchasing it almost 2 years ago from the family mechanic’s sister. It is not yet what Jason wants it to be. But he is in the process of getting it there. As of writing this, “White” was having some problems running just right. But by the time you read this, I am sure that Jason has the “Great” back in it. He has already rebuilt it from 3 (?) wrecks. Wow, I had no idea. So, I guess it has a new front end and left side, and probably lots of new paint. Maybe another nickname would be “Great Crash.”

It is not lacking much, of having a rebuilt engine, done on the installment plan. We even piddled with it some at my house one Saturday, when he caught me in a sympathetic mood. We had to toss a new starter in there too. It has a new paint job. But he wants to upgrade that; and a rebuilt transmission even sooner. He has upgraded the sound system to the level demanded by his “teenager-ness.” I am just waiting for him to pull in with the soundtrack to “Jaws” going…. “bmmmm, bmmmm, bmm-bmm, bmm-bmm, bmmm-bmmm;” and maybe a spoiler that looks more like a dorsal fin. But that won’t work; because he dreams of restoring it to 90% original, with his own list of add-on accessories. He must be thinking of having shark puppies. He also told me he would like to have a mate for it someday… or maybe he just wants bookends.

In these times of high gasoline prices, he really loves Great’s 33 mpg. That’s even better than ‘Verty’s! And, you can share with this next part; everybody stopping him to tell him, “Hey, I use to have one of those.” Or “Hey, I remember my VW days. They were great.”

That should make up for its reliability factor. Or maybe, like the rest of our VWs, it is alive, with a spirit and a mind of its own. You have to love on them, talk to them, tell them how great they are. Or else, like Great White, get jealous when you carry a date in the front seat and refuse to cooperate in the transportation department. After all, aren’t they all offspring of the infamous “Herbie?”

So what is his special story?

“I was driving out to Millington one day for a baseball game and I noticed that I was losing power… and could not accelerate. So, I thought the worst had happened; the transmission had fallen out of the car. So I am calling my dad, freaking out because I have no clue as to what I am suppose to do. So my dad says he’ll be there in about 20-minutes. In the meantime, the rest of the team is just rolling right on by me. Nobody stopping;  I’m sitting on the side of the road. I guess they thought I was taking a nature break.

That is when this guy stops and shares how he use to work on these things. In the next instant he tells me that the ignition coil over heated and all I had to do was wait a couple of minutes to let it cool.

Dad gets there and is asking where the missing transmission went. But I told him what the guy said. Hmm. Well, it cranked back up and I went on to the game. But I drove home at a blistering 45 mph, just in case.” (Pg 4)

So, he just needed to “cool his coil?” Is that like “cooling your jets?” Don’t know. But Jason is one of our cool members. And he loves his predatory sea creature.

Air Bill

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