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I live in the northeast and have about 3 months out of the year that I get to drive my 356. I love it and one thing that makes it even more enjoyable is the number of people in my town that see the car and smile or wave. It just puts a smile on peoples faces more than any other car that I have owned.

Are there any year round cars that have similar reactions? Any experiences beyond a 356 coupe? I was thinking maybe BMW 2002 or karman ghia coupe but any other examples that make random people smile? IMG_8634IMG_8635

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I'm still stuck on this:

"I live in the northeast and have about 3 months out of the year that I get to drive my 356."

If you do, in fact, live in Westchester NY then I'm confused. I live about 45 minutes North of you on the other side of the Hudson river. I drive from late March into November. Realistically, it's late April to mid-October which is more than half the year.

If you don't live in Westchester, ignore my comments.

Nothing makes people smile more than a Speedster or Spyder. Maybe a Ghia or Bug(oval or split-window).

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@West Chester Speedster (and @DannyP ) , I can see from your profile that it's West Chester, PA, a Philly suburb.

As a Philly (and South Jersey) native for the first 35 years of my life, I can tell you that a 2002 will NOT ring the same chimes. Starting in 1968, I drove 1600's and a 2002 until I left the east in 1982 and it was the ultimate invisible car. It may get some street cred from car dudes today, but the average guy at a gas station has no clue what it is (and isn't curious to find out.)

I think the Speedy's draw is that it's somehow 'cute' without being pretentious. It's not an E-Type Jaguar or a vintage Ferrari or something that was purchased to impress the proletariat. Most average folks have no idea what it is but are still curious. It's too small to be a real car. It's a jelly bean with wheels. They want to know if you push pedals to make it go. Or turn a windup key. You might as well have stepped out of a spaceship. They've got to hear what language you speak.

What hardtop has the same bizarro star appeal? I honestly don't know. Maybe one of these?

Studie

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Last edited by Sacto Mitch

West Chester, PA. Only getting three months might be a slight exaggeration, I could probably drive it more but I have kids and always associate the 356 with driving my kids around to camps in the Summer. I think Mitch is on to something with the beauty of the Speedster without the pretentiousness of something like an E-Type. The Ghia definitely seems like the closest but a VW Thing with a hardtop gets you four doors and livable space to carry things. I feel like they definitely bring smiles to people that see them but with some sacrifice in driving comfort compared to even the much smaller Ghia.

Jimmy, The Magnum with the Subaru engine would be a great mix of comfort, reliability and dryness. That has to be a ton of fun.

Of all the examples so far, I'd love to find the positive vibes of the Ghia or Thing but with the driving fun and experience of the 240 or 280z.

Karmann Ghia's are excellent everyday cars.  They are watertight, uncomplicated and have a big, easily accessible engine bay.  While I love the look of the LowLight Ghia's, a 1969 is probably the best year to buy for a daily driver.  Why?  Because it is the only year with the smaller tail lights, early style bumpers and IRS.

Even better, put IRS in an LowLight!

090-2

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@IaM-Ray posted:

Type 34 is an awesome Ghia IMO.   a 356 for shape has it hands down, but with a 911 front end the car is just in another league and a stock Ghia front end still is beam suspension.

a Type 34 Ghia uses a Type 3 squareback - fastback chassis  with a beam front suspension , just not the same as a  type 1 bug front beam  , it does not have struts like a 911.

They just drive like a more "solid" car

Thanks for this, I didn’t know that the frond ends were different.  I take it a type 3 notchback must be better handling if it has a similar front end.  I always loved the notch but hated the dash.  In fact I got my permit in a fastback… no not in an elephant popcorn box  On the other hand… Hard to beat a 356 dash set up I would put it in any vw.

Last edited by IaM-Ray

It's not a coupe but just as much fun and makes a great compliment to your other air-cooled toy... I've been struck by how universally loved the early split-window "Type 2" VW bus is. It's one of the most iconic designs ever. Everywhere I drive my single cab, people point me out to their friends, wave, give thumbs-up, and pose to take pictures when it's parked. It's constant and it never gets old. I went for a drive the other day with my buddies who also drive one and it was so fun how many people were losing their minds that there were 3 together. The stories people tell you about their escapades in their old bus are also entertaining.

The pickups are extremely useful for hauling (light stuff mostly) and as a workbench!

Mine is the one in front.

busses

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