As promised! I just shot these after Speed got his new windsheild wipers, front turn signal bulbs, new remote batteries, and some junk cleared of the trunk and back seat.
Please excuse the lousy quality. I got these right as the sun was setting.
Needs to go for (insert your favorite swear word here)ing e-Check. The tags expired in January, so I had to get temps to get him to a (insert your second favorite swear word here)ing e-Check station.
Steelies for the GTI? I LOVE the ones available on MKII big-bumper Jettas.
So I'm thinking I might need to do some 'splaining about this recent turn of events and even introduce myself to new peeps.
I bought Speed Buggy in late 1998 when there was still a 6 month waiting list for New Beetles. I won't bore everyone with specifics, but a guy bought Speed new, but didn't like the manual tranny (in those days due to high demand you had to take whatever was delivered to the dealership) so the dealership sold it for him with 3800 miles on the ODO. Speed was the first car I ever bought.
I was very lucky and got one of the really good 98 Beetles. With the exception of a few VERY minor issues, he never needed unscheduled repairs.
Even though my join-date on NB.org says 2005, I've been here for much, much longer.
Speed was my daily driver from December 1998 to sometime in 2004 (or so; might have been 2003) when my partner got a company car. I then drove his MKIII Jetta and Speed spent the winters in the garage under a car cover. Speed was driven only on nice days and around town and to shows in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. In September of 2005 we sold the Jetta and bought a MKV Jetta GLI. I loved the car and Speed seemed a little jealous; he all of a sudden needed repairs, the most expensive being a new clutch. Since we had just purchased a new car, I couldn't spend the money on Speed's repairs. Life comes at you fast and there's bills at home, a new job, and a new house. Speed really was being neglected.
Just last month, after 16 years at his job, my partner had had enough. A large paycheck and a company car couldn't make up for the fact that he worked 60+ hours a week, had to be available almost 24/7 for emergency issues, and most of all, had to kiss the rear of his flamingly incompetent boss who HAD to be addicted to drugs. We talked it over many many nights and he submitted his resignation. Bye bye company car! So now he'll be driving our GLI and the fire was finally lit under my rear to get Speed Buggy back on the road.
He still has some minor issues (the clutch issue being the weirdest) but my little buddy is back on the road. I missed him greatly.
As promised! I just shot these after Speed got his new windsheild wipers, front turn signal bulbs, new remote batteries, and some junk cleared of the trunk and back seat.
Please excuse the lousy quality. I got these right as the sun was setting.
Love those retro rims. Really shows that VW didn't lose the spirit of the original bug when they designed the new one. Sometimes it's hard to see that with all the new fancy rims on the market.
Love those retro rims. Really shows that VW didn't lose the spirit of the original bug when they designed the new one. Sometimes it's hard to see that with all the new fancy rims on the market.
It's Soooooooo Awsome to see Speedy back on the road !! I remember when I first met him and you at bugfest in 2003. Gosh has it been that long already . I remember talking to you and saying I had Speedys twin and you asked Bugsys milage and I said like 33xxx something and you frowned because speedy had more milage . hehe I sometimes wish I kept bugsy but who knows one day I may get another 98 . Going thru some pics on my PC I found some old pics ( 35 mm ) of Speedy hehe . From Bugfest 2003
I hope your partner can bounce back from this turn of events... sometimes you just have to cut your losses. My husband had to do the same thing. Took him about six months to find a permanent new job, but he is so much happier.
I hope your partner can bounce back from this turn of events... sometimes you just have to cut your losses. My husband had to do the same thing. Took him about six months to find a permanent new job, but he is so much happier.
Thansk for the kind words!
He'll be fine; he is so good at what he does someone will want to snatch him up very quickly. He is so much happier now. It's sad for me to think how miserable he was towards the end.
It's Soooooooo Awsome to see Speedy back on the road !! I remember when I first met him and you at bugfest in 2003. Gosh has it been that long already . I remember talking to you and saying I had Speedys twin and you asked Bugsys milage and I said like 33xxx something and you frowned because speedy had more milage . hehe I sometimes wish I kept bugsy but who knows one day I may get another 98 . Going thru some pics on my PC I found some old pics ( 35 mm ) of Speedy hehe . From Bugfest 2003
Today was Speed's first day back 'on the job.' I was chatting with a buddy of mine last night who knows VWs inside and out (the guy is amazing) and stated the car is quite sluggish to accelerate. He thought I had just gotten too used to the 200HP turbo-charged goodness of the GLI. Nope, I said. The car is quite slow. Since it appears the clutch is fine and it may just be the hydraulic system that needs a top off, I decided to give Speed a little more go-pedal this morning. I think he just needed to have the cobwebs blown out his system! By the time I turned into the parking lot at work there was much more of the pep I remembered from two years ago.
One turn signal acted up this morning, but everything else was great!
All I want to do is drive my bug. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get him back on the road. I fixed his turn signal today and got him e-Checked (our asinine emissions check). Speed will have up-to-date tags by this weekend, his hydraulic system flushed, and maybe a bath.
Oh yeah, I topped off his tank (he was 3/4 full) last night and got some more pep back. The gas got a little old sitting all winter.
All I want to do is drive my bug. I'm so sorry it took me so long to get him back on the road. I fixed his turn signal today and got him e-Checked (our asinine emissions check). Speed will have up-to-date tags by this weekend, his hydraulic system flushed, and maybe a bath.
Oh yeah, I topped off his tank (he was 3/4 full) last night and got some more pep back. The gas got a little old sitting all winter.
In the middle of a cosmetic refit inside and out!
Touched/re-did all abs plastic (except dash...perfectly awesome) as was crumbling under the stress of sun and tears.
*covered the ‘bolsters’ with a PVA type fabric that somewhat matched the dash.
*reformed the card that housed the old broken...
In the middle of a cosmetic refit inside and out!
Touched/re-did all abs plastic (except dash...perfectly awesome) as was crumbling under the stress of sun and tears.
*covered the ‘bolsters’ with a PVA type fabric that somewhat matched the dash.
*reformed the card that housed the old broken...
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. I remember talking to you and saying I had Speedys twin and you asked Bugsys milage and I said like 33xxx something and you frowned because speedy had more milage . hehe I sometimes wish I kept bugsy but who knows one day I may get another 98 . Going thru some pics on my PC I found some old pics ( 35 mm ) of Speedy hehe . From Bugfest 2003 
Mike Shiels · updated 
zieg · updated 
HarlequinPixie · updated 
