Now I haz lust in my heart.
I drove a Beetle all through high school and college, only retiring it after college because of an engine problem and having to wear suits 4 days a week (no AC+Suits+NOVA Summers = Misery).
By the time mine was retired, it had a 1700cc engine, tuned Weber progressive carb, headers, lowered front end, bucket seats from a Mazda 626, new interior, Scat DragFast shifter, aftermarket steering wheel, vintage roof rack, Autometer Tach, and popout rear windows. The heat worked, the defrosters worked, the winshield washer worked. I routinely drove it on long trips.
Chris