My first car: VW Beetle 1302 A - it's long!

The first car is always something special. Although it is often not the dream car. Sometimes the "big money" is missing at 18, sometimes it should not be so expensive. You do not notice the talent you have when driving a car in the driving school, but only when you are alone in the free car-world.

Cars have always fascinated me. At age 3, I caught the first matchbox car at Mama. On the festivals with rides I found horses and other animals always something silly to "Imkreisherumfahren". I automatically went straight into a convertible on the left side. If another child was sitting, I did not sit in the passenger seat. That was - even then - not at all! Then I concentrated - with the steering wheel in my hand - kept the track. I used to think that I could influence that and have to be careful.

I always paid attention to what my parents did when I was driving in the car. The theory was very familiar to me. But the practice was missing. But I should get that in the driving school. Whereby my driving instructor did not believe that I had never driven a car before. I'm not really, not a meter on the dirt road - I'm never "black" without a license. So there was a certain talent for driving.

Driving license passed - and the surprise

So I passed my driving license at the age of 18 in the early summer: within a short time. Zero errors in theory and practice, only the minimum driving lessons, because I was ambitious. At that time, I still went to school, did not make any money, and never dreamed that I would have a car so soon. I hoped my mother would lend me her VW Golf now and then. Not more. I was realistic enough to push the dream of owning a car into the distance.

That's how my dad thought: "Let's see how she drives, she should be able to practice first. All without the stress that comes with a new car. "Because he was in the auto repair shop busy with older cars - classic cars and classic cars, he could make a bargain for his daughter. I was unaware until then.

My parents lived apart from each other and so visited us my dad one day. He was in a good mood when he arrived and greeted me. I realized he was up to something. Then he lured me onto the street under a pretext. He told me that I had my driver's license now and that I should show him my driving skills. He would have brought me something. Still not realizing what happens next, I was standing in front of a white VW Beetle. My dad gave me the car key and I was so excited that I was allowed to drive one of his cars.

When I opened the door with delight, because I always found a bug very sweet, he told me By the way (typical for him) that I could drive the car first. I hardly trusted my ears. I must have looked quite puzzled in disbelief from the laundry. He explained to me in loving robbery about the details: It's not a gift, it's just a loan, he's taking tax and insurance, I'm going to take care of the gas myself.

What a coooool idea , I jumped around his neck for joy. I was very touched. And suddenly I was a bug driver, from one minute to the other. He said, "Yes, you have to get driving practice after you've just got your driver's license." That sounded logical and good.What does a bug already have in the cockpit? As good as nothing. Only the windshield wiper operation was unusual, because now I had a rotary switch and no windshield wiper lever more, as in the driving school car.

My first question about the technical data of the VW Beetle of course went in the direction of "power". Now I had to reach 34 hp and 1200 cc for the first time. The top speed was stated at 125 km/h, but I have never come faster than up to 120 km/h - downhill with raised ears and tailwind. The beetle had already been down a few kilometers and I think it was built in 1970. But that did not matter to me at the moment, I was so glad to have the thin, big steering wheel in my hands and the driving experience I needed in peace to acquire for faster cars. Because that was my goal.

My beloved beetle

Unfortunately, I did not take a single picture back then, which I still very much regret. The photo above is the most similar thing I could find. My beetle was pastel white and the interior was red. The seats had faded red leatherette covers and no headrests. The hammer was the sky! When I first looked up in the car, I barely trusted my eyes: red corduroy! The entire sky had been retrofitted in ribbed velvet. Everyone, but anyone who got in my car in the passenger seat, said something about this red sky after a short time. Well, I'll leave that to your thoughts, what fun funny sayings came from there.

No fender that was not dented. Small and larger traces of use. All this did not bother me, I harbored and cared for my beetle like a brand new dream Porsche. Kugelporsche just, the term I understood only after I called my beetle my "own" and drove with the typical Britzelsound through the area. He also had a special feature: on the tailgate, a cheap copy of a well-known mouse as a sticker. There was a funny story that I experienced.

Me as alleged beetle thief: the mouse was to blame

When I was traveling late in the afternoon in Hannover in the Südstadt, I stopped at the kiosk. There was always a lot of parking space, very quickly on the street corner. I walked around the corner to the kiosk, picked up some trifles and was about to leave. When I saw two people standing behind my car. A guy and a girl, both barely older than me. The girl pointed to the cheap sticker mouse (similar to the one I traced left). I thought first, the two make fun of the sticker. But as I came closer and walked to the driver's door, the girl hissed at me abruptly.

"Hey, you car thief, let the bug stand. It belongs to our girlfriend. "I was stunned and speechless. "Nah, that's my car," I said. She insisted that I was a thief and that she wanted to get the police. So I told her that she could do that, but that would not help. The police would only find that they were wrong. How she came to the narrow board, that it was the car of her friend, I asked curiously after. She pointed again to the ugly mouse and explained that she recognized her friend's car on this mouse.

Oh, that mouse! I had wanted to remove it from the beetle for a long time, but it stuck so hard on the paint that I did not succeed. When the girl let the guy calm down, I could continue driving. He had believed that my father had bought the car and I drove the bug now. The girl was still full of socks, but he pulled her away and they walked on.

I still had a lot of funny stories and nice moments with the beetle.The feeling, the connection to the first car, was with me very deep, intense and highly emotional. Even though it was not the most beautiful car, for me it was a faithful four-wheeled companion with whom I learned a lot. My first mark: H-MY 922. Unforgotten!

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This article was created in cooperation with ERGO Direkt and participates in the blog parade #MeinerstesAuto. It runs from 01.09.-30.09.2016, is still enough time to join in! In the magazine is also something to read: #MeinerstesAuto - of feelings of freedom and letting go

Cover image of nakhon100 (Volkswagen 1302) [CC BY 2.0], Wikimedia type designation "VW 1302" of Christoph Braun [CC0], Wikimedia