Did you keep a coat hanger in the glove box to jiggle the sticky carburetor intake to get the old air-cooled flat four to start, lol? Everybody I knew in college with an old VW had one.
I learned to work on them myself and even completely overhauled two engines in the 70's. I could almost alway get us back up and running when we had a breakdown on the road, because I carried so many tools, parts, manuals and stuff to keep them running. I could write a book full of stories, adventures and scrapes we used to get into traveling cross country in the VW van. I loved them and wished I'd have kept my last one just for a second car.
I'm starting to get tears in my eyes from the nostalgia.