Just some ideas from my 27 years as a VW mechanic (1971-1998). Best Bugs are 1967 -first year of 12v system, last year of old-style bumpers and 1974- last year of carb system before troublesome fuel injection. Super Beetles are fine- front strut system actually easier to work on than regular Beetle ball joint or king pin system. I've owned over 20 of them thru the years. I would always buy a used/damaged one. The first thing I did was pull the engine and rebuild the heads. They had a propensity to drop cylinder #3 valve from worn valve guide and less cooling flow from the fan. (The oil cooler blocked some of the flow and what did get to #3 was already hot from passing thru the oil cooler). They were my daily drivers for years even thru NY winters. I remember scraping ice off the INSIDE of the windshield on my 35 mile commute to the dealership. If I had one today, of course it wouldn't be a daily driver, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you live in SoCal where it's a culture. They're a great toy if you can store it someplace in the winter and not have to use it everyday in the summer. And I doubt you'll find any rust-free ones left in the northeast unless it's been "imported " from the south.