Wow!
I havn't read this post for quite some time, reading through the last couple of pages, I had no idea that there was such a distaste for water cooled. I was born & bred aircooled, mainly because of my father. So my decision to go watercooled was one that I thought about for quite some time. In the end, what ultimatly made my mind up was the fact that I need my car to do absolutely everything. By that I mean, take the kids to school everyday, go to the race track on the weekend, driven , not trailered, then back it up with daily driving again come Monday morning. I can't speak for u guys overseas, but in Australia, there are very very few, if any, hot aircooled vw's that are driven everyday that can drive to the track on the weekend, cop a flogging, then drive home ready to drive to drive to work on Monday morning.
Do I dislike aircooled engines, ? absolutely not! i love them. But, they don't suit my application for what I need my car to do. I get to drive my mates oval with a hot aircooled engine quite regularly, everytime I turn the key I think, "how good does that fan & twin carbs sound"..........but, when I get back in my car, which has a stereo, full interior, soundproofing, carpet etc, I'm like "how good does that sound" LOL
Even viewing one of Wally's videos of some incar footage, I fall in love all over again with the vw engine. but I couldn't go back to one now, I've been terribly spoilt with the turbo Subaru engine. 204hp, 221ft of torque on 8 pounds boost, 39mpg & I've just clocked up 166'000klms (103'000miles) since December 2004.
My car definantly isn't for everyone, but it is for me. I would never try to talk anyone into going Subaru. Next year I will have owned my car for 20 years, this is the best incarnation that it has ever been.
It is also very very rare for me to see a car on this forum & not like it, well they are German Look, whats not to like?
in the end, I don't care what people think of my car, I built it for me. The only opinion I was very concerned about was my fathers. I don't think he took to the idea at all. Now, he brags to all who see it & thinks that if Volkswagen had of continued the development of the wasserboxer engine, it could have ended up like the Subaru engine. Maybe, maybe not.
regardless, the definition of german look, is in the eyes of the owner.
jak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5oONJigD_I