How do you turn a vw beetle into an automatic and if there is a certain part then what would that be?

I have a 71 vw beetle.


Not too fond of driving a stick.|||Yes it is possible and not too difficult but it would be expensive.





If you do your sums correctly you will find it cheaper to sell the car and buy an auto rather than carrying out the conversion.





You probably will find info on this topic on the following web site





http://www.thesamba.com/vw/|||They make or made an auto-stick for the older bugs. Could be tricky to find one. Just have to google until you find what you're looking for.|||You will need the transmission and the shifting mechanism (including the console). Switch it over.


It might be cheaper, or at least easier to try to find a bug with the automatic.|||You'll need a flywheel, pedal cluster and the autostick tranny. You're going to have a very hard time finding parts to keep an autostick running as there is little or no aftermarket support.





I've never heard of anyone wanting to go that direction, only a swap TO manual.





Don't do it. You can find an intact autostick bug cheap enough without butchering your current one.|||well your in luck VW did have an auto-stick tranny. its not a full manual though, keep that in mind before you do the swap. you still need to move the shift lever from L to 1 to 2. you do this however without depressing a clutch pedal. there is a torque converter and a vacuum control servo clutch that engages when the shifter is moving between the gears. there is a fair amount ot work and several key parts that need to ba swapped with auto-stick parts.





1. the transmission- obviously. now they are out there but they are very hard to find. and individual parts for the tranny are even harder.





2. the shift rod linkage in the tunnel will need to be replaced because the nose cone on a manual tranny is a bit shorter than that of the auto tranny. remove this through the front of the car. you need to remove that circle plate on the front skirt behind the bumper and then another metal plate behind the skirt. undo the bolts and the shifter and pull it out.





3. the shifter assembly itself will need replacing with an auto-stick one. they are different and it will not work.





4. the pedal cluster is different as well.(no clutch pedal). these can be easier to find than other parts. that will just bolt right up.





5. little stuff like finding a torqe converter and pressure plate for an auto-stick will be hard.





most of the parts are hard to find though unless you find a cheap parts car and you know all the parts are there and properly working.





good luck. best wishes for you and your Beetle.|||Yea they made one, What a piece of junk! avoid it at all cost. thankfully there no longer available, good luck finding a used one. sorry.|||Sorry but it's not possible to convert it. (At least at reasonable cost). Even if you could you would destroy the cars historic value.





That far back I don't think an auto was even an option.





If you can't handle the stick the sell the car, there are plenty of enthusiasts who will buy it then get yourself something with an auto.





Ian M|||First off, the autostick is still a stickshift. Not just into D and go. You have to shift from 1 into 2 into 3. The only difference being that you let off the gas and shift(there is no clutch pedal). And there is no other choice. A VW automatic or no automatic. The cost - definitely not worth it.


Stick shifts are for either race cars,sports cars, trucks, or small engine cars. There is more get up and go to them.


If you don't want to drive stick; get a Caddilac. Because it eats more gas.