Jeff Pierce & Butters the Super Beetle | A Lifetime of Volkswagen Obsession Ep68
62 annotations
Jeff Pierce’s lifelong Volkswagen obsession threads through stories of classic Beetles, projects, and community. A 14-year-old buy of a wrecked 1970 Beetle kicks things off, and the current 1973 Super Beetle “Butters” ties it all together. Along the way, they swap parts ideas like transaxle/core exchanges, debate Super Beetle stereotypes, and compare show culture—welcoming, patina-friendly, and volunteer-driven—against more judgmental car scenes.
The Volkswagen up! GTI is a small Volkswagen city car with a sportier setup than the regular version. It’s meant to be easier to drive in town while still feeling more exciting. People bring it up when talking about compact cars that have performance upgrades.
05:26
Place
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is the state they moved to. It’s part of the story about what happened to the car after they left.
05:30
Term
package tray
A “package tray” is the shelf behind the back seat. It’s the spot you can put things, and in this story it’s where they’d sit while riding in the car.
05:30
Term
rumble seat
“Rumble seat” is what they called the back area behind the seats. It’s basically the spot in the back where you could sit or hang out in the car.
06:16
Place
Laughland
Laughland is a location they used to visit. It’s mentioned to explain how often they drove the car and why it became important.
06:16
Place
Lake Havison
Lake Havison is where the car was advertised and where they planned to go check it out. It’s part of the story of how they found the Beetle.
07:10
Concept
50-year-old car
He’s saying the car is really old—about 50 years. With older cars, people worry more about whether everything will work reliably on a long trip.
07:37
Part
front struts
Struts are part of the suspension that help your car absorb bumps. If the front struts are worn out, the car can bounce or drop hard when you hit a bump.
07:48
Concept
ignition problems
“Ignition problems” refers to faults that prevent the engine from starting or cause hard starts and intermittent running. Common causes include issues with the ignition switch, ignition coils, spark plugs, or related sensors.
The Ford Mustang is a sporty car made by Ford, usually as a coupe or convertible. People talk about it a lot because it’s famous and has been around for many years. It’s the kind of car enthusiasts often notice and discuss when they’re out driving or at car events.
09:41
Term
transaxial
A transaxle is the drivetrain unit that combines the gearbox and the rear differential in one assembly. On a Beetle, it’s a big deal because it affects how power gets to the wheels.
The Volkswagen Beetle is a classic Volkswagen car with a very recognizable rounded design. A “Super Beetle” is a particular version of the Beetle. People often talk about it when they’re working on older cars and replacing parts like the drivetrain components.
09:52
Company
Rancho
Rancho is the name he mentions for where he wanted to get the transmission/differential parts. It’s a parts source for older Volkswagen projects.
10:29
Term
core
A “core” is the old worn-out part you turn in when you buy a replacement or rebuilt unit. He wanted the core so he could handle the exchange without losing time.
11:02
Topic
cars for sale on marketplace
They’re talking about how people advertise cars for sale online and how the small details in the listing matter. It’s about shopping for cars, not a specific car part.
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Dub Life Diaries.
[SPEAKER_00]: The podcast where passion meets the open road.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm Joe Parson, your host, and also a lifelong lover.
[SPEAKER_00]: Book a love, because this ride is just beginning.
[SPEAKER_00]: This podcast is sponsored by Volk's Mania Magazine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Good times, great cars, awesome Volk's Maniacs.
[SPEAKER_00]: Visit Volk'sMania.com to learn more about this class leading VW Magazine.
[SPEAKER_00]: Welcome back to Dublife Diaries.
[SPEAKER_00]: If you ever looked at a beat up Volkswagen and thought to yourself, you know what?
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I could bring this one back to life.
[SPEAKER_00]: This episode's gonna be for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: Today's guest is the definition of built, not bought.
[SPEAKER_00]: At 14 years old while most kids were worried about homework and playing video games, this guy went out and bought a completely wrecked 1970 Beetle.
[SPEAKER_00]: Something that was way beyond his skill level at the time and instead of quitting, [SPEAKER_00]: That moment didn't just start a project.
[SPEAKER_00]: It actually started a lifelong obsession.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking decades of Jason V.W.'
[SPEAKER_00]: 's restore them, breaking them down, breaking them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Learnin' the hard way, and then buildin' a garage that tells a story most of us can only dream about.
[SPEAKER_00]: From growing up around a 68-beadle that planted a seed to owning multiple Volkswagen's in every stage of both chaos and beauty, to now cruise in a 73-superbeadle which is behind me, named Butters.
[SPEAKER_00]: alongside a family that's even bought into this lifestyle.
[SPEAKER_00]: This isn't just about cars.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is about patience, about failure, about identity, and about the kind of passion that doesn't just fade after 40 years.
[SPEAKER_00]: It actually gets stronger.
[SPEAKER_00]: But here's the real question.
[SPEAKER_00]: What makes somebody dedicate their entire life to a machine that a lot of people overlook?
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, we're about to find out.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is Dublife Dyeries, and this is the story of Jeff Pierce.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jeff, welcome to Dublife Dyeries.
[SPEAKER_00]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: Me too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, right.
[SPEAKER_00]: I got to show this weekend.
[SPEAKER_00]: We got to over 150 cars register.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're going to have a good time before we dive into this conversation.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do want to give a quick shout out to my sponsors.
[SPEAKER_00]: You guys know, first up on the list is always Volk's mania magazine.
[SPEAKER_00]: You guys know how I feel fly as to VW Magazine on the face of the planet.
[SPEAKER_00]: Check these guys out Volk's Mania.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: You can use Double-Life 10 at checkout.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's DUB LIFE, the number one zero at checkout to get 10% off your subscription.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, shout out the salty dub.
[SPEAKER_00]: From the beach to the base, salty dub is tearing up the coastal VW scene put on epic events and shows.
[SPEAKER_00]: Same discount code works for merch on the website.
[SPEAKER_00]: So, Double-Life 10 to get 10% off of your purchase.
[SPEAKER_00]: No limit there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Fill up your cart.
[SPEAKER_00]: enjoy the salty dub merch.
[SPEAKER_00]: Next shout out, Vera, a poultry of St. Pete.
[SPEAKER_00]: These guys got it going on.
[SPEAKER_00]: Check them out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Vera, a poultry.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: Both marine and automotive, they've got their new automotive line.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're not talking about.
[SPEAKER_00]: recover in some seats type stuff.
[SPEAKER_00]: We're talking about the highest class beautiful, the craziest stuff you could ever think of custom, you know, why's check these guys out, go to their website, look at them, Vera, a poultry of St. Pete.
[SPEAKER_00]: Last shot out and then it's back to you, my friend.
[SPEAKER_00]: is these amazing folks right here, guys.
[SPEAKER_00]: Trippin seed tied die, Levi and Sherry.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guys, thank you so much for sending me this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now, those of you that have listened to the podcast in the past, you guys know Levi and Sherry came on and they had their episode with me, the Trippin seed tied die.
[SPEAKER_00]: And when we were on, we talked about the 62 beetle that I have.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we're talking about themes, [SPEAKER_00]: And I said, you know what, I'd like to do a Mickey Mouse theme with this car because I think it just be so cool because it's already that like, you know, really cool color gray, add some red, add some black, add some white, you know, for the gloves, and we're Mickey Mouse out, you know, I think it'd just be really cool.
[SPEAKER_00]: And we just set it and we just had a conversation about it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Guys, about two weeks ago, I opened up my mailbox and I got a custom tie that I made.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, that's the Mickey Mouse head with a Volkswagen logo in it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You all check this out.
[SPEAKER_00]: How awesome is that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Levi, Sherry, thank you guys so much.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, done with the shout outs.
[SPEAKER_00]: Done with all that back to you, my brother, back to you.
[SPEAKER_01]: All right.
[SPEAKER_00]: All right, let's get going, man.
[SPEAKER_00]: So tell us, for those that don't know you, who is Jeff Pierce?
[SPEAKER_01]: Jeff Pierce is someone who's been obsessed with Volkswagen who says entire life and I was born in California and in Long Beach, California, I lived in Lakewood and of course, you know, Volkswagen is everywhere out there for a long long time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I got an interesting story I need to come back to that ties that car to my birth.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, cool.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hell, I'm afraid of my forget something.
[SPEAKER_01]: But yeah, my parents had a bug, 68 when I was little.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we sold it right before we moved to Oklahoma.
[SPEAKER_01]: And [SPEAKER_01]: From that moment because my brother and I used to ride it behind the back seat in the package tray Yeah, we know that grocery store, whatever with my mom and she always called it the rumble seat and From that moment, I never got that smell of that car out of my head Just the shape of it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's like a toy You know, and I was obsessed with it from day one and my family never had another one again [SPEAKER_01]: Um, to lie eventually got my own later down the line, I was a teenager.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's who Jeff is.
[SPEAKER_00]: So let's touch on butters.
[SPEAKER_00]: What's the story behind butters?
[SPEAKER_00]: Tell us why this car matters so much.
[SPEAKER_01]: My wife and I used to take a lot of trips out to Laughland, and I had a house in Lake Havison.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so we'd go out there at the same time.
[SPEAKER_01]: And we're having breakfast one morning, and my father-in-law calls.
[SPEAKER_01]: He's like, hey, I saw this bug in this ad.
[SPEAKER_01]: It's here in Havison.
[SPEAKER_01]: If you want to come check it out.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, and I can't remember how far the drive is like maybe an hour and a half to get to have a suit and he's like all come pick you up and so I went and drove that thing around few blocks and I was like, yeah, yeah, I'm I'm going to get this so we're driving around like have a suit and I didn't pick the name because my wife said it's so bright and yellow, it reminds me of butters from South Park.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I was like, okay, that name sticks, I'll take that.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even though how we come up with these names.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so it, actually my father-in-law asked, well, you want to, you guys want to head back early and take the car back.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'm like, man, I'm not driving a 50-year-old car across the desert and into Oklahoma.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know anything about this.
[SPEAKER_01]: and so I left it in garage.
[SPEAKER_01]: And eventually, a few weeks later, I had a shipping company bring it out to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: And then it was kind of tear into it.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, right on.
[SPEAKER_01]: And it's good that I didn't because apparently the front struts were shot.
[SPEAKER_01]: You hit a bump and it just slammed.
[SPEAKER_01]: But actually have us who had some really nice streets.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I didn't even notice it.
[SPEAKER_01]: But Oklahoma has horrible roads and so I'm just going a few miles from my house I got to start on this and it had some ignition problems and just a little basic things, but yeah glad I did not drive that you know a thousand miles or whatever it is from here to there, you know What do you think it is about Volkswagen's that truly just capture people that hook people for life?
[SPEAKER_01]: I think it's that they don't look like anything else.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, they stand out.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you know, a lot of new cars are all kind of generic.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, but, you know, even the 60s, 70s, you could go down the road and you could be like, if you'd say you were in the shabby's, you could be like, oh, that's a bit to seven shabby, I can spot that.
[SPEAKER_01]: That's a GTO, that's the Mustang.
[SPEAKER_01]: And, but these cars, you know, with the shape and everything, they almost didn't look real.
[SPEAKER_01]: They almost kind of like almost like a half kind of joke.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, they're so goofy to me.
[SPEAKER_01]: I just loved them and I always wanted to have one and I wanted to keep one.
[SPEAKER_01]: But every time I bought another one, something wouldn't happen.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I'd sell it, regret it, like everybody does.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh yeah, I'd eventually find another one, and then back to it.
[SPEAKER_01]: But when I got this one, I'm like, I'm to the eighth now.
[SPEAKER_01]: There is no reason to sell it home.
[SPEAKER_01]: And so, I joke that I'm gonna be buried in this.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I doubt that my wife takes it as a joke.
[SPEAKER_01]: She probably will bury me in this thing.
[SPEAKER_01]: So, we shall see.
[SPEAKER_00]: How many actual VWs have you had over the course of your life now?
[SPEAKER_01]: Just off the top of my head, I would say, right around 18 to 20.
[SPEAKER_01]: Wow.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some were really short.
[SPEAKER_01]: Some were like, I just flipped them to pay for another project that's going on.
[SPEAKER_01]: I actually had one.
[SPEAKER_01]: Oh, a couple years ago, it was actually a super beetle, and I was wanting to get a transaxial from Rancho.
[SPEAKER_01]: But I didn't want to really spend anything.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I did this little deal with a friend of mine who had picked this up.
[SPEAKER_01]: and I've always had a lot of guitars always.
[SPEAKER_01]: I've played in bands over the years and so and I said, hey, I'll trade you this guitar for that bug and he's like, okay, so I get it running I sell it and so I take that money and I put towards this transmission.
[SPEAKER_01]: Well, like the same time, a guy that you had on your podcast, Kyle, from the Dust Court City Show.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, um, he got this button for me, and I, um, and I sold a tune.
[SPEAKER_01]: I was like, all I want is that transaxle, because I wanted the core.
[SPEAKER_01]: I didn't want any downtime.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I ordered the transaxle, they shipped it.
[SPEAKER_01]: I sent the one Kyle took out that set back for the core, and then the one that was in my [SPEAKER_01]: I sold to another guy.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I never had any downtime, and I didn't actually put any money to it, because the guitar that I traded for the bug was actually free.
[SPEAKER_01]: So I tried to work things like it didn't always work out, but I tried to pull stuff off like that.
[SPEAKER_00]: I love that type of stuff, because it is.
[SPEAKER_00]: And you always see this too.
[SPEAKER_00]: You see these cars for sale a lot of times, especially on marketplace, but there's always that little sentence at the bottom that gets a lot of [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: Oh, this guy's down to make some some bargain moves.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, I see [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, awesome man.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've had several throughout my life, too.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not 18, but several got my first one fresh out of high school.
[SPEAKER_00]: I think I was 17 and it was 1995 maybe 96.
[SPEAKER_00]: I got a 72 standard auto clutch and it was great.
[SPEAKER_00]: Great car, low miles.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a one-on or a bottle off this little lady.
[SPEAKER_00]: you know, she wanted me to drive it and everything first.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was like, lady, I'll take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was too grand.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: You know, she's like, well, you may want to drive it first.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm like, no, no, no, I don't need to.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: She's like, well, okay.
[SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, I got the title.
[SPEAKER_00]: All this happened in Tyrone Square Mall Park and lot.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a good, good, good stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: Awesome.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: What do you think make somebody a VW person as opposed to just a car person, right?
[SPEAKER_00]: Because a lot of people are attracted to cars.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I feel like the Volkswagen community is just a little bit different.
[SPEAKER_00]: So what makes a VW person versus somebody who is just a car person?
[SPEAKER_01]: I'm going to try to explain this without sounding rude.
[SPEAKER_01]: OK, so I mainly go to exclusive full swing shows.
[SPEAKER_01]: Sometimes, I'll do ones where they have different classes.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, old hog rods and stuff.
[SPEAKER_01]: But what I've noticed is you could take something like say, like a corvette club.
[SPEAKER_01]: Or there's like around here, there's a meodaclum.
[SPEAKER_01]: So people have a different attitude than those kind of clubs.
[SPEAKER_01]: And I don't know what it is.
[SPEAKER_01]: I don't know if it's like, hey, look how much money I spent or, you know, if it's more of a status symbol or not, but when I go into the Volkswagen shows, it's not so much about the cars.
[SPEAKER_01]: I mean, sure you want to check out the cars, but there is a real sense of community with everybody that's around there.
[SPEAKER_01]: The first show that Kyle did, the quirk city of Volkswagen show, started out kind of small and got bigger.
[SPEAKER_01]: But that was that kind of feeling.
[SPEAKER_01]: You know, you can walk up to anybody there and there's no a judgeman like, you know, somebody's got a rusty one over here.
[SPEAKER_01]: If someone's got something, they dumped a lot of money into over here and they're all the same people.
[SPEAKER_01]: That to me is the biggest difference in the Volkswagen community as opposed to anywhere else.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can take it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely something different about us.
[SPEAKER_00]: I can say it because I'm I'm in it.
[SPEAKER_00]: Definitely something different.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been to a lot of other car groups car shows car themes [SPEAKER_00]: there's no nobody out there like Volkswagen community and in your right it's it's more of a a community you know type vibe there's not a lot of comparison there's not a lot of you know minds bigger than yours my engine's bigger got more horsepower even if you do that's not really the vibe with us and and again it doesn't matter if [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it's patina and rusted up and, you know, it there's just as much love for that car as there is for the one with a a $15,000 paint job on it, you know, so yeah, I think that's also pretty cool about our our community and our culture.
[SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, I mean, here's a good example is I don't have this car anymore, but it was a, it was a, it was a really read it out, uh, 73 thing.
Podcasters are embedding Car Curious to show their listeners every car, term, and reference
FIRST EMBED PARTNER
To All The Cars I've Loved Before
"B-roll for audio"
— Doug Kay, Host
Every episode is someone's relationship with a car they've owned. Doug and his co-hosts have covered hundreds of cars across decades of automotive culture.
A twisting force that causes rotation. More torque = quicker acceleration.
Horsepower
Power output
Rev limiter
Engine protection
Coming Soon
Learn on the go
Get real-time explanations while you listen. Our mobile app shows annotations exactly when they're mentioned, so you never miss what they're talking about.
Get notified when the app launches. No spam, ever.
We use cookies to keep you logged in and remember your preferences.
See our Privacy Policy for details.
