I drove 15,000 miles in a 50-year-old Volkswagen Beetle

I bought a 1972 VW Beetle as my first car, and drove it the equivalent of two laps around the world

What’s it like to drive a classic car every day, rather than just on high days and holidays?
Can you still use as intended a car that was built more than half a century ago, on roads that are vastly different from those it was designed for, and in the context of an automotive market that has moved on several times over?
I did – for a good few years, actually. In fact, because my 1972 Volkswagen Beetle was my first and only car for several years, I didn’t really have an idea of just how outdated, unreliable and unrefined it was compared to more modern alternatives (even if my friends and family were at pains to tell me every time it broke down). 
It’s been a while since I sold the Bug, having long run out of excuses to keep it in my possession and made the decision to sell it to someone who would treat it like the rare antique it had become. But before saying goodbye, I took the chance