Assuming you get one in good and reliable shape (which is not difficult) the typical expenses over a YEAR exclusive of insurance and registration) and also excluding gasoline since I have no idea how much you drive but figure mileage at about 23 to 26 mpg, are:
Oil Changes (minimum of every other month.. once a month is better) @ $25 each.........$150
Check and Adjust valves ... at least twice a year)................$150
Tires should last for 30,000. A set of four runs about $400 installed so factor that in.........$100
If properly maintained a good engine should last at least 10 years @ $3000 installed
so a prorated MAXIMUM expense over that period..........$300
The tranny is usually good for about 30 years.. lets ignore that one
Misc. prorated costs and upkeep (lights, shocks, fuses, battery (eventually)...$100
So your car will average out with costs of about $800 per year as my best guess. However most of this work is simple and easy (if somewhat messy) so if you do it yourself figure costs of about half of that...
been driving my 71 bug for some time now and that sounds about right ...
My friend had one. It was a cool old car, but it wasn't something you could use for regular transportation. It always had some little thing going wrong. It was really easy to work on though. All the parts were still around and fairly easy to get. It's just that something was always seeming to go wrong. It's the same with most vehicles that are getting to be 40-50 years old though. At some point they become a hobby and not real transportation.