Bill is the weekend butcher at Compton’s Market in East Sacramento. And just lik any passionate Volkswagen owner, he loves his 1965 VW Bug. He’s owned the car for 18 years and drives it to work 16-miles each way.
Bill’s VW Bug has a long and varied history. The car’s been stolen and returned and it’s had a tree branch crush the hood. Bill parks the car in the front corner of the market, and it gets plenty of attention.
Yet, the now 48-year-old Bug looks fine, so much so it’s won Best-in-Class three straight years at the Bug-o-Rama.
While driving, Bill says he’s had people wave, take pictures and videos, and afford him extraordinary driving courtesy. And Bill has had plenty offers for the car, which was rebuilt in 2002. Bill says he’s not about to sell.
Videographer Bruce Aldrich, publisher of TahoeTruckeeOutdoor.com, and I recently interviewed Bill on his lunch break.
Article Last Updated: May 28, 2013.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
