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@R Thorpe , we've had endless discussions here about gearing for these cars and the problems inappropriate gearing causes. A little searching through the archives will turn up all kinds of treatises, diatribes, scholarly works, impassioned position papers, and more than a little horse pucky. I may have even contributed to some of the above, but I won't tell you in which category.
I think the problem at base is that the stock VW transaxle was geared for a 25 hp motor and most of us are running way more than that. Also, roads and expected cruising speeds are a lot different today than they were in 1955. The modern cars we're all used to driving have more than four forward gears. Most, way more.
I agree, we should put at least as much thought into choosing gearing as into how much engine we're buying, but we tend to have a better gut feel for how different power levels will feel in a car than we understand gearing. For most, this is the first car where we've even had to think about gearing, and we usually don't find that out until it's too late.
These cars are about as different from Toyotas and Hondas as it's possible to be. Probably the best advice is to drive as many of them as you can before deciding on the specs for your car.