Newest family member

Our very own Jared Kohler, a video editor for CNET, has a long history with Volkswagens. His family has owned a flock of them, with some being passed from one family member to another. That makes for a strong connection to VWs--a bond that's part of the family bond itself.

So when longtime grease monkey Jared recently plunked down $500 for a battered old squareback to fix up and sell, it's not too surprising that brother Jason clairvoyantly called out of the blue to say he himself was looking to buy a squareback. When dad Scot heard his two sons had busted out the coveralls for a little restoration project, he insisted on joining in the fun as well.

Jared's 4-year-old son, Marshall, has also signed up for the effort, which kicked off recently with a marathon Friday-to-Sunday "thrashing session."

Here we see the 1969 squareback arriving at Jared's home in Moss Beach, Calif., which is just over the hill from Silicon Valley. As you can see, the car needs a little TLC. But it's nothing that, oh, say, three generations can't fix.