>> Heck, my '58 Bug doesn't even HAVE a gas gauge and I've never yet run out
>of
>> gas (knock on wood.)  The odometer is precisely what you need to watch --
>
>Just keep in mind that your gas milage can fluctuate quite a bit.  

I too, owned a bug without a gas gauge, but I also had a switchable reserve
tank on it.  For the few times I miscalculated mileage, the engine would
start to sputter.  I became quite good at pushing in the clutch pedal,
reaching down with my right arm to the floorboard near my right foot, pushing
the lever to reserve, and releasing the clutch in time so that the engine
never conked out all the way.

Not safe, but I was young and foolish, and it made driving more exciting!