Name: Roger Witthoeft

Home: Santee

Vehicle: 1967 Volkswagen Bug

Surfing: Dog Beach in Ocean Beach

Roger Witthoeft's Bug trundles and rattles into the parking lot on mismatched wheels and bare tires. Its paint, multitoned and chipped, seems to be the only thing holding it together. Chrome trim strips stick out at odd angles. "I drive it here from Santee, sometimes twice in a day," says Roger, who lays tile for a living. He's been surfing for six years and takes a bare-bones approach to surf gear: a 6'6" Native surfboard on the racks and a disc of wax in the passenger's seat.

When Roger bought the Bug off a friend for $800, it didn't have fenders. He put some on, which is why they're a different color than the rest of the body. The backseat is torn out, its battery and gas tank exposed.

"I haven't had any problems with it," Roger says. "It runs great, although kids stole the red lenses out of my tail lights."

Despite what it looks like, Roger is not driving the VW until it falls apart; he's fixing it up with the help of his dad.

"I put a new engine in it. The one I got in there now is a 1776 [cubic centimeter engine] for more power. The largest engine I've heard of is a 2332.... I want to put a rollcage in it so I can take my little brother, Joey, on a surf trip to Mexico and roll over the dunes without any problems."

As ugly as it is, Roger says his Bug is a hit with Ocean Beach hippies.

"They love to get their picture with it."