Well I think I told you guys about the horn issue just before i went to chattanooga last week... well it hasnt gone off since then... but it hasnt been that cold either!

Well I dont think I told you about the event that happened on the trip home... I stopped at the FL/GA border to fill up on gas. I was supposed to call my dad about this time and update him on where i was. Something told me i needed to try to start the car first, so i tried... i turned the key and the dash lights came on and i heard the fuel pump prime, i turned the key to the start position and the starter decided it was taking a nap... no clicks, no attempt at turning over, no nothing... so i attempted to push start my car at the gas station by myself... twice... no go... so i try the key again... what do you know? it worked! i waited til i got home and then turned the car off and tried to start it again to see if it would work... what do you know it did?

so that was all on Dec 12. i didnt have a problem again until yesterday... so it went a full week with no problems. i was again stopped at the gas station and went to start it and no go... i successfully push started my car BY MYSELF for the first time ever!

I have my theory on what the problem is... i think i have the infamous flat spot on the starter and depending on where exactly it is stopped, it may not want to start again... or a bad solenoid... either way i would say a bad starter... i initially was going with the ignition, as that is what my 73 super was doing... but i realize now that the 73's problem was probably the starter all along not the ignition (even though i could jump the wire under the backseat and it would work)... I had a similar problem with my bus and rather than go with the ign switch i went with the starter and havent had a problem now in a year...

so opinions? the mexi is scheduled for a starter replacement to an autostick starter on saturday (i have a new autostick starter in my "stock room" so why not?) is this the way you would go? i absolutely hate diagnosing intermittent problems... but i dont want to end up in a situation where i cannot push start my car on my own and be stuck.

well the problem is both times it has happened i wasnt exactly in a place where i could diagnose it and play around with it... once i was 100 miles from home, and once i was gonna be late to work...

i was going to put in an autostick starter cause i have one and i am broke at the moment...

how do you diagnose a problem that has only happened twice in about 1000 miles and a week of starting at LEAST twice a day?

I have an SR-15X starter that I don't need (no Beetle or any other vehicle that uses it anyway!).  I paid $35 for it several years ago as a spare when I had my Type 3s.  For that price, it is yours.  
As far as I know, it is good.  I put some juice to it and the solenoid kicked the shaft out...does that mean it is good? :-k  My spare bus starters did the same thing.

thanks for the offer, but i will have to pass as I am **that** broke... have bills to pay and money enough to pay half of them