Reddit reviews Volkswagen Super Beetle, Beetle & Karmann Ghia Official Service Manual: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977,

Along with this one -
http://www.amazon.com/Volkswagen-Official-Service-Manual-Karmann/dp/0837616239/

The Idiot's guide is a fun read, but the Bentley is how it should be done. Use them together for best results.

Just for example, Muir hates the autochoke and tells you to take it off.
The Bentley will tell you how to adjust it.

Additionally, theSamba.com is a massive aircooled VW forum. I usually start there to just get my bearings. If you Google search with [the issue site:thesamba.com] you're very likely to find posts where others have had the same problem.

Get a service manual. Nothing is hard to service on that car.

If all of the black trim is original, that is very likely a 110 "very stripped" standard edition. Originally would have come with partial headliner, cardboard door cards and more. It does look as though the seats have been replaced with something else, but otherwise not bad.

New running boards will improve the visuals by quite a bit.

As you've never owned an aircooled beetle before, the first step should be reading the owners manual cover to cover. Pay particular attention to pages 16, 17, 20, and the tick marks on the speedometer seen on page 12. The tick marks go with page 17, and are one of the tricks to keeping the engine running more than a week. A PDF of your owners manual can be found here: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/74beetle/1974_Beetle_Owners_Manual.pdf

Two books you should buy are the Orange Bentley manual. This is the factory repair manual, and should be your first stop for any repair steps: https://www.amazon.com/Volkswagen-Beetle-Karmann-Official-Service/dp/0837616239/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543597712&sr=8-1&keywords=Beetle+repair+bentley
You can find these used on thesamba.com, craigslist, used book stores or a VW show. But get one before you need it. I pay $15-20 for pristine used ones, $5-10 for ones that look used.

The second book a lot of people will recommend you is "How to Keep your VW Alive". It's a fun read, has a lot of good information in it, but should ONLY be considered a secondary source to the orange book. How to keep your beetle alive does have a fair bit of incorrect information in it. BUT if you're just starting out with cars, it is quite helpful. I do think new VW owners should read the book, but double check all his repair procedures against the orange book. The artwork inside is worth the $25 to buy a new one: https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Volkswagen-Alive-Step-Step/dp/1566913101/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1543597922&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=how+to+keep+your+volkswagen+alive&psc=1

If that right front headlight is filled with water, swap out both headlights for H4 lamps. They use a replaceable bulb, and are significantly better than what came with your car. A little bit of rewiring is required (I can help with that remotely), but otherwise they are drop-in. You can buy these from your Friendly Local AutoParts Store (FLAPS), a number of the VW online vendors or often Amazon. Heres the kit you want: http://www.myhellalights.com/index.php/products/auxiliary-lamps/sealed-beam-conversion-headlamps/vision-plus-7in-conversion-headlamp/ Order it at Autozone, Pep Boys, NAPA, etc by the part number. Often they have them in stock.

If you ever want to upgrade your car to chrome bumpers, trim, handles, etc. There are guys (like me) who will pay for your black stuff. It's generally undesirable except to the German Look guys.

Orange Bentley

Used ones are cheaper at swap meets/shows or on The Samba. The earlier editions have color coded wiring diagrams, but you can print those from the technical archives of off The Samba.

1. You'd want to visually inspect the tires for any cracking in the sidewalls. As a rule driving on tires that old isn't a great idea, but you may be alright for a while (I've done it)
   
   
2. Overheating can have a lot of causal factors. #1 thing to check is if the car has a thermostat and temperature flaps installed and seized in the "closed" position. I say #1 because these days they are pretty rare, most people run without them, so it's best to get that out of the way first. Other things to consider will be your ignition timing, carb settings, dwell, and I'm sure there are things not leaping to mind. But the Muir guide (How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive) will have good info on overheating
   
   
3. If you're going to work on this car, it's worth picking up a new battery (bring the old one with you for a core-exchange discount) and a charger with both trickle and quick start settings.
   
   
4. Yes, the brakes are a top priority. More importantly, make sure to find out why only one set is installed. It may be that you need a new master cylinder too (only like $60)
   
   
5. No idea if the engine is seized. Here's how to find out: First, put the car in neutral and open the rear bonnet. You'll see a big metal wheel facing you with the belt to the alternator. That's the crankshaft pulley. Being careful not to pinch your fingers in the belt, try to turn it. If it's free it will be hard to turn at points and easy at others (this is the compression/exhaust stroke happening). If it turns, the engine isn't seized.
   
   
6. Yes, that's an awesome book, but it's not the only one you'll want. Working with "How to Keep" will give you lots of info, but for model specific things you'll want a Bentley Guide Official Service Manual