Anybody own a VW Beetle?

[drgnfly30]

DH is thinking of buying me a used VW New Beetle, using my Subaru to commute to his job & parking our Gas Guzzler P/U truck to use only when needed....

I've read very mixed reviews on Edmunds regarding the reliablity of the Beetle but I trust you Dis'ers more than anyone...

Do you/have you owned one of the new Beetles & what do/did you think of it? Thanks!

 

[drgnfly30]

 

[Aidensmom]

We have a 2002 TDI Beetle (runs on diesel rather than gasoline).

We have had a problem with the brake light switch that has had to be fixed twice, but that is it. We have about 60,000 miles on ours I believe.

 

[Melissa M]

I have a 2001. 4 cylinder engine, manual transmission. It has 100,000 miles. I've had no problems what-so-ever. I love my Beetle!

 

[Kimberly815]

I have a 99 Beetle. I bought it at the beginning 2003 with about 40,000 miles on it- so I have had it for about 3 and a half years, and it now has over 110,000 (I have a LONG commute). I have had no major issues- a few minor things to fix here and there, but nothing substantial. I love it, and the care is prefect for me. I would buy another in a heartbeat!

 

[cats7494]

I had a 2001 beetle and just recently traded it in for a large car (just had a baby and there was no room for all of us!)
It was a great car and I had no problems with it - it had about 60,000 miles on it when I traded it in.
It was a fun little yellow one

 

[Laura]

I've had to replace my battery twice and went in for a couple of other minor things, but it's been quite reliable. It's a '99 and has 45K miles on it.

 

[iggbees]

i've got a 2000 beetle, penelope, (a present from my grandfather). it's an ok car, i wouldn't buy another one and i tell everyone i know not to buy it. i've not really had any major problems with it, but things just keep falling apart on it. i had my passenger side window mechanism break and the window was stuck down (300$ to fix), i've had my driver's side window lever pop out at least 4 or 5 times. my car locking mechanism is broken, when i bring it to get the oil changed if i don't leave the regular key it honks like crazy and they can't shut it off (they got really mad at me for that once, so i always give the normal key now!). i've had the airbag warning light go off 4 times each time they fixed it for about 3,000 miles then it would go off again, until i think they finally just disconnected it, because it hasn't gone off since about 2002. the speaker system broke on me as well. when you need a headlight changed you either have to look up online how to hack into the headlight panel or you will be paying 30$ to have the headlight changed (luckily my dad fixed it for me, so it only cost me 2$).

personally, i'd look at a different car, but that's just my issues with the beetle. the reason i did buy it back in 2000 (i was going to get the honda crv instead) was because of the awesome crash test rating. i've seen mangled pictures of the car where people walked away unscathed. amazing.

my gas mileage is ok, nothing spectacular (~28 mpg highway, 22 mpg city). my boyfriend gets much better gas mileage on his 2001 volvo than i do in my car. the beetle is a very heavy car.

i'd look at buying a scion. they're made by toyota and they seem to be pretty good cars. i'm looking at buying one of them at some point, either that or the honda fit or toyota yaris. right now i have too many loans to have to put up with a car payment. some day though.

 

[LindaR]

Two years ago I bought my daughter a 2000 Beetle (her first car) with auto trans. and the standard engine. The only "problem" we had was the engine light kept coming on (we'd take it to my mechanic, he'd check it and reset the computer) finally he told us that whatever the problem was would have to be looked into by a VW mechanic. Well even though the car was long past the warranty, VW had extended a recall on this particular problem (an oxygen sensor chip) and it did not cost us a dime to have it fixed. That was almost 2 years ago and the light has not come on since that. It's been a reliable car. I would also say that you do run the risk of getting one that's not too reliable, that's a problem VW has faced - quality control issues. Beetles are made in Mexico (Passats are made in Germany) and there tends to be more issues with Beetles than Passats.

There are certainly more fuel efficient vehicles out there, but if you've found a used Beetle that your mechanic thinks is in excellent shape, then you can have many years of inexpensive commuting while being comfortable at the same time!

 

[Aidensmom]

Just wanted to add, as people are commenting on gas mileage, we get about 50+ miles/gallon with the TDI Beetle, and diesel prices are about the same as gasoline.

 

[Disney-Kim]

We have a VW Beetle convertible. WE have had it for about a year. We have had no major problems, but have had lots of little things break. Everything has been covered under warranty...but a nuisance still. The convertible is loud, the interior vibrates, and the gas mileage isn't the greatest. We get about 20 mpg but it is a Turbo...guess that doesn't help.

We feel that we got a lemon, but we do love it. Its a really fun car and we both are re-living our teen years when I drove a 1978 bug. I would think twice about buying a VW again.

Hope this helps.

 

[goldcupmom]

I have a 2003 convertible beetle. The only problem I've had has been the sensors or something in the electric windows that periodically do weird things and they're still debugging the problems. That and the air bag light pops on occasionally recently - all under warranty - it has been a seat belt sensor twice and a bumper sensor, and it just came on again. Gas mileage is OK - I get about 22 - 25 in town. I've never had it out of town. I'd definitely buy another if I could get the right color. They say they first couple years of the convertible had some bugs due to the windows needing to raise/lower to accomodate the top when you open the doors. But, mine is orange, and they don't make any newer ones in 'cool' colors, so I guess this will have to be my 'forever' car.

 

[mmluvr]

Hi All!

Thanks for starting this thread! I am an old school Bug fan (grew up with many VWs in the family) and a Herbie fan. I have been lobbying DH hard to get a Beetle once my current car is no longer able to function.

We are considering the TDI, a Jetta, or the new improved Rabbit (sentimental favorite, drove one in college.)

Thanks for all the info!

Jan

 

[drgnfly30]

Thanks for everyones input... I'll shamelessly bump this for the afternoon crowd too...

I've been scouring the internet for used Beetles this afternoon (instead of working)... Of course if I'm giving up my beloved Subaru to DH for a Beetle it needs to have the same options (sunroof/heated seats). I do have a very trusted mechanic so if I do find something that fits my needs I'll be bringing it to him first for a once over.

That 50 mpg for the TDI is tempting, I always thought Diesel was traditionally more than regular Gas (pre-sky rocketing $ days) but with the extra MPG it may actually balance out...

Any other opinions??

 

[WDWguru]

I have a very red convertible turbo with a stick and I LOVE it! It's got beautiful tan leather interior and heated seats for snowy days. I've had it about a year. The only problem I've had is my passenger rear window got off the track and stuck halfway down (it's one of the little triangular windows, so not a huge deal). They fixed it under warranty, though, and it hasn't happened since.

It's really fun to drive, but there are a lot of little "cheap" things I notice, like the passenger door rattles if I crank the stereo. I will probably look at an electric Smart or even a Segway when my lease runs out in a few years (I don't drive much at ALL), but not because I don't like the VW. For the price you pay, it's a fun, reliable car.

 

[mickeymo]

I have a 2004 Convertible Beetle bought new and currently with 24,500 miles on it. I have had a love-hate relationship with it - lots of electrical problems. No problems the 1st year - other than replacing the battery. However, in the past 1 1/2 years I haven't made it from oil change to oil change without taking it in for repairs. It's all under warrenty, but it's still a hassle. As much as it's my dream car and it's fun to drive - I will not buy another. First repair after the warrenty expires, it's gone and I'm buying a Toyota.

ETA - I don't like driving it in heavy traffic and/or lots of lane changes or merging with the top up - too large of a blind spot. I'm forever begging to borrow dh's Highlander to drive downtown.