Thinking about buying a New Beetle

[Francia]

I've just got a new job and need a car. I was thinking of getting a used 2000-2001 Golf to replace my very old and quite dead '88 cabby. I have been driving my boyfriend's '98 Golf and enjoy it so much, thus the reason for my interest in a Golf. However I spotted a New Beetle 1.8T GLS 2000 for around the same price for year/milage as a Golf except it's a 1.8T and it has all the features I want. So, I went to check it out, and test drived it. I found the driving experience slightly awkward. I am used to driving the Golf (standard) and I found the Beetle's stick very strange. It buckles when hitting neutral bar between 1st and 2nd gears and so forth. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? With the Golf (it is a MKIII) the stick itself is stiff however moving it from 1st to 2nd is a one move motion. I am wondering if I will get used to this or not. Any opinions? Also, I found the seats and ergonomics very comfortable, as they are very similar to the Golf. The windshield being so far is very strange but I suppose I would get used to that. Another thing is that when I tried it, the second the rpm hits slightly under 3000 the car jerks backwards right before the turbo hits and accelerates. Should it be doing this? I'm used to a 2.0 (Golf) and although it does accelerate nicely between 3000 and 4000rpm it doesn't jerk. Does this car need a tune-up? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I am having the car inspected by my mechanic this saturday. I will be picking it up and hopefully this will give me the chance to drive it a while longer to see if I can get accustomed to it.
FYI: 107,000 KM on the odometer, sale price $9490 CAD, all equipped except for leather package (it has sunroof).

Thank you!

[Shay]

Originally Posted by Francia

I've just got a new job and need a car. I was thinking of getting a used 2000-2001 Golf to replace my very old and quite dead '88 cabby. I have been driving my boyfriend's '98 Golf and enjoy it so much, thus the reason for my interest in a Golf. However I spotted a New Beetle 1.8T GLS 2000 for around the same price for year/milage as a Golf except it's a 1.8T and it has all the features I want. So, I went to check it out, and test drived it. I found the driving experience slightly awkward. I am used to driving the Golf (standard) and I found the Beetle's stick very strange. It buckles when hitting neutral bar between 1st and 2nd gears and so forth. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? With the Golf (it is a MKIII) the stick itself is stiff however moving it from 1st to 2nd is a one move motion. I am wondering if I will get used to this or not. Any opinions? Also, I found the seats and ergonomics very comfortable, as they are very similar to the Golf. The windshield being so far is very strange but I suppose I would get used to that. Another thing is that when I tried it, the second the rpm hits slightly under 3000 the car jerks backwards right before the turbo hits and accelerates. Should it be doing this? I'm used to a 2.0 (Golf) and although it does accelerate nicely between 3000 and 4000rpm it doesn't jerk. Does this car need a tune-up? Any feedback is greatly appreciated. I am having the car inspected by my mechanic this saturday. I will be picking it up and hopefully this will give me the chance to drive it a while longer to see if I can get accustomed to it.
FYI: 107,000 KM on the odometer, sale price $9490 CAD, all equipped except for leather package (it has sunroof).

Thank you!

I cant help you much with the shifting seeing as i have an automatic
but for the other things yes the windshield is far up and it was weird at first for me but it takes a second to get used to and I it.

wish I could help you more but I know other people will come to your rescue

which ever you get its still a V-Dub

[D2Beetle]

Originally Posted by Francia

... So, I went to check it out, and test drived it. I found the driving experience slightly awkward. I am used to driving the Golf (standard) and I found the Beetle's stick very strange. It buckles when hitting neutral bar between 1st and 2nd gears and so forth. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? ... Another thing is that when I tried it, the second the rpm hits slightly under 3000 the car jerks backwards right before the turbo hits and accelerates. Should it be doing this? ...

I have a 98 2.0 and a 2K 1.8T NB, both are five speeds and sometimes I have issues going from one gear to the next, up or down; however I read (a month ago I think) some where (parts and accessories I think) on this board that there is this part, which is part of the stick shift, that if replaced resolves the problem of it not going into gears properly. I had asked for the name of this part, but cannot find the post where I asked.

In regards to the Turbo, my wife’s NB does that sometimes (of course she says it does not do it when she's driving ), it hesitates before accelerating; I have not come to any conclusions (good or bad) on what it is. When I do I'll post it.

[D2Beetle]

Originally Posted by Francia

... It buckles when hitting neutral bar between 1st and 2nd gears and so forth. Can anyone tell me if this is normal? ...

Found It!

http://www.newbeetle.org/forums/showthread.php?t=12359

[Francia]

@Shay

Thank you for responding. Yes, whether or not I decide to buy a Beetle, I will end up with a VW for sure.

@D2Beetle

Thank you for this! I will have that part verified by the mechanic for sure on saturday. And, considering it isn't expensive, I will also verify with my other mechanic (VW contact) how much it can cost me for the part and installation.

[Francia]

My actual biggest concern with this acceleration problem is that I'm used to accelerating fast and changing gears around 3500 -4000 rpm. But with the Beetle, if I wait until 3000rpm the car jerks and shoots forwards and then over several gear changes this is very annoying. Hopefully my mechanic will find the problem so I can have it fixed before I buy it. I'm not sure I will buy it if he can't find the problem. Whatever some may say, turbo or no turbo, this isn't normal. It should accelerate faster at this rpm range but I don't believe it should jerk backwards when it does.

[Francia]

Hello to all
So yesturday I went back to take another test drive of the Beetle that I have a deposit on. I took it to a mechanic to have it inspected. He says the main problem with the vehicle is a slipping clutch. So, I'm trying my hand at negociating a new clutch for the car or a reduced price.
I also noticed that when using the remote to lock the car, the lights flash but the horn does not honk and the alarm indicator light on the driver door doesn't blink. Could the alarm be faulty, or is it just a fuse? I forgot to mention this to the dealer. The mecanic also noticed that the starter is making a strange noise when starting about 1 in 5 times.
When I went to the dealer (note this is not a VW dealer but a used car dealer) the first time for a test drive he informed me that I could have it looked by my mechanic and if any faults were found, they would re-diagnose the car and fix any problems they find. They will therefore be looking into the clutch and the starter on tuesday, hopefully their mecanic will come to the same conclusion as mine.
Another thing I noticed is that the exterior temperature monitor doesn't work. Could this also simply be a fuse issue? Otherwise I suppose maybe it's a sensor, and probably too expensive to have replaced.

Thank you for any imput you may have. A nice day to you all!