Beetle questions.

[Bugglesthewonderbug]

Hi,
I want a beetle for my first car. I have been looking for on on craigslist. I want a cyber green one. Or a blue one(not the really light blue or the darkest one, the bright blue.). I like the look of the ones from 1998 to 2004. Also, I want a automatic, I have a bit of ADD and some anxiety so I don't think a manual will be the best for me. What is the gas millage and the upkeep of them? and some other info on them. I have loved beetles for as long as I can remember. Is there any downsides to them? Is a convertible better than a coup(I don't want a convertible, too small of window in the back and more $$$)?. Is leather interior better than the cloth? And how well do they do in wet weather? And what about getting them repainted(so if i get a white one or a silver one I want to get it repainted.). I have a tiny model of a beetle that is green. Her name is Buggles. When I get my big one, I will name it Sluggles. So please let me know, I need help. My parents haven't owned a beetle ever and neither have any of my friends or other family.

[mybugrocks]

I don't know if I can be of much help but I own a 2004 Cyber Green GL (basic model, no sunroof, cloth seats) 2.0L and I LOVE her, she has only cause problems for me twice in the 2 1/2 years I have had her, and they were not expensive fixes compared to other problems people have had.

My mechanic advised getting something 2004 or newer, less mechanical problems. It seems he is correct so far. I have been very lucky with this car, and the NB is one of the safest cars on the road under $30k. A lot of people really like the 1.8T (turbo) beetles, just fyi.

Good Luck with your search, I am sure more people will chime in and be more helpful, just thought I would give my $.02.

[procupine14]

I haven't had any problem with mine in the 4 months I have owned it thus far. Nothing mechanical but you definitely need to be mindful of how the previous owner cared for it. VWs really love to have their maintenance done timely. Also, be careful of the timing belt!

Other than that I love my car. Already put 6,000 miles on it in fact. No problems with mine but it is a TDI and a manual so I can't really comment on the others. So far my Beetle has been very safe and the tires on it aren't that great at the moment. the handling is really nice and so far I have had zero issues in wet weather even with these near replacement stage tires.

[Fl_bug]

I STRONGLY recommend you get a 2005 or newer if you want an automatic... The automatics in the 1998-2004 models were crap and were notorious for breaking and being more expensive than the car's price to fix.

I STRONGLY recommend you get a manual transmission. It is great and very easy to learn on!

If you decide you want a 1.8T, you have to be very particular with maintenance. If a light comes on, get it fixed as soon as possible or else it quickly piles up! I have a 1.8T and i love it. But if you're lax with maintenance, i wouldn't recommend it.

Finally, on ANY beetle (except the 2.5l models) if the car has more than 70k miles on it, it will NEED a timing belt and waterpump.If it is older than a 2005, it will need one regardless of mileage. This is the most expensive job on the car. It can cost between the ballpark of $250 if you do it yourself up to the quote of $1,400 i received at a local dealership. If you do not change it and let it break, and they often do before 100k miles, you're looking at about $1,000 for a head rebuild plus the timing belt and waterpump. It isn't recommended to change one instead of the other because the waterpump is plastic and starts breaking around the 60k mark or sooner depending on age.

If money isn't an issue, i recommend a 2006 2.5 model. No timing belt, maybe a waterpump, and just 10k mile oil changes is roughly the maintenance schedule. Those can be had for as low as $8500 that i've seen locally.