Would you fly halfway across the country and drive 1,800 miles for a free Beetle?>>>

[Savage Henry]

>>>>>>>>I would!

Hello! I'm a new member. I've never owned a VW before, but I have the opportunity to get a 2000 New Beetle for free. All I have to do is go to Wyoming and pick it up. Sounds like a good deal.....right? Well, there's a catch. I live in New York.

Here's the story. My sister and her husband recently moved from Wyoming to Pennsylvania. They took everything with them, but left their Cyber Green Bug sitting on their property in Wyoming. They had originally promised the car to her husbands daughter. All she had to do was pay to have the car transported back to the East Coast, but she never even made an effort to get the car.

Lo and behold, I got a phone call from my sister saying that I could have the car. All I had to do was get it off the property by September 1st. WOO HOO! So, at the end of this month, I will be flying out to Denver, renting a car to drive to Wyoming, and driving the Beetle back. I see the whole thing as a win/win. I get two weeks off from work, get to hang out in the Rockies, will be driving and stopping in a bunch of places I've never been to before, AND I GET A FREE VOLKSWAGEN!!!

My brother in law said that I will most likely have to jumps start the car (it's been sitting since March). Can somebody tell me if this will be a problem? I read on Wikipedia that these cars go into stupid mode once the battery goes dead, and need to be brought to the dealer to have the compter rebooted. How common is this? I take whatever Wikipedia says with a grain of salt. The nearest dealership to where I'll be will be a two hour drive away.

From what I understand, the car is in pretty goos condition with only 125K miles on it. The only problems are mostly cosmetic. The front grille is damaged. He hit one of those cement things in a parking lot. Taking out part of the grille and busting the radiator (the radiator was replaced). Also, the gas flap won't close, and there's some sort of issue with the trunk hatch. He said that it will only open if you press the button, but then you have to run around back and open the hatch before it relocks. I will most likely address all these issues once I get the car back to New York.

I will be taking all of my camera gear along with me on the trip. Come September, I will have a ton of pictures to share with you guys. It should be a fun adventure. I just hope all goes well.

Thanks for reading my first post.

[2004NBTURBOS]

Can you say road trip!!!!!!!
Sounds like a great deal. My only concern would be the Timing belt/ Waterpump. Make sure this service has been done. You may also want to check and see what transport cost would be. It may be cheaper then a roadtrip. A free NB is is the cats azz, and CG at that. Go for it!!!!!!!!

[Savage Henry]

My brother in law is pretty good when it comes to maintaining his cars. He gave me a 1992 Mercury Gand Marquis that drove for about five years. He treated that car pretty well, but I will ask him if he ever had the timing belt or water pump changed. He did have a new radiator put in recently. I would like to think that the water pump was checked and inspected at this time. Either way, I will be working extra hours for the next three weeks, in order to make sure I have enough money to deal with any problems (should they arise). Also, I just opened a Triple A membership about 15 minutes ago. LOL!

As for having the car transported, the prices that I was coming up with were all around $1,100-$1,200. Flying out and driving the car back will be about $800 (in budget mode) or around $1,100 (in vacation mode). I did consider having the car transported, but that wouldn't be much fun.

BTW. Can anyone give me a rough measurement of the cargo area with the back seat folded down? I'm wondering if I'd be able to take a quick nap at a rest area if I put the back seat down and had my feet sticking out of the back hatch. I know it won't be comfortable, but you know how long drives can be. Sometimes you need to shut your eyes for an hour, in order to recharge.

[Opelmania]

Sounds like a sweet deal to me. I wouldn't have had it transported either. The timing belt and water pump may not have been addressed with the radiator issue. It is a PITA to change. I've done it. Hopefully it was done. If it was, and it is as good as it seems to be the way your brother takes care of cars, you shouldn't have a problem. About the sleeping in the hatch thing, I wouldn't. You could definitely do it, but if only napping for an hour or so, I would just recline the front seats and do it that way.

I took my nB on a 3100 mile road trip this past May. Went from Chicago to Bryson City, NC to ToD, here Official 2K12 ToD thread , then down to Tampa, to Jacksonville, then to Aiken, SC and finally back home. All in 10 days! Had the best time of my life. Just ask some members. Got to finally meet my org friends face to face. These nB's are very strong cars and keep on trucking. I'm currently at 155K on mine and put 120 miles a day on it. Good luck and keep us posted.

[Savage Henry]

Yeah, reclining the seat is always an option. However, after sitting in it for hours and hours, I may want to get out of it to rest. Either way, I'm still curious about the lenght of the cargo area from the front seats back.

Also, do these cars usually have cruise control? I forgot to ask. Cruise control would be awesome on a long trip!

[Rubee2006Tdi]

Cruise control is standard on ALL NB's I believe but you can verify if it works by talking to the owner. As to jump starting, yes it is possible the ECU might need to be reprogrammed. However in my experience this is rare. Usually, the car starts up OK and everything resets with no problem. The timing belt is a BIG deal. This is an interference engine; meaning if the belt breaks while engine is running it is possible that MAJOR engine damage can occur.

That said however, sounds like a great trip, good luck!

[Savage Henry]

Thanks! I will talk to him tomorrow, and see if the belt has ever been changed. What is the normal life span for the timing belts on these cars? At what point is it recommened that you change the belt (after how many miles)? Are there any tell tale signs that the belt is on it's way out. Is it something that a mechanic will be able to detect by looking at the car?

While I'm not too worried about it failing the second I get behind the wheel, I'd still like to know these things for future reference. My plan is to address all of the issues, one at a time, starting when I get the car back to NY.

[dnyed]

There's tons of room with the seats down. I brought home a dishwasher in my NB - and closed the hatch!



Congrats, and have a great maiden voyage!

[VW Lady Bug]

Definitely worth it - bring cables (or a jump box) with you. I carry a jump box usually so I'm not reliant upon the kindness of others, and if you take short trips the charge may not hold (for example if you jump the car and drive to the corner store and shut it off - the battery doesn't have time to recharge and then you need to jump it again).

For that long of a road trip I recommend having a AAA card if you're going by yourself - and definitely investigate the status of the timing belt.

The backseats folded down give you about 5 feet down the middle (the deepest part) - but if you curl your legs and lay on a diagonal you definitely fit - I'd lay down a sleeping bag underneath you for comfort though (the seats folded are a little higher than the stock trunk too). It's quite comfortable actually (coming from an owner who's done a rear-seat delete)!

[Rubee2006Tdi]

Yes there is lots of room with seats folded. Quite amazing actually. I brought a big-screen tv home a few years ago and not a flat-screen either ;-) Sure surprised the seller!

As to the timing belt replacement mileage varies from 60-105K if memory serves. Depends on which motor and which year you have. Nevertheless at 125K it should have been done once at least... And no, usually there is NO warning. When the belt breaks that is it...

[Smileybug]

You also need to take age into account. If it hasn't been done, that's 11 years on a piece of rubber, and an important piece of rubber at that.

As for the cruise, I can tell you its not standard on all cars. My car doesn't have it. But my car is a base trim level car as well (no power windows, no sunroof, no cruise, no fogs).

[Judee]

Bring some tunes with you on an ipod or something... if it's the OEM radio, the car may start and drive just fine, but the radio might be in "stupid mode".

[Savage Henry]

OK...dumb question. Where is the timing belt located? Is it inside the engine? Is there any way to do a visual inspection?

When I asked my brother in law if he ever had the timing belt changed, he said yes (about 3 years ago). Then he wend on to describe it as being on the side of the engine and running the alternator and other components. I'm pretty sure he was describing the serpentine belt (not the timing belt), but I could be wrong. I'm not really familiar with these cars.

EDIT*** Forget I asked. I found out the answer to my question. I guess it would be a good idea to have the belt changed before I hit the road. How much time is involved in changing it? Can a mechanic have it done in a few hours?

[2004NBTURBOS]

A competent mechanic with the right tools and experience can do it in about 3 or 4 hrs. Cost is about $400 to $600 at a independent shop. Figure $700 to $1,100 at the stealership.

[Savage Henry]

Yeah, I contacted the dealer out in northern Colorado. They quoted me a price of $700 to install a new belt, tensioner, and water pump. I'm going to have them do it. I would normally find a corner mechanic to do it, but I will be a stranger in a strange land out in Wyoming. I'd rather not take my chances.

[dnyed]

Sounds like a, well, sound plan!

[markfly]

Good luck and please post many pictures!!!

[turboturbo]

Would you fly halfway across the country and drive 1,800 miles for a free Beetle?

For a 2.0 auto, no.

[Rubee2006Tdi]

Yes a good plan! Also by having the dealer do the belt; you have some protection and they will most likely eye-ball the car and recommend anything that might look necessary. Drive careful and take pictures of the car as you pick it up and along the way!!!

[Savage Henry]

Yes, I will take pleanty of pictures. Film photography is a sort of side hobby for me. I will be bringing all of my 35mm gear along with my Holga 120 and a digital "point and shoot" camera with me. I'm seriosly thinking about driving up to the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, before I start heading east. It's gonna be awesome!