(relatively) new Beetle owner

[jhawk_2861]

My name is Jonathan and I'm a Beetle owner. I bought my 2006 Beetle in March because I wanted better fuel economy for my work commute. A couple of my friends had TDI's and raved about the MPG they were getting. One has a Golf and the other a Jetta, so really the only option for me was a Beetle! (I couldn't have what they did. that would just be weird!)
My dad had a few Bugs when I was growing up and I have fond memories of the Blue Beetle he had. Turned out to be a difficult thing to track down! I live in Central Texas and only found 3 that checked all of the boxes for me. They were all right around 100k miles and within my price range. (oddly enough, they were all Harvest Moon Beige, as well, but I really didn't care about the color. I just wanted to get my hands on that 40MPG!)
So, I trekked on down to the nearest one and bought it. Little did I know, that fuel economy decision would turn into a love for the little car! You see, I was born here in Texas and one stereotype is that we all drive trucks. A lot of us do (therefore the stereotype). My first vehicle was a truck. My second vehicle was a truck. My third was an aberration: a Firebird. My wife really wanted me to get another truck, so my fourth vehicle was a truck (happy wife=happy life!) So, when I was getting the Beetle, it was strictly because of FUEL ECONOMY! After all, my other vehicles are a Ford Expedition (the family hauler) and a Ford F-150 FX2 Sport (my sweet Black Beauty). Well, the Black Beauty sits in the stable most of the time, because I actually love driving Ringo McRattles! (Get it? He's a Beetle (Beatle) so, "Ringo" and he's a 5 year old diesel so everything rattles like crazy, ergo "McRattles") My girls usually name the cars, but they call it Buggy Boo and I can't call him that!
Of course, I love that I've basically quadrupled my fuel economy (about 15MPG with a 30 gallon tank in the Black Beauty and 40MPG with a 15 gallon tank in Ringo) but I find myself appreciating other small cars as well. I've loved cars for as long as I can remember, but it's always been the power house cars of muscle and speed.
It's been cooler in the mornings lately and Ringo has the Package 1 options, so the windows are down and the sunroof is open! I'm looking forward to taking good care of this little guy and passing him on to my girls. They've already laid claim on him and I just hope he can last another 10 years for them!
I can't wait to learn more from you guys about DIY mods and such. That's how I found this group. I had a headlight go out near the beginning of our relationship and couldn't figure out how to change it for the life of me! The forums here gave me the education I badly needed and now that I'm considering and HID upgrade for Ringo, I've decided to join in and participate instead of just looking through the window!

Sorry this is so long. I tend to ramble.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Welcome Fellow Texan!


A little something for all the Newbies -
Newbie Welcome Kit!

I can relate to the "Texas and truck" thing, but I've always been able to mix 'em up! And my Grand-Daughter has laid claim to our Bug! Eleven years to go and counting! Probably won't be THIS one, Momma's daily, but...

MORAV

[dnyed]

Welcome to the Org, and Welcome to the New Beetle TDI!


We are happy you found us.