newbie in NC

[eister]

Hey everybody, I don't own a beetle just yet but, I've been looking very hard.
My Grandfather owned a VW garage back in the 70's. There were bugs all over the place!! I've loved them every since then but, beetles never seemed to practical till now. I'd like a vert to take trips to the beach and mountains with my wife and 9yr old daughter (eventually her car)
I'm looking at an 04' with only 49k miles on it (1.8t) but, it's an auto, and after reading the tranny section, it's a bit scary . I guess I may have to find a stick (which my wife doesn't want)so I don't know what I'm gonna do..lol.

[Smileybug]

Welcome from a fellow North Carolinian! You have yourself a pretty good VW shop in Charlotte (Eurowise). I haven't dealt too much with them but they are fairly active on our local VW forum and we have a lot of users who go there.

The auto is something I avoid at all costs, but the later 6-speed autos aren't as bad as the 4-speeds from the earlier NBs. But the 6-speeds are prone to valve body failures. Proper care is important. If you do get it, I'd change out the fluid and filter. Give it a fresh start.

[matt423]

Hello and welcome.As far as the 4 speed auto tran's goes i think it is all about how the past owners used it or BEAT it.I got my wife the 1.8T with 50,000 miles on it and took it for a tran's service right off and have not had any prob's with it and she just turned 59,000mi running strong.But i guess if you beat the snot out of it and drive it like a drag car that it is not, sure you will have prob's with it like any other car on the road.So you decide for yourself.Some might say i just got lucky but i think not Just a side note I do not think everyone beat's their nb That was not the point i was trying to say.Just that we have had good luck with our auto tran's

[scarabY2k]

Welcome to the org family

Both good schools of thought by SmileyBug and Matt423. The manual is ideal, but if you're set on an auto, you might be safe with a nB with only 50k on the clock. BUT i would do a fluid service on it as well. By the sound of things (keeping if for your 9 year old daughter), you're gonna have this bug for a while. Chances are you're gonna have to eventually get the valve body replaced. There's parts jobbers out there that are now offering new and rebuilt valve bodies and reasonable prices. What was once a 1000.00 part to replace, is now in the high 300.00 range- gotta shop around. What I'm getting at is that keeping the beetle for the long haul will become much affordable due to this price drop. And from what i'm reading, replacing the valve body isn't a hard DIY.... that's if you're handy with some tools.

Whatever you decide, we're here for ya, and will coach you along the way of your beetle journey.

[eister]

It's amazing how few manuals there are around, concidering the issues with autos. I may take a chance on an auto though, the one I'm considering has less than 5ok, and i'd probably only put on maybe 30k more by the time my daughter hits driving age here (15)so that's not too bad.
I saw a thread about driving "the dragon", that looks like a great time. We'd definately have to do that sometime. It's a pretty short drive for us

[Smileybug]

Originally Posted by eister

It's amazing how few manuals there are around, concidering the issues with autos. I may take a chance on an auto though, the one I'm considering has less than 5ok, and i'd probably only put on maybe 30k more by the time my daughter hits driving age here (15)so that's not too bad.
I saw a thread about driving "the dragon", that looks like a great time. We'd definately have to do that sometime. It's a pretty short drive for us

Everyone with manuals keeps them and those with autos dump them when they start acting up!

Plenty of manuals out there, though I do tend to see more autos with the 'verts than I do the hardtops.

[dnyed]

I have never owned the 4-speed auto, only the 6-speed Tiptronic, so I cannot say anything about that. My coworker was searching for a used convertible, and found one with the 5-speed. Keep looking, if you are wary of the 04.


Welcome to the Org!

[Kuplamies]

Originally Posted by eister

My Grandfather owned a VW garage back in the 70's. There were bugs all over the place!!

That sounded like a very cool place to hang around...!!

Welcome to the org! I hope you´ll find a proper NB for you and your family. NB is a fun car to own and drive!



Greetings from Finland.

Tapsa

[TennesseeBug]

Welcome to the Org! You should join us for this years Tail of the Dragon event. This will be my first year going, but I can't wait. Fun for all, and awesome Beetles everywhere.

[scarabY2k]

Originally Posted by eister

I saw a thread about driving "the dragon", that looks like a great time. We'd definately have to do that sometime. It's a pretty short drive for us

Originally Posted by TennesseeBug

Welcome to the Org! You should join us for this years Tail of the Dragon event. This will be my first year going, but I can't wait. Fun for all, and awesome Beetles everywhere.

Indeed! You should join us this May for ToD. It's an amazing sight, seeing 30-50 new beetles in the Carolina mountains.

Here's the thread for ToD... CLICK HERE

[eister]

Well...we decided against that 04' NB and are looking at 2 different black 09' verts. Whichever dealer comes back with the best deal is the one we'll get. Only difference is, one has black interior and the other is cream. Both have less than 20k mi and I won't have to worry about that dang TB!! We're looking forward to getting one soon so we can plan on making the Dragon event.

[Strudel]

Small world Eister in Charlotte.....I am in Charlotte too. I think I test drove one of those NBC you mentioned!! The black with the cream - or one just like it - at Carolina VW - I really liked it but, I wanted a different color. Three weeks ago - I drove down to Jacksonville, NC to purchase a '09 with 22,000 miles - but, in Blue! I love it! Best wishes on your purchase!

[scarabY2k]

Originally Posted by eister

Well...we decided against that 04' NB and are looking at 2 different black 09' verts. Whichever dealer comes back with the best deal is the one we'll get. Only difference is, one has black interior and the other is cream. Both have less than 20k mi and I won't have to worry about that dang TB!! We're looking forward to getting one soon so we can plan on making the Dragon event.

Very cool! It's great to have options, especially ones that avoid doing the TB

Great hearing that you all are planning on attending ToD. Stop on by the ToD thread and introduce yourselves and become a part of the ToD vibe. CLICK HERE for the ToD thread.

[eister]

Originally Posted by Strudel

Small world Eister in Charlotte.....I am in Charlotte too. I think I test drove one of those NBC you mentioned!! The black with the cream - or one just like it - at Carolina VW - I really liked it but, I wanted a different color. Three weeks ago - I drove down to Jacksonville, NC to purchase a '09 with 22,000 miles - but, in Blue! I love it! Best wishes on your purchase!

LOL..no kiddin! That is one of the 2, my wife isn't sold on the interior, she likes the other one better..lol. We'd also like the blue you got but, we've always wanted black (probably regret it)
We've also been watching the carmax across the street, they've been getting alot of lease turn-ins with around 50k on them but,just not the right color. it's tough looking with my wife cause she hates the mugging you get at most dealers, she'd rather go to gynecologists for the day than a car dealer.

[CGK]

Hey there eister, welcome aboard the .org!!
I'm not far away from ya, up here in Salisbury.
Just something to ponder on your choice. If you you're looking at getting a vert, consider one with the cream interior. If you like tooling around with the top down a lot, like me, you'll appreciate the light colored interior. A black interior in the summer is going to be pretty hot after sitting in the sun for just a few minutes. I have a cream leather interior in my vert, by choice, and have'nt regretted one minute of it. It's also pretty easy to keep clean so that should'nt deter you either.
Just some food for thought.
Good luck on your quest

[Smileybug]

Carmax really isn't a great deal...we looked there when I was buying my GTI and their prices are awful...They wanted $12k for an '04 Jetta! I would only go there to test drive since they aren't quite as pushy as a car dealership, but I doubt I'd buy there.

Black exterior...have it on my GTI. The good thing is that even when dirty (at least to a point) it still looks clean and slick. Looks even better after a good wash. I had my GTI detailed when I got it so I had a good platform to start with...more of a motivator to keep it clean too so I don't ruin the wax job! But I love my black car. It really is a sharp color.

[eister]

Originally Posted by CGK

Hey there eister, welcome aboard the .org!!
I'm not far away from ya, up here in Salisbury.
Just something to ponder on your choice. If you you're looking at getting a vert, consider one with the cream interior. If you like tooling around with the top down a lot, like me, you'll appreciate the light colored interior. A black interior in the summer is going to be pretty hot after sitting in the sun for just a few minutes. I have a cream leather interior in my vert, by choice, and have'nt regretted one minute of it. It's also pretty easy to keep clean so that should'nt deter you either.
Just some food for thought.
Good luck on your quest

I'll have to show my wife your post, she insists the cream would be horrible to keep clean but, I keep asking her "would you rather fry your legs on a black seat or clean a cream seat?"

[eister]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

Carmax really isn't a great deal...we looked there when I was buying my GTI and their prices are awful...They wanted $12k for an '04 Jetta! I would only go there to test drive since they aren't quite as pushy as a car dealership, but I doubt I'd buy there.

Black exterior...have it on my GTI. The good thing is that even when dirty (at least to a point) it still looks clean and slick. Looks even better after a good wash. I had my GTI detailed when I got it so I had a good platform to start with...more of a motivator to keep it clean too so I don't ruin the wax job! But I love my black car. It really is a sharp color.

That's pretty much what I use carmax for..they ARE good for looking and test driving without much hassle. We bought a Jeep Cherokee there probably 11yrs ago and it went pretty well. They're also pretty good about getting your car appraised so you have ammo for other dealers.
When we bought my truck in 06' I wanted black, it happened to be about 100 degrees the day we went to look at them (July) needless to say, I ended up with a white one..lol..but black sure does look good shined up

[Bratgirl]

Originally Posted by eister

I'll have to show my wife your post, she insists the cream would be horrible to keep clean but, I keep asking her "would you rather fry your legs on a black seat or clean a cream seat?"

Actually the lighter colors show the dirt less than dark colors. I have a white Challenger and even when it is pretty dirty it doesn't really look it..
And I did fry my legs several times on the leather seats in my Black Beetle when I had it. I started keeping a towel on the seat to prevent burns and sweaty legs in the summer.

[eister]

We finally found our NB!! It's an 05' 1.8t with 31k miles on it. I really wanted a stick but, just couldn't find the right combination. Everybody in the family LOVED the color so I caved on the auto..lol