Buyer needs help, please

[fast86gn]

I am looking at a 99 with 5 speed with 180k, the price seems fair. I have not driven the car yet. So is this a better year? What should I be looking for? The car is currently being driven daily. So send me a few tips and items to look for/at. Im looking at buying this car for my soon to be 16 y.o daughter. I was previously told to no way, no how, buy an automatic. After seeing how easy the sticks drive, this will not be an issue. the car is priced at $2500. I have built several muscle cars in the past, new to the beetle, but she has her heart set on one. So with the mileage, what do you think? We only live 4 miles from school and 5 miles from the mall, so if it should break, it wont be far to tow home. Thank you

[D2Beetle]

It is best to get a manual transmission; that way your daughter will be less likely to use her cell phone while driving.

I suggest that you drive the car, let your daughter drive the car and go from there. The NB is not a muscle car, so its performance will be different from what you are use to; keep that in mind while you are driving it. With some care and maintenance it will be a nice car for her to own.

[Smileybug]

Is this a 2.0L or a 1.8T?

At 180k, if the timing belt hasn't been done a second time, it should be done soon.

I have a '99 5-speed 2.0L but I only have 97k on it. I learned to drive stick on the car and it was super easy. Definitely a good idea to get her a 5-speed. The autos are terrible. Drive the car and make sure everything sounds and feels right. Good luck with the purchase!

[DZLBUG]

Go for it, sounds like a good deal. These cars are not that hard to work on (coming from a guy who regularly works on pickups, farm equipment and heavy duty trucks)...you just need a Bentley manual and a little bit of common sense.

I would strongly recommend doing the timing belt, water pump and tensioner right away - make sure you use new motor mount bolts. This is an interference engine so if any of those components fails valves will be bent. Also, the plastic impeller water pumps tend to fail. Either the impeller spins off the shaft or falls apart and then the engine overheats. Get a TB kit like this with a metal impeller. Stay away from kits that have a Meyle water pump or tensioner, most of their products are okay, but I am leery of anything of theirs that has a sealed bearing. They use poor quality bearings.

Otherwise these are pretty solid cars, and given the drive you mention, it should last a good long time. Getting her a 5 speed is an excellent choice. It makes for a far better/safer driver. Not only because it will be hard for her to talk/text and shift at the same time...it also forces you to pay more attention to traffic and what is going on. These manuals are extremely easy to drive.

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

A BIG second on the cell phone issue!

But the mileage, and I'm sure I'll catch a lot of flack on this one...

If you have it in your means, spend a little more, and get a lower mileage vehicle. I have bought, but no longer buy new vehicles. Instead I opt for low mileage (related to life expectancy) and wait for the right deal. Now is a perfect time to buy, everybody else who can buy are spending for the Holidays, and so many who are selling are strapped for money this time of year.

With this kind of mileage on a beetle, esp. an early generation model (with their own issues), I have to believe that there are an awfully lot of parts just plain wore out. Read through the forums, accept that these bugs are what they are. Cute, cheap to run, and cheap to keep up. But, they have a lot of little issues with things constantly breaking or going out. I've had three NBs and love them.

An "Autocheck" or the like is un-replaceable to know the car history. Spend the $25 to check the title history, it may reveal a lot. I have found a lot of used cars started their life as rentals or leases. NBs were popular for both because of the original anticipated high resale (residual value) the rental and lease companies THOUGHT they would have. Ask the owner for ALL the service records! If they don't have them or can't get them, it's a good bet it hasn't had good servicing. Even if they did the work themselves they should have parts receipts. Or insist the Seller let you take it to a Dealer for a full inspection, suspension, steering, brakes, etc, etc. Some Dealers will do this for free, some charge a nominal fee, either way hoping to get your business.

If it doesn't work out you haven't lost a lot, but I really think you're going to spend a lot of time at the parts store and in the garage. lol

Best of luck and Happy Holidays!

[Palmettoguy]

I picked up my 99, 5 speed with 88k miles for $2700.
Dont know where you live, but in my area, what I paid is about the norm in regards to age/mileage for Beetles.
Definately give it a good once over with a mechanic.
Best of luck

[fast86gn]

Thank you to all of you. I Was hoping for a little more detail instead of general car buying, but thanks for your help. Tom

[Palmettoguy]

Originally Posted by fast86gn

Thank you to all of you. I Was hoping for a little more detail instead of general car buying, but thanks for your help. Tom

Take a Vag-Com cable and laptop w/ you. Drive the car around the block a few times. Pull codes.

Ensure that if the tires have locking lugnuts installed that the tool is in the toolkit which is located in the trunk on top of the spare tire.

Crank AC/Heat to full blast. Ensure ALL methods of venting works and that no foam rubber comes flying from the vents

Check to make sure gas cap door works w/ button on driverside door.

Check door locks, w/ and w/out the remote.

Ask when O2 sensors/ water pump/ timing belt/ and MAF were replaced last.

[Smileybug]

With these cars, it is a lot of "general car buying" tips. Maintenance is key for a happy VW so making sure it has been maintained properly is huge.

Still no answer to the question of what motor is in the car? 1.8T or 2.0L?

[MichelleRoze]

Originally Posted by Smileybug

Still no answer to the question of what motor is in the car? 1.8T or 2.0L?

For all we know it could be a TDI, and then I would say "hell ya! go for it!"

To the OP: you're only going to get "general car buying tips" if you only give us "general" information. We can't give you specifics if we don't know specifics. A 99 5spd New Beetle could be anything. There are certain things to watch out for each motor type, but without knowing what it is, we can't give you that information.

[fast86gn]

I just got the vin, a friend is going to run tonight to find out details, woman selling the car is uncertain of engine. Thanks for the last few posts. That is exactly what I mean, most cars seem to have their quirks or trouble areas. I know its not a lot of money for a used car, but the others I have seen advertised in my area are all 2 times as much. My wife has a Subaru that still drives like new with 188k, never been an issue. My sons winter cavalier has 179 k, no issues. Mileage does not scare me, just unsure about these cars. I work part time selling cars and as a buyer for a family dealership. At the auto auction we attend the affordable ones are always sold as is, with no more test track, this gets me a little nervous. This lady seems great, she tells me "come drive it as far as you want". Problem is its 3 hours away, trying to make arrangements for this week. Thanks again...Tom

[mikeole]

tom, I'm in the same boat with you on this beetle purchase. Like you, I should give a whole lot more consideration to those with much more mileage-- we won't put much on for quite some time and I have time to fix it until she's driving.

I wished I had a guy who could buy at auctions.... good luck!

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by fast86gn

I know its not a lot of money for a used car, but the others I have seen advertised in my area are all 2 times as much.

Twice the price, but half the mileage, but then you don't expect to add a lot more mileage, so...

So much will depend on how it's been serviced, AND what hasn't been done, that now needs to be done, and the costs involved.

Check it out as thoroughly as you can, and then make a decision based on what you learn.

My feelings are a little tainted about this as I bought a NB for my Daughter, a year ago, drove it back from Phoenix, no problems, and then in the next 1000 miles spent more than what I had spent for the car, just getting it up and running properly. I hadn't touched the inside which needed numerous broken trim items replaced. Thought I got a real deal (below wholesale). When we finally got all the mechanical problems straightened out, she had it again for three days before being rear-ended by an uninsured driver, and to my dismay, my daughter had waived the uninsured motorist coverage when she got insurance to save a few bucks a month. I'm out almost $10K, the wreck aside, I would have still had that much in the car and could have bought a lot more car initially had I been a little more diligent in my research. Now, I spend more for less miles.

Good luck, Buddy!

[fast86gn]

Well, I got the car fax, 3 owners, miles shows to be accurate. Nothing unusual in report, all appears good. Although the car fax to me is not a full accurate report, at least it's something. My wife wrecked our Richard Petty Edition Grand Prix. The car was deemed a total loss. We were paid well for it. I bought it back and repaired it. I sold it 2 years later. Car fax showed nothing, and I mean this car was Wrecked! I gave the buyer the pictures and estimate, from that day forward my opinion of that service is different. The car is a gls with 2.0. No service lights are on. She does tell me the dealership said, the belt should be done again. I have read here about doing the belt with the pump and the kits. I feel I can do this without any issues. My daughter does not turn 16 until june. I have a full shop here at home and several months to complete this. This family only buys black cars, this car is silver, she wants it yellow!
Thanks Again, Tom

[vdubdoug]

Another things to look for is the soft touch interior plastic. They will get scratched and wear off over time. There is a way remove the coating to make the interoir look better. Also the light colored headliners show dirt very well.

Also the beetle share's the same mk4 chassis as the Golf, GTI, and Jetta's of the same year. So things like wheels, suspension, chassis fit the beetle. MOst often cars with highmileage will need control arm bushings. you can get new bushings and press them in, or just get new control arms. SInce you have rebuilt cars and full shop capabilities I am sure you could fix anything on this beetle.

Good luck. Where is the car located? Is is possible to have another newbeetle.org member take a look at it for you?

Ohh and what a nice Dad. Buying his daughter her dream car. I hope to be able to do that for my son in 15 years.

[mikeole]

x2 on the carfax service when it comes to accident reporting. My wife was hit a year ago in our MKX and it took $14K to repair (all the sheetmetal on the pass side was replaced). The lease was up so we let it go-- I recently looked it up and no accidents reported. What a joke..

[MyOtherRidesAVette]

Originally Posted by vdubdoug

There is a way remove the coating

Yeah? I really need to know a good bay to get rid of that sticky, rubbery ****! What a stupid concept!