Cute

Refer to above. If anyone has had similiar problems contact me at Meereedith@aol.com

RUN FROM THE BEETLE! I know it's cute. I know its foreign. BUT I also know it has Problem after Problem. 1. 3 headlights replaced in 6 months 2. Red light came on meaning the engine was going to over heat. 3. New Battery 4. Window wouldn't go up all the way 5. This morning, first sememster back. Car wouldn't start. Now it won't even unlock. Dead. I'm praying it's just the battery

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93 Pontiac Sunbird. Died on me.

great look fantastic stereo - love the 6-disk cd changer

annoying window problems, constantly making strange noises during acceleration and deceleration, poor reliability, very disappointed, not sure if i'll ever purchase another vw.

I fell in love with this car the minute i sat in it, but then...2 months later the nightmares started! firstly, the passenger side window started to drop suddenly while going down. i took the car in, it was apparently fixed, but only a month ago did it start giving problems again. i was told that they would replace the whole door unit, but i am now no longer under warranty, meaning that it would be too expensive for me to fix! secondly, on christmas eve the car refused to start, i had to get it towed; after leaving it over the weekend i found out the the fuel pump fuse had broken, lunckily i only had to pay $33. did i also mention the car squeaks! about 5 months after i bought it, it started to make noises. i took it in several times, but of course the dealers said they couldn't hear anything, they said they took it out for a 'test-drive' and the mechanics still heard nothing. i of course know that i'm not imagining things.

The heated seats- you don't even know how great these are, great gas mileage, booming sound system- 6 disc cd changer in the trunk, nice leather that is showing no signs of wear yet, great looks.

I did have to replace both my back rotors and brake pads around 30k miles, but a friend and i did it and it was only about $125. I had a headlight burn out but i was able to replace that myself for about $6. It only took about an hour, but when the other one burned out two months later- 15 minutes and it was fixed- i'm a pro now i guess. Other than that, my check engine light comes on now and then but it shuts off in a few days.

What a great car. I've never had any major problems with my car that cost me a lot of money. So far I love it. I can't wait to trade up for a 2003 convertible.

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None like this car, a 99 Chevy Prizm and a 97 Pontiac Bonneville, and a 95 Geo Prizm.

This car has had several unusual problems. First, the driver's side electric window would not close. I found out the warranty expired at 24,000 miles, not 36,000 miles. It cost me $242 to replace. Then the check engine light kept coming on. I have had it fixed twice and it is still coming on!

O.K. car with several unusual problems!

Attention getting style, fun to drive, head room (I'm 6'3"), comfortable seats, heated seats work great, ride is good, never have trouble finding my car in a parking lot with the cyber green color, reliability.

AM reception poor (static), storage compartments in doors and arm rest are too small, cup holders only good for 12 oz. cans and not travel mugs.(Note they have improved the cupholders on the 2002 and 2003 models)

I bought this car new 2 years ago and now have 32,000 miles on it. I have truly enjoyed this car. The 5 speed manual with the 2.0 engine provides a good combo of economy and performance. I have had no problems that left me stranded. The hatch wouldn't latch to close but was fixed same day under warranty at the dealer. Air bag light came on once but was also fixed at the dealer. Climate control dash lights went out but dealer also fixed for free. Unlike many others I've had no problems with the power windows or check engine light. The seats are extremely comfortable and the hatch holds plenty of stuff. My wife and I have enjoyed this car so much we just bought a 2003 GLS New Beetle with automatic and traction/skid control for her. Many of the bad reviews on this site are from pre-2001 models. My 2001 has been super! A coworker also has a 2001 and loves it.

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1989 Golf with 5 speed. Owned it for 176,000 miles with no major engine work and still had the original clutch. Great car.

fun to drive if you can get past the daily frustrations that seem to arise body style my 6 disc Pioneer changer in the trunk

pretty much the entire car

I keep hearing that the more recent Beetles (2001-present) are much more reliable and more quality, but as for me, I don't think I will ever buy another one due to all the problems I have had with my 98 black Bug. Where do I start...okay, here goes...engine fan was running almost all the time due to a "computer problem" (this was the best the mechanic could come up with) which killed the battery and left me stranded. My Beetle had to be towed and was in the shop about a week and a half b/c VW couldn't figure out how to fix it. Next problem, I was driving home from work one night and put both windows down. As both windows finished lowering, the drivers side window made this loud popping noise, then I heard glass shattering. Yes, the window actually shattered inside the door panel. I was so freaked out I pulled over into a gas station to make sure I wasn't hallucinating. My car was BACK in the shop for a solid month while I waited for the dealer to get a regulator in stock so they could fix it. Okay, what else; headlight cost me almost 50 dollars to have replaced. 50 bucks? For a headlight? Okay. Latch on glove box broke in my hand as I tryed to open it one morning. I was told I would need to have the ENTIRE glove box replace which would cost a mere 200 bucks. Guess what, it is still broken. Other issues: the engine makes a popping sound as I shift from 3rd to 4th gear, the dealer doesn't know how to fix it..."check engine" light keeps coming on for no valid reason...plastic guard panel on the underside of the Bug keeps falling down...interior is fading badly, seems very cheap. All in all, I would not recommend this car to anyone. If you must own one, I would stongly advise you to buy a brand new one AND purchase the longest warranty that VW offers. You are going to need it.

TDI has great gas mileage

Electrical system apparently designed and installed in third world country. Headlights burnout very quickly. Airbag becomes inoperable almost everytime we move driver seat forward.

If you feel the need to make a statement to the world about your care-free persona DON'T DO IT BY PURCHASING A NEW BEETLE. I repeat DO NOT BUY A NEW BEETLE. If you absolutley can't help yourself, go ahead and spring for the extended warranty because you're gonna need it. You'll spend hours dropping it off and waiting at the service center for silly things like headlights burning out and the airbag light constantly coming on. Almost every time we move the drive seat forward the airbag light comes on which means one of the bags is inoperable. So off to the dealer we go for an entire day of diagnostics and sometimes replacement of the unit. I had never purchased an extended warranty but I did on this lemon. Of course, VW customer service gives you the run around and rhetoric about how customer friendly they are. But, they just politely and empathetically(?) listen to your complaint before they say "bye,bye" and go back to their bongs. I will NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER VW PRODUCT.

Sport Seats, Turbo 1.8 motor, Sunroof, Cheap insurance, Fun Fun Fun!!!

Sun visors are small (use a baseball cap)

I've had zero problems with this car in over 14,000mi. At first look I did not think the New Beetle was for me. Goofy looks, Not as practical as the Jetta or GTI... Then I drove the thing... Nice! The seats are the best sport seats VW offers. The 1.8 motor is very impressive for a small turbocharged engine. Lots of torque (162ft/lbs is the best offerd by VW until early/mid 2002 when the 180hp version arrived) Picked the Beetle sport after looking at Golf GTI w/same options. Saved $1200 over GTI by buying the Beetle sport package. I must admit I'am starting to really dig the goofy looks. The Beetle corners wonderfully for a FWD car. The best I have sampled, (RSX, Celica, Jetta w/16" wheels (wolfsburg), GTI w/17" wheels) it also has a very compliant ride. Spent the past weekend on a 250mi trip, the balance between ride and cornering grip is fantastic. The seats are the best I have used, very adjustable and combined with the tilt/telliscopic wheel allow for a great driving position. Don't worry about the depth of the dash, once I drove the car for 1hr it was no longer a problem. As per all VW/Audi products this is a very solid feeling car. It really feels like you are getting your money's worth. The bottom line is the Beetle with the sport package is a well built, fully equiped, great peforming, affordable and FUN car. I looked at everything from Corvettes/Mustangs to Miatas, MR2s Audis, BMW's you name it and I drove it... It may not be the best at any single thing but I found the Beetle Sport to offer the best combination of practicality, real world performace, economy, comfort and personality. Plus you can tune it to no end! Oh and it is cheap to insure. Ok that's it, I am going for a drive!

Small enough to park just about anywhere Great handling Love the head room (except for the back seat, but what do you expect from a 2 door).

Pathetic cup holders Cheap plastic coating on interior

Well, I've had my bug for about a year and a half and have had very minor problems. Like many people, the interior is pealing (why the heck did they coat it in the first place?) and the latch on the armrest broke. Sometimes the check engine light will come on when it's really cold out, but then goes off once it warms up (this has happened only a couple of times). I haven't had any problems with the trunk latch, but the hood latch likes to stick. So far my biggest gripe is the fact that I have to take it in to have the headlights changed. $75 for something that really shouldn't be that much if they had just engineered it properly. From what I've read, though, I've had it pretty lucky! Over all I love my little bug, but I certainly wouldn't buy one used and I'd make sure the dealership was a good one just in case you end up with a lemon.

the dash lights are kinda pretty

Everything between the headlights and the break lights

I have had a horrible experience with my Beetle. The car keeps falling apart and it's always in the shop. I've had 2 new ignitions, the switches on the drivers side replaced 4 times, a new alternator, about 4 headlights,timing belt, 2 batteries, a really expensive sensor, a new side mirror, and now it's leaking coolant really bad. Plus parts are expensive. You can't put any regular battery or coolant in it you have to use special brands that are hard to find and more expensive. And if you crack a fog light cover it will cost about $450 to replace it because they have to remove the entire front end of your car to fix it. I used to really like the Beetle when I was younger but now that I own one I just want to push it into a river and cut my losses.