Good looking, cool inside lights surprisingly big trunk. very good gas mileage, and everyone likes it. Good snow handling

Weak engine(i guess i could have waited a year for the turbo, oh well) can't see the front of the car because dash is so big

Good car everyone should get one.

Excellent Pickup, Slick 5 speed transmission, Cool Interiors, Sharp lights, maximum comfort and cool blue light with red reading on the instrumetn panel

Bass on the sound system. I am going to add a MTX subwoofer with a Kenwood Amp and that should make things rock

My new 2000 Green GLX is the best that anything can buy. Guess what you can even get a birth certificate by calling VW for the BUG

Cool eh

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Honda Civic Si. No match for the Beetle though

Nice, beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, round, cute, 16 in. wheels, flower vase. Did I mention it is cute?

Built as if a bunch of college graduates on a drinking binge took over the factory; ultra-low resale value, bad quality; bad service from VW. Kinda slow.

First of all, let me tell you something. My car had so many problems it might have been a lemon. It should have been recalled. Then again, it might be because it was one of the first built.

I had a 1998 Yellow New Beetle with black interiors. Gorgeous, beautiful. A statement on wheels. The statement lasted for 4 weeks, before the passenger seat broke. It went out of its tracks. OK, no problem.

Then, the gear lever fell off in my hands. What is going on?

Afterwards, the passenger seat's lever broke down. Hmmm.

The CD changer stopped working completely. I went to have it fixed, and the dealership stole my lovely VW pen and kept the CD changer, never to return it. I was amazed at their nerve!

I got a flat the other day (my fault). I discovered my "friends" at the dealership stole the security lock from the wheels, so I was stranded. Roadside assistance never showed up.

At 5,000 miles, my car had a collection of squeaks and rattles that made me think it was going to fall apart. It never did, but I question it's quality.

I sold it at 8,000 miles for a tremendous loss (bought it for 17,000 dollars, sold it for 12,400). That was a month ago, I barely owned the car for one year and 2 months. I drove for a while my sister's Civic Si... now that's a good car! It runs like a little racer, and nothing rattles or squeaks... and it had 15,000 miles in it! Ditto for my father's 1998 Mystique: zero personality, great car.

So I did what anyone sold on german cars could do: I think the platform is great but the execution is bad. So I bought myself a *german* made Audi A3, which is just like a luxury Golf. It's the difference between night and day! Maybe that's the way my Beetle should have been since it was new; maybe I got a lemon. But the dealership and factory never accepted the fact, and judging from their level of service, I will never own a VW product again.

How to rate the car? As a rolling statement, give it 5 stars. As for its value, I would give it a solid two. Overall, let it have a solid 3 on both counts. I would have liked to give it 5 stars, but that's the way it went for me.

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Audi A3; Mercury Mystique; Honda Civic Si

Fun to drive (When not in shop). Still turns heads. I personally like the sound system. My Delaership is great. They did not manufacture the car, but they try like crazy to fix it. they are always able to do my repairs same day. and give loaner cars, had one for two weeks waiting on the airbag, and it was a 2001 F-150 Extended Cab pickup with lots of extras. So I would recommend the dealer who also sells BMW and Porsche, the bug was cool, thats why i bought it, but never again

Where do we start. First after 2000 miles we had to have the A/C Compressor replaced. Then the side marker light fell out. Next the Airbag light came on, took it in to dealer they reset it, and let me have it back. next day it comes on again, this time in shop for 1.5 weeks, waiting on part from Germany. the month of the A/C Problem and Compressor Problem, I had the car for 4 days. thje rest of the tim it was in the shop. Ince then, the car dies at red lights. The airbag light has come on twice more, and is currently waiting to get another piece of the airbag system replaced. If I have a wreck, the airbag will not deploy. Nice to know huh? THe A/C Compressor was replaced again. the shroud surrounding the Guages popped off into my lap. the handles in the doors, are peeling. The Window switch broke. the EEC light comes on frequently, the Spoiler light comes on indicating an electrical problem anytime you press the spoiler button, which Volkswagen says you can push. The trunk opens while driving down the road. the plastic pieces surrounding the hazzard lights etc...fell off. All in all, the car is a big piece of junk. I am curently working on having the car bought back under the texas lemon law due to the fact taht it says that two times for the same SAFETY related issue, which in this case is the AIRBAG. it counts as lemon law. I think when It gets bought back I will buy an AUDI A6, i know it is the same company, but the reviews for it are much better. and a friend has one.

Car is the biggest piece of crap I have ever owned. Fun to drive, when it is not in the shop. To many problems with safety related features

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BMW, Mercedes, Ford, Cadillac. All of the above are better than a New Beetle

Fun, good take-off. easy to park. Draws attention. Handles like a sports car. I love driving this car.

Cup holders useless. Dealership service departments need to be more in tune with the customers. I have been to two dealerships and they seem to be a little distant. Customers like to be humored, even if they are being picky.

I have owned my NB Techno Blue GLX,automatic, since August of 2000. I have 12,000+ miles on it. No problems except the inside slider for the sunroof came off the tracks. (my fault). VW fixed it under warrenty. Doesn't use any oil. I added an amp and subwoofer to the sound system to get the stereo up to speed.

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None to compare

Fun to drive, I love the design, good gas mileage

horrible service!!!!!! time in the shop, bad warranties (the factory warranty is way too short and the extended warranty is already giving me ulcers too), no loaner car if you do take it in.

I'll have to say that after my experience with this car I am severely scarred in the 2 short years that I have owned it. The dealerships have treated me very badly. I have tried all of them and am always wondering if they are there to service me or if I am just putting them out by being there. My experience started about 8 months into owning the car. My ECM started acting up (if you don't know that controls the emissions and fuel, basically the computer) Anyway my car would jolt as I was applying gas to accelerate. Anyway I went to the dealership 4 times and they ran the diagonistic test each time and told me that nothing was wrong with my car and that until the problem would come out on the read-out they could not fix it. Well finally the car died while I was driving down the road, so I retured to the dealership and they finally "found" the problem. Well they said that they "fixed it" after about 2 days and when I picked it up I drove down the street and it was still broken. So I brought it back and they kept it for 3 weeks and finally really fixed the problem. So keep in mind that each time you take in your car they do not give you a loaner car. So a few months later the car died again and I took it in and the whole process started over with them telling me nothing was wrong with my car, however I was stranded 2 days before. Well it took 2 visits with no reported problem and the next day it died again. Well it took the tow truck driver to find the problem... the battery was out of water (I had my oil changed the week before and they had never checked the battery water). Anyway so instead of them trying to fix my car they instead decided to hook it up to a machine and send me away every time. Lets just say that they can not do their jobs. Not only do they treat you like a idioit when you take your car in.. They never return my calls, or follow up with me after I drop it off. I always have to call them to find out what is going on. I hate the fact that I absolutely love this car but I would never buy another one again. I would probably buy a Honda. I did write a letter to VW explaining my experiences and sent copies of the letter to the service people and dealer and no one ever contacted me at all. Not even to say that they were sorry for treating me badly...nothing! All of these cars have problems and as minor as they may be since the service is sooooo bad it isn't worth buying one even to get something small fixed is a major feat. I have had the same quality issues as many of the other people with the window breaking (add another day in the shop), the radio broke (another 3 days in the shop), the wear on the car reflects the poor attention to the details, the gas flap wouldn't open, & the window control became loose (more time in the shop).

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VW Jetta- We have a 99 Jetta TDI and it has had virtually no problems.

None

Everything! Here is a list of some of the problems that I have had: AC has stopped working three times, passenger side window has needed a new regulator two times, brake light switch has needed repair once, remote keyless entry only works intermitantly, trunk latch has needed repair once, tape player eats cassettes, headlights have needed replacing so often that I have lost count (no joke), glove compartment handle is currently broken, paint is rusting and bubbling off of the side and roof, paint and body are very soft & easily marred, clear coat is peeling off front of car, blind spots are dangerous. Repairs are expensive and tough to do.

I wish that I had never bought this car. It is a lemon, and I am surprised that more reviews on this web-site have not stated this. Other reviews on other web-sites are much less optimistic. There is no reason that my car should have the amount of problems that it has had, I do not mistreat it in any way. It is actually in the shop right now, my check engine light/ system malfunction light came on yesterday. I have literally cried out of frustration because of this car. I am trading it in as soon as I get it back from the dealer. SERIOUSLY- Don't buy this car!

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What could be worse?

This car Rocks (especially with the 1.8 liter turbo under the hood! All the features are great. I am still finding new features.

No weaknesses noticed yet.

This is my first new car purchase. I have researched this car and many other similars (Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla,etc) and this one by far was the best choice! It has great head room for me (I'm 6'4"). The 1.8 liter turbo engine has some great gitty-up and I love the AC and cruise control. Also, at night the dash really lights up well so it is easy to see all the gauges. And for safety's sake the 5-Star crash test rating is good piece of mind! I LOVE THIS CAR!!!!

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Geo/Chevy Prizm (a.k.a. Toyota Corolla)

It's cute, feels heavier than the average compact car, handled well in snow. It's more interesting-looking than the average compact car. Gets an "A" for creativity.

This car starts out with a crappy warranty and then when things go wrong, despite following all of the recommendations in the owner's manual, the dealer expects you to pay. For example, my car is eating oil -- not leaking internally or externally -- at a rate of one quart every thousand miles. I can't even go 3,000 miles without the dipstick ending up dry, let alone the 10,000 recommended in the owner's manual. Previously, a shock absorber was bad and my low-beam headlights keep burning out every few months -- a danger and inconvenience and a not so trivial expense. I dread thinking about what expenses are to come with this car as I can't afford to trade it and buy another. It can't even hold a candle to a toyota in terms of reliability. VW should be ashamed!

Unless you have enough money and a second car to get around in while the VW is in the shop, STAY AWAY. Other people warned me not to buy a VW -- they'd been to that he** and back. I should have listened. Fahrvergnuegen ----NOT!!!!

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Toyota Tercel -- so reliable I could cry when i think about how well that car served me compared to this one.

What style! Great ride, smooth and responsive, very roomy for its size. This car makes me smile when I drive it, it has some weird but pleasant ambience. I've had mine over 2 years now and this effect has not worn off.

Some of the mechanical quirks wipe the smile from my face. For starters, the bloody warranty only lasts 24,000 miles. Ridiculous - and 3000 miles later, I had a major repair (more on this). There are two big flaws that I've encountered in my car, and judging by other owners' comments, these seem to be common. The first is very unreliable power windows. My driver's side window broke once when trying to raise it - I pressed the raise window button, the window slipped down into the door, there was a crunch of breaking safety glass, a grind from the motor, then nothing. Fortunately this happened while still under warranty. Then, recently, the exact same thing happened with the passenger side window - $300 to fix. In fact, while at the dealership this morning a woman brought her Beetle in for exactly the same problem.
The second flaw pertains to the battery. The battery is kept in a closed box with a lid that prevents it from effectively venting gases and causes condensation to build up inside, which caused heavy corrosion on one of the terminals, shorting out the battery. This with roughly 35,000 miles on it. Also, I occassionally catch the scent of sulfur from the air vents, which I am certain are fumes coming from the battery. I believe that the enclosure of the battery is interfering with venting of acid fumes from the battery. I had an oxygen sensor fail on me - very expensive repair, nearly $600 - and now I wonder if perhaps this sensor was damaged by these fumes?
Also, the car consumes oil at an abnormally high rate - check your oil level often.
In any case, I expected a bit more from a German car. Of course, this one was only designed in Germany but built in Mexico, so I wonder how much that has to do with the problems. Let me note in general that repairs on this car are expensive and it is hard to find a repair shop that can do work on them that is not part of a dealership.

Overall, I am very pleased with my New Beetle. The mechanical problems I have had with it, although frustrating and expensive, haven't been bad or chronic enough to really sour me on the car. It is a car like no other, a truly unique driving experience. As close to inspired art as any mass-market automobile has ever gotten, IMO. If you can deal with below-German-average reliability, it's a great car.
I'd give this 5 stars if not for the reliability problems.

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My only other car: an 89 Pontiac Grand Prix. If the NB has problems, they appear insignificant to all the mechanical woes I had with that American piece of crap. Failures in almost every system, up to the whole wiring harness failing and needing replacement. In fact, I don't even want to continue this. GM products depress me (except for perhaps the not-available-in-the-US Opel automobiles).