Visibility/windows, interior spaciness, manual transmission, safety features, hatch, sunroof, sunglass holder, visor mirror with light,leather seats, cool dashboard lights, drives like a powerful little go-cart! And, with the bright yellow color, no problem finding it in a parking lot....

I am wondering about the windshield. Got a big rock ding early on, and recall the used model my dealership tried to sell me also had one. Are these w/s particularly prone to damage? Cupholders - cannot accomodate cups w/handles but hey, no whining! Gas mileage - not great - but I knew when I paid sticker price that I was not going for economy! I just love the car.

I LOVE my New Beetle. Never in my life did I desire a Beetle, and actually went into the dealership to buy a new Mazda 626 to replace my 8 year old Mazda 626. But I thought, why not drive one of those Beetles? And I loved it. I liked the wide windows (I am a birdwatcher), the oomph of the 1.8T, and all the wonderful features. The color is great too - bright yellow -- when my friends see the car they say "that's YOU!" And, I have to admit, as a member of the "flower child" generation (60's) I like the bud vase! I bought the car and brought it home unbeknownst to my husband. When he saw it he was kind of stunned, but after riding in it (and driving it when he is lucky) he is now happy to have "the bug" as part of our family!

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I have owned Mazda (1) Toyota (1) Subaru (3) and Camaro (1). Test drove a Toyota Solara before the New Beetle (boring). So far the quality seems great, service is the best I have ever had (well, that's the dealer)and for what I need at this time in my life (something affordable yet cool)NB is the winner! And this is the zippiest car I have ever owned!

Visibility/windows, interior spaciness, manual transmission, safety features, hatch, sunroof, sunglass holder, visor mirror with light,leather seats, cool dashboard lights, drives like a powerful little go-cart! And, with the bright yellow color, no problem finding it in a parking lot....

I am wondering about the windshield. Got a big rock ding early on, and recall the used model my dealership tried to sell me also had one. Are these w/s particularly prone to damage? Cupholders - cannot accomodate cups w/handles but hey, no whining! Gas mileage - not great - but I knew when I paid sticker price that I was not going for economy! I just love the car.

I LOVE my New Beetle. Never in my life did I desire a Beetle, and actually went into the dealership to buy a new Mazda 626 to replace my 8 year old Mazda 626. But I thought, why not drive one of those Beetles? And I loved it. I liked the wide windows (I am a birdwatcher), the oomph of the 1.8T, and all the wonderful features. The color is great too - bright yellow -- when my friends see the car they say "that's YOU!" And, I have to admit, as a member of the "flower child" generation (60's) I like the bud vase! I bought the car and brought it home unbeknownst to my husband. When he saw it he was kind of stunned, but after riding in it (and driving it when he is lucky) he is now happy to have "the bug" as part of our family!

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I have owned Mazda (1) Toyota (1) Subaru (3) and Camaro (1). Test drove a Toyota Solara before the New Beetle (boring). So far the quality seems great, service is the best I have ever had (well, that's the dealer)and for what I need at this time in my life (something affordable yet cool)NB is the winner! And this is the zippiest car I have ever owned!

Looks.

Very poor quality.

I bought this car last October to have a reliable car for commuting. Problems so far: Sway bar came loose (rattling noise), radiator fan switch failed, defective gas door switch, defective window switch, radio did not accept security code, defective dashboard control lights, defective power window motor. Due to these defects, I had to bring in the car several times.

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Volkwagen Golf, Renault R4, Fiat Ritmo. The Beetle is the least reliable.

acceleration, a/c, head room for the front seats, and many more. I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

I would have to say I have been having problems with the electrical system. Hopefully not much more than that problem.

So far my NB has given me no big problems. I bought it with 17k miles and I love to drive it. it does draw a lot of attention from other drivers. Having the turbo engine really has an advantage of acceleration as well as a quiet engine. I like the retractable spoiler. I will not regret buying my Beetle, nor will I tell anyone not to buy this car. Since these cars have come out, I wanted one. Finally, I have the car of my dreams. The ride of this car is very good and the way it handles on the road is good also.

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Before this car I had a '91 Geo prizm, which can't even comepare to this car. the NB gets better gas mileage and is a far better and more reliable car

Honestly, for the price they are asking for such a lemon, i have no found any. Perhaps the little innovations like the 25 cent bud vase or the sunglass holder. Neither of which I would ever use as a deciding factor in buying the car.

Let me list a few.
1. Engine light has come on 5 or 6 times in 3 years of ownership, everytime i bring it in they replace the o2 sensor or the MAP senson. At the 500 dollars a pop on the map sensor im suprised that VW is making any money off these cars.
2. The passenger door is not closing right and the window on it is extrememly hard to close as a result. The door seems to be somewhat cocked? No clue on what defect lead to this.
3. Paint is rubbing off everwhere, the steering wheel, the door handles.
4. Some little pin on the driver side door lock that is supposed to hold it in place seems to keep comming off and falling apart.
5. The trunk likes to pop for no reason and set off my alarm.
6. The anti sway bar has now come loose and keeps rubbing up against my muffler and rattling all over the place.
7. Suspension is too soft, feels mushy on rough roads.
8. Speakers are all rattling, I do not use my volume excessivly, but the speakers could not hold up to half volume on a factory radio over 3 years of use. So much for this great stereo system they boast.
9. I brought the car through one car wash and my side mirror covers broke off, and my the rubber arround my antenna cracked and the antenna is now rusting and bent. I thought it was the car wash's fault but after bringing other cars through the same wash realized that even the slightest lateral pressure on the mirrors would crack the small plastic "tits" that hold the mirror shells together. I also discovered that the rubber on the antenna was dried out from heat and cracked with just a bit of force.

Well I hope this is enough information to warn the ill advised consumer as myself. I bought the car when it was newly released and there was little information on the long term performance on the New Beetle. BE WARNED THIS CAR IS A LEMON!!!

The care although many would classify as cute, is not a viable reason to purchase it. My almost 3 years worth of experience with the car should provide more than enough reasons not to purchase a New Beetle. If my review does not dissuade you, plase refer to the more than 30 other bad reviews posted above this one.

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Many other lower priced American, German, and Asian Vehicles that put the VW New Beatle to shame.

Quiet, powerful, well tuned 1.8litre engine
Comforatable seats for short to tall
Low road noise

We had our Beetle for 15 months, then traded it. Did not want to pay the repair bills for items that should last the life of the car on many other brands. Day 1, driving out of the dealership the rear spoiler breaks. 3 months later, 1st A/C run, the A/C has no freon, has to be charged at the dealership. ECM locks up, after 4 months of ownership. MAF and O2 sensor fail within 1 week of each other, after 1 year of use and 15k miles. These cars are fun, fast, and cute. However, BUYER BEWARE...Neither the dealker you bought the car from or VW of America will stand behind the product after 24 months. If you buy one get it on a 24 month walk away lease, these cars depreciate faster than most, due to the numerous problems they have and continue to have.

Fun car to drive when its not in the shop. My car spent 8 days in the shop, then at 15 months of "the Beetle experience" we traded it off for a new Dodge Pick up, which has been flawless to date. If you want a Hot Rod, compact get a new Beetle with the 1.8 turbo, However, be sure to get a bumper to bumper extended warranty, unless you have excess money to burn on repairs. Plan on 3 days a month of downtime for Mr Dealer to keep up with the warranty work and repairs.

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I have a Honda CRV, which is much slower than the Beetle, but 300% more reliable and well built. The Acura integra sedan would be just as fast, and a much better buy than the Beetle. We lost over 5k in depreciation in just 15 months of service.