New Beetles

[kellison]

i have a question for any members with a 98 or newer beetle. how reliable are they, repair costs, and is there anything else to watch out for or problems to avoid?

[0nebadbug]

Ones with manual transmissions are way cheaper to fix when needed (and less headache IMO) than ones with Automatic transmissions are...
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::: Slowoval ::: LaDawri Sebring ::: '61 Creampuff ::: Dust Storm '66 :::

[kellison]

Thanks im looking to buy one soon and just need to have a idea of what to look for and what to avoid all together. Have found a couple stick turbos that i like.

[WD-40]

My wife has a '98. I want to say it has ~175,000 miles on it now, and she bought it at around the 30,000 mile mark when it was a few years old. It's been (and continues to be) a fantastic car. Manual trans, 2.0L non-turbo, cloth interior, manual seats. Very reliable, drives great, and I would say long term the repair and upkeep costs have been remarkably low.

I can't really give you any big things to "watch out for" (that would keep you from buying one), but here are some common early New Beetle "annoyances":
* The electric release mechanism on the fuel door breaks. You see a LOT of New Beetles with their gas lids "not quite closed" for this reason.
* The hinge post(s) on the rear cargo cover will break off if you are too forceful when removing or reinstalling it.
* The headlight bulbs are a **** to change *IF* the owner/shop didn't keep the tracks cleaned and greased. A lot of New Beetles have at least one of the metal strap/latch, housing, plastic push-catch or plastic lever portions broken from trying to force a stuck headlight one way or the other. Might also have prying marks from the front. It's a 10 minute job to grease them, and then it's an easy 5-minute no-tools job to change headlights from then on out.
* The "soft touch" interior plastics don't age well (peeling). It's annoying, but only up until the point where it has all worn/peeled off, at which point it isn't a big deal anymore.
* The plastics used in the radio face also don't age well (brittle). Some show visible cracks in the front from normal use, and when the plastics on the INSIDE crack, the inner circuit board will move backwards and the buttons will stop working. Not hard to glue/fix, but a bit of a pain.
* Changing the radiator is a PITA, as the whole front end has to come apart. Look for bright pink traces of dried coolant on the lower skid plates at the front, right under the radiator end tanks.
* The secondary air injection pump has a poor design that is riveted together with rivets that fail over time, letting the pump bleed pressure out the sides. The car will detect the low pressure and throw an emissions CEL at startup, and it's like an $800 job to have a dealer fix it as they just replace the whole pump assembly. If you DIY, it's a <$10 permanent lifetime fix to drill out the rivets and replace them with bolts/locknuts.
* The little linkages behind the dash vents will at some point in their lives pop out of place and the dash vent slats will not point where you want them to. You can fix them from the front (without taking the dash apart) by fishing the linkages around with a piece of string and pulling forward to snap them back into place.
* If parked outside, the rubber on the original radio antenna has probably failed by now, maybe twice already, and the spring inside will be rusting. You see a lot of NBs on the road with droopy or missing antennas because of this. They just unscrew and are easy to replace, and if yours hasn't gone yet but the rubber is aging, a piece of black heat shrink tube will fix it right up.
* Like all 90's VWs, they have their issues with the door locks and the alarm. You might have a door that locks with the key but not with the remote, or vice-versa. Another thing is a door that locks just fine, but the switches don't sense that it is locked so the alarm won't arm, or a door that DOESN'T lock but the car THINKS it is and it arms the alarm, so the next time you pull on the handle the alarm goes off. If the car thinks it was locked from the outside and you try to start it from the inside, it's quite an experience.
* The plastic window regulator clips and doors that go "PLINK!" followed by the window dropping down inside. There was a VW fix with metal clips, I would guess that the odds are highly likely that anything you buy now will have had the fix done, the plastic clips just weren't reliable enough to last.


So, they have some unique quirks... but no major red flags that we have hit. Like any used car, prior maintenance is a key factor.
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"The new Volkswagen 1303. We've made so many improvements, they're beginning to show."

[kellison]

Is there anything specific to look for problem wise buying a used turbo beetle?

[Derek Cobb]

Make sure the timing belt has been replaced!!! It's a pain in the ass job, but if it breaks you'll be pulling the heads for a rebuild. I wouldn't take one past 70K without replacing it.

[oasis]

[stewardc]

I had a 1998 GLS TDI New Beetle and I must say it was the absolute worst car I have ever owned. The electronic issues were multiple, it was so low you couldn't drive anywhere and the engine blew up at 110,000km (about 70,000 miles). In short, it cured me of a 15 year VW diesel addiction. Sorry, folks, but these cars were crap. I understand the new ones are slightly better, but won't ever try one again.

[wbrown45]

While the early New Beetles had numerous problems, my wife's 2010 New Beetle with a 2.5L 5cyl. has been a fantastic car. We have about 40,000 miles on it with no issues. It consistently gets mid to high 30's for MPG. The 6 speed automatic (no manual available the last year of production) has Tiptronic which allows you to engine brake downhill. VW seems to have addressed a lot of quality problems starting about 2006. The vast majority of complaints are cars that are older than that. I love the sound of the 5 cyl. engine, but I read some complaints that it sounds "weird." I like the fact this engine does not have a timing belt. Would I have bought it for myself, probably not. But, it is a vey good little car with a very distinct personality.
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OK Thang

[Karmannut]

i had a 98 for 4 years bought it 38k miles in 03 sold it in 07 with 138K never a problem did nothing to it but routine maintenance after leasing 3 Golfs (06 Golf 4dr 09 Rabbit 2dr and 12 Golf 2dr) back in a 14 Beetle the Golfs were great trouble free cars but they lacked the fun factor of the Beetle
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Rupert- 64 Sea Blue Beetle with 66 Dove Lodgette tent
Bunny- 84 grey Rabbit Convertible
Pepper-18 Habanero Orange Beetle SE Premium
Air and Water do mix!

[blue72beetle]

I'll put this here, as I asked Everett to delete my other thread, it's more suitable for this one. I have a few specific questions that weren't addressed above.

I've sold my daily driver as I will be deploying outside the country soon, and I'll be gone for awhile. When I get back I will need to buy another daily driver and I've been thinking about New Beetles (98+).

I have a few questions. I don't know much about newer VW's.
I assume stay away from the automatic transmissions? I prefer manuals anyway.
Which is better long term reliability wise, 2.0 or 1.8T?
Which is better for performance or performance upgrades, 2.0 or 1.8T?
Are they easy to lower, or raise (for a quasi baja look)?
Should I avoid 98's? (the first year of production, kinks aren't worked out yet sorta thing)

Thanks for any help!
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-Andy-
-1970 Ghia-
-1971 Bus 1776 Microsquirt EFI-

[Karmannut]

A much better place for info on the New Beetle is the newbeetle.org

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Rupert- 64 Sea Blue Beetle with 66 Dove Lodgette tent
Bunny- 84 grey Rabbit Convertible
Pepper-18 Habanero Orange Beetle SE Premium
Air and Water do mix!

[kellison]

Guys im looking to but from 98 to 2003 not a brand new beetle

[Karmannut]

the newbeetle.org is both the New Beetle and the 12+ Beetle most of whats on there is for the 98-10 New Beetle though
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Rupert- 64 Sea Blue Beetle with 66 Dove Lodgette tent
Bunny- 84 grey Rabbit Convertible
Pepper-18 Habanero Orange Beetle SE Premium
Air and Water do mix!

[oasis]

Our former neighbor bought a '98 NB brand new and it gave them no major problems ever. They still had it a year ago when I last saw them.

The AEG 2.0 doesn't enjoy the same reputation as the bullet-proof ABA before it. Supposedly, they can be oil consumers once they reach six digits. Also, supposedly, they are great after a rebuild. Talking to real owners, I have heard more of a mixed review with more positives thrown in.

The 1.8T had reports on sludging. We inherited (so to speak) my dad's Passat he bought new. It was pristine physically and mechanically when we sold it last summer.

I think it comes down to how was the car previously maintained and handled. It's going to be a used car, so even mint ones are going to need things done sooner rather than later.

I personally did not like the shifting points of the automatic and 1.8T in Passat, but neither were a problem.

Lowering NBs have been done quite a bit. I imagine it is fairly easy to do in a proper fashion since it shares much with a Golf IV. Raising a NB may involve some one-off modifications, I don't know. I can only recall ever seeing one, and it was on the cover of some magazine years ago.

Since there is a NB specific site to go to, take advantage of it. You can also try VWVortex. Results may vary. Good luck.
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Now: 2003 New Beetle Turbo S / 1990 Single Cab Transporter / 2014 Tiguan R-Line 4motion / 2013 Tiguan S / 2002 Golf GLS TDI
Past: 1974 Thing Acapulco / 2009 Eos Komfort / 1997 Jetta GT / 2002 Cabrio GLX / 2002 Passat GLS / 1971 Super Beetle / 1993 EuroVan MV Westfalia / 1981 Pickup LX / 1985 Vanagon / 1986 Jetta GLI

[ach60]

I had a '99 New Beetle 1.8t, possibly the worst car I ever owned.
I have a '05 New Beetle 1.8t Convertible with 65K miles on it, and I've never had a problem with it.
1.8t with a 5 speed manual is the only way to go, fun car, lots of go-faster parts available.
2.slow and 2.5 drive nice but are boring to me.
A buddy bought a TDi, again to me the car is slow, I don't want a slow daily driver.
VW really earned the "New Beetles are girls car rep" with the new Beetles after 2005,
because you could only get the 2.5 engine, and most girls bought automatics.
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Good Luck
Al

[wbrown45]