TheSamba.com :: View topic - * CarryOver: new Mexican beetles -

Tue Aug 05, 2003 1:30 pm

I found this thread interesting, so I brought it up here:
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new Mexican beetles fstgrmnhotmail.com originally said... (5/17/2003 at 9:53AM PST)

I had read about a company in either Texas or Arizona that will take an old pan and put a brand new 2003 beetle on it. Does anyone know what the name of that company is, and do they have a site?
Thanks!
1972_1302 said... (5/17/2003 at 2:29PM PST)

Beetlemex, Inc., (DBA Btlmex, Inc.),
441 N. Grand Ave. Suite 7-350,
Nogales, Arizona 85621
Toll Free Tel. (888) 384-2814

http://www.btlmex.com/
74SuperDriver said... (5/18/2003 at 1:11PM PST)

My burnig question is: Does anyone own one, and what do they think of it?
Superman said... (5/18/2003 at 6:15PM PST)

I've seen one, they are as nice as a new car can be. Although it has the later ball joint front axle and rear swing axle suspension/transmission. Not really my style and not a Super.

http://www.superbeetlesonly.com
73super B said... (6/5/2003 at 1:06PM PST)

what is the cost this seems too good to be true!
j.pickensusa.net said... (6/5/2003 at 8:23PM PST)

They cost around 10 Grand.
I have one, registered on a '71 beetle center "dogbone". All the rest is stock '99 Mexibeetle. Swing axle rear, Fuel injected 1600cc, Front Ghia style disc brakes. Mine came with a factory installed ragtop sunroof. Similar to the pre-'64 ragtops, only it extends all the way down to where the bottom of the rear window would go. Has a vinyl rear window in the ragtop, which is electric powered with a cable system running through the "A" pillars to a worm drive motor in the center of the front trunk floor. I love this car! Up to 4000 original miles. Here are some photos:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/60604.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/60606.jpg
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/60611.jpg
bthompsonndii.com said... (7/25/2003 at 4:26PM PST)

regarding beeltemex and the new/old beetles;

i just put a deposit on the delivery of one myself- any advice or things to look for in terms of craftmanship, glitches, etc?

thanks

bryan
j.pickensusa.net said... (7/25/2003 at 6:46PM PST)

Just be aware that no Mexican beetle will be up to the quality standards of the German originals. Thinner gauge steel is the biggest drawback I've seen, along with the spartan interior and thin rubber parts. But overall, it is really nice having a Zero miles car! Try to get documentation on your engine (solid or hydraulic lifters? Model and part numbers for Fuel Injection parts and controls) These are the main items which differ from stock old metal beetles.

Good luck, let us know how you do!
j.pickensusa.net said... (7/25/2003 at 6:48PM PST)

By the way, the Mexibeetles are NOT superbeetles. You may want to switch forums! LOL
brucetweddlecanada.com said... (7/27/2003 at 10:33AM PST)

Contrary to what j.pickens says, the current Mexican Beetles are vastly superior to German ones. The steel is not thinner, its the same thickness. And that spartan interior he talks about contains seats that are way better than any Beetle seat made in Germany. Much more comfortable too. Modern materials and techniques gives the Mexican made Bug the advantage.

His price is a little off too. They are $11,500, shipping extra.

That roll back sunroof he got is not a factory installed option. It is made in Arizona by a company called Street Beat.
If you want one, call them tomorrow morning. Don't wait for e-mail. The end is nigh.
79SuperVert said... (7/27/2003 at 3:27PM PST)

"Vastly superior"? Better not to do that kind of comparison. It's still the same basic design, with some tweaks. It's like saying a Super is "vastly superior" to a '49. In some ways yes, in some ways no. Looks like we have a whole new "which is better" argument thread to look forward to.
Viggy said... (7/28/2003 at 3:43PM PST)

WIll this mean that the SUper Haters will let us be while they rip apart Mexi beetles?
j.pickensusa.net said... (7/28/2003 at 7:56PM PST)

brucetweddle:

I disagree about the metal thickness.
I've inspected my '69 German beetle side by side with my '99 Mexibeetle, and the sheet metal is thinner, no doubt about it.
My roll back sunroof was installed in Puebla, Mexico at the VW factory.
It is vastly different from the Streebeat units I've seen.
The Streetbeat ones have a "shelf" below the level of the metal roof at the front of the top, which allows any water that leaks past the closed ragtop to dribble into the vehicle. Mine has a "slope away" design, where any leaking water will naturally drain downward and outward away from the opening in the vehicle.
Perhaps Streetbeat produced the tops for VW of Mexico, but I have yet to see an identical top as a retrofit on any beetle not made in Puebla.
brucetweddlecanada.com said... (7/29/2003 at 11:22PM PST)

How thick is the steel? Give us the dimensions you measure. Paint has thickness.

If your rollback sunroof isn't made by Streetbeat it was made by someone else, but absolutely not by VW of Mexico. If you go to www.vw.com.mx you will not find any information about the rollback sunroof because they don't make it. Of the many months I've driven around Mexico and the tens of thousands of Beetles I have seen, not one had such a roof. VW isn't stupid enough to continue to offer an option that no one buys. Are there VW logos on all the parts of the sunroof?

Was that your car that was listed on eBay a couple of months ago?
j.pickensusa.net said... (7/30/2003 at 10:20PM PST)

Bruce,
The rollback tops are (were) installed in the Puebla factory, as far as I was told.
I have seen them on MANY Mexibeetles, from different sources.
There's even a British company who (used to) legitimately import the Beetles, and they sold them with the factory option. Here's the link:

http://www.beetles-uk.com/beetle.html

Click on classic beetle, then on the "create a car" link.

It's called an open air beetle. I SAW the orginal VW invoice for the car, and the top was included. You should see this top, it has custom molded plastic interior panels to dress up the entire roofline around the opening to replace what would be the headliner in a standard beetle. Unlike every aftermarket top I've seen, it is electrically operated, and can even be actuated open and closed at full highway speeds. It's a beautiful design.

As far as the steel thickness, I have not actually measured it with a micrometer, but anyone who has purchased a Mexican fender and installed it on a German beetle knows exactly what I'm talking about.
brucetweddlecanada.com said... (8/1/2003 at 1:27AM PST)

For the last 4-5 years the Beetle was only officially sold in Mexico. There were a handful of independant companies involved in exporting them to the US, UK and anywhere else. VW of Mexico did not officially recognise this venture, so it stands to reason they wouldn't offer an option that was only installed on the miniscule numbers of cars unofficially sold outside the country. If you were told it was a factory option, you were lied to. Again, I ask you if you see any VW logos on the sunroof parts?

I measured the thickness of the steel in my German beetle's door at 0.7mm. Imagine my surprise to find the Mexican Beetle to have THICKER steel. Perhaps you are comparing a new, thinly primed Mexican fender to thickly painted German body. When I toured the Puebla factory in Feb '02, my guide took me through a part of the factory that isn't on the normal tours. This was the aircooled Beetle assembly area. On this trip I saw front hoods being stamped right beside Golf door skins. My guide told me they only use imported German or American steel.
j.pickensusa.net said... (8/1/2003 at 8:13PM PST)

bruce,
Nope, no VW logos on the rollback roof.
I know the top was installed in Mexico, and that the VW was delivered from Puebla with the roof installed. Who did the installation? You tell me....
I'll get hold of a micrometer and do some metal thickness measurements and let you know.