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Comments
than the continual raving that goes on
in other rooms. (Passat vs. Intrigue in Sedans
for example) Peace Pam.
Now, howz 'bouts that Beetle?
I've noticed VW running more Beetle and Passat ads lately. I wonder if they're noticing their sales reaching a plateau after the recent rush on both cars. Also, now that the initial mania over the NB has calmed, I wonder if dealers are more willing to haggle on the price or at least sell the car for MSRP. Or is the gouging still going on?
my best friends builds honda's
he warns against ever buying a car the first year out, (a new model accord, civic, beetle whatever). however we still got the beetle and found it a much better drive than the loaded honda civic (it seemed "mushy") (our beetle has the sport package so that may make a difference).
however, the proof of the beetle will have to come when it has been out for a couple of years, we will need to wait and see on the reliability etc. - any new model car will have the "little" problems; it comes with the territory of a new design.
Still for the money (at least MSRP) the beetle had as much to offer as most of the cars we looked at (honda, acura, other VW's, etc.)
i think too as the Edmund's review says, driving the beetle makes you and others happy ;-) i guess honda's do to with multi-millions of them on the road.
I coveted one! That car is just SO darn cute I want to pinch its cheeks whenever I see one. Even though a little car is totally impractical for me, I decided I must have one!
Then I realized that there was no way in heck I was gonna get one for less than MSRP. Philosophically I am opposed to paying MSRP for any car. I just cannot do it. Bummer! I wanted that car.
I ended up buying a Honda (EEK! duck head!) CR-V for 2% over invoice. I think it is almost as cute as the Beetle. I don't pinch my CR-V in the cheeks, but I have been known to pat its rump.
Yesterday I was driving home in my 3 day old car. I am at the stage where I live in fear of getting hit, dinged, scratched, etc. I saw a silver bug in the lane next to me. I stared. I drooled. I wanted to pinch. Then I realized I'd better keep my eyes on the brake lights in front of me! I looked in my rearview mirror: the folks in the car behind me were all pointing at the bug. I yelled (to myself), "Stop staring at that bug!!! You might rear-end me!!!!!"
It is a menace to the road, I tell ya!
:-)
francy
msrp was what i paid, at least here in austin tx,
but they have never sold them for over msrp. our salesman said the dealer has enough bucks already.
With few exceptions, it generally pays to wait until the second model year to buy a new make. A few examples - Ford Taurus (notorious first year ..most problems fixed 2cd year), original VW Rabbit (I owned that one, most problems fixed the 2cd year), etc. Modern computer, engineering and manufacturing techniques may minimize these bugs but the rule is still a wise one in my opinion.
For many of us, the season for the NB is "not now." I hope, for myself, that it might one day be "right now!" ;-)
carlady/host
May my wife and I stopped by the local VW
dealership to see what all of the tlk was about
in regards to the New Beetle. The dealer had one
black loaded beetle that was supposed to be a
demo car, but sadly was just being driven by the
salesman becuase of fist fights breaking out aboutwho would drive the car next. Anyway, I was
informed that a New Beetle would be arriving in
late June that was not spoken for. A Yellow TDI.
I currently have two leased vehicles and a four
month old baby, so needless to say, there was no
way I could swing it. UUUGGGHH! It was right
there, no wait! I hope I have that chance again
sometime. I'll take advantage of it.
But...think now, it's a VW ! You may have dodged a bullet!
carlady/host
You are just one funny guy!! You never miss a beat, do you? Every time I see a response from you, I get a giggle!!
Pam
by the way I thought selling 101 now included the info that negative selling was not the way to sell to today's consumer - that is why we did not buy a honda - they use the same schtick here in austin.
I am also still looking for an answer as to what the rubber "gasket" is on the front of the new civic between the hood and front of car - it looks like honda painted a black line across all of their civics.
I've had no problems so far with the Beetle. The service dept. at the dealer has been incredibly decent to me. When a minor recall was announced for a slight wiring problem that could be fixed in 15 minutes, they took the car for an entire day to check it out from top to bottom, and gave me a free rental . Before they returned it to me they washed it and filled up the gas tank. I've been called at least 3 times by the dealer/or main office to see if I've been satisfied with the service.
The car has a lot of power for a 4 cylinder. But it also feels a little cramped and, after all those years with an automatic, I'm tired of all the shifting. I've seriously thought about selling it and getting a larger car that doesn't have a stick. However, people that have driven the car look at me like I'm crazy. they all love the way the car drives. So maybe it's just me.
The weirdest aspect of the car is the looks and comments you get from people. It's just amazing. The first month was the worst. It was like driving the Batmobile. I teach school, and all of a sudden I became 'the teacher with the bug'.
But in general the car is really nice, with the one problem of feeling scrunched up when you fold down the rear seat for cargo.
As far as availability, here in southern Maryland, it seems almost every dealer has 1 or 2 ready for sale at sticker price. It's just a matter of whether they have the color you want in the transmission style(stick or automatic) you want. I've found the stick in mine shifts very smoothly, and I did notice a slight loss of power when I test drove the automatic. I had also heard that the paint on the yellow Beetles had been fading into a crappy shade of white and that all the yellow ones had been quietly recalled. I don't know if it was just a rumor, but I only saw my first yellow one at the dealer yesterday, and some people at the dealership had mentioned the fading problem to me a couple of months ago, and acted like they were trying to keep it under wraps.
Hope the above is helpful. Above all, if you're thinking of buying a bug, don't let some dealer nail you for additional dealer markup on the sticker. I was on a waiting list for about a month. When I finally used my head and opened a phone book it took me about 15 minutes to find a dealer within an hours drive with a bug in my color ready to be sold at sticker(I haven't heard of ANYONE being able to buy one for less than full sticker).
carlady/host
--Mike
It was in November 1997 that I first heard about the New Beetle coming out. I was with my sister at the Mazda/Volkswagen dealer where she was test driving the 626 and the Passat.
The salesman started telling us about the New Beetle that would be coming out in a few months. Here's the funny part: he said the price would be UNDER $10,000!!! I remember thinking, "Gee, what kind of car would it be for less than $10K?"
Was that guy out of his mind, or what???
Pam
carlady/host
It's a Silver NB, standard shift, Sports and Convenience packages. (No ABS, leather, or other options.)
Paid MSRP. Got a small discount on dealer options.
Any suggestions on the drill for picking up a new car?
Thanks.
I haven't been to the College Park VW dealer, but
I drove past it yesterday afternoon at around
5:30 PM. My advice: go before 4:30 or after 6:30,
because traffic stinks on route 1. Should get
worse when UMD starts its fall term on Monday.
Spedman -
You don't happen to own the white, automatic NB that's parked in front of my apartment in Laurel,
do you?
Crly, Fleece is right, traffic stinks on Rt. 1 during anytime near rush hour. But the people at the VW dealer are O.K. to deal with so it's worth the trip if you can get there during off peak hours. They're not that annoying phony kind of nice made famous by car dealers; my experience has been they just act like friendly proffessionals. Good Luck.
Couldn't hurt, might help. Alot. Please, let us know how things go for you.
carlady/host
You did great!! You'll be SO glad a few years from now! Oh, oh, Carlady is reading this...How do I make a smiley now?
To isellhondas-
Congratulations! ;-)
carlady/host
I'm starting to see more of them on the road (3 in 2 days last week - black, silver, and yellow). They really are eye-catching. I just still want more reliability than I've seen so far with them. Plus I'm not big on having to pay extra and get on a waiting list. HOWEVER, if those things would swing my way, I would again consider buying one.
Isellhondas, do you see the Beetle coming around to our way of thinking any time in the future?
Pam
Thanks
ps I have tried autobytel and autovantage and the dealer wants $2,000 over sticker..
carlady/host
As you know, I'm not impressed with the long term reliability of anythjing made by VW.
Maybe they have improved but why take a chance?
Lots of other people will no doubt disagree with me but I'll stand my ground until I see the improvements I keep hearing about.
Now, some people think these things are "cute", but that's a matter of opinion.
when i was looking for my NB last month, practically all the dealerships in my area (san francisco bay area) wanted at least $2000 over msrp. i asked my credit union for advice and they recommended the fleet salesperson at the berkeley dealership.
independently, i had posted what i wanted with auto-by-tel, and the woman my credit union had recommended answered the post! anyway, i told her what i wanted to pay and she gave it to me for that, with no hassles or bargaining up of the price.
my advice to you is to get some leads from your bank or come on up to berkeley and get your bug here!
I'm interested in purchasing an aftermarket CD player for my NB. Any recommendations on brands/models/price (installed)? Thanks in advance.
-Dana
isellhondas, how many can fit in the back of the Civic?
Thanks for any feedback.
Kaurelio
I would recommend you the CD changer provided by VW. It's not manufactured by VW, but by Matsushita (Panasonic) in Japan. From my previous experience with portable and non-portable CD players, well, those made by Matsushita (Panasonic) in Japan sound the best and are also the longer lasting. The cost to the dealer here in Canada is 370 canadian dollars. If I use the same currency conversion factor as for the vehicule's price and options ( 1.000 USD = 1.312 CAD), then the cost in the US should be 282$. I paid cost for my CD changer - the only "bargain" I managed to get on the car, besides paying only MSRP. If you consider another brand, try to avoid SONY CD players, they're loaded with features, but the materials and manufacturing are astonishingly cheap. I heard other brands here in Canada could sell for around 300 $, but these alternative CD changers require an adapter, which might bring their price over VW's. One last thing, the CD changer installation is quite simple - it takes about 5 minutes or so - and it's easy to get overcharged for it.
Besides that, I've got my NB a couple of weeks ago and I already put 2500 miles on it. Underneath all the cuteness it's really a good car, if you ask me. It handles very well - now I finally know first-hand what german engineering means - and with those large wheels pushed to the four corners of the car, the ride is so stable, it takes a police car to make you realize you went over 80 MPH, if you don't watch the speedometer closely. Ouch! it costed me a speeding ticket already. The truly amazing thing about the NB though, is its design - interior and exterior - combined with all those features: it makes me feel like I'm driving a car of the future. The NB surely has a couple of years of advance when compared to other cars. Japanase cars - especially Hondas! - have a lot of catch-up to do. But then again, when it comes to cars, the Japanese are really good at copying others and really bad at innovating. The Mercury Cougar was the only car I test-drove, which felt like it was the same generation as the NB.
Changes for the 1999 model look like they will be minor - headrests, interior lighting and stuff like that. I guess it's a good sign VW didn't feel like changing something more substantial. The headrests though, will be a more than welcome improvement, if you ask me. The ones in my car have a hard time locking at a set height and tend to slide down into their sockets. Besides that, I can't think of anything else in the complaints department, and I hope it'll remain this way as the mileage goes on. What about you Dana? Any problems with your NB so far, that I might be looking forward in mine? Hope not,
Robert
Out for good,
Robert
Well, there are three seat belts in the back seat of a Civic, but, I sure wouldn't want to be the guy in the middle!
Hope these kids are small! I doubt if a Beetle would be any better.
The biggest news for 1999: ABS is now STANDARD!!
Hint to collectors: 98 is the only year of ONE Beetle model, no abs option, and several minor equipment groupings which are changing next year.
For more info on the 99's, check this website:
http://www.air.on.ca/users/stefan/newbug/
Lots of info. Check it out.
By the way, I have a Bright Blue 5spd, and its unfortunately for sale, at $18,900. Recent financial situations force. Email if any Beetle loyalists would like to give my baby a new home.
carlady/host
I checked the rear seat belt anchors, and since they are simply bolted in, I would guess one can add a middle lap belt by unbolting the two middle anchors, and putting the new belt thru the bolts the reattaching them.
- Dana
carlady/host