VW New Beetle (Pricing & Information)

diklic

HI,

did anybody put the supercharger on his/hers NB???

dan

(slowly getting pissed at the SUVs with better acceleration then NB)

rickrover

Czeak,

Honda's parts aren't cheap and they are imported too. Most cars are dependable these days, car makers quality (even american) is way better than it used to be. Even British vehicles are dependable believe it or not. My Hiemlich (99 GLS gas 5 speed) shares a garage with a Range Rover that has been great, very few problems in 100k+ miles. I bet this New Beetle will be just as solid as it is now at 100k. Plus you'll never be bored driving a New Beetle like you definately will with any Honda. I have never owned a car that makes me smile so much, and this car smiles back at you.

laturj

I was driving my NB into work today (i only get it on fridays) and like rickover says it is fun to drive and it really makes you smile. It corners great, and my five speed has enough pep. We test drove civics and NB's and i don't think they are even close as far as the drive goes, civic is mushy and not as responsive. Also with price make sure you compare the same options (4 air bags, etc.) I remember finding not as big a diff. when i did that. We only needed a two seater thought, if you really need a back seat a lot then that is an issue to consider.

ccabralx

I bought my New Beetle in January 1999, and I really like the car. I soon discovered a tapping noise coming from the engine when I came to a red light or pulled into my driveway (after driving it for awhile). The tapping accelerates and decelerates long with the engine. After a few moments of idling, the tapping stops. This noise was quite loud and passengers commented on it, so I brought it to the dealer. After a day with it, I was told that this tapping is the fuel return valve equalizing the pressure in the fuel system.

I’m a bit leery of this answer, since this dealer’s service group has performed some pretty bad service on this car. For example, after one week with the car the tape deck would not eject a tape. No problem, the service manager said they would replace the radio. When I got it back, the dash around the tape deck was chewed up (as though someone got the radio out with a screwdriver). Furious, I stormed back into the service area and had the service manager look at the dash. Nervous about letting anyone touch my new baby again, I reluctantly agreed to have the entire center dash replaced. I even got $200 off a CD changer (which I appreciate as a good gesture from the service manager trying to calm a customer who has sent friends to the dealership to buy cars). The dash was fixed (and doesn’t squeak), but alas they left grease foot prints on the carpet and when they washed the car put 9” long scratches in the paint (it’s a black beetle).

I also noticed that the left front corner of the dash has become misaligned, leaving this corner noticeably higher than near the center. Pressing this corner down I could hear a snap, but it would not align properly. Again, I reluctantly asked to have this fixed along with a hatch alignment. I received the car back and was told they replaced a clip in the dash and the alignment is “as good as it is going to get.” Yet, it looks no better than it did before.

I love the car for all the reasons everyone who bought a NB loves theirs, but I’m really turned off by the service group, so much so that I’m considering dumping the car for something else. I don’t mean to discourage others from buying NBs, but please check out the service group’s reputation first. It’ll save you much aggravation later.

Oh, yeah, anyone really know what that tapping noise is?

DanaR

I'm certainly glad I haven't had the poor service just mentioned. Certainly there's no excuse, and ccabralx has every reason to be upset. I have had mine one year and six days now, having driven 12,000 miles. I don't even have to take mine to the dealer -- the fleet manager of the dealer I bought it from lives just down the street. Part of the deal was that if I have any problems in the first two years, all I have to do is drop it off in his driveway and he'll take care of it. Talk about service! (It doesn't hurt that I've also referred customers to the dealership).

The only problems I've had on my TDI were the 'check engine light' come on twice, the slight peeling of the center console, and the recall last summer of the wiring harness. All were taken care of with no problems. The 5000 and 10000 mile services were done at no charge. The dealer used synthetic oil at the last service. They said VW is now recommending this for the TDI for longer life.

After one year the car is as solid and fun to drive as on day one. Do others agree?

Dana

rickrover

Hey All,

Check out the VW customer service scores of your dealer, my dealer has them posted all over the dealership. They are the #1 dealer for Customer Service in my area, it's obvious they really care about C.S. They are rated for sales, service etc. The only problem I've had with mine is one floor mat clip broke, that's it.

Ccabralx - If there is another dealer in your area take your car there, you don't have to use the dealer you bought the car from. If you have a gas engine it should not be ticking, mine has a gas engine and I don't hear any ticking noise, even if it is the fuel return valve, it should not be making that noise. I went through the same thing as you with a new BMW I bought back in 92, the service dept had a lie for everything, usually the "they all do that" line. I was as fed up as you until I took it to another BMW dealer that took care of everything and bent over backwards to get it right. They provided a loaner even though I didn't buy the car from them. I referred people to them to buy cars. Hopefully you have another dealer you can try out, once you get it fixed you will be a lot happier with it.

gba2mich

FWIW....the Bosch fuel injectors do make a tapping noise that is normal. Also, you may possibly be hearing a lifter noise...

greenml430

Well I guess, like Rickrovers, my New Beetle is abnormal because there is no audible ticking, clicking, or tapping from my 2.0 gas engine.

laturj

hey all,
interesting conversation, because i too hear a ticking noise, esp in my single car garage in the morning. but i don't notice it later.

My VW repair is fair to good, but they too have made a couple mistakes (on my passatt) but they do their best to fix it ASAP. I think it is really hard to get "good help" in this economy - at least here in austin tx.

by the way, it rained hard here today and the drive was fine - i stuck nicely to the road.

laturj

When i got my 5000 mile checkup they damaged my car. When they lifted it they put four dent in
the rocking board (?the piece below the door that goes between the wheel wells).
These dents are about 1/4 inch deep and the size of a thumbprint, about 4 inches from each wheel well. They claim that is where VW says to lift the car and so the dents occur. I was hoping (not to point out a problem on your car) that you could
check your's out for me and let me know if you had the same problem. I hope not,but if so VW has to change their ways. As you look at the car the dent is about 4 inches behind the front wheel and four inches in front of the back, at the very
bottom outside edge of the rocking board.

For those of you on listserves have your heard of this?? Could you ask? I met a fellow NB owner at my dealer, and they did the same thing to his car.

thanks.

jason l.

laturj

ok ok, i guess the dimples come with the car!! does this sound correct?? sorry about cluttering your email boxes

and i was all ready to go pick a fight with my dealer!!

FEHarper

Jason,
Correctamundo. These divots are on every VW and correspond to the points where the wheel jack fits in case of a flat - they are quite useful, especially if you have to change a tire in the dark - as I had with my previous VW Cabriolet.

Frank

greenml430

After we had my daughters' 99 Beetle for a month or so my wife noticed one & thought my daughter had run into, or over something. Only after I showed her all four & explained the odds of running over items in precisely the same location on both sides did she relax. Ah well, good luck with your New Beetle...

pmohr

feharper

tried unsubscibe on newbug.

didn't work.

am still getting several e-mails/day.

any advice??

thanks, prm

FEHarper

Pmohr,
Keep trying. I know others have gotten off the list this way - only to rejoin later. Aside from the endless flames and chatter, some nice pearls, such as the foglight fix - took that to my dealer and saved $100 over the usual repair.

Frank

hrpreo

I just got my $500 deposit back for a GLS TDI that a dealer in Iowa said they could find for me. Fat chance. 90 days and no car.

I need any leads on dealers that can get me this car. Color preference is yellow or red. Sticker price or below. I will drive to any state to get this car. However, I prefer the midwest or north central states.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

REO

idgifer

REO - you must be dealing with the same people I have been dealing with. I just got off the phone with an autobytel dealer in Middleton, WI. I'm interested in the 1.8T and he didn't seem to think he'd have much trouble getting one because they are high volume (although he couldn't give me an exact date since the car is just beginning to ship). You might try there.
If it makes you feel any better, we went through the same rigamorole when we bought our '99 Passat from the same Iowa dealership. I'm quite sure they do it on purpose to artificially inflate demand and, thus, their prices.

govu

My friend works at a fairly large VW dealership in Michigan, and she has only heard about the cars. "Yeah, some dealers have had -one-," she said.

She also told me that they don't have any TDIs in the pipeline. Sounds like it might be the model year changeover already.

FEHarper

Mt. Pleasant VW sold its first NB GLS 1.8T several weeks ago - saw the guy riding down King street in Charleston with the rear spoiler fixed in the "up" position. BEAUTIFUL - nice silver, sun roof, leather. Keep your eyes peeled.

Frank

hrpreo

idgifer & govu

Thanks for the insight. There MUST be TDIs out there somewhere!!???

REO

dupper

There are NB TDI's out there, I've seen them in NY, NJ and Tn mostly in black, yellow and red...

hrpreo

dupper
You've given me hope.
REO

rickrover

There was a Bright Blue TDI (spoken for) in the shipment with my Gas GLS. It was the twin of my car except for the engine. Put a deposit on one, you'll get one without much of a wait I would think.

Bwummer

I thought of this after my last post....

You can probably fly to CT from CA for about $200, one way. Add on another $50 for a limo to the dealer. That's not such a big deal when you're spending $18K.

In fact, if you ask really nicely, I just might pick you up at the airport (in my bright red TDI) and DRIVE you there.

And I think the CT/NE emissions package is equivalent to the CA one....

Just a wild idea.

hrpreo

Thanks everyone!! I've just ordered my TDI from a dealer near Madison, WI. They sell for sticker and my daughter starts law school there in August.
It will give me a great excuse to drive up and visit.

I was told the 2000 models would be out in July.

REO in Missouri

laturj

I just got through taking a 2500 mile trip with my wife in my NB. It was great, we got smiles all over the place, esp. in mcdonald's drive-in's in arkansas (don't know why). Thought I would tell you a few things.

1) The drive was great, we cruised at 75ish and had no problems with noise.

2)We removed the seat portion of the back seat/ when you fold it up you can pull it out by squeezing the "clip" together. We folded the back down and we had enough room back there to sleep!! we put luggage in front seat and voila - a vw camper. (well sort of) It was always fun getting out of the back at rest stops and stuff.

3) we got 30mpg's (5spd gas 2 liter)

4) question - how are y'all cleaning the dash and the top of the door panels?? armor all?? the door's especially look a bit "fragile"

5) we changed the cd player to be mix for all six cd's and couldn't get it to work right; it would mix cd 1 (all of cd 1) and then move on to mix all of cd 2 - but didn't switch back and forth between cds. Does this work??

that's it for now

have fun out there

jl

fredly

The guy with the 1.8t cruising down the street with the spoiler up? unless he rigged it up, its an automatic spoiler that only comes up, when going around 95mph. I read it in motortrend and saw it on speedvision.

ajvdh

There's a semi-hidden switch (under the dash, near the gas pedal) to deploy the spoiler manually.

jrh9685

Is there a owner of the 1.8T with auto out there? How noisy is the engine during typical driving, and hard acceleration conditions? When I test drove the GLS with the auto transmission, the 2.0l seemed a bit noisy during acceleration. Any suggestions on getting the a 1.8T at MSRP in the Northwest?

fortman

laturj

Apparently the mixer will only do one cd at a time; I just experimented with it in my NB. It's slightly annoying, but considering my previous car only had a radio, I'm fine with it. Others might not be, but I feel spoiled.

I was amazed with my dealer's ability to get me a silver GLS automatic so quickly. On May 15, I talked to the salesman and he showed me a woman's name who'd be waiting since April '98 for exactly my car. So I put down 3 color choices, silver, then bright blue, then white. On May 20, they called back and told me they had a silver for me. I paid $19,555 for it, got black leatherette, alloy wheels, and a 6-CD changer. I picked it up May 24, and I'm so happy with it. What do y'all think?

Bwummer

Congrats on your new baby! Personally, I'd have gone for red or bright blue first, but that's strictly preference.

My wife's red NB is affectionately called "Lady Bug". I keep threatening to paint a face and antenna on the hood and four black dots on the top!

Seriously, though, I'm not sure about this availability thing. The two dealers closest to me in CT have lots of them (literally over 150 NB's between them). Most of them still have the shipping plastic on them.

I'd like to try a little test. Someone who's on a waiting list, post exactly what you're waiting for and I'll see if our dealers have one. I'm curious whether its a distribution problem or a production problem.

govu

It's a distribution problem. Are your dealers strictly VW dealers, or do they sell other makes as well?

By the way, I'm waiting for a silver or bright blue TDI. However, I'm sticking with my dealer because I've known them for a long, long time.

lch

Anyone interested in a very slightly used 1.8 turbo?

I've been on my dealer's list for nearly 18 months, and he tells me one is finally on its way. But, I'm not sure I want it anymore.

If interested, please let me know ASAP.

lch

idgifer

Bwummer - I'm waiting for a 1.8T with automatic trans and luxury pkg. Prefer silver, but I'm flexible. I plan to tell my dealer to take me off the list this afternoon...it'll be years before 41 beetles come thru his dealership and I don't need the car THAT much. I did have the opportunity to take a short test drive at a dealership outside of Milwaukee (in Iowa, there are no cars to drive) and I enjoyed it. They were willing to sell me one on the spot - if I paid $3000 over sticker. HA!

Bwummer

My dealers are mixed: one is VW/Audi (OK, so that's the same company), the other is VW/Suzuki. But I agree that it's distribution problem. I think VW of America is shipping cars first to the dealers with the biggest orders -- the onesey-twosey special orders just don't get there.

That said, lch, you need to be fair to your dealer. VW only just started making the 1.8L Turbo (in March, if memory serves), so, if May was your 18th month, about 15 months of that was unavoidable.

idgifer, I'll swing by the local dealer on my way home from work tomorrow and take a look-see. When I was last there (3 wks ago for 5000 mi service), he didn't have any 1.8T's, but I know he's gotten a truck in since then.

genebart

Okay bwummer....I'd like to play the bug-game...

There are 0 available bugs in the states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee (western part at least).... The wife would love for me to buy her a Blue. Auto is a necessity, TDI is preferred (but I understand the lack of auto-TDI)..If not TDI then auto-turbo (once again, availability problem here)....last option gas GLS...
Any up there?

Thanks,
Rob Smith

genebart

Color clarification... for bwummer

Preference to Bright Blue, then dark blue...but color doesn't matter THAT much to the wife (unless it's red...she has a serious red problem!) , she just want one! 8)

ROB

musikant

I'm looking to get a NB this summer. Anybody have any experience with the sunroof or the new turbo? I really don't need the turbo but the "turbonium" commercial looks soooo coool!
So is it worth the extra $$$?

greenml430

I don't know where "genebart" is looking because the Yellow GLS 5 Speed bought in November took 5 days to locate & get, & the Dark Blue GLS, with Sun-roof & Leather & the dreaded Auto trannie the youngest daughter requested took a little over 2 weeks. The sun-roof was an unexpected bonus as it was not specifically requested. Both cars came from the same dealer in B'ham...Oh I almost forgot the Blue Bug was purchased this week.

genebart

I would love the name of the dealer in B'ham which has these... The only one I have found in several months of searching was a yellow in Tuscaloosa for $5000 OVER MSRP.... Did you have to place a deposit down for your two and be put on a waiting list? A salesperson I talked to in B'ham told me 3 weeks ago that If I gave him a check for $1000 he could get me one in 4-6 weeks with no guarantee of color, style, or tranny type...The good news is that he would sell it for only $200 over MSRP! I said no thanks. That's why I was asking bwummer to check at his larger dealership for my choices...(btw, he asked if anyone wanted to do this earlier...I dont think I am imposing upon him....at least I hope I'm not.. )
Rob

Bwummer

Ok, ok, I know I said I'd go by the dealer on Tuesday, but it was a crappy week at work (the other analyst who works with me had a kidney stone and is out all week). I just got there today.

Here's the skinny: 4 1.8T in stock; 2 silver, 1 red, 1 black. 12 TDI's -- many different colors, but no blue . 31 GL/GLS gas (non-turbo). At least two in every color made (I think). Autos/standards, variety of option packages. Now I'm not sure of the exact options on each color, but it sure sounds like most of you could find the right car there. In fact, there were so many NB's that I had to count: 47 NB's; all other models (combined) 73. And this is a VW AND Suzuki dealer. Wow.

And I had to run off three salesmen, all of whom were convinced that I was shopping for my new ride. And I pulled up in a two month old Mustang. Go figure.

Obviously, this is a distribution issue! Oh well. At least we don't have to pay over msrp up here.

You might try asking your local dealer if he'll call the ones up here and buy one (or swap).

xinauf

Still trying to decide whether to get a new Beetle or not. One thing that concerns me is that I read (at newbug.com) that the way it's made, servicing it after warranty is going to be insanely expensive. Does anyone know more about this?

Also, was it ever established that the '99 Beetle got rid of the rattle problem, or not?

Lastly, does anyone know what features the year 2000 GL's may come with. Power windows maybe?

rickrover

The New Beetle is built on the new Golf IV platform, similar to a Golf to work on. They are not "insanely expensive" to work on, it's just a typical four cylindar, front wheel drive economy car. The only rattle problem on the 98's was the rear hatch and that has been fixed, my 99 GLS has no rattles. To get power windows you have to buy a GLS which also includes cruise control and fog lights for about a $1,000 more than a GL. VW uses the same equipment levels in the Golf and Jetta - GL is entry level with crank windows GLS adds cruise, fogs and power windows, 2000 Beetle, Golf and Jetta will be the same, 2000 models will start being built in July of 99. One thing that will change is an automatic transmission will be available with a TDI GLS New Beetle.

pigs

Trying to decide between a Beetls tdi or a passat. The reason for the passat is that if I will have to pay sticker for the beetle and cut a deal with the passat, the extra room and comfort might be worth the giving up of the cute beetle features. How has purchasing gone with the beetle. Are dealers still sticking to sticker price?

rickrover

From what I've read it depends on where you live. If you run into a dealer that has a lot of them in stock and there are a few VW dealers in the area, thus some competition - you can get a deal under MSRP. Some large metro areas (like L.A.) the demand is so great that they charge 3 to 4 thousand above MSRP and apparently get it. I live in Central Florida, only 3 dealers in the area, 2 charge $3k above MSRP and one at MSRP with no add ons, even Turbo Beetles. A dealer that charges MSRP is only making maybe $1,500 (if that) on the sale so if you get a "deal" it won't be that much less than MSRP. The most I've heard of off MSRP is $500 on a New Beetle. One thing to consider is Resale - New Beetles don't depreciate, at least so far, a friend of mine sold his 99 New Beetle GL with about 5k miles on it for exactly what he paid for it so he could get a 99 GLS with leather and a sun roof in Cyber Green. I'm thinking of selling my 99 GLS to get a Turbo GLX, I could easily get what I paid for it if I sell it myself, you couldn't do that with a Passat. I say get what you want, if you buy your second choice (Passat) you will be stuck with it unless you want to take the depreciation hit. I'm not in the habit of trading cars, I usually hang on to them for a long, long time - this is the first car I've ever had the option of getting out of without a penalty to get the latest version.

djarvie

Can you get the new turbo Beetle with an automatic transmission?

kseay

Just bought a Cyber Green GLS with black leather
interior,alloys and electric sunroof. Had to pay
24k for the car and feel fortunate to find the
NB in green. The dealer would NOT deal at all and
simply reminded us that if we don't buy, someone
else will. Nice color but oh so greeeeeeeeeen..

mgr

Have now had our BB, GLS, gas, Auto tran for just over 4 mos. Bought mine through Concours in Milwaukee ( I live in Texas).Just rolled 3000 miles. No rattles, no complaints, no problems. I am now seeing every color available on the road. Lots of BB and Green. Wife still loves the car, although she did mention the Audi TT would be nice as it looks like a stretch Beetle. She was quick to mention, however, that she was making a comment only and she would not be giving up her NB.

laturj

check out the pokemon beetle on EBAY, someone is selling it. you get there via misc. then autos then search for beetle.

sampson

What is typical delivery time for Turbo Beetle?