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Volkswagen Bug Reborn!
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I sent a message to your e-mail address listed on your profile. I had some specific questions about Hondas. Did you get it? Will you be writing back to me?
Pam
New beetle lovers: I guess I don't see what you see in these things...but...to each his own.
Hope the reliability long term is better than other VW's.
Snide?...You might want to re-read your own post to me. I've never said anything bad about V.W. Their reputation is well known. To each his own...If you love the NB, go for it!!
Ross
Pam
Isellhondas response didn't seem snide to me. In fact, I have to agree with him about not really understanding why everyone is raving over the New Beetle. I looked at it and test drove it - I was very disappointed and decided not to buy one. But like Isellhondas said, "To each his own".
It's hard NOTto favor Hondas if you sell them or own them. They truly are excellent cars. This is something you wouldn't understand if you haven't owned one. I see on your profile that you own a 1998 Mustang? Going from a Mustang to a New Beetle would probably be much easier than going from a Honda to a New Beetle.
Gig'Em Aggies!
Thank you for your support. Yes, I do have a tendency to stir the pot once in awhile. I did respond to your E-mail. The isellhondas e-mail address is one I don't check often and while responding to yout questions I dumped your message. My fault, sorry.
Lots of people love the NB and if that includes you, buy one! Although I am a three time VW owner and love them all, I'm just not cool enough to own a NB. Oh well, I'll just stick with my Golf!! :-)
carlady/host
Just got my mustang about six weeks ago, Don't play on getting rid of it anytime soon, just dropped in here to see comments about the new beetle. Sorry if I offended anyone, it just seems to me that the honda salesman likes to cut down non-Hondas, just my opinion.
Thank you for the response. We are still looking at the NB. I am checking out the Pros and Cons of the diesel-TDI engine. There is a real following for the TDI out there. Car and Road Magazine did a review of the NB TDI in the lastest Aug 1998 issue. They found the performance with the gas engine about equal, but as all know, about double on the fuel mileage. They said you need to drive about 79,000 miles to breakeven on the higher cost for the TDI engine.
When I talked to the Berkeley dealer, last weekend, he dropped from 2K over the MSRP to 1K over within a minute. I think they will go for MSRP. The question for me is will they let one out for 4-5% over the invoice. I will not pay over the MSRP. I will wait or go back to another Accord, if they will not come down any more. I will find out this Saturday.
Ross
Your other consideration is an Accord? What is it about the New Beetle that's making you want it over the Accord? I wasn't able to make the switch. I thought the Beetle just didn't have enough power and rode too rough. Plus, it's too small to be my only car. It just didn't "feel" right to me. I was thinking it's because I'm so used to Hondas.
You can sure try to get the dealer to come down below MSRP, but I wouldn't really expect too much. They really don't have any reason to with people waiting in line to buy the car at MSRP.
Let me know what you find out and good luck!
Pam
Another place with a lot of info on the TDI engine (a bunch of dieselhead enthusiasts) is
http://users.uniserve.com/~fred_v
Check the "TDI messages" for all kinds of discussion.
RJ
We are hooked on Honda and accords. We had a '76 civic for 19 years, 350,000 miles and few major repairs. Currently we have a 12 year old accord with 220,000 miles. It is still giving us good service. We also have a Dodge Carvan 10 years old, and not such a good story to tell. You can see that we drive our cars until they die of metal fatigue.
We are going to buy another accord, probably an EX 4 cylinders, manual. Fortunately it feels and drives just like the 86 accord, newr of course, more power, a wonderful car. Unfortunately it feels and drives just like the 86 accord. It is like buying same car. We want something differ in look and feel. The NB has really caught our eye. I also like the idea of TDI engine.
The NB will be a second car to commute, drive around town, have fun on the road and give to my Daughter in 4 to 5 years (she is 14). If can not get MSRP or lower we will wait. We will get another accord in 1 to 2 years.
Ross
Ross
OK, now I see it! I think the New Beetle wouldn't be too bad for a 2nd fun car. I would probably consider it more myself if it wasn't to be my only car. I'm kind of sorry that I don't like it more than I do. It's pretty cute when you see one driving down the road. Very unique - at least for now!
I, too, have had Hondas for a long time. I started out with a 1986 Civic, then a 1988 Accord, and now my 1990 Acura Integra. I'll probably buy a Honda next year. I just can decide between the Civic, Accord, or Integra. I also can't decide between new and maybe a 1997 model.
Good luck!
Pam
carlady/host
I would like to know what car you had right before the New Beetle. What car are you coming from?
Pam
Just stopping by again to read some of the recent posts, so I'll leave a few thoughts.
I've been quite taken by the NB's cuteness... and of course the great reviews and safety ratings certainly makes it an impressive little package. I don't have the New Beatle; I drive a Nissan Quest van. The size of the NB certainly wouldn't be enough space for my present needs. However, I wish one of my close friends would buy one. AND, I've even been trying to talk some of my friends, that are thinking of buying a new car, into getting the New Beatle. Then I could have an occasional ride in it... right? ;-) Now if I didn't need much space and had to choose between the NB and a Civic or Integra, it would be the NB. Bottom line: It would be a lot more interesting. Yes, INTERESTING is important to me.
btw, I used to drive a Honda Civic and the Accord LX.
Yes, I agree that the New Beetle is cute and interesting. But have you driven one? I would be curious to know what you think of the way it drives.
Pam
First of all I would like to say I have done a ton of reading on the beetle. Plus, I'm coming from the Honda patron my last two cars have been Civics. Without a doubt, Honda makes wonderful cars. I had never had a problem with them. I plan to purchase a Beetle in the coming weeks, my only concern is VW eletrics. I had a VW Rabbit years ago when in H.S. and can only remember having electrical and clutch cable difficulties. That was, yikes 13 years ago. Anyhoo, I'm prepared for the plunge. But what about Silver beetles, please see my earlier topic message, I have a lot of other concerns. Thanks.
bugged
I have a hard time choosing an exterior color for the Beetle. I like yellow best, but apparently yellow bugs are lemon-like in more than one sense. BASF (or whatever VW subcontractor) had a hard time matching the color on plastic and metal pieces and apparently the problems didn't stop there. One of my neighbours bought several Beetles - two of them yellow. For each one of these yellow cars he was handed by the dealer a large jar of jelly or wax and he was instructed to apply it every 3 months to ward off fading and tarnishing of the pigment. Yikes, it sounds like a mess to me! He also told me that other colors such as blue or silver are weak and prone to dulling and that the only 100% safe one would be black (yurk). I need a second opinion here. The salesmen I've questioned so far are in the dark. Has anybody experienced color problems or heard anything about them? I also wonder if they concern all vehicules produced so far or only some particular runs. Unfortunately I don't have much experience with cars and I don't have an eye yet to tell how well a particular color will age. In that sense, any color reccomendation for the Beetle would be welcomed. The red looks the same to me as on the Golf and 5-year old Golfs do look pretty good, don't they?
ice point
Recently took the car down the shore for the weekend, its first reasonably big trip (about 100 miles each way). Also its first time on the highway for longer than 10 minutes at a time. I was pleasantly surprised with the engine, no difficulty passing or accelerating at all. The one touch up windows made tolls a breeze.
Anyone know if there are plans to add the AWD system or the clutchless stick to the New Beetle anytime soon?
Someone asked about paint problems. Mine is red, and no problems with the color that I've noticed. I had originally wanted a silver one, but the red has really grown on me. I can't wait to see the dark blue ones, if they have even started making them yet.
The only problem so far (besides the recall) has been a bad glow plug. I'm expecting this engine to go over 200K+ miles, as my previous Rabbit diesel engine did. I certainly recommend the NB and especially the TDI engine!
As far as the best color, white is by far the easiest color for longevity. It never fades, and does not show scratches. You just have to keep it washed.
- Dana
Any suggestions on how I can help her become a squeakier wheel? She just wrote a note to the president of VW as well as the owner of the dealer. Our suspicion is that the car is so popular that the dealer is selling everything he can get his hands on for a premium, which means that our earlier order, which we placed at MSRP (which is still fairly profitable for them) is likely to be pushed indefinitely.
What do you think of my posting a somewhat more detailed letter of our travails here and elsewhere? A few things are embarassingly sleazy and I'd be happy to point out the participants in an appropriate way. Was thinking of posting the letter she wrote to the president of VW USA.
Other suggestions?
Thus far, we are pleased with the Beetle. Neither my wife or I have been "muscle car" types; I guess that may be why we are quite satisfied with the power.
For those who wish to know: we have owned a Camry, a Miata, an Audi, a Mazda B-3000 truck and a Chevrolet 350 cu truck, in the last five years. Sorry, no Honda, although I am sure we would be thrilled if we had owned one...!
In any event, the Beetle came with the "convenience package" and very light colored cloth seats which we immediately "scotch guarded".
We have taken it on one (300+ miles each way) trip and found the performance to be satisfactory-no complaints on that score, and no complaints in general. On the trip, we cruised down the road @ around 70mph+.
However, do not believe the engine will carry you as fast as the speedometer shows the car will travel. Somewhere along the line someone was extremely optimistic or was traveling down a steep grade with a very strong wind @ his or her back....
The head room in the rear is a bit cramped as is the trunk space. We hope to remedy the trunk space problem by installing a luggage rack on top. Anyone know where to get one?
The car has been fun. I would not recommend it for a large family, but if you have no more than two children and you want safe and reasonably inexpensive transportation that is kind of cute and retro, then you may wish to consider a Beetle.
TIA
I don't know what part of the country you are in or how large your dealership is but VW seems to be allocating NB to its larger dealerships first. This may account for part of the delay. Most dealers don't want to give long waiting periods to prospective clients for fear they might go elsewhere. Seems in your girlfriend's case they were overly optimistic.
Please let us know what kind of response your girlfriend gets from VW. Rather than post her letter here, a general update from you would be fine. You may also want to visit the VW web site to see if any additional information is available and to provide feedback. Good luck!
carlady/host
We've had our beetle for 5 days, and now the instrument cluster blanks in heat of the afternoon. The panel is fine at night and in the morning. Anyone with similar problems?
brandon
To Marmich, it sound like your girlfriend's salesman is feeding her crap! The dealers have been getting a good supply of NBs in July, and there should be no reason for the delay except as you suspect, that they can get more for them by selling them to a higher bidder. Or else she ordered a color that is not being produced. My dealer was honest and showed me the list of incoming cars (in transit) so I could decide in advance exactly what I wanted. She should ask to see the same thing and be able to reserve one, and be given a general delivery date. Am I too naive?
- Dana
Finally drove the NB. I have unfortunately become disenchanted by the cute lil' car. Honestly, the dash takes a bit getting used to. If you are used to driving from the hood of your car for distances in front of you and placement in lanes and parking spaces, you really can't do that in the NB. The dash is it. I really felt like the engine was in the car with me. There is no glove compartment to speak of, this is why the car comes with holders in the two doors. The only things you will be able to hold in the glove compartment will be your manual and registration and maybe a flat duracel flashlight. As for performance, nothing special. I have more fun driving my '95 Civic. The car isn't hard to get used to, the stereo, seems a bit disorienting at first. My wife and I were in love with the car, but after driving it, we realized, hey, it looks great, but how are we going to see this great design from inside the car? Overall, it isn't practical, but of course. If you can afford it for your teen-ager, get it. But the small space and okay drivability has made me realized I wasted a month on research. I will recommend everyone interested in this car to check out the Aug issue of European Car magazine. The tech info is vital to prospective buyers. There is a lot under the cute little beetle shell to learn. I might be conservative in going back to Honda, but I know it to be more reliable than earlier VW I have owned. Good luck to you all. Thanks.
Thank you for your evaluation of the New Beetle. It mirrors my experience to a "T"!! I was starting to think that I was the only one with a negative thing to say about it!
I was very disappointed in the way the car drove. And I'm disappointed in all the "little things" that people are having trouble with. As a fellow Honda owner, I'm sure you can identify with this feeling!
I've decided to stay with Honda when I decide to get another car next year.
Pam
I'm in the Chicago area, and I just bought a VW Beetle TDI. I was waondering if it would be necessaaru for me to purchase and install a block heater for the winter time.
Thanks
You like the Honda better than the
NB. We don't need every other
post from you to remind us of this.
Enough already!
I don't have an answer to your question, dyoox01, but I would be surprised to find that the answer was yes on the block heater. Between global warming and German engineering, I'll bet that's taken care of. ;-) Lurkers, any advice on this one?
carlady/host
MB diesels are the world standard for taxicabs.
Peugeot (sp!!) diesels were the replacement (for old Checker cabs) of choice for NY city taxis until P. pulled out of the US market.
All the "Black Cabs" in London (90%) are diesels.
Diesels have fantastic low rpm torque which is ideal for lots of low speed starts (city driving).
Sounds like a diesel will work fine for city driving. Just follow the appropriate maintenance schedule for this duty.
Bruce.
your Hatchbacks host's personal consultant.
Settle down, now! I'm just trying to express my disappointment that I won't be buying a New Beetle. I was excited when I first saw it and I still get excited when I see one driving down the road. I'm just disappointed (and maybe a little sad) that it doesn't have the performance that it should.
And I also believe my last post was addressed to "Bugged". So y'all don't need to jump all over me.
Pam
Sorry about the tone. Smiles for all.
Pam,
Also pardon the tone for my last note
but I got a little tired of reading your
posts that seemed to be eh...'fishing' (lack
of a better term) for something negative to say about the NB to assure yourself that you made the right decision in selecting another Honda.
"I was starting to think that I was the only one with a negative thing to say about it!"
"Isellhondas response didn't seem snide to me. In
fact, I have to agree with him about not really
understanding why everyone is raving over the New
Beetle."
"Going from a Mustang to a New Beetle would probably be much easier than going from a Honda to a New Beetle."
Honda's are wonderful cars, there are numerous other boards and posts that proclaim this, my parents and friends have owned many. When I looked for a new car, the Accord was my first choice but I went with VW instead. But when you continually post why you think Honda's are better
you give the impression (not saying that you're purposefully doing it) that you're putting down everyone else's decision to buy a NB. It seems a little insulting.
Also, this is an open forum, so even though you were addressing "Bugged's" comments you can expect others to respond to yours.
I hope this is read to be a more calm and rational explanation from my previous post.
We're all entitled to our opinions, I've said mine, and I'll just leave it to that.
Thanks for pointing out the impression I've been giving off. It hasn't been intentional. I don't mean to insult anyone who has purchased a New Beetle. I'm mostly disappointed in Volkswagen because the car has been so strongly promoted, but doesn't seem to be up to the standards it should be (in my opinion). I really had high hopes for this little car and had every intention of buying one. I still get the urge to go ahead and get one every now and then (like when I see one on the road)! But I'm spoiled by the performance of Honda products and don't think I would be happy with the little things that I'm hearing about that people are taking it back to the dealer for. That's why I was wondering what everyone's previous cars have been. If someone had been driving a car (I won't name any specific brands) that's not reliable, then the New Beetle would be an improvement for them and they naturally would be thrilled. But for people coming from something like a Honda, they might be disappointed. Make sense? At any rate, staying with a Honda for now is the right decision for me, and I didn't mean to put down the New Beetle to justify it.
FEHarper,
It's true what you say about the good marks the New Beetle is getting. But it seems to have some "kinks" in it. Do you think this might be because the car is so new? Will VW be able to smooth things out in the coming years? I'm wondering if they released it a little too soon. Or maybe it's just normal for the first year of a brand new car to have these problems. What's your opinion?
Pam