Cute Love all of the perks (sunroof, heated seats,etc)

Too many trips to the dealership...may not have been so bad if they actually fixed the problems!!! Had less problems with a 15 year old Corolla

When my husband & I purchased this car I proudly anounced that I intended to drive a beetle forever...little did I know. Within a month I was cursing my decision to buy this car. And within a year I was shopping around to get rid of it in spite of a huge loss...the black book price on these cars is terrible...big surprise! The probelems started almost immediately. First the salesman lied about the car having a block heater...we live in Canada! One trip to have that installed. Issues with the power windows started within a few weeks of purchase. On the first of several trips to the dealer to attempt to rectify this the technician dented my passenger door...from the inside out. The dealer's body shop then proceeded to sand down too far and stripped some paint from the door. 16 months later the windows still do not function reliably, and they cannot account for this even when the tech observes it! Door switch for rear hatch doesn't work even after repair. 6 Disc changer had to be replaced. Odometer and auto locks stopped working...took 3 weeks to get part in to fix same (?computer chip?). Left tail light stopped working and dealer replaced bulb...2 weeks later back in b/c it was the ground wire that needed replacing. A month later both rear signal lights stopped working (of course at different times b/c it couldn't be that convenient to happen @ once). I paid for the bulb and maintenance on the first then on the 2nd light asked the tech why I am replacing bulbs @ 20,000 km? He stated it was actually d/t poor design and contact with the electrical. I refused to pay for the 2nd replacement. It really didn't matter that some of my repairs were under warranty b/c they do not reimburse you for the time it takes to get repairs done!!! Nor is there any acknowledgement that you have purchased a very expensive toy that has a number of problems. When I approached Toyota about trading my car in 16 months after purchase (VW didn't want it back!) the salesman commented that the beetle sure has a lot of"bugs". All in all this car was a big frustration.

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1979 Honda Prelude (purchased in 1990) 1985 Toyota Corolla (purchased in 1995) 2000 Toyota Rav 4 (purchased new...awesome vehicle) 2005 Toyota Echo (no, not as cool as the bug but you know I won't be at the shop except for scheduled maintenance)

I get a lot of compliments on how cute the car is.

*windows *mechanical problems *electrical problems *windows/gas switches *materials are cheaply made!!

This is by far the worst car I have ever owned. Although it is very cute and stylish, the problems with it outweigh the cuteness. In the first week I bought the car, the check engine light came on and I was lucky enough that when I called the dealership about it, they paid for it. The problem was the fuel injection, something to do with gas tank, $360. Then, about 3 months later, I had to repair the module sensor, Volkswagen wanted to charge me $400 but I found a town mechanic to do it for $180. I've had endless problems with both windows. The motors in the windows have been replaced twice! And I'm still having problems! I can no longer go through a drive-thru because my drivers side window will not roll back up without some assistance from me. About a year ago, I was driving with my passenger's side window down and the window just fell off the track down in the door! I forgot how much that costed me but needless to say anything, and I mean "anything" on a VW is at least $100 to fix. The repairs are too expensive and too often have I had to get it repaired. I've had the safety switch replaced which was $120. I've had the alternator fixed, which was $350. Not too mention all the switches I've had to fix and yet to fix on it. My gas button has just dropped into the door about a month ago causing me not to be able to lift the door to the gas cap. I had to pry it open and I can't shut it until I get it fixed. The flap on the sun visor has just popped off. The handles are peeling and the cd player decides when it wants to work. The tires are unbelieveably expensive!! The problems are endless. I used to have a Honda Accord and have never had to bring it in to the shop besides oil changes and regular maintenance. If I had to do it all over again, I would have never wasted my time and money on a VW Beetle. My advice to anyone that is interested in buying a beetle, DON'T!

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Honda Accord, I'm going back to a Honda as soon as I get rid of this lemon.

Bigger on the inside then it looks on the out. Great air and heat. Has good get up and go.

blind spots and it does scratch easily but that could just be the dark blue color of mine that is easy to detect a scratch.

This car is and was my dream car! I Love it. I have had this car for 2 years and it now has 83500 miles on it! AND NOTHING has gone wrong with it, NOTHING! I must have gotten a goodie compared to all these other bad reviews on here. I have had a cup holder snap out of the thing but it went right back in. I Love the 6 cd changer being in the trunk b/c that way i dont have to mess with it.

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1996 Honda Accord EX

how it handles great gas mileage really cute

the window switches could be a little more sturdy

I LOVE my bug. No matter what all the other reviews say on this site a beetle is the best car i have had. i bought the car right after i graduated high school in 2003, i have had the car a little over a year now and i have had only one problem. i had a leak in the vaccuum system but was repaired for only $120. since then my engine light has come on but it was because i let my gas run almost to empty and after about 2 days the light turned off. that has happened to me twice, but was really no big deal. the car is excellent. since i bought the car i have put almost 15 thousand miles on it nad it still runs the same as when i bought it. i wouldnt trade my car for anything. it is easy to handle and great in traffic. I drive from las vegas to california at least once a month and have no problems, not to mention the gas mileage is great at about 26-27 miles per gallon. i enjoying everytime i get in my car even when its olnly to the grocery store. the car is fabulous and i would highly recommend it to anyone. the only wrong is my window switch for the passenger window on the drivers door, the people at the oil change place broke it without telling me... it still works it just wiggles a lot and looks like it is going to fall off any minute.

CUTE! Nice pick up. Sound structure. Plenty of head room. Holds more cargo than you think a beetle could handle.

I only have a few minor flaws to list. The paint does show scratches easily. And my parking skills don't help. haha... The cup holders only hold soda cans and Snapple bottles. Seeing out the back window can be difficult. I took out the back seat head rests and this helps. Backseat passengers have said that there is not a whole lot of room. Well, it's a bug, not a sedan...

Hello reviewers! I've driven my car for the past 3 years, purchased new and it's fabulous!!! My very first car right out of college. The members at Garnet VW were great. The car has lots of pep and is oh so cute!!! No significant problems to report. Currently just under 26,000 miles (yeah, I don't drive far), serviced regularly at every 3000 miles. The GL is the lower line model and the one I bought is the basic. I don't have power windows, sun roof or any of the extra nicities; not even a CD player. This may be the reason I have no electrical problems to report as other reviews have. On mileage, I average about 27 mpg. If this seems high, most of my driving is done on the highway back and forth to work. Pick up is fine for a 4c and breaking works great too. I have to report that the beetle has saved my life. About 4 months ago, I was in an accident. I was cut off the road while in a down pour. Hit the breaks so that I would not crash into the person in front of me, but this caused me to spin out. Clipped a guard rail and tore up the grassy area on the side of the road. A kind person, whose name I don't know, stopped to see if I was ok, and said that's it's simply amazing that I didn't hit anything and that I was fine. There were trees, shrubs and an electrical pole that I missed all by inches. The only damage to the car was that my passenger side headlight was in pieces from clipping the guard rail pretty hard. I've been told that such an accident with other cars would have left much worse damage. I attribute this lack of additional damage to the cars good design. Thank you VW and thank you kind mystery person! After having the front end repaired, the car still drives smoothly. My impression with the VW company is a good one. I will likely stick with VW when I decide to purchase another car.

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Ford thunderbird -V6 :) Chevy cavilier :(

-price -safety features -looks (sigh) -handles better than domestic cars -basic features (a/c, cruise) -available w/manual tranny -now comes with a cd player instead of tape drive -a back seat for occasional use -I'm getting a really dark tan

-visibility with top down in back -number of bad reviews...will I let it sour me before I encounter problems if any? -I forgot to use suntan lotion the first week...ouch

So far, the car has been running fine (1,500 miles), although the number of negative reviews have me concerned. But we'll approach it with an open mind. Our car is Mellow Yellow with black vinyl. It has the 2.0L engine with the 5 speed manual transmission. The only add-ons we got were ESP, the windscreen, and the CD changer. Note that ours is a later 2004 so it came with the in-dash CD player (no tape deck...thank God). But we got the CD changer so we could avoid the hassle anyway. We bought the GL because it comes with a fully manual convertible top. Looking at the semi-auto tops (GLS) the "wings" that popped up looked a bit too flimsy and problematic to us. When the saleslady was demoing the semi-auto top, it made a terrible noise when closing it. That sealed it for me...no semi-auto top. The manual top is very easy that my wife can use it. Talking with other NBC owners who have the semi-auto top and hearing the problems they've had with it, I believe we made the proper decision...although it prevented us from getting the 1.8T which is not available on the GL. It's a joy to drive it. Rides well. Yes, even with the top up its noisy but it's a convertible. I wish it had more gauges, I'm tempted to put in the aftermarket 3-gauge pod that goes on top of the dash. So far we've gotten about 30mpg on 4 hour trips which is consistent with what the window sticker said. We have not as yet noticed any oil consumption as other 2.0L VW owners mention. I keep 3 quarts of 5W40 in the trunk just in case though. The service guys told me the oil put in at the factory is synthetic (when I was buying the just-in-case oil). I'd be curious to know if anyone knows why they use the 5W40 weight (not easily found in my locality).

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We own an A4 1.8T and really like it...that's why we thought going with a VW would be safe. Let's see how it turns out.

Five points: 1) looks great outisde. 2) looks great inside -- very stylish. At first I thought it was just too downscale, without any fake wood & such, but now I think it would have been alien to the whole concept. 3) Extremely roomy. It's like driving a mobile planetarium. One 6'5" bloke said it more room than his Lincoln. 4) It's built like a tank. Extremely stable ride. Rides like a miuch larger car. 5) It goes like heck. One can always use more power, but I think the 2003 Turbo Sport BUG is just UGLY.

The repairs are too expensive. The metallic clear coat is very fragile and shows every scratch. I stay on NY parkways, away from roads with trucks becuase it will pickup every stone on the road unless you get a brassiere, which they say ruins the paint. The windshield is huge and picks up sand and stone dents from the trucks on the LIE. The driver side door pull has sprayed on plastic coating which wears off and feels cheap. and don't let me forget -- for all the vision from the front, you can't see #%#@! from the rear. You can hide an M1 Abrams tank in the blind spot.

I must have gotten one of the few decent bugs, judging from the reviews on this site. Yes, I've had the gas flap, or as VW calls it, the 'fuel door,' problem - and charging 172 bucks to fix such a simple problem gives me insight into the sheer annoyance of owning a VW, reported by many reviewers; the rear rotors and pads at 24,000, and one burned out light bulb -- it doesn't seem so bad in print, but every time you have to drive it back to the dealer, one thinks, 'what a hassle.' I have the dealer change the oil, just to document it, because despite the 100,000 drive train warranty, my friend's been challenged by my dealer to prove that the oil's been properly changed. The turbocharger diverter valve stuck open at about 10,000 miles and turned the car into a riding mower -- once you get used to it, you can't live without boost. It was replaced under warranty. The second turbocharger works well, but I want to spend the money to have it replaced again some day because although it works, it seems as if you have to know exactly when, and how deeply to dig into that well to get optimal 'charge,' out of it. When both were new, each supplied almost 'no delay' boost. The gist of it is, I want a sporty car that's not going to annoy me with repairs, and the Honda S2000 is looking good in that respect, although I could go for a Mini Cooper S, as well, if it turns out to be a reliable transport. But all that said, it's not such a bad car. But if you've only got a 1 in 3 chance of getting a good one, like, why bother with VW? If I bought a used E-type Jaguar, my love, I'd have a way cool car, and I'd KNOW it was going to break down. It's interesting the way the GTI has better reviews than the bug, although they're supposed to be basically the same car. I bought the car because it is a cool car. If FORD had made this car, I would have bought a Ford. Before I bought this car, I had absolutely NO interest in automobiles. Now I read Octane and Road & Track and follow F1. To paraphrase Ygor in "Monster Mash," Ygor who says, "Mash Good," yah, "Speed Good." Or like Sheryl Crow, who sings, "Love is a Good Thing," "Speed is a Good Thing." My biggest regret is they cap the 1.8 T at 150hp. My friend's Passat has the same engine, but chipped at 180 or 190 hp, and it seems a little faster. The Bug's really too heavy to be a racer, but I'm sure it suprises a few with its alacrity. I have never had an electictal problem. Knock wood. The car I dream of is the upcoming 150,000 dollar Ford GT40 replica. Extremely sexy car. But the BUG will have to do.

cute, good handling

everything goes wrong at once. lots of rattling while driving. parts and service are very expensive. Not a lot of service shops specialize in VW.

The worst car i have ever bought, even though it was my dream car. the first year having the car was great... no problems. within the last 4 months i have had endless trips to the garage. First had to replace the catalytic converter. VW said they would warranty as long as i had my 60,000 mile check up. that cost $650. Then had to replace motor coil, $400. Next the water pump went out, $700. So i finally thought what could go wrong now. a month later my passenger side window fell of the track. Now about 2 months after fixing everything... my check engine light is on AGAIN! Dont like VW dealership. Feel like they are outrageously priced. Not a lot of other service shops that specialize in VW to take it to. No competition for VW dealer when it comes to service. The car is very cute, but VERY expensive to keep up.

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pontiac sunfire

Great ride, fun to drive, comfortable, durable, great visibility, lots of leg and head room, fantastic sound system, good on gas, really cool design, and the list goes on...

The problem with the window clips; parts and repairs can be relatively expensive for this model but I rarely have trouble with it so it doesn't really matter.

I absolutely love my car. I bought it used in 2002 with about 27,000 miles on it, and within the past 2 years i have driven it almost 40,000 miles with NO MAJOR PROBLEMS. I had one issue with my air conditioner about a year ago, but I was told this was due to the previous owner getting into an accident that damaged it, and never bothering to fix it. Since then it's been repaired, and I have never been in a car that cools off or warms up as fast as this one. My only complaint is the faulty window clips; my passenger side window did fall off the track, but was fixed for free by VW. The sound system is great, I love the 6-disc CD changer, and it is very comfortable. Being a college student, I love the affordable gas mileage as well. It's also very fun to drive. Basically, my car has been through alot and has seen a lot of use but is still going strong!

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2000 Chevrolet Tahoe 2002 Cadillac CTS 2004 Lincoln Navigator

Excellent Road Grip due to wider tires with rain treads (GLX) 150 hp 20 valve 4cyl engine Excellent Ergonomics Plenty of room heated seats are a super plus! plenty of torque handles curves at high speeds stiff suspension thats a bit lower power asisted rack & pinion steering

Electrical problems dealer repair dependance you cannot change your OWN headlight expensive repair and upkeep tires are very very expensive to replace

I purchase this car when it only had 80 miles on it. This was my first new car and what a joy it was ... Then it happened... This car has issues. The Beetle is plagued with electrical problems and recalls. From the first month I owned this vehicle there was one problem after the next. There were leaks because of clogged sunroof gutters, ABS controller recall, window track problems, signal light problems. If you buy this car, you will have a very close relationship with your dealer service center. The maintainance is very expensive. Do not think that this is an economy car, because it's not. Other than the problems mentioned, this car has been a joy to own. The engine is rock solid and has plenty of boost with little or no turbo lag. For the price you get a lot of luxury features on this GLX model. 17 inch alloy wheels, leather, Moonsoon Stereo, more leather, Sunroof, heated seats, power rearview mirror and much more.

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