After 15 years not having a car (I live in Chicago and it's not necessary) I finally broke down and bought one. I was using iGo Car Sharing for years to get myself to hockey, but the bills were beginning to get too high. I was renting out cars to the tune of about $300-400 a month! So it became time to buy. The good thing about the car share service was that I got to drive a lot of different cars. Being in the city, I like small cars. But most small cars are built out of tin and the quality is terrible. Well, two weeks ago I rented a Beetle expecting pretty much the same thing. Wow, was I wrong. Not only was the car solid, but it was fast and the interior well made. I could get all my gear in it easily with the hatchback and if I put the back seats down, I can get another player's gear in as well. So I went shopping and picked one up. Here it is. I love it!
Mod Edit ~ Remove deleted quote/Reply. The People's Wagon was originally a very good idea to provide a low-cost, dependable car for people who couldn't afford the big, expensive ones. I bought one in 1962 that was build in 1949. Only 3 cylinders worked but I drove that thing all over Germany. Barely made it up big hills but went like a bat going down! And, when I moved up to another car, sold it to another soldier who was still driving it when I left Germany. As to the OP, enjoy it. They are always good cars. A lot more interior room than it appears from outside - right?
It does indeed. It was a huge surprise, TBH. I did not expect it to have as much room as it does. - - - Updated - - - So far, I'm nothing but happy with it. It's really much nicer than expected. I'll give you some interior shots.
Thanks, wow, it's impressive, seriously. I'm a little surprised actually. Great find. I wish you many years of good performance with it.
Good solid car but be very attentive to oil level. If it is the 2.0 liter engine they lose a quart anywhere between 1K and 3K miles. The oil changes are something like 5K or 10K depending on the type of engine but DO check your oil in between. Had a VW mechanic claim it was because they are a 'loose bore' engine which is not something I really buy into. It was not only my car but a coworker with a VW and a friend with an Audi TT (same 2.0 engine) and others I have talked to.
Yeah, I was too the first time. I was thinking, what? This is really frickin' nice. I really expected it to be like every other small car I drove. And let's face it, most small cars are crap. Thanks, but I've got the 2.5 inline 5 cylinder. Any issues there? Everything you heard is true. It's pretty awesome.
I just traded in a VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI. I loved driving the car. The stereo was amazing for the blue tooth, interactive menus, micro SD card for music storage, and sound quality. The panoramic sunroof was amazing. The diesel got up to 48 mpg on the highway. There was a down side. I was driving it 40k miles/year and took it in for oil changes/maintenance every 3 months. A basic oil change was $100 and the DSG transmission service was $400 every 40k miles. The timing belt service at 100k miles was $1000. Since my company changed our reimbursement policy and just bought our fuel, the company was saving from my 40 mpg around town and not me. The maintenance is hard to do yourself and they frown on honoring their warranty if they don't do the maintenance. I traded my VW in and got an F150 Supercrew. I can do the maintenance myself and I no longer care about mileage, since my company buys the fuel. The towing an hauling are nice also. If you only drive it 10-15k/year, you should love your VW.
Nice! Quite honestly, my Beetle will be lightly driven. I live in Chicago, so I take trains and buses around for most day to day stuff like work and such. I only need it to get to ice rinks 2-3 times a week for hockey. And I can't take my gear on public transportation. So we're talking 10-15 miles a week at best. That's less than 1,000 miles a year. And yes, I do love it!
You'll drive at least 5-7k miles/year. It's too convenient. You'll get groceries, go on trips, or just go for a drive to unwind. You'll see. It's mandatory that you take it for a spin after you wash and wax it. You'll do that often because of the crappy condition of the roads in Chicago. (Rough winters, pot holes, and salt on the roads and such.) It will be your guilty pleasure.
I agree with that. It will probably be more than 1K miles. I work at home and just driving around town (I don't take public transport though) most of the time I put closer to 8-10K a year (about 5K on each vehicle). Doing that though, my 2006 RX8 that I bought new only has 32K on it and my other more utilitarian vehicle that I just bought used with 100K on it will last a long-long time. I like Volkswagen quality but I had issues with a Passat I owned from new. They even sent a letter saying "we know you have had some problems with your Passatt" to get me to trade-in. LOL If I were to step up from that I would buy an Audi which is just about the same only nicer. The interior quality of Volkswagen and Audi are outstanding.
I may, we'll see. My first week I did the obligatory drive up the North Shore. But now, I'm over that. I used a quarter tank of gas this last week. I take public trans to work downtown (trust me, no one drives downtown to work if they don't have to. It's a nightmare-it's NOT convenient), and my grocery store is a block away, as well as my gym, which is in the same building. I took it to run some quick errands yesterday (car wash, skate sharpening, etc), but that was it. Otherwise, it's been parked out in front of my place. Honestly, if I don't have to drive, I'd rather not.
And I live in the city, so you see my point. I would never in a million years drive to work. Upwards of $20 a day to park in a crowded parking garage where my car will most likely get dinged and scratched? No thanks. Not gonna happen. Like I said, I got the car to get me to hockey rinks with my gear. Taking hockey gear on a bus or train is not gonna work.
