And your thoughts on them please.
My dear granny is 83 and sharp as a tack. It's time for her to replace their dismal Chevy Equinox.
She wants a yellow beetle convertible. Normally I would roll my eyes and put her back on track to something else but she is 83 and this is what she wants.
I think if she is going to do it she could get a couple years used from CarMax and buy their 5 year 150k mile bumper to bumper warranty.

My biggest concern is my grandfather (87) getting out of the thing. Gravity will surely get him in but not sure about the exit.

They're total POS'es. Do yourself a favor and have your grandmother LEASE one. VW's lease out incredibly well, everything will be under warranty and make sure the return it the day BEFORE the warranty expires........ My friends GF had one and just got rid of it the day the warranty expired as it was at VW more than she drove the thing.

At 83 she's earned the right to drive whatever the hell she wants as long as she can afford it. I just helped my mom buy a Mercedes SL550 convertible because it's the car she's wanted since I was a little boy. She's ain't getting any younger and my parents can swing it. So I say let er rip.....cuz you ain't gonna live forever and you can take it with you when you're gone!

The new beetle (as in currrnt generation)is basically a Golf. Built on the same platform with the engine and transmission. The old new beetle sucked but the recent ones aren’t any more troublesome then a standard golf. A friend has the fast one that is basically a GTI in Bugs clothing and that thing moves.

quote:

Originally posted by F12517:
At 83 she's earned the right to drive whatever the hell she wants as long as she can afford it. I just helped my mom buy a Mercedes SL550 convertible because it's the car she's wanted since I was a little boy. She's ain't getting any younger and my parents can swing it. So I say let er rip.....cuz you ain't gonna live forever and you can take it with you when you're gone!

This is exactly where I am at with it.
Just don't know about the vehicle and what their issues might be.

A lease may not be a bad idea.
I'll look at lease rates then compare with a couple year used with the CarMax warranty because the CarMax warranty is actually pretty legit.

Back when the warranties were a blanket cost it was hands down the best way to buy high end German cars. Especially the couple years that Porchse had those catastrophic engine failures.

Now the cost is based on the vehicle but for most vehicles it is quite reasonable especially since it covers all the electronics.

The lady is 83 years old. Go with something new that is not going to have issues. VW's lease out extremely well.

The newer new Bugs are fine (I don't recall which year is the start of the new new ones).

A lease might be best.

A buddy had a 'new beetle' about 10-15 years ago; diesel model DD that worked well for him the first 100,000 commuter miles. By then he decided he needed a new pickup.....

No big troubles in his new-beetle for that duration at least.

My wife had a 2005 new beetle, I am not sure what year started the new new.

Biggest POS Ever!

The transmission had issues starting about 65K miles. both rear windows had to be replaced due to the plastic gears breaking which required the back seat to be pulled out.

The glue holding the rear window in the convertible top broke down after about 4 years causing the window to fall out. This happened again to the replacement top.

The Convertible top was not reliable. There were a few times when I had to park it in the garage overnight because it would not go back up. VW's solution was to show her where the manual releases were so she could put it up by hand.

The interior was terrible. the driver's side door handle broke off. the leather panels on the inside separated from the door panels. the finish on the plastic parts the got touched like door handles wore off.

Maybe the new new ones are better but if they are still using glue to keep the rear windows in the convertible top I would not consider one.

quote:

The new beetle (as in currrnt generation)is basically a Golf

Dusty78- Is basically a Golf good or bad?

quote:

Originally posted by pbslinger:

quote:

The new beetle (as in currrnt generation)is basically a Golf

Dusty78- Is basically a Golf good or bad?

In my opinion that is good. I drive a GTI most days and that is a suped up golf.

If one were to lease but would need to terminate a lease unexpectedly how does that work??

Current MK7 Golf is based on the "MBQ" platform, same as the Audi A3 and TT. MK7 Golf isn't the same as the Jetta currently like it used to be. I don't think the new Beetle is on that platform, might be wrong though.

Otherwise, I don't think there's anything wrong with them. I haven't seen YELLOW in a few years though, so I don't know how far back you would have to go to find a yellow one.

You'll probably see a lot of used ones from 4 or 5 years back with the 2.5 inline five cyl. engine. It's a fairly bullet proof engine with a timing chain, just won't be getting great MPG.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
If one were to lease but would need to terminate a lease unexpectedly how does that work??

As in if she was deceased? Most lease companies will take them back with no penalty if the lessee is deceased. Look into their terms. You could also sub lease it on one of the online lease takeover sites, or buy out the lease and sell it. If you turn it in early all of the lease payments are due.

I have a 2002 diesel for my commuter rig.

Bought it about three years ago with 108,000 on the clock and it now has 180,000 on the clock.

I did the 100,000 mile maintenance, cleaned the exhaust ports of the intake manifold, and oil changes.

Thing is easy to get in and out of (I am 6'3" tall). I will have another or a Golf in the diesel platform.

quote:

Originally posted by DonDraper:
Current MK7 Golf is based on the "MBQ" platform, same as the Audi A3 and TT. MK7 Golf isn't the same as the Jetta currently like it used to be. I don't think the new Beetle is on that platform, might be wrong though.

Otherwise, I don't think there's anything wrong with them. I haven't seen YELLOW in a few years though, so I don't know how far back you would have to go to find a yellow one.

You'll probably see a lot of used ones from 4 or 5 years back with the 2.5 inline five cyl. engine. It's a fairly bullet proof engine with a timing chain, just won't be getting great MPG.

Looks like you are right it’s not on the MQB which I thought it was. As for yellow she can always get a Dune edition