How reliable are Volkswagen Beetles?
There is a 1999 VOLKSWAGEN NEW BEETLE GLS for sale for $5400 that I am interested in but i’m not sure if its worth the price or not. It has 147,000 miles on it and that was my biggest deciding factor. Can anyone tell me if it is worth buying and is 147,000 miles is a lot for a beetle. Thank you!
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Answers
Thats about average milage for a car; I personally think $ 5400.00 is a little high. I would offer $ 4500.00 for it ! VW is a VERY good auto !
The Golf/Beetle/Jetta platform is very reliable. ’98-’99 New Beetles had a recall for an exposed wire near the gas tank that could ignite a fire. Chances are that a Beetle with 147k miles has already had that recall performed but it may be worth asking.
Check http://www.kbb.com for used car values first. I agree that $5400 is a high. Shop around!
Too many miles, too much money. Make sure you have plenty of money for parts and repairs. Very unreliable, read the links.
Don’t do it.
First of all, the resale value on a ’99 Beetle is like $2500, in good condition. That’s because they are ridiculously unreliable. Ever notice how the resale value on Toyotas is always high? That’s because they are reliable. I would not recommend buying ANY Volkswagen. They are not only unreliable, but expensive to repair.
I have owned a 2000 VW Beetle for four years now, and I have been through hell with it. I spent over $5,000 last year having repairs done to it, and it needs to go to the shop every month. Mostly electrical problems, and other VW owners will tell you the same. That means it doesn’t matter how well you maintain the car, or how well maintained the car was in the past – it’s in the wiring of all these cars, and you will end up paying for it.
Mine just hit 141,000. The one you are considering has MORE. I seriously doubt mine will still be kickin’ in 6,000 miles.
And good luck finding someone to fix it. The dealership will screw you, and there are few mechanics in my area (Indianapolis) who are licensed to work on VWs.
Good luck.
I love my 2006 2.5L Beetle but…it is very expensive to fix anything. I have only had minor things: a sensor, new battery, new headlight. All of which are “labor intensive” and really needs to be done by someone that works on European cars.