2000 Volkswagen Beetle GLS review from North America
"An unreliable disgrace of a car"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
ECU reprogrammed under warranty.
Mass-air sensor replaced under warranty.
Power window switches replaced twice.
Drivers' side window motor very very slow and intermittent.
Power trunk release still doesn't work quite right.
Random idiot lights (aka warning lights) decide to turn on now and then.
Finish on door handles and center console has worn away.
Cheap plastic dash rattles and squeaks.
Various other cheap plastic fittings have come loose.
General comments?
What a disaster. There's always something wrong on this car. I've heard of the batteries frequently failing after about 2 years - thankfully that's never happened, it looks like it's a serious pain to replace. Thankfully, the service dept. has gone out of its way to fix the car under warranty, even once temporarily turning back the odometer to get it serviced under warranty (it was past the 36,000 mile warranty) and then putting it back where it was to keep everything legal (barely). The service department of VW has been the one thing that has kept this whole experience from being a total crock. Best service I've ever seen. Otherwise, don't buy this car. Never mind the decent turbo motor. It's really not worth it. Especially not for $24,000.
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  | The last VW I will ever own |
| Externally beautiful, Internally shallow |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.8T Automatic |
| Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Reliability marks | 3/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 24 miles |
| Most recent distance | 38000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Caravan |
| Date of Entry | 4th June, 2003 |