Faults:

3 weeks after buying car from a police officer, the check engine light comes on. It has came on 3 times in 4 weeks and was reset each time. It was reset about 1 month ago and has not been on since.

Taillight burns out at 112,000 miles.

Turn signal burns out at 113,000 miles.

Loud rattle from the cargo area in back noticed at 107,000 miles.

Shift nob top broke off at 107,000 miles.

AI hit a raccoon going about 40MPH and it did over $2,000 dollars in damage.

Cruise control only works sometimes. It works randomly.

General Comments:

The overall value of the car if very good. The engine has plenty of power along with the 5-speed manual transmission. The engine and transmission are sound and run great. The problems I can report though are all electronic. The check engine light comes on sometimes even when there is nothing wrong. A taillight and turn signal have both worn out in the past month.

A loud rattle is noticable coming from the hatch. I don't know what it is. My only thought is that the 6-disc CD changer is rattling. The sound system is great although the rear speakers are muffled and the sound is very poor coming out of them.

I recently hit a raccoon going about 40MPH. The raccoon somehow went through the bottom grill, hit the radiator, overheated the engine, and then somehow hit the air conditioner! It was over $2000 in damage.

The suspension squeaks sometimes and the cruise control works only when it feels like it. I have to hit the hatch release button at least 2 times in order for it to open.

Both of the back-up lights went out at the exact some time. Had to replace them.

Overall the car is a good value, although the repairs and electronic problems are galore. I'm glad I purchased it for I love VW, but I think a Honda Civic would have been a smarter purchase.

Faults:

Actually nothing has happened to the car that has required dealer attention.

One of my headlight bulbs is burnt out, and the headlight housing unit is loose and will come out if I slam on the brakes hard enough, but that is it. The headlights commonly burn out on the new beetle, not because they are crap, but because they are running whenever the car is running. The only way to turn them off is to put on the handbrake. I also have seen many other beetles with the headlight housing unit problem. I think it is because of the odd shape of the headlights.

General Comments:

The car actually has well exceeded my expectations. I have had less problems with it then my mother has had with her 2006 Mazda 6.

It performs much better then the 115 hp engine suggests, and it is very in-touch with the road while you're driving it.

It has a firm comfort feel to it, the seats are not that soft, but you still feel supported and comfortable.

Although the suspension is rather firm, no bumps are too harsh or uncomfortable.

The check engine light comes on occasionally, but always corrects itself within a few days, and has never stayed on more than one week.

The dash lights are my favorite at night. They really set this car apart from all of the others. Whenever friends ride in my car at night, I always get compliments on how neat the interior looks when it is lit up.

The exterior is just as nice. Everyone thinks that my car has to be at least 2002, thanks to the fully galvanized steel body frame which is not prone to rust, and the excellent paint job.

Also, I noticed that for such a small car it is very safe. It sits you in the middle of its bubble shaped boyd and the plastic on the exterior absorbs energy in a crash very well. It also has dual front and side airbags, which came on no other car in this price range in 1998.

Volkswagen has really improved their line of vehicles. The 1994-1998 Jetta was not very crashworthy, yet the next two generations have had excellent crash test results. How do I know that the Beetle is a very excellent car to be involved in a crash in? I was hit by a drunk driver going 40 and had flipped my car on the driver side. I walked out of the car with nothing wrong, and all that was wrong with the Beetle was it needed a new hood, and radiator. The drunk drivers car was totalled.

Except for a few electrical kinks, my new Beetle has been an amazing car for the 4500.00 I paid for it. It has not so much as threatened to break down or give me any trouble. I always put premium gas in it though. Maybe that has prevented a few problems.