Faults:

The motor uses a little bit of oil (approximately 1/2 liter per 1000 kilometers). Typical for a Volkswagen.

General Comments:

The Volkswagen New Beetle is a great value for your money. I purchased the car used at a Volkswagen dealer, and consequently the car has a 2 year, 40000 kilometer warranty from the date I purchased it.

The car also has many desirable features, such as: heated seats and mirrors, power windows and locks, cruise control, tilt/telescoping steering, and air conditioning with pollen filter just to name a few.

As for the engine, it has been in many Volkswagen models for numerous years. It is an extremely durable engine that I know will last for many years to come. The 2 liter is not known for being a powerful engine, but manages to get the job done.

The car has a very pleasing suspension that compares with any luxury sedan, and has great German handling.

Faults:

The rear hatch refuses to open when it is cold.

The door handle is peeling.

Gas flap refuses to close and has been replaced twice.

The car has sluggish acceleration.

General Comments:

This car handles great for a car of it's price.

The interior is very roomy in the front, but the rear seats are not useful.

It has 50,000 miles on it and I have had no major problems.

The dealer is very helpful and is always nice.

I intend to keep this car for many years.

Faults:

Airbag light came on, but nothing was wrong. Dealer reset the light and charged me 1 hour labor.

Painted door handles chipped very easily.

Plastic shielding under engine cracked while driving in deep snow. Not the best winter car perhaps due to its low stance.

General Comments:

Very quick car with lots of torque.

Gearing is short though, and the engine revs quite high at highway speeds.

Traction control works extremely well on ice.

On the other hand, the traction control slows down hard launches on dry road surfaces. Fortunately, you can switch it off.

Brakes are amazing in the dry.

However ABS is very obtrusive when functioning in winter.

Loads of cargo room with rear seats folded down.

Heated leather seats are very nice.

Scheduled maintenance costs are a little high.

Faults:

The water pump failed, causing the engine to overheat, which in turn blew the head gasket and cracked the cylinder head. The only warning I received was a flickering red light on the dash, that went on and off at intervals... then 'bang' the oil exploded over the engine.

Leather seats of poor quality.

General Comments:

The car drinks petrol, like no other 2.0 auto... its worse than my 3.2 911 Carrera.

The car is a bad as the dealer service. They spent £800 diagonising the fact that the engine needed to be replaced. I had only authorised £75 inspection... and returned to find this bill!!

Faults:

The brakes were bad when I purchased this used car. This cost my over $400 at the dealer.

The trunk release does not always open. This is very annoying.

The CD player does not work. I also inserted a tape into the tape player, only to have it eat my tape!

The car uses oil. I noticed this around 45,000 miles when I took it in for an oil change and there was no oil touching the dipstick.

The horn quit working around 40,000 miles. After hearing about how VW dealership rips you off, and as a lesson learned from my $400 brake job, I took the car to an "independent" garage that specializes in VW repair, and had the horn replaced - parts and labor, for $50.

It is also impossible to change the tail lights without some special tool that VW has. Luckily, the "independent" garage replaced it for $5.00.

I replaced the power window switch, twice. Once at 37,000 miles and again at 60,000.

The exterior paint is chipping.

The interior trim on the door handles is flaking off.

General Comments:

This car is fun to drive and hugs the road in curves. I really love the way it handles, but unfortunately all of the annoying problems have made me decide to sell this car.

I cannot believe that VW is allowed to get away with these lemons. Someone should investigate their dealer/service practices! What does it take to have a recall for these recurring problems that almost every Beetle owner seems to have?

This will be the first and last VW that I own. I am going back to a reliable, worry-free Honda!