1998 Volkswagen Beetle GL review from North America
"If you can afford the maintenance, then go for it"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Transmission
Broken Gas Line
Faulty O2
vacuum lines
Check engine light comes on all the time (this self-corrects though)
Radio shorted out
Headlights out
Fuses galore!
General comments?
After owning a 1995 VW Cabrio, I decided to trade in that beautiful baby for a 1998 VW Beetle. What a big mistake. It was fun for the first 6 months, but after being stuck on the side of NY Route 17 for 6 hours during a tornado warning and being questioned by two NY state troopers (thanks guys!), I finally realized I got myself into a POC (Piece Of Crap). Other things have happened like the belt on the automatic window broke and it makes this satanic like noise when it happens. Of course this happened to me during a funeral for a one month old baby. Also the key fob alarm craps out all the time, had to replace it with an Ultra XR alarm and car starter. Other than that, after 100,000 miles it's really reliable. I'm just trading it in because I need a diesel (getting an 05 Golf)
Recommended reviews
| 1998 - Beetle Tdi 1.7 turbo diesel Very disappointing in every respect |
|
| A fun, cheap, reliable car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1998 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2001 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 cylinder Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 5 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 1 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 44000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 116000 miles |
| Previous car | Volkswagen Cabrio |
| Date of Entry | 12th September, 2005 |