2002 Beetle 2.0 anything to worry about?

Dr Who

Dr Who

Dr Who

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Couvains, France
My wife has not done enough miles to retain her company car so has decided to look at buying a car and taking the allowance.

She doesn't want to spend loads as she does very few miles, and wants something a little "cute".

I found a Beetle nearby which she is off to see later today, and was wondering if there is anything she should look for (or me).

This is the car http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/02-02-Vol...6897370?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item4aba85985a

Thoughts?
 
It has one of the worst engines VW Group has ever put into a car in it.

It is a 2 litre with just 114bhp. Now this might be fine you may think - after all, speed isnt everything is it? Trouble is, its very thirsty. So you get the worst of both worlds - an uneconomical car that is slow.
 
My mum just bought a 2004 Beetle with the same engine, automatic as well, the MPG will be horrendous, less than 30mpg which is just madness. But oh well. Does much go wrong with these engines?
 
My GF had one for 8 years from 2001, utterly reliable.Nothing ever went wrong and was only ever in the garage for routine servicing and to replace a CD changer which we broke. Fox is correct about the engine though, was very thirsty and slow. Best bit was the fact I wore a Top Hat in it once :D
 
Performance isn't an issue, nor is economy, it really doesn't do enough miles to worry about it. She works from home, so all it does is short runs round town, ferrying the kids (16 and 19) shopping and 1 day a week on a 50 mile round trip to the station (business miles).

It is never something I would buy for myself, but I would like her to have something relatively reliable and safe, and she likes the look and colour (each to their own I spose).
 
I was surprised at how basic the dashboard looks, thought it didn't have a rev counter for a second but it's just really small. My sister has a 2002 Mini and comparing the two, the Mini seems a little more sporty, you get feedback through the steering and such that you don't get on the Beetle. The ride on the Mini is pretty harsh though considering its target market.
 
[TW]Fox;22484214 said:
I honestly think that for a cutsey car the Mini is simply a better car.
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We have looked at both, I am asking here for specifics about this model of car, not alternatives Fox. I know you can't resist throwing in your opinions, but I am after specifics about the beetle, she may well buy a Mini Cooper if the right one turns up, but for now, lets keep it to the beetle reliability issues etc thanks.
 
My sister in law had one, not much room at the back and boot space is tiny. Also, don't they have relatively large wheels? Shouldn't really matter if you do low miles though.
 
Oh also, on my travels looking for a car with mother, I saw a VW Beetle with yellow paint that had faded quite disgustingly. This was a V reg so I'm guessing newer yellow ones will eventually go off too.
 
Jonnycoupe said:
16 and 19 year old 'kids' will struggle in the back of a Beetle for headroom.

MINI is far better on that front.
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As you can imagine, 16 and 19 year olds rarely go to the same place, and the 19 year old is learning to drive anyway (as well as off to university medical school in sept), so it is front seat size only that is really relevant.

If we are travelling a longer distance ie to Relations, I will take the Merc.
 
Dr Who said:
We have looked at both, I am asking here for specifics about this model of car, not alternatives Fox. I know you can't resist throwing in your opinions, but I am after specifics about the beetle, she may well buy a Mini Cooper if the right one turns up, but for now, lets keep it to the beetle reliability issues etc thanks.
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This is a general car forum though, not many people will have specific Beetle ownership experience - certainly not enough to be representative of what you could expect. If you really want only specific Beetle reliability information then surely a Beetle forum is the best place to ask?

The value of a forum like this is the breadth of opinion from all different sources rather than as a source of ultra-specific information. By all means ask for specifics - somebody might have useful info - but it seems unfair to insist on ONLY specific Beetle information and criticise any other advice given when everything being posted in here is being posted in good faith and is at least semi relevent. It's not as if we are talking about how you should buy a Nissan GT-R instead is it?
 
12.33: 'for now, lets keep it to the beetle reliability issues etc thanks'
12.39: 'she is also looking at this <link to a mini>'

Good work sir, a full 6 minutes before deviating from the topic you just asked everyone else to stick to :p
 
Jonnycoupe said:
16 and 19 year old 'kids' will struggle in the back of a Beetle for headroom.

MINI is far better on that front.
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The beetle may be short on headroom, but at least it has more than 2 inches of rear legroom...

FWIW my Wife just got 40mpg from her ancient Octavia Estate with the same 2L engine coming back from Kent to Plymouth. It's a reasonably torquey engine that suits a lazy driving style, but is ultimately pretty gutless.

Note that most of them tend to use a fair bit of oil thanks the the low tension oil rings VW use in them; I change the spark plugs yearly on the Octavis as they get fouled by oil deposits, and fitting new ones transforms the power and economy. Short journeys also generate plenty of emulsified oil in the cam cover of these engines (though it pretty much disappears after a long run).
 
Dr Who said:
As you can imagine, 16 and 19 year olds rarely go to the same place, and the 19 year old is learning to drive anyway (as well as off to university medical school in sept), so it is front seat size only that is really relevant.

If we are travelling a longer distance ie to Relations, I will take the Merc.
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Fair enough. After seeing the beetle in a recent 'retro pastiche' purchase for my GF we decided to pay a little more for the MINI - the fuel consumption of the MINI is good aswell so im glad I paid the extra now.

Lets be honest if your wife wants one because its 'cute' you dont care for rear space or fuel economy (which could get you into a sportcar?) then there isnt really much discussion to have?
 
Kenai said:
12.33: 'for now, lets keep it to the beetle reliability issues etc thanks'
12.39: 'she is also looking at this <link to a mini>'

Good work sir, a full 6 minutes before deviating from the topic you just asked everyone else to stick to :p
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I haven't deviated, I have said to stick to beetle info because she is already looking at a mini, so opinions will be irrelevant, she will decide which she likes most taking those factors into account.

You can take stuff out of context to say I have changed the subject, but please note I am not asking about opinions or info on the mini :p
 
Jonnycoupe said:
Lets be honest if your wife wants one because its 'cute' you dont care for rear space or fuel economy (which could get you into a sportcar?) then there isnt really much discussion to have?
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Well if they are known for major issues then that is a stay clear, that is the kinda info I am after, more of a quick heads-up as opposed to trwling through pages on a New forum that I will have no interest in registering for longer term.

She also likes the mini, as do I, I think the mini is a great little car, it is also cheaper to insure (as well as more economical and slightly quicker). But in this price bracket she will be looking at higher mileage examples so just looking at alternatives.
 
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