Is a 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle a good reliable car?

Question 1
Is a 1999 Volkswagen New Beetle a good reliable car?...  I am getting a used car to be my first car and I need it to be a good one to get to school and in the future college so I need a car I can trust. I have wanted a VW Bug sense forever but I guess what it comes down to is what car I can trust. So if you know anything please let me know! Thanks! :)

Answers
1)   No - Nick003

2)   VW's are not known for their reliability. They are fun to drive and sporty but if you want reliability, buy a honda or a toyota. - Michelle Obama

3)   I don't think so. I would reccomend something with AWD/4WD and a V6/V8 engine with less than 65,000 mi. - Mandalorian

4)   yea vw beetle is a reliable car. check out craiglist.com - VW Man

5)   Thats a hard question... how many miles does it have? All cars are good as long as you can maintain it. However, labor and parts are much more than a Acura or Ford at a shop. If you have money take it to a VW mini shop so they can look at what might need to be replaced soon. Also, you should do the required dealership changes for example the manufactor motor/ transmission oil, spark plugs and wires. Many people use aftermarkets or "imitations" and the car will eventually perform not at its best. - Impressive_Instant


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Question 2
Have you ever owned a Jetta? What was your experience?? I am looking to buy a 2000 1.8t & not sure if reliable?...  I test drove the car & it ran great & was very clean..

Answers
1)   It's hit or miss. They're either great cars that will be with you till the day you die, or just piles of shit. - Army Hopeful

2)   not bad, you cant check oil, transmission fluid, power steering fluid, etc. ours shifted really hard (automatic) needed new tranny. other than that they are ok. also no overdrive so you dont get great mpg on highway - SixShooter

3)   Yea I had a Jetta TDI, the fuel pump went and would have cost $750 just for the part from the dealership, I found one used for $300. Heater core went, that cost $600. They wanted $750 for a new clutch. I had it for about 3 months and dumped it.

I wouldn't buy a Volkswagen unless it was brand new or had an extended warranty on it. Cost of repairs are too high. - RwDftw

4)   jettas are nice. Its a good car for a young family. I have a 2005 jetta gli, also 1.8t. been really good ever since ive had it. the main problem you might encounter with jettas would be electrical problems. mine has none but it seems like a lot do.
theyre really good fun cars to drive and could very well last a life time

just bring it to a shop or dealer to check it out before you buy it. you don't want to end up with a cracked intercooler or some hidden problems after you bought it. The seller shouldn't mind.

hope you find the right jetta!! - Darius

5)   Just make sure it has good service records, so you know it has been took care of and what all has been done to it! Timing belt, tensioner, and waterpump have to be changed every 75K or so, and it runs about 7-800 dollars, so you do need to know what all has been done to it.. I only buy VWs with perfect service records, and have never had a problem with any of them! - Bob S


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Question 3
What is a golf R32 - is it better than a gti?...  I was driving along today - quickly but fairly casualty in my 09 BMW M3 when all of a sudden what looks like a golf flies up behind be. They then start flashing - I think some idiot in a 1.6 wants a race and so put the boot down. Speed climes and they stay with me and I start thinking what the hell! After downshifting and flooring it I start to put some distance in and then pull over a few miles down the road and wait for it to go past. At the back there are two exhausts and an R32 badge - what is this?
At first I was cruising in 5th and didn't bother to downshift because I thought it was a 1.6 or 1.9 tdi!

I have driven gtis in the past and they are fun but nothing like the M3 so it really shocked me.

Answers
1)   It's probably tuned, or the driver was very good, cause your brand new M3 should be faster on paper... (0 to 62 mph in 4.5 second for M3 DCT vs. 6.2 seconds for R32)

And yes, R32 is much better than a GTI. GTI is 2 litre, R32 is 3.2! - Filipp

2)   R32 - Superawesome Golf. They've been around for a while.

3.2 litre engine (hence R32)

Costs around £30,000 - Woftis

3)   The R32 is a heavily tuned Golf with a 3.2 litre V6 Engine and 4WD.


And yes, it's better than a GTi - CrashGordon94

4)   WOW I GOT TO GET ME ONE OF THOSE! - Suzanne

5)   You have an M3 & you don't watch Top Gear then? - george d


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Question 4
What year were heaters introduced to Bugs/beetles?...  I'm looking forward to buy a Volkswagen old bug.

Would anyone know when heaters became mandatory upon manufacturing (what year)? And no, I will not install one. Last thing I need is to travel across multiple cities, or even states to test drive/look at an old bug, only to find out it doesn't have a heater.

Answers
1)   I had a 1954 model & it had a heater in it. They have been around for quite a while. I can't see where this might help but hope it does in some way. - DenisC.2008

2)   I think it always had heating - it's cold in the winter in Germany.
Neverthless the design of the heating saw major changes in the beginning of the 1960ies. Starting with model year 1963 (production start in Germany Dec. 1962) the new design was introduced due to requirements by law. Until that time the cooling air was directly used for heating from 1963 fresh air was used which was heated in the so called "Heizbirnen" (heating pears) by the exhaust. The first year still saw a turning knob for regulation as it was used before from model year 1965 (production started in August 1964) this was changed to a lever.
The English Wiki does not mention the heating as such but refers to it only by mentioning that with the 1973 type 1303 (Super Beetle) a 2-speed heater fan was introduced
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Beetle#The_Super_Beetle_and_final_evolution

My first car was 1973 beetle 1302 which had a heater believe me! - Martin S

3)   JJ..

Excluding military models (about which I have no knowledge at all) I think that all VW's had some kind of heater system.

Some models had optional EXTRA heaters.. for example the old VW buses had gasoline fueled aux. heaters because the heat exchangers on the engines were not sufficient to heat up a bus in the winter. (Yeah.. I remember THAT part... brrrrrrrrr). The engines were simply too damn efficient at cooling.

Even the later bug models fail a bit in the warmth area if you are driving in zero degree cold. While they mush right thru the snow, those frozen floorboards do have a way of chilling up the interior.

The solution is pretty easy tho.. just pick up an electric - plugin - heater and that is usually enough to warm it up in all except the really cold weather. You may, however have to add a cigarette lighter outlet which is an easy extra.

.. - ca_surveyor

4)   Old bug heaters had heater boxes on each side of the engine that the exhaust ran thru, and the cooling fan in the engine was the fan speed. So the more RPMs, the more heat ya got! It was an ok system if it was airtight, but in warmer climates, many got rid of the heater boxes for J-pipes or collector headers for more performance.So you will just have to ask if the heater is still there, in cooler climates , most are. The heater leaves a lot to be desired, even in perfect working condition, I have drove them many times thru cold midwest winters, it helps to have a buddy scraping while you drive!.. I eventually put a 99% Buddy LP heater in the back seat, it worked well! The old gas heaters worked great, but they used as much gas as the bug so your mileage goes to crap. Spuds are great in the winter, they will go anywhere, almost unstickable! - Bob S

5)   The early 70's is when VW offered a gas heater in the bug. Before that, it was heated by "heater boxes" that were attached to the exhaust (heating fresh air) and was plumbed through the pan to the sides of the front seats. They work ok, and JC Whitney sells an in line fan that pushes the heat up to you faster. My 73 Thing has a gas heater, but I have not used it. I have a 12v electric heater that plugs into the cigarette lighter. I use it for my son in the mornings, but they do not work very well. I put it under his blanket and it warms him up, but if it is not under the blanket, it does not do much. - Rod Knocker


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Question 5
vw jetta cranks but wont start?...  I have a 1998 vw jetta that takes a good 2-3 times to start. Once it starts the car drive with no problems. I checked the spark, it was good but replaced plugs anyway. Replaced rotor and cap, had fuel pump, filter and fuel pressure checked and vacuum lines. i checked everything i can think that would cause the engine to not start right away. Im not sure what else it could be. Am i missing something on my check list? Could the system being too lean or the idle control system rpm low be the cause? I know i need to replace the idle control and the o2 sensor. But could those two be behind all this. Somebody please let me know what im missing and what i need to do. This is my wife's care and the sooner i get it fixed the better. Thank you.

Answers
1)   Replace the CTS sensor. They can cause no start when hot or cold, hard starts, and generally a plethora of wonkiness. - Briano

2)   I'm not sure on the 98, but the older ones had a cold start valve on the end of the intake. It shot a squirt of gas in for cold starts, not working, a pain to start when cold! Sometime you can piss with the squirter a bit to get it to squirt! - Bob S

3)   Check the timing belt for good measure. - Dis


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