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Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles
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GOH2O
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 5:46 pm    Post subject: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

Question Hello, and thanks in advance for any advice that might be headed my way. I am looking for general information about first generation water-cooled Beetles. I want to purchase one for my daughter's first car. So, it will need to be an auto-trans. I have a limit of about $6k.

I am not a novice car guy, but I know nothing about water-cooled VWs. I am trying to find out if there are years to avoid. Are there common and expensive problems to look for? Is there a printed buyer's guide for these as there are for air-cooled Beetles? Are there expensive maintenance issues like timing belts (interference fit or not, can this be done in a home garage)? Are diesels a good choice? What is the maximum "life expectancy" with good care?

So many questions!

Anything that gets me pointed in the right direction would be great.


Many thanks! As a public school educator, I cannot afford to make a huge mistake. Yellow Ghia

GOH2O
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jmartin7
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 6:43 pm    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

If the car must be an automatic, then I would advise you to look at the gen 1.5 New Beetles. The years for these cars are 2006 - 2010. These cars have the 2.5 L 5 cylinder engine and 6 speed tiptronic transmission. This combination is the most reliable automatic in your price range. The older cars with the 4 speed 01m transmission in the year range of 1998-2005 should be avoided. With the older cars it is not a question of if, but when the transmission will fail.
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ach60 Premium Member
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 12, 2016 11:14 pm    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

GOH2O wrote:
Question
I cannot afford to make a huge mistake. Yellow Ghia
GOH2O


One of our young smart Aerospace Engineer was complaining that her oil light was coming on.
Damn VW, she said.
One of our techs said let's take a look, and found no oil on the dip stick.
I've had nothing but VWs since I was 16 years old, but I wouldn't put a daughter in a VW.
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Karmannut
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 10:08 am    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

Try here for anything related to New Beetles
http://newbeetle.org/forums/
they aren't nearly as bad bad as everyone here makes them out to be
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Pepper-18 Habanero Orange Beetle SE Premium
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GOH2O
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 13, 2016 4:57 pm    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

Thanks to the many replies. The advice on the Tiptronic is great. I am wondering why ACH60 would not put his daughter into a VW (is it safety, reliability...?). A little more detail would be appreciated. My girl has been dead set on a beetle since she was old enough to talk, with understanding, about cars. Also, she is only 5ft. 2 inches tall, and has a really tough time seeing the placement of the fenders in my Tundra or my wife's FJ cruiser ( I know that I may have just nixed any advice by mentioning my Yotas in this forum. But, I hope not!).

Karmannut, thanks for the link. I am headed there now.

Any more specifics will help me make a better buy. So, thanks in advance.

VW Logo

GOH2O
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ach60 Premium Member
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PostPosted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 1:04 pm    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

Because kids are dumb.
I'm a pretty careful owner, and check things on a car, daily/weekly/monthly.
If a light comes on, I stop and check.
I drove a VW Squareback from '76 to '83
If I smell something, I'll check to see what the smell is about, driving a fuel injected Squareback IF YOU SMELLED GAS YOU STOPPED!!!!
Kids don't do that, they'll drive a sick car home so Daddy can check it.
My Sister was lucky enough to drive the Squareback an hour home with a leaking injector back in '74.
When my stepdaughter's Sonic says it needs service, my stepdaughter calls her Mom, so good old Mom can set up servicing.
Like Milner said "Driving is serious business", kids don't get that.
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Abscate Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed May 11, 2016 8:22 am    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

Get her a stick shift Beetle - easy to drive and make it a convertible to seal the deal.
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veedubman72
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PostPosted: Thu May 12, 2016 12:30 pm    Post subject: Re: Looking For Advice on First Gen Wasser Beetles Reply with quote

Did you mean you wouldn't put your daughter in an older VW? You're comparing cars across generations of a least a decade or more older because of a Service reminder function? New(er) VWs have this function. So again, why would you not put her in a VW? and 1st gen beetles are CHEAP!, so why would he not put his daughter in something affordable if that's within their price budget?
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