Buying a new Beetle

[Zippy_86]

Hi

I am new to this so sorry if I get it wrong or something looks weird!!

I am looking at buying one of the new style Beetles, approx. 2000-2001, but I have no idea what to look for! This is my first car and I don't really want to spend any more than £4k - which I realise is probably asking for a lot for not a lot of money so I'm hoping for a bargain! I've seen quite a few (scams and non-scams) for around this price but I don't know what to look for to tell whether the car is worth the money or not :bigeyes: I know there is a cam-belt change at some point but when is this due? Is there anything else I should be aware of that the seller won't necessarily tell me about?

Any other info or help on this would be great!

Thanks
Em

[gingernut352000]

watch teh 2,0l they drink oil. inspect the paint work the big sided doors show all the dents, the badges can look a bit shabby, try to find one with a service history and follow all the other normal buying tips.

ginger

[Crasher]

The cam belt varies according to engine type, age and mileage. The 2 litre is a bit of a rough old dog but is reliable and in my experience they don’t use any oil at all, the main problems we see on this engine are lambda sensor and ESP acceleration sensor failure, the latter of which is around £350 for parts depending on the year. The pick of the bunch is the 1.8T but running costs are higher and the 1.6 is a bit slow (and prone to piston failure) with the diesel quite rare but a little underpowered so to be honest, I would recommend the 2.0 litre. There are things to watch out for so please get it properly inspected by an experienced VW technician before buying and try not to burn all your money just buying the car, hold back or find an extra £500 to allow for repairs in the first year.

PS, mega cute Avatar

[Zippy_86]

Hi

Thanks for your reply's....sorry it's taken me so long!

Everyone seems to be selling Beetles around 50k-100k so I'm assuming I need to find one either older or a lot younger as this is when people have found out the Cambelt change happens! My dad is a VW Tech so I'm not too worried about labour on repairs :beerchug: but I still want to avoid them if I can as he can't get cheap parts :( Do you know if the 2.0ltr is classed as high insurance as I've also only just passed my test too so my insurance will be sky high!

Thanks so much for your help!

Em x

[euroslap]

Hi

Thanks for your reply's....sorry it's taken me so long!

Everyone seems to be selling Beetles around 50k-100k so I'm assuming I need to find one either older or a lot younger as this is when people have found out the Cambelt change happens! My dad is a VW Tech so I'm not too worried about labour on repairs :beerchug: but I still want to avoid them if I can as he can't get cheap parts :( Do you know if the 2.0ltr is classed as high insurance as I've also only just passed my test too so my insurance will be sky high!

Thanks so much for your help!

Em x

You're best bet's getting the lower mileage car and getting the cambelt changed when required. Yes you'll have to fork out but if you get a higher mileage car you'll just end up spending on other things going wrong further down the road. ;)