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1999 Volkswagen Beetle 2 Dr GLS Hatchback Reviews

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“Sporty, But Not Maintenance-free”

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joeastrue recommends this car
05/29/2008

Bought this used six months ago with ~90K miles for our teenage daughter to drive, but dad has to drive it sometimes, too.  Acceleration, braking, and handling are very sporty, more so than expected.  When we brought it home, it already needed a headlamp replacement, and steps/photos on the web were really helpful, but people need to know the parts that slide do get stuck and getting the assembly back in can require numerous attempts before you get it right.  Then a brake cylinder failed on one of the wheels.  Check Engine light came on and VW dealer said it would be $110 just to hook it up to their computer to diagnose the code- that is something the owner should be able to do for free! He did disclose that most of the codes are for emissions-related reasons, so discovery that the daughter had left the gas cap behind at her last refueling stop meant we fixed the problem for $6. But you have to know that a missing gas cap will alter the vacuum pressure throughout the fuel system, the engine compression, and finally the emissions to realize that. And it takes 5-10 times of starting and running the vehicle before the light goes off. Now it's making an ominous rattle every time it starts, so we're back in diagnostic mode, hoping to figure it out before something else fails. In summary, it's a very fun car to drive, but not exactly reliable, built to last or simple to maintain yourself.

Pros — Very sporty handling and details: Power moon roof and CD changer make it an even more enjoyable ride. Decent gas mileage from the 2.0L 4-cylinder. Access in and out of the back seat is good.
Cons — Plastic controls are not really good durable designs (esp. HVAC vents and power window switches).  Car not designed for user-friendly do-it-yourself kind of maintenance, and dealers are RIDICULOUSLY expensive.  Hatchback door light often comes on even when it is closed.  Fuel door sticks in closed position.  Not enough shared maintenance information available from mechanics and fellow owners on the Internet.
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“I Love This Litle Car Even Though Everyone Makes Fun Of Me For Driving It!”

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Kat103 recommends this car
04/21/2008

It's a great little car for someone who drives by themselves a lot. Overall preformance is pretty good. Handles well, has pretty good pick up and stops on a dime. Bad part is everything is computeried so when it breaks, it's usually hard to fix and expensive. The overall design of the engine sucks. Nothing on the car is easy to get to.

Pros — Good gas milage, fun to drive, pretty reliable
Cons — cannot take aftermarket parts, so expensive to fix and bad design so its always hard to fix
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“Devin's Herbie”

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Devin387 recommends this car
04/16/2008

18" Italian Wheels, Track Brake Kit, Ported & Polished Motor, Supercharged, New Pistons, Valves, Valve Springs, Gaskets, Cam-Shaft, Headers, Full Exhaust- Headers Back, Induction Cold Air Kit, Performance Audio

Pros — Look at it :)
Cons — NON
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“Fun”

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Cristan3 recommends this car
04/09/2008

Will start many converstaions

Pros — Good on gas
Cons — Currently needs a few minor fixes
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“Cute. Yeah, Thats About All There Is To Say”

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03/30/2008

Umm, it was cute, so it would be cruel to say what I really feel about it.

Pros — Cute
Cons — Akward Stick
Slow
Small
Wasted(unreasonable) Room inside
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“A Great Modern Take”

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David3620 recommends this car
02/26/2008

??                                                                                                                             always needs lowering                                                                                                             ???????????

Pros — a vw
Cons — the engines in the wrong place
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“Have Not Gettin The Answer”

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bearsfan recommends this car
12/20/2007

the beetle is good and save alots if gas but exspensive to repair

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“Great, Sporty Fun Little Car”

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momscookin recommends this car
08/02/2007

Got this little bug used, but shes a great running little car.  Nifty sports package, dual exhaust, rear spoiler, the works.  Yummy bright green exterior, you can see her coming for miles

Pros — Great gas mileage
Cons — Way too low to the ground
1 out of 1 people think this review is helpful.
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“Good Car But To Low For The Country Life”

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bug recommends this car
07/09/2007

car is fun to drive and great on gas. for us though it is to low for country life. We are going to have a 4" lift put on it and it sould be great.

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