Does anyone own a newer version VW bug?
 

One of these days I need to buy a new car. I don't like the new cars at all. I have a 14 year old eclipse. I love the VW bug. My sister has a 1962 bug that's been restored. Way cool. Of course, not practical for everyday use. I really like how the VW bug looks. But everyone tells me that it might not be a good idea.... not much storage space, don't see to many on the road. Things like that.

So, does anyone own one? Do you like it? What don't you like about it?

Thanks for your help. I don't want to walk up to a stranger and ask what they think LOL

Patti,
My youngest daughter had a new VW convertible and loved it. She lives in GA and had it for 4 years. She does a lot of traveling and needed more space for hauling her stuff around so traded it in. It got good gas mileage, low maintance, and was fun to drive. Make sure to test drive to see if its something you will want to keep for a long time. I drive a Prius and love, love, love it. Compact, great on gas and has more room than a VW so that might be another option for you.
Brenda

I don't own one but my cousin does. I had one and I lived in Indiana and drove through a rough patch of winter. I only had it about 3-6 weeks when my brother borrowed it and was hit on ice. He was actually ok. He walked but my bug got squished. Hit on 4 side and ended up on it's top. I bought used and it was a stick. I missed that car for a long time. It was my second stick. :( BTW my cousin drives hers all over. Loves it. Not sure but I believe it's only couple years old.

You should certainly walk up to strangers and ask what they think. If they like their car, they're proud to talk about it. I have a diesel VW Jetta Sportwagon, it has a little more room than the bug. I used to own an convertible, and you know, they last forever.

I think they are adorable, but I don't have one. We have asked people how they like their cars, you get a pretty realistic response that way, I think.

My friend owns a diesel VW Jetta Sportwagon and loves it!! She really puts the miles on it! Had a freak accident in her first one and the officer told her that she was lucky to walk away from it...wouldn't have in a lesser vehicle. She replaced it with exactly same model!! We have some great quilting fabric shopping trips in that car....It's amazing how many bolts of fabric you can squeeze in a vehicle! LOL

I had a 1965 VW bug and loved it. After my husband changed the engine in it 3 times I got rid of it. But oh how I loved it. The new ones don't hold any appeal for me except for the convertible. I would never get one unless it was a third car because it doesn'y have much storage space.

Oh my .. We had the bug, fastback, squareback, van when our kids were growing up. My only concern about the new bugs is the engine is in the front.
Did you go onto some of the sites that you can find out how the newer VW's do ? May want to check those out.

I bought a new car last year and I'm super fond of VW's (my dad drove a '54 beetle as his daily driver, and also had a 1950 split-window beetle that had to be started with a crank!) but I was NOT impressed with the new beetle when I test-drove it.

It felt very cramped, the navigation screen was TINY, and when I got it out on the freeway it didn't have much "poop" to it, even though it was a Turbo. I "punched" it and it just got louder, didn't go any faster - I couldn't pass a truck. I also didn't like the handling, I can't describe exactly what I didn't like but it just didn't "feel right" to me.

I was really disappointed - until that test drive the beetle was my #1 choice (for sentimental reasons and also because they are SO darn cute) but I was so underwhelmed by the test drive that I ended up buying a Hyundai Veloster (turbo) instead. (Which I am still very fond of, a year later)

I'd say go to a dealer and take one for a drive, see what you think. I have a coworker who has a 2014 VW Turbo Beetle and she LOVES it. It sure does look cute out there in the parking lot, LOL.

Some day I'd love to get another 50's-era beetle like my Dad had, and restore it back to stock. I will ALWAYS have a huge soft spot for those cars.

I have a bug, 2001 turbo and I love it. It has all the fancy bells and whistles just like many of the newer cars and unlike the older ones it has a ton of room and a huge trunk. I love the electric sunroof! I started with a 1970 VW, air cooled back then so not much heat and no air conditioning. My DIL has a 2012 beetle, prior to that she had a 2000 and finally traded it in at 422,000 miles. My son and three grandkids all drive bugs, older restored one from 1957 up to 1973. Perfect for the teenagers, but they also have a gas guzzling suburban for when the whole family goes out together. We are a bug loving family!

I owned a VW bug for about 4 years, when A friend offered to trade straight across for a Subaru wagon, I jumped on it. Best decision I ever made! I spent more time getting the 'bug' fixed than I did driving it. If you can spend the money to keep it on the road, go for it. You may love it, many of my friends do, just not me.

I don't own a "bug". On my last trip to Ca, I rented one -2013. It was a great ride! Great on gas, comfortable seats, lots of room and great storage in the truck. The few things I did not like was the light switch. I had to pull over and read the manual, the switch was behind the steering wheel. You cannot open the gas cover if the doors are locked. There is no obvious handle on the trunk. Minor things because if I was offered enough money to buy a bug, you bet I would!

Wow, RJWilder, you give me great hope. My husband and I are living on his pension but our car was dying. We really needed something but didn't have much money to spend. His sister's boss in another state was selling his 2000 turbo bug with only 81,000 miles on it. We bought it, had it shipped down to us, and it is now my car. I'm short, so it really fits me. I totally love it. It is so fun to drive on our windy Ozarks roads. I hope it lasts for another 300,000 miles like your DIL's car. Thanks for the encouragement.

I drive for a major car rental company and the bug is probably one of the cars that are on the bottom of my list. I think there are other cars that are much better. If you want a smaller car the Cruz, Corolla, or Sentra would be my choice of car.

I dont drive a beetle but I did years ago and loved it, it was a 1966. It was a wonderful car, I now drive a 2006 Jetta, love it more, we bought it new and are still driving it and will till it lays down. It is our only car at this time so we have to totally depend on it. We are raising two grandsons so we are on the go a lot, they are both teenagers. I trust VW's. These Jetta's have a lot of room, everyone always says "wow you have a large trunk". Dont know anything about the new Beetles.

we have the same...42 miles per gallon of fuel. Love it. If you are looking for used search for TDI or diesel.
We are incredibly impressed with the dealership and service ethic also.

I think the Jetta sportswagon was discontinued this year, but expect they've come up with something just as good.

had a baby blue bug when i was 16 (1967). left it parked between two trees. the three of us walked out with only bumps and bruises. the car became an accordian. upcycling in its infancy. lol my favorite car was a mustang convertible. still have one. get what makes you happy. how many more years do you plan to drive? my gbabies other gm has my next car, a vw bug convertible! best of both worlds!��������

I drive lots of rentals for my job. Rented a Bug one time cuz it was just me. The track thing that slides the seats back broke on it when I was at the 1st rest area which was about 60 miles from home. Great drive on the interstate and back roads but not impressed with the track thing breaking. The car had less than 5000 miles on it when the seat thing broke. Apparently, it's fairly common according to the tow truck driver. Except for that one glitch, I loved driving it. I also like the Chevy Cruz.