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They are priced starting new at like $17K and Everything is extra. Easy to get way up into the $20K range for a so-so ride. It is more for people who want to buy some type of image than super good transport. Do you even get A/C or is it even available, what is the gas mileage??
Four of the compact makers have all introduced some new killer cars / designs. Toyota, Nissan, couple more. Targeted to wipe out a lot of the cheaper cars of older designs from all manufacturers. Finally somebody will make the type car most people want to buy. And they continue that concept up the price chain. Probably going to really do the job on a lot of the smaller American cars / designs.
The idea is to kill all the other manufacturers older cheaper car designs with super value.
I just bought one of the new Toyota Yaris. Like $13K total out of pocket for the final deal, including taxes and all costs. A/C standard also electric power steering. These cars are designed around the original idea of the beetle only with far more goodies. The Yaris really does 40 MPG cruising at 65. Rides like a much bigger car. Excellent overall quality.
Basically they have taken a ton of good ideas from a bunch of other cars. Took the idea from a van, got a short nose, you are sitting up high, just about over the road, super view, can see good up super close to the front in tight spaces. They put all the instruments and stuff in the middle. Lots of room for the internal cube, they kept the roofline high all the way back. Took the idea from the Mini Cooper and put all the wheels way out on the extreme corners to get the handling. Paid a super amount of attention to how the weight is distributed to get a super nice ride. Lots of good quality for the money, lots of attention to detail.
Good power plant, honking 1.5L with a slick 5 Spd will still move. That transmission does something I have found few other 5 Spd capable of, easy down shift 5th to 4th gear. The electric power steering is nice. Don't have that loose feel at higher speeds like normal P/S, works great in tight spots and doesn't rob you on the mileage like normal P/S. Great way of solving a problem. Mine also has the big wheels, bigger electrical / heating / carpet / radio / CD package in that low ball price. Options are pretty reasonable compared to say a VW.
So I don't see what VW has to offer. A good idea but time kind of passed them by. I put it sort of in that image class where you want a certain kind of look but that might get old as it is pretty much ancient technology. Same basic body shell with all its limitations. So much to choose from in better designs from a lot of other folks with far better value for the dollar. The Yaris is the best selling small car in Europe, not too many people buying a Beetle if they compare the two. People's transport with more style, economy and Zip. Still limited production in the USA, I had to pull some strings to get mine without a long wait and at the good guy price.
$25K or whatever price for an older one will buy such a better car from a bunch of manufacturers. Sure would rather have a new Yaris than a used VW for the same money. Lots of other cars to choose from for a kick@ss look, depends if you really are interested in going or being watched.
That older VW technology, body type, etc will probably also yield a far less safe car in a crash for a comparable weight car of a totally brand new technology class. Only so much you can do with the past and its designs. VW is going back to the well that worked for them so well for so many years. I'm not sure there is much in it for the customer.
They are priced starting new at like $17K and Everything is extra. Easy to get way up into the $20K range for a so-so ride. It is more for people who want to buy some type of image than super good transport. Do you even get A/C or is it even available, what is the gas mileage??
Four of the compact makers have all introduced some new killer cars / designs. Toyota, Nissan, couple more. Targeted to wipe out a lot of the cheaper cars of older designs from all manufacturers. Finally somebody will make the type car most people want to buy. And they continue that concept up the price chain. Probably going to really do the job on a lot of the smaller American cars / designs.
The idea is to kill all the other manufacturers older cheaper car designs with super value.
I just bought one of the new Toyota Yaris. Like $13K total out of pocket for the final deal, including taxes and all costs. A/C standard also electric power steering. These cars are designed around the original idea of the beetle only with far more goodies. The Yaris really does 40 MPG cruising at 65. Rides like a much bigger car. Excellent overall quality.
Basically they have taken a ton of good ideas from a bunch of other cars. Took the idea from a van, got a short nose, you are sitting up high, just about over the road, super view, can see good up super close to the front in tight spaces. They put all the instruments and stuff in the middle. Lots of room for the internal cube, they kept the roofline high all the way back. Took the idea from the Mini Cooper and put all the wheels way out on the extreme corners to get the handling. Paid a super amount of attention to how the weight is distributed to get a super nice ride. Lots of good quality for the money, lots of attention to detail.
Good power plant, honking 1.5L with a slick 5 Spd will still move. That transmission does something I have found few other 5 Spd capable of, easy down shift 5th to 4th gear. The electric power steering is nice. Don't have that loose feel at higher speeds like normal P/S, works great in tight spots and doesn't rob you on the mileage like normal P/S. Great way of solving a problem. Mine also has the big wheels, bigger electrical / heating / carpet / radio / CD package in that low ball price. Options are pretty reasonable compared to say a VW.
So I don't see what VW has to offer. A good idea but time kind of passed them by. I put it sort of in that image class where you want a certain kind of look but that might get old as it is pretty much ancient technology. Same basic body shell with all its limitations. So much to choose from in better designs from a lot of other folks with far better value for the dollar. The Yaris is the best selling small car in Europe, not too many people buying a Beetle if they compare the two. People's transport with more style, economy and Zip. Still limited production in the USA, I had to pull some strings to get mine without a long wait and at the good guy price.
$25K or whatever price for an older one will buy such a better car from a bunch of manufacturers. Sure would rather have a new Yaris than a used VW for the same money. Lots of other cars to choose from for a kick@ss look, depends if you really are interested in going or being watched.
That older VW technology, body type, etc will probably also yield a far less safe car in a crash for a comparable weight car of a totally brand new technology class. Only so much you can do with the past and its designs. VW is going back to the well that worked for them so well for so many years. I'm not sure there is much in it for the customer.
Thanks for your insight into the Toyota Yaris, as this is one of the cars I'm considering purchasing in 2007 to replace my 1998 Ford Contour, which is now starting to show its age after many years of valued, reliable service to me. Others on my list of "potentials" are the Ford Fusion and the Chevrolet Cobalt. Any insight into either of these two cars? Are there any other fuel-efficient (30+ mpg) smaller sedans that anyone would reccommend?
P.S. My best friend has a lime-green VW Beetle convertible; it's definitely more of a "stand-out status" thing than anything else. I found the ride to be no more comfortable than my Contour, yet it certainly did draw more glances as we cruised around our endless suburban cul-de-sacs. If you want to "look cool", then that car may be for you, but it certainly doesn't offer any "wow" factors to me otherwise.
Last edited by SteelCityRising; 12-16-2006 at 07:04 PM..
Reason: Typo
My girlfriend has a '02 Bettle and I have a '01 Jetta. We love them both. They are a little more expensive then comparable Japanese or domestics but they are a lot more fun. There is just something about VW's which makes them a lot of fun to drive. They love corners and have all kinds of little extras that make them a lot of funs.
The drawbacks are that they are a little more expensive and not as reliable as Toyota or Honda (or get as high of a mpg) but better then the domestics and about on par with Nissan. I have 60,000 on the Jetta and have had very few problems (a couple of sensors have gone out but not much else). My girlfriend has 35,000 on her Beetle and has had a similar experience.
My next car will likely be another VW.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nea1
I am thing of buying a Volkswagen Beetle, a newer one, and wanted to kow if anyone had one and could give me some thoughts on them.
Thanks for your insight into the Toyota Yaris, as this is one of the cars I'm considering purchasing in 2007 to replace my 1998 Ford Contour, which is now starting to show its age after many years of valued, reliable service to me. Others on my list of "potentials" are the Ford Fusion and the Chevrolet Cobalt. Any insight into either of these two cars? Are there any other fuel-efficient (30+ mpg) smaller sedans that anyone would reccommend?
You are welcome.
For me it comes down to Nissan and Toyota for the new technology vehicles available. Both are probably targeting the same buyers. All the others fell out of my consideration pretty quick. You get something like this. A bit biased as the Nissan final price is not going to be that low (it is a bit of a come on) but Nissan does have some very unique technology. They in general try to use bigger engines and do not get the mileage Toyota does. Nissan has a lot of good stuff standard, their cars might not hold up as well as Toyota's.
I finally went with Toyota because a number of my relatives work for Toyota and I was able to use them to get me one and the best price possible. Toyota may also have the edge in reliability, quality and long life with the fewer repairs.
It probably is Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Hyandai who will battle it out. I don't think any of the American branded cars are in their league.
The dealers are complaining about the Yaris because they can't get enough. The Hatchbacks are never in stock and sell like hotcakes. The perfect commuter car in many situations. Right price / performance / features / reliability. I like mine because it sort of reminds me of the old Omni's I've had only so much better. Traded in a 1993 Dodge Colt which was what replaced the Omni's and the Yaris and Colt have the same size engine but the Yaris weighted like 200 pounds more but would run rings around the Colt in every dept. The newer technology is just so much better. Yaris was also the only car I could get that didn't have all the claptrap like power windows / doors / idiot lights / whizbang stuff to go wrong and I hate and don't need but had the features you want and use. The Nissans may have that trap of being over technical in many unwanted areas. Might be nice to have both a Yaris and one of the fancy Nissan sedans.
Fixing to go on winter vacation so will get a real feel for all the features. Can pack a lot of junk in there plus one dog, six pack or two. Looking forward to this trip. Love that seating where it is up higher but they didn't have to raise the center of gravity. Have a foggy chance of seeing around the bigger traffic like in a van.
Driving a VW after some of the newer cars the thrill would soon be gone before I got out town.
Cosmic has done some homework on compact cars. I drove a "new bug" for a couple of weeks in Germany as a rental. Someone who is taller than my 6'1" self might really like the bubble dome above the front driver's seat. Trouble is the side windows are so tall there's no way to block the sun when it's at low angles, especially on the drivers side and it was annoying at times. But the back seat of the new bug is the opposite, barely room for a 10 year old. Nice handling on the road, with enough go-go juice to keep from getting flattened on the autobahn. I own a 02 Nissan Altima, a plain and dependable sedan which I'll probably keep for ages since I don't put many miles on a car (ride a bicycle mostly round town and to work). If I were looking for a new econo car there are a bunch of good ones out there including Yaris, Nissan Versa, Honda anything, Ford Focus, etc. Cars are a real personal choice so go drive a few and buy a consumer reports guide to avoid the likely lemons.
I don't know much about the Beetles, but I did own a Passat for almost 7 years (it was a '99)... I loved it for the first 4-5 years, and then it just fell apart. And I mean literally, since pieces were falling off one by one! It also had some serious brake issues from the beginning, which were never really resolved. VWs are attractive, solid German cars, and I love how they drive - but I really question their long-term quality. If you're planning to lease or replace it within 5 years, it might not be a bad choice... but if you want something that lasts, I'd suggest a Japanese car instead. I replaced my Passat with an '05 Honda Accord LX, and absolutely love it! Never thought I'd be the "Honda type", since they're just so cliche, but the decision was obvious when I test drove it. I also know they last forever, since my brother-in-law and grandmother each had a Honda for 10+ years; and neither had any problems other than basic maintenance stuff.
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Afriend of mine had one, she liked it. She had a few problems with it but nothing major.
Not getting much for your money
Others on my list of "potentials" are the Ford Fusion and the Chevrolet Cobalt. Any insight into either of these two cars? Are there any other fuel-efficient (30+ mpg) smaller sedans that anyone would reccommend? 
If you want to "look cool", then that car may be for you, but it certainly doesn't offer any "wow" factors to me otherwise. 
I also know they last forever, since my brother-in-law and grandmother each had a Honda for 10+ years; and neither had any problems other than basic maintenance stuff.
