VW Beetle Cabriolet Review Covering 2003 To Date

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Quick Summary of the VW Beetle

OVERALL

Try to justify a reason for buying a Beetle over a Golf on purely rational grounds and you’ll find yourself batting on an extremely sticky wicket. It does few things better and a lot of things a good deal worse. Where the Beetle does score as a used buy is as a cheap and cheerful fun car, shamelessly revelling in the attention whilst still offering reliable, modern motoring. An early left-hand drive manual car best fits this bill, although residual values will be better with a more conventional (albeit newer) right-hand drive model. Worthy successor or sad pastiche? Dump the historical baggage, forget the sixties ever existed and the ‘new’ Beetle suddenly seems worth it for the fun car that it is.

BUGS IN THE TEETH

It’s hard to believe but the Beetle Cabriolet has been a rather underplayed card in Volkswagen’s hand. The Beetle hatch was initially a must-have item but when the fickle hand of fashion moved on, the Beetle was left scratching about for sales. The smart set moved onto Smarts, MINIs and 1 Series’ and when Volkswagen launched the drop top version of the Beetle, sales were rather disappointing. This is a shame, as the Beetle probably suits a convertible body style even better than a tin top. What it means for used car buyers is a number of affordably priced examples in the network that are well worth tracking down.
Used VW Beetle for sale

History of the Beetle

In early 2003 Volkswagen at last began imports of the eagerly awaited Beetle Cabriolet in either 1.6 or 2.0-litre forms and by summer 2003, a 1.4-litre engine had been added to the cabriolet .A 1.9-litre diesel also appeared in the drop top car, giving it a distinct Beetle thrum. Just from the wrong end.A facelift announced in the summer of 2005 saw the wheelarches get sharper edges, the headlamps reshaped and round red taillights introduced round the back.
Used VW Beetle for sale

VW Beetle Road Test

For a car so closely based on the Volkswagen Golf, it would perhaps be surprising if the Beetle were to feel significantly different to drive. But it does. The enormous windscreen pillars restrict visibility and the car feels a lot bigger than any Golf. Performance isn’t startling on the 2.0-litre cars, with a rest to sixty figure of 11.5 seconds before its catastrophic aerodynamics limit it to a 112mph top speed. The driving experience is, on the whole, favourable though. Stability feels better than a car of this shape has any right to, and refinement is a plus point. You’ll get some reflections in the big windscreen, and the mirrors need to be bigger, but the big glass area gives the car a bright interior.Handling is surprisingly good, with little body roll and a fair degree of grip generated by the modest tyres before the front end gently lets go. The manual gearboxes are a much nicer proposition than the automatic, helping to wring the available performance from that venerable 8v 2.0-litre engine. With an EC average fuel consumption figure of 30mpg, the Beetle isn’t going to cause any long faces at the pumps. The diesel TDI averages over 53mpg and brings back that evocative Beetle chunter, but those who want a few more driving thrills will probably want to seek out either the V5 or the 1.8T versions, both of which will sprint to 60 in a tad under 9 seconds. Should these prove insufficiently flashy, try a Cabriolet.
Used VW Beetle for sale

Buying a VW Beetle

The Beetle mechanicals have been proven over the years in Golfs, Boras and Passats, so there are no great surprises here. Due to some initial grouses about build quality, the Mexican plant at Puebla instigated better quality control procedures which right-hand drive cars benefit from. The earlier cars have a lower grade of plastics used in such fittings as the cup holders and these can be broken fairly easily. One feature which bugs Beetle owners no end is the headlamp switch mounted between the driver’s door and the steering wheel. Anyone with longer legs will soon smash this dial into the fascia with their knee, and it doesn’t come back out easily. If possible, avoid the cream cloth trim, as jeans can easily leach their dye into the seat material, making it look pretty secondhand in short order. Finally, with automatic models check the automatic boxes. Many of the early cars feature a four-speed ‘box which allows ‘Drive’ to be selected and then lets the revs build for a second before lurching forward unceremoniously. Check that you can get along with this feature on your test drive. You’ll want to check on the history of your prospective purchase. Many cars were imported from Europe or the USA, and these had inferior specifications to UK cars, especially in the area of security. This could result in potentially calamitous repercussions if not disclosed to insurers. Ignition coils on the Volkswagen 1.8-litre engines have been a notable weak link. Check that the car has a decent service history and is free from parking knocks and scrapes. Finally, make sure you get in the correct seat when you go to drive away!
Used VW Beetle for sale

VW Beetle Typical Pricing

Despite demand that is still fairly strong, Beetles were perceived to be overpriced new, and this, combined with the inconvenience of left-hand drive, has seen early model’s used values take a resolute clobbering. A 1999 T-registered Beetle was similarly priced to the Golf GTi with which it shared its 2.0-litre engine, £15,575 for the Beetle vs. £15,175 for the Golf. Take a look at the valuations now and your Beetle will be worth around £4,500 whilst the smug Golf owner’s wheels stand him or her in for at least £5,000. Volkswagen responded in part to the accusation of overpricing by reducing the new price of the Beetle by over £700 when right-hand drive production began. This prompted howls of anguish from owners of early cars who paid more for cars that were now worth significantly less. This means that the left-hand drive models are great value as a used buy as long as you don’t mind sitting on the wrong side. The 1.6-litre models are good value used, with £5,500 netting you a 2000 W plated car. The more powerful 1.8T and V5 versions have been slow sellers, the public proving resistant to the concept of a quick Bug. A 1.8T on a 2001 Y plate opens at £7,100. Insurance for the Beetle ranges between Group 8 and Group 15 depending on how many bhp your Bug is packing.
Used VW Beetle for sale

VW Beetle Parts

(approx based on a 1999 2.0 manual) Despite its more individual appeal, parts prices for the Beetle are standard Volkswagen fare. A clutch assembly is around £170, while an exhaust system with new catalyst is just under £700, while front brake pads retail at just under £100. Rear pads are £27 a pair and a new radiator is £140. A replacement headlamp unit sells for around £115, or you can buy just the lens section for about £40.
Used VW Beetle for sale

VW Beetle Rated

Performance Performance 3 out of 5

Comfort

Handling

Economy

Styling

Equipment

Build

Depreciation Depreciation 4 out of 5

Insurance

Value

VW Beetle Cabriolet Review2003 To Date