anything to watch for?????

[sharp989]

ok my sister just got her license and needs a car to drive, she has her heart set on a VW new beetle, probably in the 04-05 year range, she has about 8-9k to spend, we know what miles range we have and whatnot, but what are the problem areas of these cars, and what should we be sure to check on before buying???? any advice is great and appreciated, (o btw it WILL BE a gas powered car w/ an auto trans as she cannot drive stick and is unwilling to learn)

Thanks in advance

[jlbroerman]

there arent many things i can tell you to watch for. i have a jetta and i love it. its a great car and very reliable. i have heard that the water pumps can be an issue so i would check that but mine has never overheated even a little so. as long as it doesnt have an exhaust leak (i had one, lol), then i would say if there is no visible damage, your good!

[Burnnxs]

Ask when was the t belt serviced,
water pumps are very popular ,
I would stay away from tiptronic transmissions they are very expensive and I yet to see one getting repaired ,
make sure that it has pink fresh coolant ,
if it is a convertible check the inside liner around the bottom of the back windows and the edged's on the rear window.... sometimes they brake and they are a pain to fix,
look under the front of the car make sure that all the sound shields are there ,
check the trunk for all the tools and especially for the wheel lock,
take it for a spin and make hard turns both ways listen for "clunks"... sometimes when the axle boots brake all people do is replace the boot and don't inspect for damaged joints.. very common!

[sharp989]

ok guys thanks for the input, i will be sure to keep that in mind when we go to look at them, if anybody comes up with anything else im looking for as much of a detailed checklist as possible, Thanks
-Bill

[jerri]

Um, just curious, will your sister have a lot of money set aside for repairs?

In the few years I had my VW beetle the battery needed replacement which only the dealership could do: $400.00 fix, Clutch replacement $1200.00 fix, brake line fix $300.00 (the part was something like $10.00 if I remember), and currently I need to take it in for a wiring issue for the air cabin control! Ahhhh, I really like VW cars b/c they are nice but really the repairs for them are outrageous. I bought my bug used too and regret it. They charge and enormous amount of money for repairs so be weary of that. I would take a chevy over a volkswagen anyday (now I know what it's like to have a vw) lol. I'm not like poor either. My husband and I make decent money but the repairs are crazy.

Oh, my husband has a 2007 jetta and the clutch went out b/c my husband drives like crap i'll admit that ($3,000 repair- over half of which was labor) and oil changes are ($70 bucks b/c it only uses synthetic), and we were going to replace his windshield wipers but eff man we can't even do that b/c they made it to where only the dealership can replace it and I know it's not going to be cheap. I mean I even seen a new BMW that you could replace the damn windshield wipers yourself. I mean wow! I can't imagine how the 2009 cars are. I'm sure they made everything so complicated so you can't just do it yourself anymore (even the simple things). lol.

So just my suggestion... tell her to buy NEW unless she's ready to fork out for repairs.

If I really had the money to keep up wtih all of the labor on these cars then YES THEY ARE AWESOME! I love the way they run, the way they look, and just the feel.

[austinnt]

"and we were going to replace his windshield wipers but eff man we can't even do that b/c they made it to where only the dealership can replace it and I know it's not going to be cheap"

Haha that post before me was hilarious. I have an 02 Jetta and I can change my wipers just fine, they must be inept. 2nd, unless your car comes with a warranty Id recommend not getting it repaired by a dealer because they will jack up the prices on everything. Plus if its under warranty you shouldn't have to fork out any money unless its something not covered under warranty like damaging your car yourself. Idk that last person seemed pretty ridiculous. My 1.8T Jetta is amazing and ive never had any major issues with it.

[sharp989]

well, the only cost on any repairs would be parts, my dad (or me) do all our own work, and to be honest, i agree with you on buying american cars over ANY imports, any day, (i drive a dodge durango, my dad drives a dakota, actually his 2nd one) and then my mom has a BMW, while im sure parts are more expensive than american cars as long as the parts are accessible than he should be albe to do the work himself instead of paying someone else to do them, honestly that is something that never made sense to me (paying someone else to do work that you can do yourself)

[04turboS]

If they cant change the windshield wipers, then I guess the battery is way out da question. Anyone with a inkling of wrenching skills can pull off these tasks...hell I can even do it..so maybe they are better off going to the stealership..........On a VW with high mileage check to see if the timing belt has been done.

[sharp989]

well she ended up finding one, i think its an 01 with like 57k on it, so she made out pretty good in that respect, and all the maintenance was done by a dealership with a full compliment of receipts for all the maintenance as well as a clean carfax on the car, thanks for all the help i got form you guys