Old New Beetle 

There are people who can decode a Mopar fender tag, and there are people who can list all six engines available in the New Beetle. Very few can do both.

Listening to Steve's wealth of knowledge on practically every car ever made is so enjoyable.

I was a VW tech when this thing made its debut. Having owned several examples of the original Type 1 and Type 2, I thought this concept was a neat idea. The early examples of the new Beetle were plagued with quality control issues that resulted in very disappointed owners and frustrated techs. Anyone expecting the old VW build quality was in for a let down. It got to the point where I couldn't stand the sight of them. Same thing happened when the Rabbit was introduced. The first two years of production was a disaster. VW actually introduced an upgrade program to fix all the problems and I spent many hours on many cars to try and rectify the issues. We were told that marketing needed the Rabbit now and engineering said it's not ready. Engineering was right. I enjoy your channel Steve and your extensive automotive knowledge.

I sold my 1971 bug last year, and I miss her everyday!

Thanks Steve ! Old retired guy here ! A couple of years back I revived a 02 Beetle that had been parked for 5 years it was a 5 speed 2.0L for my wife. The car was super clean solid underneath ran great and was free ! So I took it on as a challenge. Basically I had to rebuild the entire suspension and braking system. Massive electrical problems soon showed up which took alot a research to sort out. Water leaks from the sunroof corroded numerous connectors and all the grounds. The drivers door latch micro switches acted up...the body control module was possessed. But its perfect now and we drive it everywhere ! It barely sips gasoline and is a ball to drive! I have $4,000 in parts and did all the labour so for a retired guy its a cheap ride. When I met Nancy 50 years ago this fall she was driving a bright orange MGB ! So in our 70's having a sporty little 5sp puts a bit of fun back in the old bones. I've always done all my own work so the Bug doesnt frighten me in the least. I will say unless your prepared to do 100% of the work DO NOT GET ONE. Heaven help you paying garage rates to sort an old one out. Truth be known the dealers and most mechanics will not work on their electrical issues period. And dont get an automatic.

Love Steve Mag’s encyclopedic knowledge of everything automotive. Enjoying his RU-vid channel immensely!

I like that Steve is prepared and organized. Too many people just turn a camera on and fumble and stumble around and expect a successful channel. Well done.

First cup of coffee with Steve's new video.

The Keene State College sticker on the back window, that's about 10 minutes from me. I actually knew a kid whose mom had a yellow Beetle years ago.

I feel so old now 😂. Even retro is classic now . lol.

I'd like to see that Charger

Owner of a 2003 yellow beetle tdi (pd) here It’s 19 years old and it’s a fantastic car, it’s only covered 111k miles, I bought it on 29/5/22 and had been hunting a yellow tdi for ages and ages. Had to be a hard top 💛💛

My mother got one the very first ones you could get. And shout out to the dealer in Bedford, Massachusetts that didn't "market adjust " the price.

*BE CAREFUL OUT THERE STEVE* There's a prowler out there right behind you!

I bought my wife one of those new gen Beetles. I'm gonna have to admit that doing so was one of the worst car buying mistakes I've ever made. The fact that this car featured here still has all it's plastic interior pieces and panels still in place and not broken, missing or held in place with duct tape is surprising to be honest. The only positive things I can say about this car was that it got decent fuel mileage and it handled pretty good. Those 2 liter engines wear out rather quickly, and once you start having problems it's gonna be one issue after another. The thing eventually started leaking from basically everywhere. I've always been a huge fan of German engineering but I couldn't find anything about the engine and transmission designs that I could admire. And then there's the interior panels. All made from cheap and brittle plastic that gets demonstrably worse as it ages. All the Switches, buttons, knobs and levers are subject to breaking, stripping or just simply falling off. When I sold that thing I honestly felt sort of guilty. Not because I got rid of it, but because I couldn't help but feel as if I had sold someone a pile of crap for way more than it was worth. In spite of the fact that I took a giant loss. Anyway.... That car left a bad taste in my mouth for sure.

2 years ago, I purchased a 2003 Cabrio New Beetle for my wife (it's her dream car). I paid 500$ Canadian dollars with a blown 1.8t. For 1000$ I got an engine with 75000kms less than the body (223000kms on the body) and it's been a great car and real fun to drive. Great cars. Thanks Steve for the extra info on these car. You truly are a car encyclopedia! Keep these cool videos coming!

I purchased one new in 1998 when they first launched it. At that time, there was a 6 month waiting list. I ordered a yellow one with leather and a sunroof. When my name came up on the list, I was told it would be several more months for the car I ordered. Ended up getting a blue one with the 2.0L gas engine and a 5 speed manual trans. It was a decent car and got okay gas mileage. It handled and braked VERY well. There were a few small quirks that bothered me though. It had a penchant for burning out headlight bulbs several times a year, and the door hinge bolts liked to work loose despite retorquing them multiple times. The other issue was the low glare coating (sort of rubber-like) on the door panels started peeling very early. Aside from those issues, it was a fun car to drive. Side note, they all came (at the time) with a dash mounted vase and a flower that matched the color of the car. So, mine had a blue flower. Ultimately, as our family grew that car got traded in for a Pontiac minivan in 2005 (which was just retired earlier this year). I do still have a traditional rear engined air cooled Beetle though. 😊

In 2011 I surprised my wife with a red 2010 Beetle. She loved it and drove it to work daily. We took it on a couple short trips (@500 miles) and I really enjoyed driving it. It had the 5 cylinder engine and was very peppy. It did have a bit of a rough ride, and not much cargo space, but was very enjoyable. In the 4 years we owned it we only put 14k miles on it. Bottom line is that it was not the type of vehicle we needed long term. BTW I went on eBay and bought the vase and flowers for the dash for her. 😍

When i first started seeing these in junk yards i felt old lol... i drive a 65 bug

I remember when I first seen a new beetle. I wanted one when I was little. I've since owned a reflex yellow beetle which was 1 of 2000 made in 2000. My current beetle is 1 of 15,000 turbo s bugs.

LOL at Steve propping the hood with a wiper arm.

Gotta Love the music at the end of every video

Vr6, hands down. Best engine exhaust note I’ve ever heard from a v6

My girlfriend in 2000 bought a new black Bug (now my wife). It was a lemon from the get-go. Overheating problems, they could not and would not address? Head light failures, burning out. Finally, they took it back and it was a loss financially but no more headaches.

I really like these retro beetles. I also like the Mustang, Challenger, and Thunderbird that came from this retro period.

I remember one of the billboards, with a picture of the car and it read: “0 to 60? Yes.”

I learned to drive and work on cars in a new beetle. Was a free car from my uncle, but was not roadworthy due to parking brake and other small malfunctions (including a surprising amount of rust for a clean looking car) that would cost more to repair than the car was worth. Manual transmission with a 1.9tdi engine - absolutely gutless, but still an absolute blast to drive and crazy reliable for 390,000km. It taught countless visitors to our place how to drive stick, and by the time a few years had passed, first gear was getting rough. Some hoses needed to be replaced due to age and pressure - an absolute nightmare of a job in such a tight engine bay and something I don’t look forward to doing again. Like others mentioned, the headlights were weak when I got it and soon burned out. It met its end when I drove over a hidden tree stump and it punched a hole in the aluminum oil pan and likely did some other damage. Maybe I’ll repair it and get it going again but my schedule is pretty tight lately. It makes a good toolbox for the time being.

Nice looking little cars. Can be dressed up either very retro or sporty.

When I was a kid I went to the international car show in New York. They had a beetle you could put your hands on it. It had a special paint job that changed colors with body heat. It was cool as a kid n

Steve, you missed the obvious title for this segment, something that I saw on a vanity plate on New Beetle about 20 years ago. I'm certain that it was a 2000 model like this one - that vanity plate said "Y2K BUG"! Is that great or what? 🙂

I had a 2002 Turbo, loved that car.

Those headrests are worth something to the MK3 VW community!

It was such a different time around when these came out. Car builders still took risks and gave the public fun vehicles that were affordable. Maybe the only car like this left these days is the Miata. Now they are forcing electric vehicles on people and most all of them have no soul at all. During the entire run of the New Beetle it was just an ordinary car. They became beaters quickly and many were scrapped because something that exceeded 40% of what the whole car was worth needed fixing. Although I have never personally seen an enthusiast spare no expense to keep these preserved, I am sure people like that are out there and more power to them. These should not go fully extinct.

When I firrt saw one in a car wreckers here in Australia, I knew I was getting old.... And Steve says 60% of buyers were women and were strippers...did I hear that right? 😁

I remember being fairly young when that car came out and seeing it at the auto show in downtown San Diego. I was disappointed by the engine location being a huge bug fan back then and still. I told the representative there how I felt about that and he let me have it! Stuff like, " if the engine was in the back it wouldn't be affordable" and other stuff. I must have been the millionth person that said that about it back then to him. 😆

Have you watched Adam, Rare Classic Cars And Automotive History? He just interviewed Wayne Caty(?) and John Manoogian, Cadillac (style) designers

Good info Sir but I want to see the 1st gen Charger in the background.

in the uk we got a 2.3 vr5 also in these. Dad had a golf with one in. beautiful noise.

Thank you Steve

You the man, love this stuff

I love how you bring these vehicles to light from the grave. Junk yard crawl, a show like no other. Great job.

I loved driving by my local Volkswagen dealer and seeing the colorful line up of bugs , it was a stark difference between the other manufacturers of the time who had lots full of bland colors tan/golds were big in the late 90’s. Volkswagen also had a golf at this time that every panel of the car was painted a different color!

I kept rewinding looking at the purple charger in the back!

My Neighbor has a Dune. Its a nice little car.

Awesome thanks 👍

My Mom had one. She bought new in 2009 and kept it until 2012. It was a really pretty light green with a tan interior.

I do like my retro styled 2016 v6 challenger.

I was 8 when these came out and super into classic aircooled beetles already. They were part of that era of the late 90s going into the new millennium and now remind me of those colorful apple computers that came out around the same time. Never ended up with one of these but have had a 1974 sun bug (sun roof model) and the last 5 years a 1961 beetle ive mechanically rebuilt. I hope their is another Generation of Beetle , that would be cool.

they also had flower style wheels

I own a 2007 still looks and runs like a new car ,I'm 2nd owner

Awesome episode

Nope, sorry...both my 2002 and 2004 Turbo S have/had the vase and flower from Volkswagen from the factory, so they were not discontinued in 2001 as you stated

Working on one of those right now!

I couldn't afford a Mustang in high school and Mopars grew too expensive. So when the retros hit? Yeah, I fell hard. Got one of each, Mustang 2011 and Challenger R/T 2015. Fun to drive. Reliable. And good looking for what they are. The Mustang was my daily driver and now has over 330k on the clock. The Challenge is hardly broke in at 19k.

Hella cool, man 25 years in the blink of an eye. 2009 I took delivery of and still own my 2010 Camaro. I never looked at it from this perspective, but it makes perfect sense.

I spy a 1966-67 Charger in the background!

My parents bought a 2000 New Beetle and traveled all over the place in that car. It was very reliable and didn't seem to have the issues other folks reported.

That was very informative. Game changer

Stopped the video. Went to eBay. Bought the book. ($4). Returned to video.

The new beetle was a cool retro-car when it came out and many who bought it "thought" they were buying into the old legend of design simplicity, durability, and old bug coolness.. What they got for their 15-21K was far from it! Kind of like comparing Woodstock 1969 to Woodstock 1999...They sold a lot of tickets based on nostalgia... A great sales tool, and all the people involved with the show made a lot of money but, the "Customers" ultimately got screwed in the end! There is a reason why there are more of these in the salvage yard than there are in the restoration shops or car shows... Great content Steve!

I had a 68 with one bad cylinder and still drove it anywhere. No ac had a lever to let hot air in or close it off. Cool little car

Just so weird for me to see one of those in that kind of shape in a boneyard. ✌️❤️🙂🇨🇦

Thumbs up,didnt know californians did the redesign job

Gotta love the Bug!! 👍👍

A buddy of mine runs an automotive shop and told me that the worst vehicle he ever attempted to repair was a diesel beetle. He decided to never work on a beetle again, he called them overpriced German junk.

I have a 1964 sitting in the garage. You have me thinking about putting one of these next to it.

When re-introduced people were lining up to get “The first one” waiting for delivery and paying up to $1k over sticker price.

The Beetle was in dealerships last year.

just walked past that car Saturday! Love the videos!

Well the prowler cam out in 97 as well and that was a throwback to retro hot rods.

The 2.0 crossflow engine that was the common VW engine at the time was a 115 hp dog. Dependable but no revs. A real long stroke engine.

My Ex girlfriend owned a 2007 beetle with the 2.5 litre 5 cylinder and the 6 speed auto. The engine was indestructable and Canadian winters killed the body eventually. She never had any mechanical issues with it in the 10 years she owned it but electrical problems were pretty common.

I'd like to see them try to do a new Beetle with the engine in the rear - like the MR2, Fiero.

I miss that old intro :( The one you are cleaning the yard lol

You will do the Mopar behind you?,🤙😀👍❤️

I still think of any car 2000 and later "new" too. 😄

Had a 2000. Handled great. Power from the 2.0 was adequate. Interior trim was horrid, door handles peeled and plastic bits were prone to breaking. The gas cap also liked to freeze shut in the winter.

Discontinued in 2010 with FINAL EDITION

Might have been based on the golf but I've yet to see one of those that have lasted past 5 years with the original engine and/or any of the original plastic not falling apart.

Man I remember well when those came out! What a frenzy it was then! I was a breakthrough design for Volkswagen! I remember going to the dealer to check them out, I test drove a 5 cylinder version. It was very cool looking at people looking at me driving around the new beetle!👌😂👍 but i didn’t buy one though! Like you said a lot of automakers owe VW a lot for reviving the retro designs. I just hope that if VW ever decides to come back out with the new beetle, they put the engine where it really belongs! In the rear!! But I know at this point it’s probably wishful thinking! That one still not in bad shape! I believe it should be restored! Great video Steve!👌😎👍

Almost bought one, but initially the TDI couldn't be had with an automatic.

Thanks for the heads up on the Beetle, I recently sent my Hyundai shopping cart to the crushers and was thinking of a Beetle as a replacement because of its common underpinnings and driveline thinking of passing it to my youngest daughter after Id taught her to drive in it. Weirdly the same era Golf is half the price in the used car market....

We test drove a 2001 Green Turboneum off the lot and it was suprising how fast it was!

Great video. However you are merging the generations of cars. The New Beetle ended production in its second (refreshed) iteration in mid 2011. It was then replaced by an all new car from 2012-2019 also known as the “12up”. These are two separate cars entirely. The “New Beetle” was named just that. Where the 2012+ is just “Beetle”. Love these cars. I just sold my 2017 convertible, I’m about to buy a 2002 Turbo S I’m pretty good condition. Valuable info here!! Thanks.

The only thing I ever found that really let them down was the automatic trans... almost every New Beetle I've seen being wrecked has lost fourth. Beyond that though, they drive like a car a full size group bigger on the open road, really pleasant.

When it comes to retro cars from the late 90's to early 2000's era, the only one that still exists and remains popular today is the Mini. I was never a fan of the New Beetle, but I do like the Mini and even though they are not known for reliability, they are fun to drive.

I remember when VW announced they would be building these, there was a campaign to build excitement where they could send you a special package including a brochure and a VW pin which I still have. I believe they sent some other correspondence (I imagine) in hopes that it would get some extra sales. I still have not purchased one although the next bettle built impresses me more.

Steve. Buy that one.

Hey Steve I spy a '67 (?) Charger in the background at 44 seconds in. How about a vid on that one?

Anyone loose interest in the bug when the Mopar photo bombed the view.

You should save that one !

My neighbor have one of these in the VW Turbo edition. A really cool car. But i do prefer my Citroën C6 and DS3. Thats some nice ride for sure.

My Sister has one, a 2000 model with the I5. It's was her must-have car. Now it's a spare car, cuz she can't seem to part with it.

I'd have a bong in lumen vasin hole lol!

I always thought it was a mistake that it wasn't rear engine. I think they should have taken the Porsche flat six and cut two cylinders off stick it in the back.

My buddy was squeezing his beetle into a parking spot in NYC one winter, and drove into a small pile of ice left by the snow plow. It destroyed his air conditioning condenser and caused $6000 in damage under the front bumper area.

Plymouth Prowler came out in 1997. I think they brought retro back.

I see a lot of these VW and they all seem to have a water leak. I guess I will have to look into this deeper. Great video. God Bless.

I wonder if anybody made a dune buggy out of one of these.

Strippers bought the beetle?