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Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

New, new Beetle for 2013: convertible and TDI!

I guess it must be the nostalgia in me, but it IS a nice car and now that the redesigned New Beetle is once again available as a convertible, and with the TDI diesel, I'm drooling again! Transmission is 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto.

The scary thing is that I am going to need a new car soon.....



J E F F4
Whatta Ya Think About Dat?
Premium Member
join:2004-04-01
Kitchener, ON

J E F F4

Premium Member

Starts at $32,295, seems a little steep for a tiny car....

Mike2009
join:2009-01-13
Ottawa, ON

Mike2009 to Wolfie00

Member

to Wolfie00
Nice car! My mom had a '73 Beetle. Lots of good memories.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00 to J E F F4

Premium Member

to J E F F4
It's a real gem of a little car, though, especially for old farts with nostalgia for the original Beetle, and especially in a convertible version. $32K is not the starting price, though, and that's US pricing anyway. The base models are around low- to mid-20's, but the convertible in Canada will start at CAD $28,775. Unfortunately it goes up fast when you add the TDI engine and a few other options.

Not too fond of the silly racing-style gauges sticking up out of the dash. I assume that's some greaser option that most people wouldn't get.

J E F F4
Whatta Ya Think About Dat?
Premium Member
join:2004-04-01
Kitchener, ON

J E F F4

Premium Member

I like that greaser option, and would likely make me take the bait! LOL.
TDI would be one of the better options....

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

I was looking for a version of the VW without those dials, and found one. Also found this mis-labeled photo -- that is not a Beetle, it's a 2013 EOS, basically the next model up in the convertible line, at about $5-8K more. Something about the EOS is subliminally attractive. I think it might be the "leopard-print tops"!


MaynardKrebs
We did it. We heaved Steve. Yipee.
Premium Member
join:2009-06-17

MaynardKrebs

Premium Member

said by Wolfie00:

Something about the EOS is subliminally attractive. I think it might be the "leopard-print tops"!

I'll take the blonde on the left.

I had a '62 Beetle at one point in time, complete with Flintstone floorboards in the back. Had to weld some new steel in back there.

kingb71
join:2000-10-09
Mississauga, ON

kingb71

Member

my Dad had that too on his '54 Beetle. No heat, split rear window & no synchro mesh either.

I like the new version of the Beetle-they did a decent job with the redesign. I still wouldn't buy one, or a VW for that matter.

HiVolt
Premium Member
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON

HiVolt to Wolfie00

Premium Member

to Wolfie00
Yeah the EOS is nicer, and i think it has a full folding hardtop, so its a true year round car with no drawbacks of a ragtop.
zod5000
join:2003-10-21
Victoria, BC

zod5000 to Wolfie00

Member

to Wolfie00
Meh.. If I had to have a VW I think I'd want a Veyron (as I believe VW owns Bugatti now).

If only I had a million Euros

FaxCap
join:2002-05-25
Surrey, BC

FaxCap to Wolfie00

Member

to Wolfie00
said by Wolfie00:

It's a real gem of a little car, though, especially for old farts with nostalgia for the original Beetle

I had a '63 Beetle with a 1600cc/twin carbs...extractor...the original
canvas sunroof...wheel adapters with mags and big boots. Fun car.

Then when I started looking for a new one I came across an
absolutely MINT '67. This was about 1976-77. It was an old school
teacher....had 14,000 miles on it. I usually did all my own work on my
Beetles but I had a bit of trouble with the shift linkage on the '67.
I took it to a guy close to home who had a very good name in the
VW repair business.....Austrian guy. After looking at the car he
asked me if I had ever done any electrical work on it. I said yes
installed the stereo. He asked me if I had come across anything
unusual. Yes, I said...there are two missing fuse position in the
fuse box. He told me I had a "commemorative" Beetle. He pointed
out all the extra chrome and told me it was one of the 1st 1,000
12 volt Beetles. It was really a 1966 with a 12 volt system added.
Man oh man that was a sweet car. I ended up selling it to a kid at
work who eventually sold it to another kid at work.

FaxCap

CanadianRip
join:2009-07-15
Oakville, ON

CanadianRip to Wolfie00

Member

to Wolfie00
said by Wolfie00:

I guess it must be the nostalgia in me, but it IS a nice car and now that the redesigned New Beetle is once again available as a convertible, and with the TDI diesel, I'm drooling again! Transmission is 6-speed manual or 6-speed auto.

My daughter recently picked up a TT. It's a very nice car, and I believe it shares much of its platform with the Beetle. The drive and handling at that price point are excellent.

I'm a little biased though - I really don't think you can wrong with any German car.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

The Volkswagen brand (not Audi) went through a period of shaky reliability stats, but AFAIK that's in the past. I know someone who's been happy with her convertible (EOS, I think) and someone else who picked up a new Tiguan just a couple of months ago and has no issues.

CanadianRip
join:2009-07-15
Oakville, ON

CanadianRip

Member

said by Wolfie00:

The Volkswagen brand (not Audi) went through a period of shaky reliability stats, but AFAIK that's in the past.

I never understood this concept. I really don't see why anyone with a good credit rating would buy a car.

The system appears to be rigged like this:

Good Credit: You lease a new car for 3/4 years. It's out of your hair before you have to worry about maintenance/repairs. It's the dealers problem assuming anything comes up.

Bad Credit: You buy the crap that people with good credit don't want anymore and either get lucky with something that turns out to be reliable or not.

I really don't understand why people with good credit buy cars and keep them for 10+ years dealing with all the headaches when I simply don't see the major cost savings there.

joeblow3
join:2000-12-27
h0h0h0

joeblow3 to Wolfie00

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Click for full size
Neither, 2013 BMW 335i Cabriolet.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

said by joeblow3:

Neither, 2013 BMW 335i Cabriolet.

Because there's a difference between $30-$35K and $76K?

A friend has an M3 and while it's basically fun to drive I personally disliked the SMG gearbox in automatic mode, but maybe that's just me.
Wolfie00

Wolfie00 to CanadianRip

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to CanadianRip
said by CanadianRip:

I really don't understand why people with good credit buy cars and keep them for 10+ years dealing with all the headaches when I simply don't see the major cost savings there.

It has absolutely nothing to do with "good credit." If you think that giving your money away to leasing companies and car manufacturers is prudent financial management, be my guest. Neither leasing companies nor car companies do anything for you for free. From that simple principle, one can draw some useful financial guidance.

The only reasons companies lease cars and turn them over every few years are (a) lease write-offs, (b) the business cost of car repair downtime, and (c) corporate image (would you buy your next mainframe computer from a guy who shows up in a 1973 Maverick with the right front fender falling off and burning oil like an Iraqi well fire? )

None of those things apply to the individual. The only time I ever leased a car was when the lease was being paid by my employer. By far the cheapest total cost of ownership for the individual is to buy a car for cash and keep it as long as practically possible.

In fact the most cost-effective strategy of all, though potentially risky, is to do the exact opposite of what you recommend: buy an almost-new car that has gone off-lease. Why? Because the poor fool that leased it has just subsidized about half the cost of the car, yet it still has maybe 90% of its useful life -- and value -- left.
peterboro (banned)
Avatars are for posers
join:2006-11-03
Peterborough, ON

peterboro (banned)

Member

said by Wolfie00:

By far the cheapest total cost of ownership for the individual is to buy a car for cash and keep it as long as practically possible.

I do exactly that. I sold a car this summer I had for 11 years and sold it for $700.00 less than I paid for it and had little to no maintenance costs other than oil and brakes which I do myself.
vue666 (banned)
Let's make Canchat better!!!
join:2007-12-07

vue666 (banned) to Wolfie00

Member

to Wolfie00
I worked for a bit for Ford Motor Credit who at the time was pushing their Red Carpet Leasing.

At the time Ford made more money from leasing a vehicle then selling.

The reason being at year end Ford got to claim the depreciation on the cars they were leasing on the year end income tax....

CanadianRip
join:2009-07-15
Oakville, ON

CanadianRip to Wolfie00

Member

to Wolfie00
said by Wolfie00:

In fact the most cost-effective strategy of all, though potentially risky, is to do the exact opposite of what you recommend: buy an almost-new car that has gone off-lease. Why? Because the poor fool that leased it has just subsidized about half the cost of the car, yet it still has maybe 90% of its useful life -- and value -- left.

I don't know if I agree. While I suppose there could be cost savings, I don't see them.

Putting aside tax benefits (which are marginal at best over amortization). Assume a 20,000km a year and total cost of ownership over say 12 years.

That will include taking the upfront purchase cost, where incentives usually based on financing these days are minimal. Put it on the road and break it down over 12 years. You're paying for numerous standard maintenance items including:

- Brakes
- Emission Tests
- Suspension
- Tires (probably 3-4 sets)
- Other means of transportation to cover downtime (generally included in a least)
- Unexpected maintenance cost

I really don't see a huge difference - especially with Interest rates where they are these days.

Wolfie00
My dog is an elitist
Premium Member
join:2005-03-12

Wolfie00

Premium Member

I don't have exact numbers, but that in itself is because my costs are so low that I don't even bother to track them. I'm sure I spend less than $1000 a year on maintenance, maybe much less, and besides gas and insurance those are my only costs.

I don't think you're wrong about the costs and hassles of an unreliable old car. I just think that with any decent modern car, your definition of what constitutes "old" is way off. It's much, much longer than any typical lease period. Also, if you like high-end German cars and such, as well-built as they are they tend to be much more tempermental and demanding than less exotic cars when it comes to scheduled maintenance.