Volkswagen Beetle Usados en Venta en Chapin, SC

The story begins when my father passed away and I inherited his Saturn sedan. This was during the great parts recall; Saturn was so back logged and I was so uncomfortable driving the car that I opted to trade it for something else. I got a cream colored VW Beetle. She was cute, personable, and spacious, especially for a small car. The car did great for a while. Then the repairs started. It seems that the entire car is plastic. It is made fairly well but when something goes out a part cannot be replaced -- the entire unit must be replaced. I found myself spending about $500 - $1000 per repair (including the boot covers and axles). Not all mechanics work with the VWs either, since they require special diagnostics equipment. Going beyond that, the next issue that I have is with the passenger headlight. It keeps going out. It seems that VW makes a poor wiring system and that it's common enough for these headlights to go out. My mechanic(s) -- three of them now -- have managed to cobble things together but after the 6th time that the headlight has gone out I find myself most likely looking at replacing the part. I quiver at the expense. I have also been told my brakes are near the time to be replaced -- another $900 bill coming up. I know, it's wear and tear. It seems that most of the plastic parts fall apart or break. I have had to replace several interior parts that have broke (and they are not treated roughly). Currently, the arm rest is stuck in the up position. Nothing I do seems to bring it down. So.....yes, there is convenience in having to only change the oil once a year (that's what the dealer said). She's cute. She's comfortable. I can transport a passenger comfortably. I can fit a heck of a lot in the trunk/back seat area.....but it's a constant struggle to justify keeping the car against the expense of maintaining the car. I have an even older Mazda Miata (1996) who is not only better built, but also easier to maintain. Repairs on her are also considerably less.

When I first purchased my 2005 New Beetle, I was ecstatic! I wasn't on the market for a bug, but I had always loved them as a teenager. When we came across a used one in such great condition and low mileage at the price it was, was like a dream come true! The car performed great the first two years I owned it (2013-2015). I loved the heated leather seats in the winter, and it had a great sound system. I finally had an aux cord to play my music, and I got tons of compliments on it! It was small enough to perfectly execute parallel parking on my college campus. The only real negative was the blind spots. It was sort of wide, and it was hard to judge the front of your car because of the large dash. Then, last winter (2016), I began noticing some very light jerking when I hit the gas from a red light. It became worse and worse until finally it went from a light jerking to an actually lurch forward, peeling out, when shifting up from second to third gear. It was loud and dangerous. My father works on trucks and determined it was a transmission issue. With only 65,000 miles on the car, I couldn't understand how the transmission was already bad. It is a six-speed automatic transmission. As I began to Google the issue, I found hundreds and of pages on forums of my same exact issue. Every person reported taking the car into a Volkswagen dealership and being told the car (only a couple years old at the time) needed an entire new transmission and valve body cost upwards of $3,000-$6,000, and it was not covered under the warranty. I could not be more disappointed in Volkswagen. They knowingly sold these lemon transmissions and did nothing about it. Lawsuits have even been filed! I purchased the car knowing VW to be a reliable, quality company. Now, my car retail is not worth enough to put the $4,000 worth of work it needs. The worst part- many people report an entire transmission replacement didn't even solve the issue! My only choice now is to run the car until it stops working. I can only imagine the damage I'm doing to the transmission by continuing to drive it in this state, but as a recent college graduate on her own with student loan debt, I simply cannot afford a new car at this time and am hoping it'll last me another year or so. What a waste!