Buying a VW Beetle

by Jennifer Simpson

I bought my first car, a twelve-year-old white 1971 SuperBeetle, from my granddad. I loved that car. It was me. It even survived six winters in Chicago, diligently keeping my left ankle warm in below zero weather. My next car was a three-year-old 1991 Pontiac Grand Am. I got a good 10 years out of that Grand Am.  The eleventh year, however, wasn’t so good.  An un-diagnosable radiator problem sent me looking for another car.

I decided on another Volkswagen, a classic, going-back-to-my-roots car. A convertible.  The perfect California car. I even picked out the one I wanted. A hot tamale red 1973 convertible in near pristine condition I spotted in an underground parking garage in downtown San Diego.  I turned to my friend, pointed and said, “That’s my car!”

When I actually found this car for sale online, the actual car I had spotted just days earlier, I was convinced it was fate.  Unfortunately the owner of the car didn’t see it that way, stringing me along until a better offer came through. Every other Volkswagen convertible after that looked like junk: ragged roofs, crusty edges, strange aftermarket steering wheels and bad Mexican paint jobs.  And the ones that lived up to my expectations were well over my budget.

“How about a new Beetle?” my sister asked. Sure, it was cute, and yes they came with amenities like heat throughout the entire car, and air conditioning not to mention power steering, but I resisted. It wasn’t a “real” beetle, but rather a retro mod version of a classic.  And the thought of car payments scared me.

I started looking online anyway, to get an idea of what a used new Beetle would cost. The more I looked, the cuter they looked. They were safer and offered better gas mileage, I told myself.  So I read reports on cars.com, and scanned listings on eBay and the AutoTrader before heading to my first dealership looking for a pre-owned certified used car, cyber green, manual shift, a sunroof and some assurance that I wasn’t getting a junker.

The first dealership I shopped had one used Beetle on the lot. It was white, not green, and though I tried (and so did the salesman) to convince myself that white was okay, it wasn’t.  Even a test drive in the zippy little 5-speed didn’t change my mind. It did however, solidify my desire for a new Beetle. It was fun to drive, and had a heck of a lot more pick up than my old SuperBeetle. I left my name and number with the salesman and asked him to call me if he could find a green Beetle.
I never heard from him.

The next dealer I shopped had a green Beetle, that had not passed the 112 point inspection. The salesman, eager to get me into a car, pointed out a nearly new blue Beetle that had just arrived.  It was expected to pass inspection Tuesday, so I arranged to come in then. I wouldn’t buy it if it didn’t pass, but I fully expected to own that car. Blue Lagoon was my color now, and with black leather seats, a sunroof, and low mileage I couldn’t go wrong.  I gave him my name and number.  Before I left work to go to the dealership, I called the salesman to make sure he would be there.  He was; the car was not. I never heard from him again.

The third dealer I went to, well over 30 miles away, didn’t have a green Beetle, but the cheerful yellow one was pretty close.  Until I got there.  I finally realized that if I was going to pay over ten thousand dollars, I was going to get the car I wanted.   I left my name and number, and I never heard from him again either.

Finally, I ended up at a dealer 50 miles north.  They had the car I wanted. It was actually more than I wanted-- turbo and heated leather seats both of which I swore I’d never use.  And both of which I now would say I can’t live without. 

The best piece of advice I can offer anyone shopping for a new (or pre-loved) car is to know what you want and don’t settle for less. In the three years I’ve had my 2000 cyber green Beetle, I’ve been happy. People smile at you when you drive a cute car, and smiling is contagious.

by Jennifer Simpson
Jennifer Simpson works at Arc-Zone.com, Inc. (http://www.arc-zone.com)  as an online marketing guru by day (or so she likes to tell her boss), and as a writer by night. She is a regular contributor to San Diego Blog and maintains her own blog at
akaJeSais.

She has written articles for community newspapers featuring local events and people and has published technical articles in national trade magazines.

"Super Chicken to the Rescue," her first (and let's be honest, her only) short story was published as part of a collection of short stories from Mrs. Tanaka's 2nd grade class in Aiea, Hawaii. She is currently working on a creative non-fiction piece entitled, "Reconstructing My Mother."

Jennifer also enjoyed the movie, Little Miss Sunshine, which features a VW bus.

Ask Patty wants to hear from you!
Do you have a car buying story? Share it with Ask Patty! We want to hear all about your car shopping, car buying, or car repair experiences!
Email all submissions to Breanne Boyle: breanne@askpatty.com

I started looking online anyway, to get an idea of what a used new Beetle would cost. The more I looked, the cuter they looked. They were safer and offered better gas mileage, I told myself.  So I read reports on cars.com, and scanned listings on eBay and the AutoTrader before heading to my first dealership looking for a pre-owned certified used car, cyber green, manual shift, a sunroof and some assurance that I wasn’t getting a junker.

The first dealership I shopped had one used Beetle on the lot. It was white, not green, and though I tried (and so did the salesman) to convince myself that white was okay, it wasn’t.  Even a test drive in the zippy little 5-speed didn’t change my mind. It did however, solidify my desire for a new Beetle. It was fun to drive, and had a heck of a lot more pick up than my old SuperBeetle. I left my name and number with the salesman and asked him to call me if he could find a green Beetle.
I never heard from him.

The next dealer I shopped had a green Beetle, that had not passed the 112 point inspection. The salesman, eager to get me into a car, pointed out a nearly new blue Beetle that had just arrived.  It was expected to pass inspection Tuesday, so I arranged to come in then. I wouldn’t buy it if it didn’t pass, but I fully expected to own that car. Blue Lagoon was my color now, and with black leather seats, a sunroof, and low mileage I couldn’t go wrong.  I gave him my name and number.  Before I left work to go to the dealership, I called the salesman to make sure he would be there.  He was; the car was not. I never heard from him again.

The third dealer I went to, well over 30 miles away, didn’t have a green Beetle, but the cheerful yellow one was pretty close.  Until I got there.  I finally realized that if I was going to pay over ten thousand dollars, I was going to get the car I wanted.   I left my name and number, and I never heard from him again either.

Finally, I ended up at a dealer 50 miles north.  They had the car I wanted. It was actually more than I wanted-- turbo and heated leather seats both of which I swore I’d never use.  And both of which I now would say I can’t live without. 

The best piece of advice I can offer anyone shopping for a new (or pre-loved) car is to know what you want and don’t settle for less. In the three years I’ve had my 2000 cyber green Beetle, I’ve been happy. People smile at you when you drive a cute car, and smiling is contagious.

by Jennifer Simpson
Jennifer Simpson works at Arc-Zone.com, Inc. (http://www.arc-zone.com)  as an online marketing guru by day (or so she likes to tell her boss), and as a writer by night. She is a regular contributor to San Diego Blog and maintains her own blog at
akaJeSais.

She has written articles for community newspapers featuring local events and people and has published technical articles in national trade magazines.

"Super Chicken to the Rescue," her first (and let's be honest, her only) short story was published as part of a collection of short stories from Mrs. Tanaka's 2nd grade class in Aiea, Hawaii. She is currently working on a creative non-fiction piece entitled, "Reconstructing My Mother."

Jennifer also enjoyed the movie, Little Miss Sunshine, which features a VW bus.

Ask Patty wants to hear from you!
Do you have a car buying story? Share it with Ask Patty! We want to hear all about your car shopping, car buying, or car repair experiences!
Email all submissions to Breanne Boyle: breanne@askpatty.com

Comments

[judy]

Hi, I have a 2006 beetle for sale if anyone is interested excellent shape excellent car just need money, only has 13,300 miles on it and its fully loaded if interested I love in new jersey :) Thanks

[Rebecca]

Hi, I rencently purchased a car from a dealership they gave me 2 contracts one for me to take to my bank and one if the bank didn't pick me up. Well the bank will finance me at a higher interest rate, and they can't get the inerest rate they wrote on their contract either. They want to write me another contract for a higher rate, which i do not want to do. But they claim that if I bring the car back and get my trade in I have to pay a restocking fee according to California law of $2000.00, although they will not show me this law. They've also told me that they sold my car, then told me they would get my car back for me, then told me that they didn't sell my car they were mistaken. I am extremely fed up with this dealership. I do not want to work with them anymore, I don't want this car after all the crap that they've put me through, and I can't afford the higher interest rate. But I don't know what to do, they won't give me a straight answer and are so mean whenever I ask for any kind of proof of anything that they had me in tears. Please help me. I just want to know what my rights are regarding this matter
Thank you
Rebecca Imel

[Breanne Boyle]

Shelly,

We are so sorry to hear about your Bug! It's always heartbreaking and nerve wracking to go through a car accident. We hope everyone is okay!
Good luck in your next search!

-Breanne Boyle
eMarketing Manager
www.AskPatty.com

[Shelly Duclos]

Hi this is "slug bug" Shelly again! Heart breaker......My beautiful cyber green bug was in a head on collision! Not my fault at all!! It's totalled! My eyes are bugging out of my head looking for another one.The 2007 is less money than the 2006.Im on the hunt for a green gls # 2 package,Tan leather, automatic. Im not sure about the gecko green though.
By the way, my car was a 2000 with 93000. miles. My husband paid 10,000. out the door. The insurance company is giving us 12,800. Pretty good huh.Thanks for "listening" Shelly-Calif.

[Jenn]

Hey, thanks for all the nice comments about my article, and the fond memories of playing Slug Bug :-)

BTW my next car will be a VW Beetle also... I'm thinking Gecko Green...

[Breanne Boyle]

Shelly,
I remember playing SlugBug on the school bus going to field trips and activites. What fun!
Volkswagen has a special place in my heart because my first car was a 1979 Beetle.
If you would like to know more about your car and learn the typical mileage information, try visiting your nearest VW dealer or go to http://www.vw.com.

[Shelly Duclos]

My husband surprised me resently and bought me a 2000 cyber green bug and im in love with it!People do smile!All the time. Have you ever been at a stop light and looked over and the people in the car next to you are hitting eachother playing "SLUGBUG!" I have!
How many miles will these cars go? By the way, love your artical.And love my bug!-Shelly,from california.

[GetSheila]

Great story! And I wholeheartedly agree: know what you want and don't settle for less.

[Candace]

I loved the piece by Jennifer Simpson about how long it took to find her perfect car. I find myself looking out for her as I drive, knowing that if I spot a big smile in the perfect green Beetle, it will be Jennifer.