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School me on 04 VW Beetle Turbo (daughter)


caseyctsv

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Ok so my daughter is now becoming aware of the fact that a 1966 pick up is not the most practical daily for a teenager (not to mention I continue to worry about her safety). She LOVES her truck but has always been a fan of the new beetle. I came across a decent deal, I think, on an 04 VW beetle turbo with the auto. I had an 05 GTI with the same motor and other than a few cool packs it was a good car. I would plan to do a timing belt swap right away as it has 82k miles and I am not sure they can show it was done. My question is this;

 

Is this tranny as problematic as reviews seem to suggest or is this one of those things where a few unmaintained cars spoil it for the rest of them? Any way to check for issues other than just beating on it in a test drive and checking the fluids?

 

Anything else I should be looking at? I have the VIn and will pull a car fax and see if a VW dealer can pull the records.

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I would stay away from it. I'm on the unfortunate end of a '2 Beetle Turbo owned by Mother in Law. The car has gotten so many expensive parts replaced. They're famous for the self-destructing water pump (impeller disintegrates) and clogged oil pump pickup. Fabric/leather patch on various interior panels would start lifting by now and watch for water marks on the headliner.

 

Be prepared to start cleaning electrical contacts when a light doesn't turn on; it's rarely the bulb. Sometimes giving it a sharp jolt will regain contact. Plastic pieces and hoses under the hood would start to get brittle and crack especially the oil dipstick. Watch out for the coil failure which is easy to replace until the boot decided to separate.

 

If you insisted on picking it up, I'd suggest taking off the oil pan and have the oil pump pickup cleaned during the timing belt and water pump replacement. The rest are nickel-and-dime that get beyond annoying.

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We had an 04 AT on our lot a couple years ago. Sent it to Byers to have it checked out, make sure everything was on the up-and-up, came back with a clean bill of health. Someone sold it and later that day the transmission ate itself. Not sure the exact cause or whatever, but fortunately we had put a warranty on it instead of being as-is, as a result the customer was NOT on the hook for a $3500 transmission repair.
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I would stay away from it.

 

This ^

 

A friend had one and it spent more time in the shop getting fixed than she got to drive it. It was the worst car she ever had and as soon as it ran well enough to trade in she ditched it never to look back.

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I vote get her a Honda or a Camry. Save you and the wifey a bunch of headaches. Lets face it she is going to bump into things.

 

This is what we did for my oldest daughter (1998 Buick Lesabre) and it worked well. This one is different though - she actually likes cars and cares what she drives. She loves her truck - I was trying to find an alternative she would like. At this point I think we will just finish up her truck.

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Stay very very far away from any 1.8T variant VW... Nothing but headache and driveability problems. Out of all of my cars I have owned, my 337 was the only to leave me stranded THREE fucking times. I highly suggest a 2.0 motor, they're bullet proof and could run on sand. That being said I solomenly swear I'll never own another 1.8T car.
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Stay very very far away from any 1.8T variant VW... Nothing but headache and driveability problems. Out of all of my cars I have owned, my 337 was the only to leave me stranded THREE fucking times. I highly suggest a 2.0 motor, they're bullet proof and could run on sand. That being said I solomenly swear I'll never own another 1.8T car.

 

I mentioned above I owned a 2005 GTI 1.8T - bought it new. Owned it 13 months...had it towed twice when it left me stranded. Coil pack in both cases. Easy fix but you don't expect a new car with < 10k miles. Thought my experience may just be unusual.

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This is what we did for my oldest daughter (1998 Buick Lesabre) and it worked well. This one is different though - she actually likes cars and cares what she drives. She loves her truck - I was trying to find an alternative she would like. At this point I think we will just finish up her truck.

 

 

If she enjoys trucks why not just get her a modern day truck late 90s early 2000 truck? Still a truck, and safer to give you peace of mind. You can pick up a chevy 1500(proven reliability since you had a suburban) f150, or dodge 1500 all for a decent price. Just my 2 cents.

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If she enjoys trucks why not just get her a modern day truck late 90s early 2000 truck? Still a truck, and safer to give you peace of mind. You can pick up a chevy 1500(proven reliability since you had a suburban) f150, or dodge 1500 all for a decent price. Just my 2 cents.

 

Hates them - would have loved to get her an S10 or Ranger.

 

Looking at maybe a Mini Cooper

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I mentioned above I owned a 2005 GTI 1.8T - bought it new. Owned it 13 months...had it towed twice when it left me stranded. Coil pack in both cases. Easy fix but you don't expect a new car with < 10k miles. Thought my experience may just be unusual.

 

Coil pack issues with the 1.8T definitely isn't uncommon. Most MK4 owners stockpile them lol. It's always something between the water pump, timing belt, coil pack, N75, or diverter valve. If you're real lucky, you get to buy a new turbo.

 

Fuck those motors. Might be fun while they run right, but high maintenance for sure.

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