My 11 year old chose my next car! (2005 VW Beetle)
Discussion
When you tell your 11-year-old daughter that she can pick any car from the forecourt...
Welcome Beetle!
The story
I have just sold my Boxster which was my daily. The crazed parking at school during drop off and collection had me worried about the impending damage of my alternate fun car (Chevrolet Camaro). The Camaro also attracts a bit (a lot) too much attention for every-day duties. Therefore, I wanted a runabout that I could use for such trips, as well as local shopping as I'm getting fed up with having to sort out dings and repairs. Does no-one care anymore?
We found a car dealer not too far from us that basically sold all cheap cars, something of a rarity these days as most cheaper dealers seem to be in the £5k-10k bracket. I don't think anything there was more than £2k on the lot at this garage. The cheaper the better, perfect! On the way, wifey thought it would be fun to tell our daughter than she can pick Dads new car. "Anything at the garage, you can choose", she said. "Really? anything?!" was the excited reply. I didn't mind - I'm a total pushover when it comes to my little girl, and I thought it would be a giggle.
It was actually nice to see her looking at them all, considering them and telling me the ones she liked the look of as we wandered in between all the cars (all crammed in, so it was a squeeze!). This is a cheap lot and it reminded me of the entrance way to the scrap yards of the olden days and had me thinking this type of garage is effectively the last-chance saloon before cars are ultimately resigned to their final destination.
She particularly liked two cars, a Vauxhall Corsa in a shade of mint green, and she also liked the Beetle. I think the colours were the main grab, but the Beetle is quirky and also bigger than the Vauxhall (which appealed to me as well), and my daughter liked this one the most, so we decided to take it out for a drive. It drove fine, most of the important things work, most of the time, but there are quite a few things that need fixing on it.
But for £950, with a 30-day engine and gearbox warranty, one can't complain as long as it runs and drives! I do love a good economy car!!
The car
It was utterly, utterly filthy inside. I don't know how someone can get their car into this sort of state to be honest, but I saw this as something of a challenge to make good - a winter project if you will, to start putting all the broken stuff back together to make it nice. Yesterday, I spent all day giving it a good clean, and thoroughly enjoyed it too.
Inside, we started like this....
And after a cleaning day it looked like this:
The seats need a wet-vac so I got big bertha on the case today:
Look at all that brown!
Now much better:
Also used some plastic restorer on the sill trims:
Before:
After:
And the dashboard had a good wipe down:
Afterwards, I used some plastic gel to try and make the scratches (which don't really come up on the photos) a bit less prominent, which has improved it a little.
First things first
After a good clean, there is a (rather large) to-do list of broken bits, but I'm not doing any of them until my mechanic has had a good look at the car. Looking at all the paperwork I can't see any service history after 2011 (oil etc), but it has got receipts for all the required MOT repairs completed along the way - things like exhausts, springs etc. So maybe it's been done-at-home, or maybe never done.
I need my mechanic to first have a look underneath and make sure its structurally and mechanically sound. If so, then a good service is in order and we'll go from there with the to-do list!
Pimp tints all round!
Hoping this will be a fun, winter project! A working, quirky (and lovely coloured) car for £950 bought on a whim with no inspections other than a quick drive. What's not to love?
The beetles first family outing, taking us to Leeds during the weekends train strikes.
... my new daily driver has a flower on the dashboard!
Insert powerfully built director pose here....!
Welcome Beetle!
The story
I have just sold my Boxster which was my daily. The crazed parking at school during drop off and collection had me worried about the impending damage of my alternate fun car (Chevrolet Camaro). The Camaro also attracts a bit (a lot) too much attention for every-day duties. Therefore, I wanted a runabout that I could use for such trips, as well as local shopping as I'm getting fed up with having to sort out dings and repairs. Does no-one care anymore?
We found a car dealer not too far from us that basically sold all cheap cars, something of a rarity these days as most cheaper dealers seem to be in the £5k-10k bracket. I don't think anything there was more than £2k on the lot at this garage. The cheaper the better, perfect! On the way, wifey thought it would be fun to tell our daughter than she can pick Dads new car. "Anything at the garage, you can choose", she said. "Really? anything?!" was the excited reply. I didn't mind - I'm a total pushover when it comes to my little girl, and I thought it would be a giggle.
It was actually nice to see her looking at them all, considering them and telling me the ones she liked the look of as we wandered in between all the cars (all crammed in, so it was a squeeze!). This is a cheap lot and it reminded me of the entrance way to the scrap yards of the olden days and had me thinking this type of garage is effectively the last-chance saloon before cars are ultimately resigned to their final destination.She particularly liked two cars, a Vauxhall Corsa in a shade of mint green, and she also liked the Beetle. I think the colours were the main grab, but the Beetle is quirky and also bigger than the Vauxhall (which appealed to me as well), and my daughter liked this one the most, so we decided to take it out for a drive. It drove fine, most of the important things work, most of the time, but there are quite a few things that need fixing on it.
But for £950, with a 30-day engine and gearbox warranty, one can't complain as long as it runs and drives!
I do love a good economy car!!The car
It was utterly, utterly filthy inside. I don't know how someone can get their car into this sort of state to be honest, but I saw this as something of a challenge to make good - a winter project if you will, to start putting all the broken stuff back together to make it nice. Yesterday, I spent all day giving it a good clean, and thoroughly enjoyed it too.
Inside, we started like this....
And after a cleaning day it looked like this:
The seats need a wet-vac so I got big bertha on the case today:
Look at all that brown!
Now much better:
Also used some plastic restorer on the sill trims:
Before:
After:
And the dashboard had a good wipe down:
Afterwards, I used some plastic gel to try and make the scratches (which don't really come up on the photos) a bit less prominent, which has improved it a little.
First things first
After a good clean, there is a (rather large) to-do list of broken bits, but I'm not doing any of them until my mechanic has had a good look at the car. Looking at all the paperwork I can't see any service history after 2011 (oil etc), but it has got receipts for all the required MOT repairs completed along the way - things like exhausts, springs etc. So maybe it's been done-at-home, or maybe never done.
I need my mechanic to first have a look underneath and make sure its structurally and mechanically sound. If so, then a good service is in order and we'll go from there with the to-do list!Pimp tints all round!
Hoping this will be a fun, winter project! A working, quirky (and lovely coloured) car for £950 bought on a whim with no inspections other than a quick drive. What's not to love?
The beetles first family outing, taking us to Leeds during the weekends train strikes.
... my new daily driver has a flower on the dashboard!
Insert powerfully built director pose here....!Edited by Cloudy147 on Monday 10th October 21:57
Nice. Bargain that and parts should be cheap and plentiful as it's mostly golf underneath.
If that's your idea of an utterly filthy car then you've clearly not bought many snotters.
At uni in 2013 my pal bought a 2002 fabia estate off a geezer that would've made your beetle (as purchased) look factory fresh. Complete with left over takeaway in the footwell and a billion CDs of various Indian type music.
If that's your idea of an utterly filthy car then you've clearly not bought many snotters.
At uni in 2013 my pal bought a 2002 fabia estate off a geezer that would've made your beetle (as purchased) look factory fresh. Complete with left over takeaway in the footwell and a billion CDs of various Indian type music.
justin220 said:
Superb! I'm amazed any dealer would sell a car with an interior in that state.. 
You say that, but by the time they've stored it, advertised it, transported it etc. Half a day spent fully cleaning it inside and out is the difference between profit and loss at that end of the market.There really is an element of "if you can find a better one at this price then buy it"
What a great thing to do. I couldn’t trust my 4 year old as he is obsessed with tractors and quad bikes. Also, given the choice he would travel everywhere by ride on lawn mower. would be fun but with a top speed of 8mph it’s not much quicker than walking.
Enjoy the beetle. I’ve always liked them especially the convertible.
Enjoy the beetle. I’ve always liked them especially the convertible.
757 said:
The shape/design hasn't aged at all - I have an original '66 Beetle, the shape is utterly timeless in this era of bubble/curvy cars - yours looks good in that pastel shade.
Curvy/bubble cars? Everything seems to have lines angles and slashes to make them look aggressive, even small cars. Only curvy ones are the retro styled ones. The over silhouettes fo all seem have shared the same jelly moulds thoughThanks guys, glad you like it!
. To be fair, the pictures do rather flatter the interior, it looked a lot worse in person, but probably not as bad as your friends car!
There really is an element of "if you can find a better one at this price then buy it"Yes this surprised me too initially Justin. But as Ambleton says, I think they just get them in, sell them cheap and thats all they do. It still had a twix wrapper in the door pocket, the previous owners glasses on the passenger seat and a 6-pack of chocolate bars in the boot. They really do just get them, and sell them on at this price point. But very true that "if you can buy better at this price then buy it" - I couldn't find one cheaper, never mind from a dealer.
I have been looking up what the wheels are tonight as it happens as I thought they were Audi wheels. I found the brochure online, and it does have them in there as the standard Beetle 15" variety, albeit silver rather than white. I was considering having them refurbed back to silver but to be honest I think the white goes quite well with the blue colour - and if nothing else it gives it character.
Floor Mats!
Although I said I wasn't putting any money in until its been on the ramps with my mechanic, I couldn't help myself and purchased some car mats to finish off my cleaning antics from the weekend. They arrived today and I was way more excited than I should have been for such a purchase. Its the small things that matter.
They are tailored fit and sit pretty nicely on the floor and finishes things off in there:
Next stop, service. Will report back!
Ambleton said:
Nice. Bargain that and parts should be cheap and plentiful as it's mostly golf underneath.
If that's your idea of an utterly filthy car then you've clearly not bought many snotters.
At uni in 2013 my pal bought a 2002 fabia estate off a geezer that would've made your beetle (as purchased) look factory fresh. Complete with left over takeaway in the footwell and a billion CDs of various Indian type music.
haha! That sounds awful! If that's your idea of an utterly filthy car then you've clearly not bought many snotters.
At uni in 2013 my pal bought a 2002 fabia estate off a geezer that would've made your beetle (as purchased) look factory fresh. Complete with left over takeaway in the footwell and a billion CDs of various Indian type music.
. To be fair, the pictures do rather flatter the interior, it looked a lot worse in person, but probably not as bad as your friends car!covmutley said:
Great stuff. Looks like you've doubled it's value already!
In a world where £20k cars are now £30k, and £30k cars are 40k, this shows what you can get still for not a lot of money.
Yes, I agree. Its really satisfying to buy something which, on the face of it at least, it actually quite a nice car, yet costs hardly anything. It gives a very wholesome and happy feeling indeed!In a world where £20k cars are now £30k, and £30k cars are 40k, this shows what you can get still for not a lot of money.
vikingaero said:
Very nice. I've been eyeing up Beetles as my next Shed. Certainly seem to be plenty around. Only downer is the wings are very large and prone to parking and door ding damage.
Yes, this one has dings all around, and when you look closely (which I could see now it has been cleaned as it was dirty when we bought it), at least one of the wings has had some scrapes that have been touched in a bit.Ambleton said:
justin220 said:
Superb! I'm amazed any dealer would sell a car with an interior in that state..
You say that, but by the time they've stored it, advertised it, transported it etc. Half a day spent fully cleaning it inside and out is the difference between profit and loss at that end of the market.There really is an element of "if you can find a better one at this price then buy it"
ballans said:
What a great thing to do. I couldn’t trust my 4 year old as he is obsessed with tractors and quad bikes. Also, given the choice he would travel everywhere by ride on lawn mower. would be fun but with a top speed of 8mph it’s not much quicker than walking.
Enjoy the beetle. I’ve always liked them especially the convertible.
Thankyou, very kind. Yes it was a fun thing to do. I'd recommend it - when your son gets past his lawn mower phase!Enjoy the beetle. I’ve always liked them especially the convertible.
Silvanus said:
I did something similar a few years ago when my daughter was 5, I manage to hurry her past a metallic lilac beetle we ended up with this, we were both very happy with the choice. Also rans were a Mini, 500 and a DS3, something about rounded shapes young kids like.
Awesome Silvanus, a very nice choice indeed!! we ended up with this, we were both very happy with the choice. Also rans were a Mini, 500 and a DS3, something about rounded shapes young kids like.MrBig said:
Seems like a great way to choose a car to me, and the results look promising so far (even if im not a fan of the wheels!). Keep us posted, I quite fancy one of these now they are peanuts with some lowering springs and 18s!
Thanks!! I have been looking up what the wheels are tonight as it happens as I thought they were Audi wheels. I found the brochure online, and it does have them in there as the standard Beetle 15" variety, albeit silver rather than white. I was considering having them refurbed back to silver but to be honest I think the white goes quite well with the blue colour - and if nothing else it gives it character. Floor Mats!
Although I said I wasn't putting any money in until its been on the ramps with my mechanic, I couldn't help myself and purchased some car mats to finish off my cleaning antics from the weekend. They arrived today and I was way more excited than I should have been for such a purchase. Its the small things that matter.
They are tailored fit and sit pretty nicely on the floor and finishes things off in there:
Next stop, service. Will report back!
OP - Good choice.
I bought one local to me about 18 months ago for the sum of £300, ran it for over a year (6500 miles) and sold it on.
I had one of the first batch of RHD cars in the UK back in 2000 after seeing one of the small number of green LHD cars they brought over to test the market. The amount of interest it drew back then was crazy as there was nothing else like it on the market and people were so interested to take a look. I even got followed into a carpark by a woman who was desperate to see one as she had an original back in the 70's.
The £300 Beetle was a different story to the shiny new one I picked up from the dealer in 2000. It was pretty dirty, the seat bolster had worn through, it had a carbon fibre wrap on the dash, the bonnet was cleaned with a Brillo pad to remove bird residue, the radio didn't work, all the soft touch coating on the plastics had turned to glue and I found out it had been a CATD at some point in its life (read the logbook before purchase Cornish!). But, it drove absolutely fine.
The first few months were a little nerve wracking in that I was never sure if I would get to my destination in the Beetle or on the back of an RAC truck but it never let me down once. I took it up and down the M4 from Bristol to Heathrow and Slough many times without incident and it was faultless. It was slow, handled like a boat and had the turning circle of an aircraft carrier but I really bonded with the car.
Like you I decided not to spend any money on it and my rule was whatever I did had to come from what I had. So, the front mats were from an Audi A3, I removed the wrap on the dash and resprayed it with Satin black (under the wrap was purple and silver), sprayed the silver spokes on the steering wheel (Tamiya silver from the RC days), fixed the front splitter panel with Tie wraps and treated it to an almost all over paint correction with Meguairs finest and my DA polisher (not the bumpers as they had a lot of paint damage so pointless). The only time I broke my rule was to replace the Oil cap with a new one (£4 for 2 on Amazon) and to rewire the 3rd brake light with 12v LED's (£5 on Amazon) as it stopped working and the prices are crazy.
If you find any 'milk' under the oil cap don't worry too much as these engines are known for it and in my case it turned out to be the breather from the oil filler to the air intake that gets blocked (especially in winter when doing short trips). Just take it all off and clear out the 'gunk' and that will cure the mayo on the cap. It may also use a bit of oil and I just used what I had from previous cars. Also, get the mechanic to check for rust on the sills as these are prone to it as I found out when it passed it's MOT first time and the guy was shocked that mine had no rust.
The main reason for purchase was to act as a daily as I bought a GR Yaris and that is not really the tool for the job when it comes to just driving into the office. I also wanted something that I didn't care too much about that you can leave anywhere - the Beetle fits the bill on both.
I was really sad to see the car go, much more than I have ever been with any other car which is weird as it was the second cheapest car I have ever bought (£75 for a chevette in 1988 beats it) but it really got under my skin. Its replacement is a 2009 118d and it is far superior in every way but I have not really bonded with it as even though it is a good car, it is not a £300 Beetle. I do keep an eye on the classifieds as I always fancied a convertible but not sure it will happen.
I bought one local to me about 18 months ago for the sum of £300, ran it for over a year (6500 miles) and sold it on.
I had one of the first batch of RHD cars in the UK back in 2000 after seeing one of the small number of green LHD cars they brought over to test the market. The amount of interest it drew back then was crazy as there was nothing else like it on the market and people were so interested to take a look. I even got followed into a carpark by a woman who was desperate to see one as she had an original back in the 70's.
The £300 Beetle was a different story to the shiny new one I picked up from the dealer in 2000. It was pretty dirty, the seat bolster had worn through, it had a carbon fibre wrap on the dash, the bonnet was cleaned with a Brillo pad to remove bird residue, the radio didn't work, all the soft touch coating on the plastics had turned to glue and I found out it had been a CATD at some point in its life (read the logbook before purchase Cornish!). But, it drove absolutely fine.
The first few months were a little nerve wracking in that I was never sure if I would get to my destination in the Beetle or on the back of an RAC truck but it never let me down once. I took it up and down the M4 from Bristol to Heathrow and Slough many times without incident and it was faultless. It was slow, handled like a boat and had the turning circle of an aircraft carrier but I really bonded with the car.
Like you I decided not to spend any money on it and my rule was whatever I did had to come from what I had. So, the front mats were from an Audi A3, I removed the wrap on the dash and resprayed it with Satin black (under the wrap was purple and silver), sprayed the silver spokes on the steering wheel (Tamiya silver from the RC days), fixed the front splitter panel with Tie wraps and treated it to an almost all over paint correction with Meguairs finest and my DA polisher (not the bumpers as they had a lot of paint damage so pointless). The only time I broke my rule was to replace the Oil cap with a new one (£4 for 2 on Amazon) and to rewire the 3rd brake light with 12v LED's (£5 on Amazon) as it stopped working and the prices are crazy.
If you find any 'milk' under the oil cap don't worry too much as these engines are known for it and in my case it turned out to be the breather from the oil filler to the air intake that gets blocked (especially in winter when doing short trips). Just take it all off and clear out the 'gunk' and that will cure the mayo on the cap. It may also use a bit of oil and I just used what I had from previous cars. Also, get the mechanic to check for rust on the sills as these are prone to it as I found out when it passed it's MOT first time and the guy was shocked that mine had no rust.
The main reason for purchase was to act as a daily as I bought a GR Yaris and that is not really the tool for the job when it comes to just driving into the office. I also wanted something that I didn't care too much about that you can leave anywhere - the Beetle fits the bill on both.
I was really sad to see the car go, much more than I have ever been with any other car which is weird as it was the second cheapest car I have ever bought (£75 for a chevette in 1988 beats it) but it really got under my skin. Its replacement is a 2009 118d and it is far superior in every way but I have not really bonded with it as even though it is a good car, it is not a £300 Beetle. I do keep an eye on the classifieds as I always fancied a convertible but not sure it will happen.
This seems a good place to admit it then but I have always liked these beetles for some reason. I just think they look good and would happily bang around in one. My daughter is due to start driving lessons next year so toying with the idea to get one to share and just run around town. Metallic blue for me I think.
Always had a soft spot for the Beetle.As a teenager in the early 2000's my friends mate had a white one. We got offered a lift back from a concert late one evening. By the time I got out of the backseat I realised she considered me more than a friend She's still my best mate over 20 years later but the love ship set sail many years ago.
She's still my best mate over 20 years later but the love ship set sail many years ago.Edited by sutoka on Thursday 13th October 03:32
sir humphrey appleby said:
This seems a good place to admit it then but I have always liked these beetles for some reason. I just think they look good and would happily bang around in one.
Me too.I was a little annoyed that they seemed to market them pretty much exclusively to women though with the factory stickers and the flower on the dash.
I know they offered a V5 version which looked better and I thinkbtheres a few with porsche bumpers on which look mega.
I’ve had loads of the original air cooled ones, but I do like these. I keep driving past a 2008 soft top one parked up for sale for £1800. I don’t want it but i keep thinking just what a lot of car and fun that is v what the old ones cost and how utterly crap they were, back in the day.
For a start, no welding !!!
For a start, no welding !!!
Love this.
That generation of Golf MkIV based cars was fundamentally good - we know this as theres still plenty of Golfs, Octavias, A3s, Boras etc all in various states of disrepair, plodding on as they hit 20odd years old. However they were all very dull. This fixes that - you get what is in reality a very sensible car, but with a lovely quirkiness, great instantly recognisable looks, and character!
ETA - it still amazes me the disgusting state that some owners let their cars get into, and just goes to show that with a bit of elbow grease somethig that might seem a bit of a shed can be quicly turned into something respectable. Looking great. Although I do have to say some bright fresh silver wheels would be a huge improvement!
That generation of Golf MkIV based cars was fundamentally good - we know this as theres still plenty of Golfs, Octavias, A3s, Boras etc all in various states of disrepair, plodding on as they hit 20odd years old. However they were all very dull. This fixes that - you get what is in reality a very sensible car, but with a lovely quirkiness, great instantly recognisable looks, and character!
ETA - it still amazes me the disgusting state that some owners let their cars get into, and just goes to show that with a bit of elbow grease somethig that might seem a bit of a shed can be quicly turned into something respectable. Looking great. Although I do have to say some bright fresh silver wheels would be a huge improvement!
Edited by snotrag on Thursday 13th October 08:54
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