stembridge
Veteran Member
I've really enjoyed my 2013 Beetle Convertible TDi (manual) when the weather's been nice, really, I have. The deep, deep reserves of torque have always been a rush when driving, too. However, as we're nearing the end of my second summer with the car, the thought of going through another winter with the door windows freezing up continually really isn't that palatable, especially since it's inherent in the design of the car and can't be "fixed."
I've also noticed that the "warmup stumble" seems to be getting more pronounced, and after having the VW Service folks tell me "diesels just run that way when they're warming up," I decided I'm tired of the finicky, high-maintenance relationship (and spotty Service quality) and am ending my 25+ year run of owning and driving Volkswagens as my DDs.
So I traded the Beetle in on a new Honda Fit EX today. It's a completely different class of car, of course, but after test driving a half-dozen different options, it's what seemed to be the best match to my criteria for what should hopefully be a long-term, reasonably stress-free relationship. It's a match for fuel economy, too, only with much cheaper gasoline. We had a '90 Civic back when our kids were little, and it was an excellent, 40+ mpg, reliable car (we put 165K on it and my brother ran it up to 220K before selling it again).
Don't mean this to be a plug for the Honda, tho - it's just what seemed to "fit" best at the moment without having to put more money into the kitty (and yep, I am taking a bit of a bath in depreciation on the Beetle, but so be it).
I had my previous New Beetle TDI for almost 13 years (219K miles and got a premium on my selling price because it was in excellent condition for its age). That, too, was a high-maintenence (and high cost) relationship, but at least the car driving dynamics and overall character helped make up for a lot of it.
The '13 Beetle has turned out to be competent, but is still numb by comparison. Other than enjoying the top-down days (which in reality weren't that many here in the Middle West), I never really warmed up to the car - it simply lacks the character the NB had (IMO).
I do miss it a bit already, but come winter when my doors open without fear of breaking something, I think I'll get over it.
The Honda is pretty much an appliance on wheels, of course, but I still have my '62 sunroof and '63 sedan project cars and look forward to driving them on nice days.
It's unlikely another new VW will ever grace our driveway at this point. Our '12 Routan, on the other hand, is shaping up to be the most reliable VW we've ever owned (ba-dum!).
I've also noticed that the "warmup stumble" seems to be getting more pronounced, and after having the VW Service folks tell me "diesels just run that way when they're warming up," I decided I'm tired of the finicky, high-maintenance relationship (and spotty Service quality) and am ending my 25+ year run of owning and driving Volkswagens as my DDs.
So I traded the Beetle in on a new Honda Fit EX today. It's a completely different class of car, of course, but after test driving a half-dozen different options, it's what seemed to be the best match to my criteria for what should hopefully be a long-term, reasonably stress-free relationship. It's a match for fuel economy, too, only with much cheaper gasoline. We had a '90 Civic back when our kids were little, and it was an excellent, 40+ mpg, reliable car (we put 165K on it and my brother ran it up to 220K before selling it again).
Don't mean this to be a plug for the Honda, tho - it's just what seemed to "fit" best at the moment without having to put more money into the kitty (and yep, I am taking a bit of a bath in depreciation on the Beetle, but so be it).
I had my previous New Beetle TDI for almost 13 years (219K miles and got a premium on my selling price because it was in excellent condition for its age). That, too, was a high-maintenence (and high cost) relationship, but at least the car driving dynamics and overall character helped make up for a lot of it.
The '13 Beetle has turned out to be competent, but is still numb by comparison. Other than enjoying the top-down days (which in reality weren't that many here in the Middle West), I never really warmed up to the car - it simply lacks the character the NB had (IMO).
I do miss it a bit already, but come winter when my doors open without fear of breaking something, I think I'll get over it.
The Honda is pretty much an appliance on wheels, of course, but I still have my '62 sunroof and '63 sedan project cars and look forward to driving them on nice days.
It's unlikely another new VW will ever grace our driveway at this point. Our '12 Routan, on the other hand, is shaping up to be the most reliable VW we've ever owned (ba-dum!).