2006 Volkswagen New Beetle User Reviews

Pros

Hugs the road, and has fairly good crash safety reviews.

Cons

Cost of maintenance $$$$$

Purchased As New

Absolutely the worse car I have ever owned in my 32 years of driving. We bought new in 2006 for my college daughter and it has been one thing after another: expensive oil changes, nearly zero ground clearance (I bought a Panzer Plate for underbody protection.), headlights won't stay on, and now $2,000 for a wheel bearing noise and a cooling fan repair. Rocker panels were damaged on the first trip to the dealer when the dealer mechanic lifted it wrong. (They repaired it, but I am left with a bondo job!) The lack of factory service anywhere except major cities is really a bother. My daughter loves the car because it is yellow, but it is going on the used car lot at the first opportunity. Should have junked it!...read morehide

Pros

good fuel economy, good power steering, great breaks,comfortable

Cons

nothing

I have a red beetle and i absolutely love it..this was my first car and so far i have no complaints. The great thing about driving this car is that it has great brakes and as soon as u press on the break it stops..it has gotten me out of a few car accidents lol..plus the beetle has great speed..also it has great gas mileage i only have to fill my tank up once every one and half weeks..i enjoy driving this car and it gets so much attention..I LOVE IT it makes me feel great and it's comfortable w/ a lot of room..my dad who is 6'2 can fit in the back seat w/ any discomfort..i highly recommend this car for a younger person like myself..i personally think it's the funnest car u could drive...read morehide

Pros

It doesn't get any better. The TDI gets about 1000 kms per tank and are super reliable BEST CAR EVER

Cons

I can't afford to buy 2

I just love my Beetle TDI. It gets incredible mileage and has as nice sporty ride with ample head room, great feel (no squeaks or cheap parts)....it is really an OVER BUILT CAR. Great value for the price, especially if you find a MINT used one.

Pros

Cute as a "bug"!

Cons

EXPENSIVE! High maintenance!

This car was so much fun, at first. BUT, it's so high maintenance. It was my dream car and I got rid of it after only 17 months because of how costly EVERY SINGLE thing was. Everything that needed to be done on the Bug needed to be done by a foreign car mechanic (or a VW dealer), even putting in a new battery.

Also, MAKE SURE you get 2 keys if you buy this car. To get a replacement is almost $200.00 (for the key and the labor to laser cut it and have it programmed to the car & your other key).

I couldn't get rid of this car fast enough. It broke my heart to get rid of it, but it was a money pit. I've talked to 2 other people recently (who owned Bugs) and they said the same thing.

Carefully consider this high maintenance car. If you buy this car, buy it from a VW dealer and get the highest level warranty you can......or you'll be deeply sorry the first time you're hit with a huge bill, for even a minor problem (or routine maintenance).

Also keep in mind that you can't take it to just your average Joe to work on. The VW Beetle needs special tools that only VW service departments or foreign car garages have (and you'll pay an arm and a leg!)

In the winter, the inside of the car never seems to get warm enough (unless you blast the heat on the #4 setting). I've been told it's because of all of the exposed metal in the cabin. It holds the cold.

Also, because of its low clearance, you constantly snag the plastic protective plate under the front end. Mine was torn to shreds within the first few months. Nothing like pulling too close to a parking lot "bump" or curb and hearing the crunch of that plate.

Also, realistically, you only get 18 to 19 miles to the gallon (city driving); even less in the summer using the air conditioner. Highway driving was great (about 30-35 miles per gallon). This car is small, but it's very heavy and it does eat up the gas.

The sound system is not great either. The sound is is kind of "muddy", even when you try to adjust it.

The only pros to this car are that it is cute as a "bug", fun to drive (when it's working properly), goes well in the snow because it's so heavy.

I was very glad to get rid of my sweet little bug. Bye-bye, bug....read morehide

Pros

Car is fun

Cons

To expensive to service, engine is trash

I have a 2000 1.8 turbo beetle. My car had regular maintenance, was baby'd, loved and admired. It has 66,000 miles on it and is sitting at the VW Service Center needing a new engine. What's up with that, a car that gets driven less then 10,000 miles a year needs a new engine!! I will never buy anther Volkswagen product again. I was planing on trading it in on a Passat Wagon, for-get-it!! Stay away from VW, there cute but Oh so unreliable....read morehide

Pros

Great economy, good acceleration, and handles well

Cons

Backseat head room suffers, no rear window wiper,

I love this car. I purchased the TDI with a manual transmission. It handles well and sips fuel. Shifting is easy. Reverse took a little getting used to. The rear seat headroom is uncomfortable for a 6' tall person. Visibility to the sides is just OK. I put curved outside stick on mirrors to solve that problem (minor). It is slow to warm up in the morning. In a cold climate you may wish to get the seat heaters. The fronts seats fold and slide forward for good access to the back. I generally keep the back seat folded down however to give me plenty of room for shopping stuff. Traction in the snow was excellent although the car sits low to the ground so ground clearance is very limited. In the 60's I drove a bug everywhere and when it got high centered we pushed it off. The new beetle will want to stay on the road. It is a city car. I didn't haggle for the car and bought it through COSTCO. The basic car was 17,300 and the TDI option added another 1000. I bought the dealer floor mats which are really heavy duty/...read morehide

Pros

Good Fuel economy, CUTE, hugs the road, great packages, exc sound sys, smart, lots of headroom!

Cons

Trunk needs to be slammed to close, knob to lean seat back, small backseat

I have the 06 Platinum Grey, I love it, I get a lot of compliments and there are so many good things about the car, I suggest buying one an 06 or 07 they fixed a lot of problems that where wrong with the previous models. Looking at my flowers ion the vase everyday is awesome makes one happy! Also the dashboard is HUGE! You can use it as a table to eat on for sure.

Only drawback about this model is the car beeps if the seatbelt is not fastned and the keys are in the ignition. The trunk is touchy needs tough love but the backseats come down so you canfit a big TV or whatever you need in it. It handles well you can feel bumps in it but its nice its like an alarm to check out what you ran over. Also the passenger side weighs you and turns the airbag off if you weight under 100 ibs. Nice features! And the price .. Forget about it!...read morehide

Pros

I absolutely love my Bug ... plenty of power and I've gotten 50 mpg

Cons

If this is your type of car .... NO Cons !

I have 5 other cars ranging from a BMW 325 convert to a Toyota Sienna Mini Van ... but my favorite is my 2006 New Beetle TDI
(Diesel) loaded with leather,XM,sunroof etc

I whiz down the freeways with plenty of power while getting as much as 50mpg

Easy to park, easy to own, and easy on the eye !

I plan to keep this vehicle for many many years to come.

and when gasoiine hit $3.00 plus per gallon ... even though the diesel price will increase ... I still get 600 miles plus to my tankful and when I fill up it's only 12 - 14 gallons NOT 25 - 20

I LOVE MY BUG !!!!!!!...read morehide

Pros

I love the lower gas bill compared to my last car and it's cute as a well, bug! Easy to park!

Cons

The back seat is small and the trunk is even smaller.

I love my new car. I get compliments on it all the time. The salsa red is the perfect color. The heated seats are a great feature and the fabric is very easy to keep clean. It has handled very good in the rain and am interested to see how it does on ice. I love, love, love the aux. jack that easily plug into my ipod. It's so much easier than the fm trans. units you have to buy. The stero system isn't the best but works well enough for me. Plus, the 6 disc changer is a fun change when ipod is at home. Overall I'm very happy with this car. It's peppier than you think it will be although I've some trouble with the side seat lifter, to get into the back seat. It keeps popping off....read morehide

Pros

Fun to drive, plenty of positive comments, a real chick magnet.

Cons

None.

Mine is a 2005 New Beetle TDI. I love this car. I only wish they would offer the convertible with the TDI engine. That would be the perfect Beetle- diesel practicality with the open air pleasure that only convertibles truly can provide. Until that happens you can't get me to give up my Beetle- not even at gunpoint!...read morehide