I need your advice

"JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7" (jayzayeighty) 11/03/2013 at 11:09 • Filed to: help

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I know it's a girly car. You know it's a girly car. She knows it's a girly car. Any damned pronoun knows: it's a girly-ass car. It is so girly that it makes a Miata seem like something manly enough to put more hairs on the chest of a lumberjack in a 3rd gen F-body Camaro drinking beer and skinning a 'coon. However, it's also my childhood car—a 2001 5MT Beetle turbo—and being a sentimental person, I can't bear the thought of it rotting away in a junkyard. All the same, with bad maintenance for most of its life, that's the way it's headed. I also must admit, with some amount of shame, I have almost no mechanical knowledge and much less experience. Like, zero experience. So what if my mom gave me the girly-ass car, I learned to work on it, and suffered the burden of driving it? I don't know. What would you do, Oppo?

Here's the color, too:

Ouch. (Not my mom's car. Hers doesn't have mods.)

twinturbobmw > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:11

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How to make your Beetle more manly.

1. Paint.

2. RSI wing

3. RSI engine upgrades

4. ???

5. Profit!

daender > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:11

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Reminds me of the RSI.

TheBaron2112 > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:16

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Front bumper is very 911-esque.

Put a whale-tail on the back and you have a winner.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > daender 11/03/2013 at 11:17

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I think that's what the owners of the car in the picture were going for. The wheels are pretty nice. I guess with some mods from the money saved I could make it cooler!

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > twinturbobmw 11/03/2013 at 11:21

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YEEEEEESSSSS! I need one now.

oldirtybootz > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:22

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I see your dilemma. It's easy for the rest of us to sit bsck, call it girly, and say you shoukd junk it. They're nowhere near as endearing as the original Beetle, so it's easy to dismiss them. However, the sentimental connection is something all jalops can relate to.

I just traded my Focus on a new Dart. The Focus was the unloved second gen USDM car, another car that is looked down upon compared to i'ts predecessor. Despite that, I loved it and I hobestly felt guilty about trading it in. As irrational and crazy as it is, I worried about the car's feelings. I like the Dart alot, but I had to keep telling myself that the Focus was just a car and it was(hopefully) the right choice to move on. I still feel guilty about selling my Bronco even though it was a gass guzzling money pit and more vehicle than I needed or could afford. I loved that truck though and still miss it, but it was the right choice.

So I understand that you want to keep this car for the sentimental reasons, but sometimes it's not worth sinking the money into into something. Hell, my friend just put a new tranny in his 2000ish Buick and it cost him as much as the car cost. He had to do it because he had to get to work and couldn't go through the process of finding another car, but now he's dumped $2k into a $1k car. Sonetimes, you have to movw on.

Brian, The Life of > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:37

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Step 1: Wait until car is possibly worth $500.
Step 2: Start a Lemons team and "sell it" to one of the members.
Step 3: Build/cage/theme/RACE!

Also, THIS car makes your car downright butch! Could be worse ;)

Your boy, BJR > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:39

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I love new beetles. I believe J. Mays' design to be one of the most iconic cars of our generation.

desertdog5051 > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:47

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First, quit attaching to stereotypes. It's only as girly as you let it be. Make it your own. Buy some tools and jump on youtube to find out how to do the repairs it may need. After a few fixes, you are now a capable, mechanical type of person and you have bonded to the vehicle. Have fun.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:49

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I learned to drive stick on a beetle turbo. Honestly it doesn't sound like a bad idea. It's a little new to be learning to work on with zero knowledge, something OBDI would be easier. But it would be a fun.

E30Joe drives a Subaru > twinturbobmw 11/03/2013 at 11:50

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The RSI has AWD (4motion?) too.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > desertdog5051 11/03/2013 at 11:50

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I was really only joking with the girly-car thing—I attach to stereotypes less than anyone else I know, in reality. Sounds like a good plan to me. Thank you!

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 11:56

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Do this:

Slave2anMG > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 12:00

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Rock it and screw the haters. I have an '02 1.8T and enjoy the heck out of it.

Niquemarshall > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 12:16

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If done correctly, it could get you lots of ass.

A3R0 > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 12:23

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Well you can't pass up a free car...

Philbert/Phartnagle > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 13:03

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Your mom is giving you a free car, man up, learn to work on it and mod it to suit your tastes. Quit worrying about what anyone else thinks of it.

If that don't work, give it to me, I'd love to have it to tinker with.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Philbert/Phartnagle 11/03/2013 at 13:17

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I was really just kidding around about the girly-car part. I don't even know if she's going to give it to me. Anyways, I agree

GoliathRex > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 13:20

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RUN

My girlfriend owns a 1999 Beetle, and through no fault of her own- it has quickly disintegrated . By ~2008 and around 100k miles it had the following failures:

Fusable link caught fire

taillight relay died- no brake lights

radio stopped working- required computer reset

AC knob broke

multiple buttons fell out of dash, doors, and radio

headliner fell

body moulding peeling and falling off

gas cover solenoid works- sometimes. Uusally required prying open.

drivers door window motor broke- twice. Window slowly falls into door.

rear hatch latch must be slammed

driver door handle doesn't always work from the outside

electronic locks require multiple presses to lock car

all cup holders broken (weak little tabs)

glovebox latch broken

passenger vanitor mirror light remains on and kills battery

and more...

This does not include mechanical failures that would not apply to this turbo (she has a 2.0).

However- it is noteworthy it never stopped running. Its as though the car is possessed to be as annoying as possible. It wont die- but continues torturing its owner.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > GoliathRex 11/03/2013 at 13:29

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Haha thanks for making the list! I can definitely believe that; while the car hasn't been so well maintained, it has hazard it's fair share of ridiculous problems. Volkswagens simply don't have the built quality and parts durability of other cars, it would seem. It was pretty funny to read that huge list; that is incredibly bad automotive luck.

Sinanigans > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/03/2013 at 22:02

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This is how you manlify a Beetle

Der Käfer > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/04/2013 at 07:57

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I am a Volkswagen Beetle driver and I fucking love my car, plain and simple. I love the 1998-2005 Turbo bugs, especially with the flip out roof line wing!

Der Käfer > oldirtybootz 11/04/2013 at 08:02

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I agree so much to this post... I recently traded my 2001 land rover discovery II on my 2012 beetle and I too felt as if I was making the land rover....... sad . I felt so bad that 3 days later I went back to the dealership to buy it back and it had been sent off to auction :( I couldnt find it in any of the local auctions... I hope the next owner loves her as much as I did.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Der Käfer 11/04/2013 at 08:11

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I like the car too, as it's fun to drive and has a really interesting design, and I was really joking about the whole "girly car" thing (if that was unclear lol). I never knew that it had a flip-out wing at high speeds—I always wondered what that black part on the top of the hatch was for! Thanks for the info.

Der Käfer > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/04/2013 at 08:15

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I know you were, I'm really onboard with what everyone else is saying.. being an automotive enthusaist isnt about liking what everyone else does... it's about loving what sparks that crazy passion. For instance, mine is volkswagens (beetles, touaregs and phaetons) and Mercedes Benz like the R-Class. I just don't give shit what people think of my car tastes.

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Der Käfer 11/04/2013 at 08:20

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That's the way to go. I don't even care for most new supercars everyone else is drooling over, and I am not unhappy for it as I will never be able to afford one anyways!

Der Käfer > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/04/2013 at 08:34

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Dream car..... will kick some super car butt.

oldirtybootz > Der Käfer 11/04/2013 at 10:10

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It's ridiculous to feel this way but it's what sets us apart from normal car owners. To make it worse, I have to detail my Focus now.

Philbert/Phartnagle > JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 11/04/2013 at 11:15

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You have an option that almost always works on Moms, cry and beg. ;)

Der Käfer > oldirtybootz 11/04/2013 at 12:29

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I would DIE. That my friend is horrible.... I'd be going to jail for grand theft auto.

oldirtybootz > Der Käfer 11/04/2013 at 12:53

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It certainly is cruel and unusual, but the more I think about it the more I like the Dart and having a stick shift and the Uconnect 8.4 and whatnot

Der Käfer > oldirtybootz 11/04/2013 at 12:59

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Same with my beetle.. I love the Fender audio/navigation and the nimble feel vs. my outdated slow gas guzzling POS land rover (I didnt mean that last part betty, I promise)

oldirtybootz > Der Käfer 11/04/2013 at 13:55

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My Dart is definitely a huge improvement over my Focus. I was hard on the Darts after they came out, but now that I own one I do genuinely like it. The Focus was just a good buddy with many good memories.

Der Käfer > oldirtybootz 11/04/2013 at 13:58

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lol if the land rover could talk.....

oldirtybootz > Der Käfer 11/04/2013 at 15:38

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Hahaha I hear ya. Same with the Focus. I met my girlfriend in that car and we've had some good memories in it. She's sad to see it go too, she even considered buying it back from them for herself.

Der Käfer > oldirtybootz 11/04/2013 at 15:41

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lol same situation here, met my significant other when I had the rover. Wish we could have kept it.....