How unreliable would a 1999 VW Beetle with 175,000 miles be?

"71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors" (adamprotter)
03/27/2016 at 15:10 • Filed to: None

I feel like it would either be pretty good or never start. Also, how long do clutches on normal cars last.

DISCUSSION (28)

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:11

Rock..never starting...isn’t that the same thing?

jkm7680 > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:12

Very. Unreliable that is.

The clutches usually CAN last up to 200k stock. That all depends on driving style though.

HammerheadFistpunch > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:12

Cat clutches last about 9 times as long as car clutches, FYI

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras
03/27/2016 at 15:12

By rock i meant something that would start every time, used bad wording, sorry bout that

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > HammerheadFistpunch
03/27/2016 at 15:13

fucking xckd chrome extension https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detai…

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:17

what engine?

HammerheadFistpunch > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:18

You don’t tug on superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, you don’t pull the mask off the old lone ranger and you don’t buy a high mileage VW from the 90's and early 2000's.

smobgirl > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:19

Starting won’t be the problem but getting to your destination might be. I’d pass. Hell, no one in our company trusts our “free” 2007 Jetta with 120k miles.

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power
03/27/2016 at 15:21

Honestly any. My girlfriend is looking for a cheap (less than $3ooo) and reliable car and was looking at these. She just needs something to get her to and from grad school.

QCGoose > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:24

She’d be better off looking for a cheap, 30-year-old Jaguar with a V12...

My hovercraft is full of eels > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:28

I’d buy that if the maintenance history is OK. The 115 hp 2.0 petrol engine is one of VW’s best engines (I don’t know what engines was the Beetle available with in the US - the 1.6 is OK but weak, and I wouldn’t buy the 1.8T with such high milage + those have double-mass flywheels I think). The whole car is pretty simple and straightforward, based on the Golf 4.
The weakest point is probably the transmission, if it has the 5-speed maual. + expect some minor electrical issues (door locks, window motors, stuff like that), but that’s it.

Chasaboo > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:28

VW on a warranty, cool.

VW off a warranty, uncool.

Bytemite > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:32

I’d go for the TDi if you’re in California. It seems half the people selling their cars in the $3000 range are selling because they can’t pass smog.

Yeah, the diesel will smell like ass and be slow as fuck and make the car even more front heavy, but she doesn’t need to worry about smog.

Ah, fuck it, just find a turbo with a smog cert.

torque > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:33

If that’s the case, get her something Toyoa (Scion, Lexus) or Honda/Acura.

I’ve been driving VWs for (God) over 20 years & while I (clearly) like them, for someone just looking for a reliable A to B car, there’s a reason why Toyota & Honda have been at the top of reliability rankings for so long.

Steve in Manhattan > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 15:33

I would say a normal human, not driving like an idiot, would get 100K out of a clutch. And VW clutches are generally known to be pretty sturdy, so factor that in.

torque > torque
03/27/2016 at 15:38

Oh in 20 years only 2 times did one of my VWs leave me stranded, both times b/c of an alternator

In my experience if driven properly a VW clutch can last at least 300k (was true for me on a 92 GLi) I sold it at 300k to my mechanic for parts still running on its original clutch.

Leon711 > HammerheadFistpunch
03/27/2016 at 15:51

There’s gotta be something going on with US market VW’s. I appreciate it’s anecdotal but I’ve owned three now, I had the carb implode on a 1988 Polo, I bought a ‘00 Polo with a broken tranny, fixed that and drove it until someone drove into me. After a few years out of VW’s I’m back in one and it’s been fine. The Polos I’ve had were on 169k and 148k respectively when I got rid.

They were all European built though, but VW don’t have that reputation over here. If the OP was in Europe I’d say go for a TDI and you’ll get abother 75k at least.

punkgoose17 > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 16:19

Based on my experience with my 2000 VW and my mom’s 2001 VW it should be falling apart because the design life of many of the components seem to be 15 years.

punkgoose17 > QCGoose
03/27/2016 at 16:23

I’ve been very tempted by 20 year old Jaguar Vandenplus models recently.

Dr_Doctor > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 16:34

The old 1.8T is pretty well known for coil pack and timing belt issues.

Look for the ones with the 2.5L 5-cylinder. It's got a timing chain and has proven to be one of the more reliable engines modern VW has made.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 17:19

Go for something that is reliable and depreciates like a rock... Or a bus pass.

Something like a 4th gen Taurus that can be had for a song, or a Panther...

Trevor Slattery, ACTOR > My hovercraft is full of eels
03/27/2016 at 18:19

Word. I am on my third MkIV VW. The 2.0 vw engine (AEG) is bulletproof (2.slow in vw land).

As with all VWs from that era forward, you have your fabric/rubber timing belt that will need to get changed. It is an interference engine and if it breaks while the car is running, end of show.

VWs of the era have high temp plastic impellers on their water pumps. They WILL fail, if they have not already. Replace it with a metal impeller model when doing the timing belt to be sure.

The fuse box on top of the battery will melt, replace the black wire with 4ga or better when putting in a new fuse box. Ignition coils can go bad.

Stay away from auto boxes. Too complex for their own good IMHO.

Door switches go bad. But replacements are cheap at this point.

Really, I don’t get the hate with these generation VWs. I have never had one leave me stranded. And the interiors punch way above their weight in terms of quality.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 19:05

Very.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > HammerheadFistpunch
03/27/2016 at 19:07

I think there's only one good reason to buy any VW: you like VWs. And that's a plenty good reason.

JasonStern911 > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 21:18

it’s relative.

reliable for a 17 year old German car? sure.

reliable compared to a Toyota Civic? not so much.

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
03/27/2016 at 23:23

2.0 should be reliable. It’s a cockroach of an engine. The TDI is the same.

The 1.8t is a no go though

71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors > HammerheadFistpunch
04/21/2016 at 21:17

You seem to be a knower of things. How do you think something like this would hold up https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5544501970…

HammerheadFistpunch > 71MGBGT Likes Subarus of Unusual Colors
04/21/2016 at 21:25

ELULY is the man to ask re: Volvo’s but I do know that the Haldex PTO unit on this is prone to failure. On the plus side, when it does fail its just a matter of removing the rear drive shaft and converting to FWD