Volkswagen Beetle/MX5/Toyota Celica etc.

Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Purple said:
I have driven VW (Passat and Golf) and Mazda (Mazda 6) and confiscated my wife's MX5 :D and IMHO Mazda’s are far superior cars from a drive, build quality and reliability point of view. I now drive an A4 soft top, 1.8T petrol and while it’s a great car the MX5 was 10 times as much fun.
The Beatle will bore you to death, as will the Golf (and the electrics will break your heart). Go for the MX5 (or a Ford Focus, but not a Golf!)
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I drove Golfs for 10 years, so did my brother, so have a couple of my friends...never a problem.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

KalEl said:
I drove Golfs for 10 years, so did my brother, so have a couple of my friends...never a problem.
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Overtaking in a 1.4 Golf is a huge problem. It requires a full moon, weeks of meticulous planning, an oncoming vehicle free road the length of a small runway, and possibly some fresh legislation/a new pope :D
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

KalEl said:
I drove Golfs for 10 years, so did my brother, so have a couple of my friends...never a problem.
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sounds like you have been a bit lucky KalEl - statistically, you should have had at least a few problems
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

RS2K said:
Overtaking in a 1.4 Golf is a huge problem. It requires a full moon, weeks of meticulous planning, an oncoming vehicle free road the length of a small runway, and possibly some fresh legislation/a new pope :D
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Excellent :D

KalEl said:
I drove Golfs for 10 years, so did my brother, so have a couple of my friends...never a problem.
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There's plenty of people out there (and I've read em all on Boards) who'll try to convince you that they've owned seventeen Alfa Romeos and so do all their friends and they've never had a moments problem :)
Don't get me wrong...not knocking the Golf. It's not a bad car...but German build quality is an absolute myth. I know friends driving old Clios and Puntos that have been going for donkeys years but we all know that in general these cars give all sorts of problems.

For instance, one of the worst car manufacturers out there at the moment is Mercedes Benz...they make the worst built cars out there for the kinda money they expect. And it's a shame as they have some great motors...like the CLS.

What irks me about VW is that they basically make very average cars and sell them at exhorbitant prices...and people buy them believing that they're buying into something special. The same applies to boggo BMW's...when in reality all you're getting is some decent build quality and materials...but not worth the hassle in my opinion if that's all you get.

Sorry...I'm ranting here.

To the OP - before you make any decisions...go and take an MX-5 for a spin. I have no vested interest in selling you one. I don't work for Mazda...never owned one...I just have a passion for good cars. Doesn't matter whether it's a small run around or a big performance car. A good car is a good car. The Mazda will give you years of pleasure for little cost.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

I agree with the comment on trying to overtake in a 1.4 Golf...laborious to say the least. I went from a 1.4 to a GTI which was like switching to a jet plane.
Bought a CLK this year and have had no problems...quite the opposite in fact sp would question anyone slagging off Mercedes-Benz. Guess I have an obsession with German cars and their reliability!
Wouldn't touch an Alfa with someone else's money, attractive and all as some of them are!
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

All the German cars we've ever own always had niggling problems. The surveys show that their reliability is not up there with the Japanese manufacturers. Thats been a constant for years. Our experience has pretty much ben the same.

Can't say anyone I know had any car of any make that didn't have some problem at some point. So for 3 or 4 people to had the same model (especially a golf) for 10yrs and have no problems is very hard to believe.

While I wouldn't buy a Beetle for myself, lots of people love the design. Many people have no interest in how a care handles or accelerates either.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

aircobra19 said:
All the German cars we've ever own always had niggling problems. The surveys show that their reliability is not up there with the Japanese manufacturers. Thats been a constant for years. Our experience has pretty much ben the same.

Can't say anyone I know had any car of any make that didn't have some problem at some point. So for 3 or 4 people to had the same model (especially a golf) for 10yrs and have no problems is very hard to believe.
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Depends on how you define a "problem"...I consider just having to get a car serviced every year and get the timing belt replaced when necessary to be a sign of good reliability. That's my experience with a Golf that's been in my family for 10 years since new. I never had a problem with one I bought from new and had for a couple of years.
Obviously specifics don't prove a generality and I do have a thing about only buying European cars so I'm biased. Might consider a Lexus though! Or even Infiniti which are going to be awesome
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

VW has well known issues with Ignition coil problems, door locks, windows, fuel pumps, suspensions stuff like that. Depends on the model and year though. I had a Mrk II GTI for many years and we had many diesels VW saloons too. But I wouldn't rate their reliability being close to the Hondas, Toyota's, Nissans we've had.

Oddly enough Skoda's which are mechanically the same don't suffer the same.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

1234 said:
....With regard to your choice of a VW Beetle, I agree that it looks great and will hold it value well but it has been slatted in most car mags as being terrible to drive with bad handling....
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Odd my memory was most reckoned it was much better than the Golf its based on, and generally better than average. But its not a drivers car and was never pitched as one. So what "better than average" refers to I have no idea.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Guys i think Northern girl has switched off.

The debate here is rather futile as she is enquiring about the Beetle and the MX5....I think we all know which is the far better car.

I don't know how the golf got into the debate but I don't think she raised it. All cars have their problems...and on evidence the MX5 would have far fewer than the Golf. Pound for pound the MX 5 would be more fun than the golf. No doubt the Golf is more practical....however comparing these cars is like comparing apples to oranges....both very different and aimed at different types of people.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

I guess it depends what you define as better. Which is better for image for example?
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Image...depends on male female...occupation...values...

In comparing which is the better car between MX5 and beetle...where do you start? the easiest and shortest thing I could say is that the beetle has 4 seats (if you need it) and easy to resell as there will always be females interested in it. Can't think of anything else in favour fr it. ...oh yes the beetle has a small holder for a flower!
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Whats better is going to be different for each person. I'm not one of them, but I know plenty of people who would much prefer a beetle over a MX5. Even when the beetle is not the most suitable car for them, ie family and kids etc.

AFAIK the OP didn't originally ask about the MX5 that was suggested by another poster.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Good point. back to the orig post....I'd personally prefer the celica to the Beetle.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Sunster, I most definately havent switched off from the debate, but have been absorbing all the info with relish! Ive definately gone off buying a Beetle or any German/European cars, through reading AAm posts & from reading What Car mag. Am looking out for a decent MX-5 to test drive up north, or a Mazda or Honda. Has anyone any experience of a Toyota Coupe or Cellica - the other Toyota models are so boring and dull to look at.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Welcome back...good to hear you're still here.
Good to know you've narrowed down your choice.
The debate i think still boils down to whether you wanna soft top or hard top. If you fancy a soft top then there's the toyota MR2 which is a very fun car to drive but not as much so as the MX5 and not as practical either.
Given the choice of the MX5 and celica, I'd still go for MX5 as a personal choice. Nothing wrong with the celica at all. i've a friend who has one and is very happy with it but I think as a driver's car it is less involving. Having said that, in terms of image, there's not too many of them in Southern ireland and I guess that might be a plus.
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Whilst it's good to get advise from What Car/AAM you really should drive the cars yourself. I don't think anyone would argue that a Beetle is more reliable than a Maxda, but reliablility isn't everything. I've had 2 Jap cars in the past and found them tinny and light. I have a German car now which was been to the garage for small jobs but is worth it for the solid drive I get...
 
Re: Volkswagen Beetle.

Firefly said:
I don't think anyone would argue that a Beetle is more reliable than a Maxda, ...
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I would definitely.
MX5 is almost bullet proof which is amazing considering how much harder they are usually driven. VWs are not the same build quality they used to be and hence there's been a huge VW overhaul at management level this year
 
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