# Incoming - New Car !



## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

Some of you will know, I crashed my car a few months ago, and decided it was time for a change. I'd been looking at cars for a few months anyway, and one caught my eye on AutoTrader that was local, so I decided to go and have a look "just out of interest", not really intending to buy it......... well, I think you can guess what happened :laugh:

It was in a used car showroom in Peterborough, and I needed to buy some paint from B&Q anyway, so I decided to have a quick detour and went in, expecting the car to look nothing like as good as the photos on Autotrader... I was wrong, the bodywork and interior were in absolutely mint condition, with barely a single mark anywhere. That was the beginning of the end for me, but in an effort to be sensible I asked the salesman for a part exchange price on my car before I got too carried away.... He came up with a price which was between top and bottom trade value, so not great but not a disaster either. I said I'd go away and think about it, then sat in my car for 5 mins thinking about it.... And then went back in (a big mistake, I know!  ). The final nail in the coffin, I said I'll take it for a spin, and if it goes as good as it looks we can do a deal.... He put trade plates on it, and let me take it out on my own, and guess what? It went as well as it looked :yes:

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you.... the mighty VW Beetle:



















It's a 2010 model with 33,000 miles on the clock, and so far I am loving it :yahoo:

The engine is only a 1.6, so it's not a tyre shredding monster, but is still quite lively in normal driving conditions. As far as I'm concerned, this car is all about the looks though. It's a stunner from every angle and, as I mentioned, in near pristine condition. Not quite as practical as the Focus, but much more interesting, and really nice to drive as well. The spec is fairly basic, with no air con (bummer!), but it does have electric windows / mirrors, decent stereo system, and reversing sensors.

I've had it for a few weeks now (it spent last week parked at Stansted Airport though...) and my first impressions are that it's a great car which seems solid and well made.

I now tell people I went out to buy paint, and came back with 4 cans of Dulux and a VW Beetle :laugh:

Any comments welcome - Although I reserve the right to ignore anyone who says anything negative, obviously :tongue:


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## bridgeman (Dec 9, 2008)

Had a Beetle convertible diesel for 2 years ,brilliant fun. Obviously the saloon somewhat different but still a great looker. Mine was silver too.

have you got the flower and vase????

Sadly the other beetle drivers don't seem to acknowledge a cheery wave as they used to do with the original models ,certainly driving something different although the boot is small as a downside.

enjoy


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## SBryantgb (Jul 2, 2015)

A picture of the clock would have been nice....... :yes:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

bridgeman said:


> have you got the flower and vase????


 It has got the vase, but no flower. It will either be removed, or used as a pen holder, I haven't decided yet...



SBryantgb said:


> A picture of the clock would have been nice....... :yes:


 Er, I can post a pic of the clock if you really want one :laugh:


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## jsud2002 (Nov 7, 2015)

Please dont tell me it has one of them flowers attached to the dashboard :thumbdown:

I think beatles are a great car well done Dave :thumbsup:


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Smooth ride. It looks mint... I'm surprised it doesn't have AC. Shame on VW for even releasing cars without AC as default (in these times, at least...).


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## ajdh (Jul 24, 2016)

I had one years ago (1974) in Saudi Arabia. This also had no AC and I don't know how we survived in it. We never had the windows closed. Below is a picture with my wife, when she was a bit younger.


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## hughlle (Aug 23, 2015)

Looks good, and you've already got the wig to go with it :toot:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

jsud2002 said:


> Please dont tell me it has one of them flowers attached to the dashboard :thumbdown:
> 
> I think beatles are a great car well done Dave :thumbsup:


 Nope, no flower because it's not a vase, it's a pen holder, I thought I made that quite clear? :laugh:



gimli said:


> Smooth ride. It looks mint... I'm surprised it doesn't have AC. Shame on VW for even releasing cars without AC as default (in these times, at least...).


 Cheers mate, and I agree with you, these days every car should have air con. However, this one was so nice I decided it wasn't a deal-breaker, and bought it anyway.



ajdh said:


> I had one years ago (1974) in Saudi Arabia. This also had no AC and I don't know how we survived in it. We never had the windows closed. Below is a picture with my wife, when she was a bit younger.


 Interesting to compare the shape of mine compared to the original. I think VW have made a good job of capturing the flavour of the design, and at the same time bringing it bang up to date. Possibly a Marmite car, but it feels nice to drive something a bit different and quirky for a change. I'm sure it was the same for you and your missus (who looks like a cracker, by the way) :yes:



hughlle said:


> Looks good, and you've already got the wig to go with it :toot:


 I will ignore that remark (even though it is true..........) :laugh:


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## ajdh (Jul 24, 2016)

Davey P said:


> Interesting to compare the shape of mine compared to the original. I think VW have made a good job of capturing the flavour of the design, and at the same time bringing it bang up to date. Possibly a Marmite car, but it feels nice to drive something a bit different and quirky for a change. I'm sure it was the same for you and your missus (who looks like a cracker, by the way) :yes:


 Thanks. She's still not too bad and scrubs up well. (Thank goodness she can't see this.) :laugh:


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

Seeing how everyone complains that the UK has crappy/chilly weather do you guys even need AC over there ?

Sometimes we'll get over 40-45 degrees celsius here in RO. Now that's hot weather!


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

gimli said:


> Seeing how everyone complains that the UK has crappy/chilly weather do you guys even need AC over there ?
> 
> Sometimes we'll get over 40-45 degrees celsius here in RO. Now that's hot weather!


 AC helps keeps the windows demisted in the rain :thumbsup:


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## ajdh (Jul 24, 2016)

I keep my AC on most of the time. Mind you I live in equatorial Lancashire.


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## Nobbythesheep (Apr 23, 2016)

Bloody don't talk to me about heat. I live in Mid-Wales - boiling! It got up to 19c last week……….

Nice car btw :toot: .


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## vinn (Jun 14, 2015)

good choice, the AC takes the moisture off the windows. in my youth, i was trained to turn back the mileage on a speedometer, much like working on a clock. i feel sorry for VW as California sued them for cheating on their pollution controls.


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## trackrat (Jan 23, 2012)

Nice car Davey, enjoy it.


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## Robden (Apr 2, 2016)

Nice. :thumbsup: I'm a big fan of VWs but know nothing about the beetle thingy. I take it that the engine is no longer air-cooled?

Anyway, more to the point, what colour paint did you buy? 

Rob....


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## gimli (Mar 24, 2016)

You can turn it into this bad boy over here... Not sure if you have enough paint though... :laugh:


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## Raptor (May 1, 2010)

Lol, I was out in the car the other day and noticed traffic slowing down due to a car stuck in the middle of the road, as I came up behind it was one of those new Beatles, turns out it had completely died, no electrics nothing so I gave her a push to a little layby.


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## deano1956 (Jan 27, 2016)

german engineering Davey, good stuff , just don't believe the mpg figures they tell you !!! :laugh:

deano


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

robden said:


> Nice. :thumbsup: I'm a big fan of VWs but know nothing about the beetle thingy. I take it that the engine is no longer air-cooled?
> 
> Anyway, more to the point, what colour paint did you buy?
> 
> Rob....


 Engine is normal water cooled, nicked from a Golf (Mk5 or Mk6 I think) so in theory the running gear at least should be bomb-proof... Oh, and the paint was Dulux pure brilliant white, which will be the colour of my whole house when I've finished :thumbsup:



Raptor said:


> Lol, I was out in the car the other day and noticed traffic slowing down due to a car stuck in the middle of the road, as I came up behind it was one of those new Beatles, turns out it had completely died, no electrics nothing so I gave her a push to a little layby.


 Great, thanks for sharing that mate :angry:

:laugh:



deano1956 said:


> german engineering Davey, good stuff , just don't believe the mpg figures they tell you !!! :laugh:


 Not bothered about MPG figures, and I don't know what VW are claiming anyway, so I won't worry about it too much :biggrin:


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## Raptor (May 1, 2010)

Sorry mate, if it's any consolation it was very easy to push, very light.


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## vinn (Jun 14, 2015)

the vw wisley went to the water cooled 4 that came out in 1975. super eng., with a nickel alloy block. the early eng. had a " fully mechanical fuel injection ( something like the ME 109) .. THEN, they added an aluminum diesel head and called it a "diesel" THAT eng. is still a looser. i hope vw can survive this law suet. vinn .


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## relaxer7 (Feb 18, 2016)

Nice one Davey


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

We looked at a Beetle Cabrio a few weeks ago as we want a "play car" for the times when the Sun does actually come out to play down here and were extremely impressed with the car, much better than a few Mini rag tops we looked at, the Beetle felt much "heavier" in the cabin trim which is good....then we thought hang on this is supposed to be a fun car, so now we are looking for a Boxster :thumbsup:


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

The Porsche Boxter is pretty much my dream car. The trouble is, if you get a duff one the running costs can be eye watering. From what I had read in the past, you need to be spending around £10k+ to get a decent and well maintained example. There are cheaper examples out there, but I would be very nervous getting an older or high mileage model without a full and comprehensive service history. If you are looking for a fun car with excellent handling, but without high running costs, I don't think any car will beat an MX-5. Rust is becoming an issue on some of the Mk1 and Mk2 cars, but you can get a really good Mk3 for around £5k (so, the same as I paid for mine, but unfortunately I need 4 seats, otherwise I would probably have gone for an MX-5 myself).

I had thought about getting a Beetle convertible, because my other half has got a Ford Street Ka and I thought it would be funny to see them side by side on the driveway, especially if I could find one in red. However, I decided to be "sensible" in the end - Although when we go to visit her Dad on the Isle of Wight a few times a year we will now need to hire a car, because his wheelchair won't fit in the Beetle :laugh:


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## vinn (Jun 14, 2015)

masda miata. does it all. vinn


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## carlgulliver (Apr 6, 2008)

Davey P said:


> It has got the vase, but no flower. It will either be removed, or used as a pen holder, I haven't decided yet...
> 
> Er, I can post a pic of the clock if you really want one :laugh:


 You will need a nice mont blanc to go in there, it would look great :thumbsup:

Nice car by the way!


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## kevkojak (May 14, 2009)

Nice looking motor Davey, but I'm shocked at you laying out money for it.

Could you not find a competition for one? I thought that's what you did instead of going shopping... :laugh:



ajdh said:


> I had one years ago (1974) in Saudi Arabia. This also had no AC and I don't know how we survived in it. We never had the windows closed. Below is a picture with my wife, when she was a bit younger.


 Nice front end! The Beetle I mean, looks like a smiley face! :tongue:

Where abouts in Bolton @ajdh? I thought I knew all the watchy people in our sleepy little town. :wink:


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## RWP (Nov 8, 2015)

I was going to mention Herbie.....but it's not so I won't  . Nice clean car and low mileage :thumbsup: . Enjoy Davey.


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## ajdh (Jul 24, 2016)

kevkojak said:


> Where abouts in Bolton @ajdh? I thought I knew all the watchy people in our sleepy little town. :wink:


 I'm in Harwood.


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

kevkojak said:


> Nice looking motor Davey, but I'm shocked at you laying out money for it.
> 
> Could you not find a competition for one? I thought that's what you did instead of going shopping... :laugh:


 Unfortunately I don't win everything mate, sometimes I have to actually pay for stuff as well... :swoon:


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

I don't mind these newer Beetles even if they are just a Golf in drag but you do that sort of thing anyway don't you

:laugh: :laugh:

A gazillion percent improvement over the old ones.

:biggrin:


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## Boxbrownie (Aug 11, 2005)

vinn said:


> masda miata. does it all. vinn


 Sounds like a fairy fart though..... :laugh:


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