# New Beetle Buyer's guide? Brazil? Mexico? Germany?



## hightest (Mar 18, 2004)

Hey folks, a friend at work is looking to buy a used VW New Beetle for his daughter and wants to know what to look for.
Are these made in the US? Germany? Brazil? Mexico? How can you tell? The serial code? Anything to watch out for with these cars? 
Thanks!


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## J.Owen (May 31, 2001)

*Re: New Beetle Buyer's guide? Brazil? Mexico? Germany? (hightest)*

they are all made in mexico.


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## water&air (Aug 1, 2002)

*Re: New Beetle Buyer's guide? Brazil? Mexico? Germany? (J.Owen)*


_Quote, originally posted by *J.Owen* »_they are all made in mexico.

yup.
the first digit in the vin# will tell you where a car is built
3=mexico (where the best dubs come from http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif







)
w=germany
9=brazil
1=usa


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## hightest (Mar 18, 2004)

thanks guys.
is there anything else to know?
any years he should be avoiding or giving preference to?
best motor? worst motor? 
anything we should know?
thanks again.


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## water&air (Aug 1, 2002)

*Re: (hightest)*

IMO stay with a 2001 or newer 1.8t http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## Rockerchick (May 10, 2005)

As far as the motor, it depends on what you are looking for. 
The 2.0 is perfectly peppy in these little cars. It is also very dependable and will last awhile without too much trouble. Not very mod friendly though. 
The 1.8T is good if you want to mod your car. Good with tuning, etc. With this engine you also have 2 options. Most are the 150hp motor, but there are Turbo S beetles with the 180hp 1.8T motor. These are fun cars (I got the chance to drive one that a friend of mine had...only up to about 40mph, but I could already tell how much fun it was







)
There is also the 1.9 TDI. This is the only diesel offering. With the TDI, you get performance and gas mileage. I would personally go for this engine myself, but you do have remember it is a diesel. It needs to be taken care of (really should have a good TDI mechanic to work on it, NOT the dealer either). But you can still tune the car a good bit while still keeping your 40mpg+.
I personally have the 2.0. I'm fine with it. Its great in these cars. No issues getting onto the highway and I can keep up with traffic no problem. It also isn't going to go getting me into any trouble, like I know a Turbo S would








STAY AWAY from automatic transmissions! Manual is the way to go. VW autos are junk. The 2.0 5-speed manual combo is a really good one. Long lasting trans+long lasting engine=win. But thats enough for me right now. I'm in grad school so I can't afford to be fixing my car all the time. 
Its all about preference really. I would go with the 2.0 or TDI but others will say 1.8T. Do your research on them to see what you want. Think about what you want out of the car. 
newbeetle.org is a very good resource if you want to ask more specific questions or just read up on the cars. It moves a lot faster than this forum too.


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## MichelleRoze (May 22, 2009)

agreed about newbeetle.org. Great site, lots of info to be had there.
I personally have the 1.9TDI with an automatic. It's a great car! As much as I'd love a faster car, I would never get anything other than a TDI. I heard the better model year for TDI's are 01-03, with the ALH engine. Those engines are tougher and aren't so specific about oil and such. 
It is true however that TDI's do require maintenance, and for a good running TDI, ON TIME maintenance is key. Timing belts and water pumps have to be done on time, if they break...lots of work will be needed to get it running right again. And many things are different on a diesel engine, no spark plugs or wires, longer oil change intervals because you can really only use full synthetic. Etc. if considering a TDI check out TDIclub.com LOTS of information to be had there as well. 
I always knew I'd get a TDI. I knew nothing about them before now. Make sure you have a TDI guru near you, I would recommend ONLY going to shops or people that are recommended on the TDIclub. Many mechanics will SAY they can work on a diesel, but they can't.
IMO, the daughter isn't a car savvy kinda person, I wouldn't recommend the TDI. You really have to know what you're doing, and need to be able to tell a mechanic when they are doing it wrong! And as a girl myself, shops don't like to listen to me, hence why I've moved to TDI trusted mechanics only. 
Otherwise Beetles are great cars! And the auto trannys aren't that bad. Just know that after 100K, you may or maynot have to replace it. And don't just replace it with another auto. It's cheaper to swap to a 5spd. So I suppose, save the hassle and get a 5spd to begin with.


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