The Cars

2000 Volkswagen New Beetle GL 2 Door Hatchback

We purchased this as a second car that I briefly used for my commutes while Winnie (my second wife) got to drive the Rodeo. It was a cute little car that was surprisingly roomy and very maneuverable. With a five-speed manual transmission it got great mileage, but a stick shift in stop-and-go traffic proved irritating. Once Winnie learned to drive a stick, this became her car as it proved too impractical for carpooling, which was my normal commuting mode at the time.

Second shot of the Beetle the day I brought her home.

Read The History

2000 Volkswagen New Beetle GL 2 Door Hatchback Specifications

Purchased: – From private party, September 2007, Woodbridge, Virginia, about 96,000 miles
– Traded in for 2009 Nissan Versa
Features: – Silver with black interior
– 2.0 Liter 4-cylinder Engine
– 5 speed manual transmission
– Front Wheel Drive
– Power Door Locks, Remote operator
– Air Conditioning
– AM/FM Cassette w/ 6 CD Changer
– Front airbags
– Fold down rear seat for extra rear cargo space
– Headlamps are always on in a “Running Light” mode
– Has cute dash-mounted flower vase. Winnie thoughtfully added yellow silk sunflowers as her custom option.
Major Repairs: – Had the brakes rebuilt right after purchasing the car.
– Replaced the water pump, which included replacement of the timing belt.
– Replaced the sensor for the driver’s seat airbag.
Comments: A fun car to drive and had a lot more interior space that it would have seemed. It felt good to drive a stick shift again. But it was expensive to repair.
External Reference: Wikipedia Entry for Volkswagon New Beetle
Fact Sheet for 2000 New Beetle

Photo Collection

Photo of this fun little car right after bringing her home. I didn’t get to own an original Beetle back in the 1970’s and early 80’s, although I did get to drive them on occasion. This little car had a lot of the charm of the original models but with some much-needed creature comforts included. Like air conditioning and a decent stereo.

A Beetle on Ice

The original options sheet and mileage estimate was still in the car when we bought it. I find it interesting that the car was originally purchased in Portland, Oregon, and ended up sold in Northern Virginia. It must have been a fun trip driving this little stick-shift Beetle cross-country.

2000 Volkswagen New Beetle Factory Brochure

In keeping with the Beetle’s spirit of “Less is Better,” the factory brochure is an oversized (10-1/2 inches high by 12 inches wide) production with lots of white space and minimalist text. I think it’s a classic bit of commercial art while still highlighting the important points of this fun little car.

We start with a bit of self-congratulations and a closeup of the nose of the car. There’s lots of closeup images throughout this brochure,

Gratuitous butt shot showing the trunk space.

In truth, this little car does have a lot of interior space for its size. As a commuting car, I was able to load in three passengers with their daily baggage. Having to move the front seat up to load the back seat was a bit awkward, but once settled in people were comfortable enough.

View of the dashboard and console, with a flower. Yes, there was a little flower vase standard, mounted on the dash just behind the right side of the steering wheel. Winnie did find a nice silk sunflower to put in the vase, which added a nice personal touch. I did notice that the later models discontinued this vase.

Once again, a minimalist less is better approach for showing their interior and exterior color combos.

Here we describe standard and optional features of the car.

Specifications of the car with various measurements, fuel type, and estimated mileage. We had the stick model which did get decent gas mileage. We also have another gratuitous close up of one of the rear lights and quarter panel. The car was built well, a testament to German engineering.

Here’s a minimalist description of their GLX version.

Next, we have a one-page description of the GLX model. They make a big deal out of the rear spoiler.

Followed by a front image of the GLX model itself. I do like the sunroof feature.

Then a foldout photo of the rear of the GLX model with lots of detail. Including the spoiler.

No description would be complete without a discussion of the safety features. For a small car this did have a lot of advanced safety features for the model year.

A top-down view, very stylish.

Since they had a closeup photo of the rear taillight, they needed a closeup photo of the front headlight.

Final sales pitch on warranty. I think this is the one area where the New Beetle was wildly divergent from the original. The original Beetle could be taken apart and put back together again with a screwdriver and crescent wrench. This New Beetle was expensive to maintain. I think this would be a reflection of how much the auto industry has changed over the years.

And…the back cover, with VW’s most famous advertising line.

Although this New Beetle was only produced from 1998–2011, I wouldn’t be surprised to see yet another resurrection in the future. As of this writing, VW has come out with an electric version of their former “VW Van.” The original was fondly known as a “VW Microbus” here in the ‘States and was the transportation of choice for mid-1960s hippies, making it almost as popular as the original Beetle. Maybe we’ll see an Electric Beetle…?

Index

Introduction
1977 Chevrolet LUV (Isuzu Luv Series Six) Pickup Truck
1979 MG Midget 1500
1980 Chevrolet Chevette 4 door Hatchback
1988 Isuzu LS SpaceCab Pickup Truck
1976 Alfa Romeo Alfetta 1.6 Four Door Sedan
1978 Mercedes Benz 200D 4 Door Sedan
1991 Volvo 240 Sedan
2004 Isuzu Rodeo LS SUV
2000 Volkswagen New Beetle GL 2 Door Hatchback
2009 Nissan Versa 1.8S Hatchback
2013 Nissan Versa 1.6SV Sedan 
2015 Jeep Cherokee “Latitude”
2024 Thor Scope 18G RV
Final Thoughts and Table of Changes

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2 Comments

  1. […] basis over an eleven year period for family visits. My more memorable trips were made with the MG Midget  I briefly owned, but ghosts of my frequent commutes are everywhere along the I-5 […]

    March 26, 2015
  2. docreport said:

    Yikes, trying to comment and somehow ended up in your WordPress control panel. That was weird!

    So anyway, found someone that’s owned a few cars like me,although I have ya beat by around 20 LOL.

    Read most of your R. Garwood story. Geez that sucks.

    January 2, 2016

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