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2001 Volkswagen New Beetle consumer reviews

$15,900–$16,775 MSRP range
side view of 2001 New Beetle Volkswagen
(25 reviews)
76% of drivers recommend this car
Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.2
  • Interior 3.9
  • Performance 4.2
  • Value 3.7
  • Exterior 4.3
  • Reliability 3.8
Explore the 2001 Volkswagen New Beetle

love bug

I love my 2001 bettle, i am 6'5" and there is more head and leg room in this car then any car i have ever been in. i higly recomend it. (front seat only) Car does decent in the snow. This is a good car for 2 people.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Does recommend this car
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BEST CAR WE EVER HAD !!!!!!

Its a Love Bug We are very happy with our Bug, Great on Gas, great in winter A lot of Space and no issues ! Is the cutes Car we ever had..... I know we had a hard time to find one black,manual with all options, heated seats and and and but it was worth the time Before we get our bug we looked around and found out that the vw beetle has many issues with the automatic transmission so we decide for a manual trans BE AWARE WITH AUTOMATIC !! All in all you you gone love him ......... Its a Love Bug Personal Note If you really looking to buy the car in your favorite color do it Black is always Top of the line ! and easier to sell in future Thanks ! Martina

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Transporting family
  • Does recommend this car
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Fun Car!

Car is a blast to drive! Handles great and gets decent gas mileage too. Fun styling with great visibility.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 4.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Does recommend this car
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best fuel mileage ever

2001 new Beetle with 1.9 litre TDI diesel with five speed manual transmission, 40 to 43 MPG around town, 50MPG plus on the interstate with cruise control.good car for the money, however I will not buy another beetle, my next VW will be be a Jetta, TDI, the beetle has many plastic components that are a problem, to replace a headlight bulb is a major operation, as with replacing a tail light bulb or brake light bulb

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.0
  • Interior 2.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 2.0
  • Exterior 4.0
  • Reliability 4.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Does recommend this car
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Great little car

I bought the VW New Beetle used several months ago and it is such an awesome little car! Before my VW I owned a Honda Civic, and while the Civic is a great car I've found I prefer my Beetle. The Beetle is very roomy in the driver's seat. The back is not too bad, I've crammed two of my friends in the back; they're not huge guys but they didn't complain. The front seats fold forward and give plenty of room for rear passengers to climb in. The back seats also fold down and give a ton of extra cargo space. I managed to fit a Playstation 3 and a saddle in the back with room to spare. I live in the mountains and this car handles the steep inclines great, except for a little wobbliness on tight uphill turns. It's really not a problem unless you try to take a turn like that at more than 30 mph, I'm not going to try that again! It seems my car had the infamous window problem years ago, but the records show it had been repaired and I haven't had a problem with it. My only complaint is that anything plugged into the cigarette lighters will remain on, even if the car is turned off. I can forgive this because the car is older, though. If you purchase this car, make sure you unplug everything before you get out or you'll have a dead battery, for sure! It's not a perfect car, but I wouldn't trade my Beetle for anything.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 4.0
  • Value 4.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Does recommend this car
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Awesome little car

Had it 10 years and it has always been super reliable to me. Got me where i was going in style, comfort and safety only German engineering can provide!!!

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
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Great Buy!

Purchased it used from Auburn MA Dlr. Have driven it 20,000 to date. Only problem was my mistake used wrong diesel fuel. Honestly getting 48 MPG to 53 MPG driving to and from work in a rural part of N.H. Due to turbo-diesel feature, 5 spd manual, set cruise on Interstate and never touch pedal. I think this is the "Real Smart Car." Went from spending over $500@month on gas with my Buick to way less than $200.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 4.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 4.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
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My Happy Place

Maybe it's the dome-like shape and feeling of space inside, but I've always felt like the front seat of my beetle was my 'happy place'. Lots of room in the front for a larger person, despite being a small and fairly fuel-efficient car. I've had to replace the O2 sensor and the check engine light still comes on sometimes... but no problem that has ever left me on the side of the road, so I would rate this car as quite dependable.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 5.0
  • Interior 5.0
  • Performance 4.0
  • Value 5.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 4.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Does recommend this car
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2001 Volkswagen Beetle...Love it!!

I bought this car from my sister in 2008. She had no problems with it. I've had it for a year and have had no problems with it. Fun car to drive! Looks great!! Handles well and has some pep. Very reliable.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 5.0
  • Value 4.0
  • Exterior 5.0
  • Reliability 5.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does recommend this car
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Run away!

Probably the worst car I owned, and I had it all for about a year and a half. It ran for 3 months of that. Incredibly bad, bad reliability, especially for a used car. Random electrical issues, caused by its automatic transmission caused vehicle to believe that the engine, throttle body and wiring harness were out of sink. Thus this would cause the computer to fill up with errors and then cause the EPC light to come on, hampering my RPMs down to about 2k. VW takes no blame for this, nor do they offer any help than to scrap the car and get another one.

Rating breakdown (out of 5):
  • Comfort 4.0
  • Interior 4.0
  • Performance 2.0
  • Value 1.0
  • Exterior 4.0
  • Reliability 1.0
  • Purchased a Used car
  • Used for Commuting
  • Does not recommend this car
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