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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 17 2010, 05:25 AM (527 Views) | |
| Sak | Mar 17 2010, 05:25 AM Post #1 |
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Ezekiel 25:17
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...while we're talking about the Crown Vic... Say goodbye to Volkswagen's New Beetle. Which isn't quite new anymore. It's finally being phased out. The car was developed in the first place in order to make a big bang in America. In fact, it was pushed by the VOA people- the Powers That Be in Wolfsburg really didn't want anything to do with it- the car was a reminder of a) Kraft Durch Freude und Der Fuhrer, and b) the hard times that Germany endured after the war. Surely these Americans must be crazy! Somehow, the Wolfsburg people were slowly convinced that der kafer had some sort of talismanic power, and that a new version would do well. So, a production model came from the 1995 Concept 1. It came out in 1997 as a '98 model, and the New Beetle hit a grand slam with the 'Cute Factor'. In a dazzling array of colors, such as 'Blue Lagoon' and 'Cyber Green', the NBs were sold over sticker for a time. Unfortunately, the 'Cute Factor' can only take you so far. Built off the Golf III platform, the techs found it a major pain in the a$$ to fix. Quality was pretty cheesy. The car wasn't even half as practical as its air-cooled uncle. The clamor died down over time, and frankly, the Neue Kafer became a rock. We had this one in particular- two tone black and maroon. Johnny Lightning made one in this combo, with a white border between the two tones, but ours didn't have that. Even worse, it had just a tad lighter shade of maroon rims. Are you picturing in your mind how ugly this was? It was in our inventory from October '04 to some time in '07- the last few months, it was a service loaner. We couldn't give the flippin' thing away. New Beetles were renowned for two tone, eyepoppingly ugly interiors. Monotones were clearly the best. However, olfactory assault was universal- as Golfs, Jettas, and Beetles aged, there was this smell, from the mix of the upholstery and the plastic components, that smacked you down as soon as you opened the door. Yucch. Couple of years ago, there was a facelift, and an engine upgrade. You can tell the later New Beetles from the older ones by the fenders- they're sculped, instead of rounded. The 2.5 five cylinder (the Jetta's 150 hp unit) still gives the same sluggish performance with the automatic that the old four did. And now, it's history. I'm praying they bring over the new Scirocco...but then, my Volksie prayers are rarely answered. |
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| Swifty | Mar 17 2010, 01:11 PM Post #2 |
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The Mustang II is a Mustang too!
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Not one of my preferred cars, and one that really did seem to be a late '90s fad. I rarely see any of them these days. I always thought they would make great rollover cars...
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| james_autos | Mar 17 2010, 03:34 PM Post #3 |
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Minivan
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Although I never liked them, I always thought VW did a good job of making the new Beetle look like the old Beetle more so than BMW with the new Mini. I certainly won't miss them. The Scirocco is an amazing car. In the UK, it's just £100 more than a top spec Golf GTi, and in my opinion just as good performance wise and better looking. When it was launched last year, I never thought I'd see many of them but recently it feels like every other car you see is a new Scirocco. If I had £20,000 to spend on a car, I'd buy one. |
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| jedimario | Mar 17 2010, 09:31 PM Post #4 |
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RAWR
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I won't miss it, but I'm glad it showed up to the party. Just another interesting design and equally interesting car to throw in the books; not a problem in my opinion. Also, this thing isn't too bad:
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| Sak | Mar 18 2010, 06:43 PM Post #5 |
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Ezekiel 25:17
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£20,000...wow, that's a LOT of money! Going with the exchange, that money here will get you a really loaded CC. The new Scirocco's really nice- I'm limited to seeing it on VW's website, though. |
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| Chris W | Mar 18 2010, 09:06 PM Post #6 |
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Midsize
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I have a fondness for many of the retro cars, especially in miniature. Driving home from the supermarket this evening, I was behind a New Beetle Convertible that must have had an inch of water sloshing around inside the left tail light. Makes me wonder if this was a common problem. |
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| Cat girl | Mar 19 2010, 01:20 AM Post #7 |
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Microcar
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Really? I see at least one or two every day here, on average. They're still very popular out here. I used to want one, but I got over it. I still think they're cute. |
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| Sak | Mar 20 2010, 06:30 AM Post #8 |
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Ezekiel 25:17
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Maybe not, Chris. The kind of weather we had last Saturday easily makes for damage like this. Yesterday, I had to take a wet vac, and suck out six inches of water from the well where the spare sits, in a Jetta Sportwagen- a result of the nor'easter last Saturday. Splish Splash I was takin' a bath... |
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| Sak | Mar 20 2010, 06:31 AM Post #9 |
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Ezekiel 25:17
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Smart!!!
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| Sak | Mar 21 2010, 11:15 AM Post #10 |
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Ezekiel 25:17
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On the subject of Sciroccos, this morning, at Wally World, I found the new Hot Wheels Scirocco, and it is wonderful in our eyes. |
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| james_autos | Mar 21 2010, 02:02 PM Post #11 |
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Minivan
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Norev did one a couple of years ago. I might be able to get you one, if you want. |
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9:35 AM Jul 11
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Not one of my preferred cars, and one that really did seem to be a late '90s fad. I rarely see any of them these days. I always thought they would make great rollover cars...

9:35 AM Jul 11