USED Volkswagen Beetle Hatchback (99 - 12)

My car

Overall I'm pleased with the beetle. It's a smooth and pretty quiet ride although I don't find the 2 litre engine overly responsive. I also only get around 300 miles out of a full tank so mine's not very economical, even when given a variety of driving conditions.

It is quirky and you do get a lot of looks. It's not a practical car, it's a fun car. Drive and enjoy!

My car

This is a lovely car to own - it looks good, drives well and our car (1.8 turbo) has plenty of power.

The interior is a lovely place to be (in the front at least) - it's well designed and well put together. It has a fine engine, too - the 1.8T easily has enough power and is a great engine for the car (although the 1.6 is probably enough). The car looks great and puts a smile on your face each time you drive it.

However, there are problems - the back seats are really poor. I'm not tall (5ft 8in) but I wouldn't want to sit in the back on a journey of ANY length.

The drive is good, but the steering is not what you'd call sharp - our other car (a Ford Focus C-Max) is much more fun and accurate in corners. Although it's a small car, the bonnet feels like it's miles away from the driver, thanks to a huge dash and this can make tight parking more difficult than it should be. Finally, it has a tiny boot.

It's not the most sensible car in the world, and if it was our only car we wouldn't have even looked at one, but of all the cars we've owned this is the one I'll remember the most. The ownership experience is pretty unique.

My car

Great car to own & drive. Good on fuel as I always get 400 miles to a full tank and I do drive it hard most of the time!

Only disappointing thing so far was that VW charged me just short of £20 for less than 10 minutes labour to change a rear bulb which only cost 50 pence!!

My car

The ride quality of the car is great for around town. I personally like the driving position, although I have had a few scrapes on the front bumper as I cannot see it to manoeuvre.

The car generally does around 320 to 340 miles to a tank of petrol, depending on the driving, but there have been problems with the fuel system.

VW did stump up half the cost of the repairs because the car has not done much mileage but is out of warranty.

Overall, I enjoy driving the car, love the looks and believe that the silver is the colour to have. There are questions over the longevity of some of the internal parts, such as the electric window switches, but Beetle drivers love the car for what it is - a unique shape and driving experience.

No other drivers flash their lights or toot their horn when passing another Beetle.