This month, the Detroit-based Beetle was called upon to shuttle kids to and from school and music lessons; errands to the drugstore, Staples, Kinkos and Target; a few holiday parties and a couple of visits to Grandma's condo. Seating is comfortable for our staffer's entire family; and even his 5-foot-10-inch-tall son has plenty of room in the back. Now that the front seat track has been repaired, News Editor John Clor finally feels secure while driving in stop-and-go traffic. The stereo system is pleasing to all, emitting rich, powerful sounds. But shoe scuffs on the light gray, lower-door panels are increasingly difficult to avoid and remove.

Earlier this month, the New Beetle was used to haul hockey equipment to the nearby Grosse Pointe Community Rink. Ten-year-old Jeremy managed to fit all of his goalie gear (huge equipment bag, two leg pads, a stick and the team's water bottles) into the car with the rear seats folded down.

Life in Michigan has finally exacted a physical toll on the New Beetle. The crumbling pavement in and around the far east side of Detroit must have provided the piece of ammunition that was launched into the driver's side fog-lamp lens, cracking it in half. Since this is not a regular maintenance item, the repair isn't covered under VW's two-year/24,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty. A repair estimate hovered near $200, so we may hold off on that for awhile.

To make matters worse, Clor noticed that the Beetle's left front headlamp had burned out. He contemplated changing it himself, but discovered that the battery box and air-cleaner element are directly in the way of reaching into the headlamp recess. Besides, those halogen bulbs are pricey (Does anyone remember round, sealed-beam replacement headlamps that cost only $1.99 at K-Mart?) and the dealer said they're covered under the warranty, so he took it to the shop.

The service technicians at Vyletel Buick/Isuzu/Volkswagen of Sterling Heights, Mich., replaced the bulb in less than an hour and the invoice showed that the low-beam bulb was replaced under warranty-no charge. Just after returning home later that evening, Clor noticed that, once again, only one headlamp was working. Since both lights had been working properly when he left the dealership, we wonder if our New Beetle has a wiring problem that needs attention. Clor high-tailed it back to the dealership the next day with only one Beetle eye open ... until the car went over a fairly large bump in the road and the light flickered on again. Currently, the Beetle is at the dealership for observation.

After putting 666 miles on the car this month and encountering the ornery headlight mystery, we're beginning to think something strange, and slightly sinister, is going on...

Best Fuel Economy: 43.2 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 39.3 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $0
Problems: Cracked fog lamp lens, possible wiring problem with left front low-beam headlamp.