Our L.A. staffers got a taste of our banana-colored Fahrvergnugen in a can upon its return from Denver. Everyone was eager to get a turn in this little head-turner. Deborah Greenbaum, our copy editor, commented: "When I first got the New Beetle, I thought - this is going to be exciting. I get to drive a New Beetle, and everyone's gonna want to check it out." This month we found that people still did check it out, but not nearly to the extent that they did when we first began our relationship with this nostalgic revival.

Praise was again given to the peppy engine, with one staffer quipping, "It was faster than I expected, and fun to dart in and out of traffic." A guy in a Jaguar stopped us and said, "That is going to be my next car." We're not so sure other Jaguar owners will be matriculating to a New Beetle, but it does show that this car still conjures up desire and intrigue.

And that's where the good stops. The rest is the bad and the ugly, we're afraid to report. One driver commented that the driver-side window button gets stuck easily. Well, it did get stuck and then some. Our copy editor described: "The second day I had the car, I was driving home at night, with the windows down, when I realized the driver's power window switch was gone. Poof! It was just a little hole in the door with an eerie red light." We eventually found the button on the floor and placed it back in its home, at which time we set up a service appointment to have it fixed.

Santa Monica Volkswagen fixed our window lifter under warranty, and we also had the tires rotated, which depleted our funds by a meager $9.95. The dealership did hem and haw to find us a time slot for the service. Either they were supremely busy or understaffed. The work was done to our satisfaction, and we hit the road again. As night descended upon the City of Angels, we noticed that the right headlight was out. A bit later the seat lever came off in our hand, and after that the rear cupholder came undone and found its way onto the floor. We were not impressed. Our staffer commented: "...should things just be popping off all over the place? The window button, seat lever, cupholder? It just feels like this car was thrown together with crazy glue." We phoned Santa Monica VW, but they were even busier than before, so we will set up a service appointment at a later date.

We lodged further complaints this month with the stereo buttons that are small and difficult to operate. This particular crop of drivers and passengers claimed the front seats were quite uncomfortable, even though many of us at Edmunds.com really dig the seats. One driver stated that the alarm went off randomly a couple times, although there was no one near the car and she hadn't pressed any buttons on the keyfob. And the list goes on: poor placement of the clock, non-adjustable seatbelt height, steering column doesn't lift high enough, inadequate illumination by the interior light, poor turning radius, and useless cupholders.

Yes, our New Beetle is cute and yes it still gets some looks, but for this month, its endearing personality is only skin deep, or exterior sheetmetal deep, as the case may be. One driver summed up our sentiments by relating an encounter with a passerby. "A woman said, 'I can tell you don't love it.' Then she said, 'Ya wanna sell it?' If it was mine, I probably would have begun negotiations."

Total Odometer Reading: 26,133
Best Fuel Economy: 32.8 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 21.5 mpg
Body Damage: $0
Maintenance Costs: $9.95
Problems: Driver power window button broken. Front seat lever broken. Right headlight out.