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Used 2008 Volkswagen New Beetle Consumer Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
28 reviews

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

realy is fun to drive!

dave, 11/27/2009
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE PZEV 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
34 of 34 people found this review helpful

nice looking really fun to drive! great acceleration fantastic breaking wonderful power top quietest convertible i have ever been in roomy and not cramped even for a 6'2" man not much room in back seat for adult (but who cares!)

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2 out of 5 stars

Cute Car - prepare for many repairs!

Dixie West, 07/09/2018
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S PZEV 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
36 of 39 people found this review helpful

I should have learned - this is my 6th Beetle and I wanted a red convertible! Above and beyond the normal service costs, something is always going wrong and rarely is the invoice under $1,000. I average $2,500 per year in repairs! Headlights failed last year and that was $1,300 as the entire assembly needs to be replaced. I get many compliments on how nice it looks...appearance can be very expensive - make sure you have a thorough inspection before you decide to purchase.

Safety
2 out of 5 stars
Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
2 out of 5 stars
Interior
2 out of 5 stars
Comfort
2 out of 5 stars
Reliability
2 out of 5 stars
Value
2 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

The Bestest Car Ever!

Lane,D, 06/18/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle Triple White 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
17 of 18 people found this review helpful

My mother went and bought this car for her Birthday and we have loved every cotton-pickin' minute of having it. It gets pretty good gas mileage. You would think that a small car like the Beetle-bug would be really tiny in the backseat, but it is really comfortable.It is the best car that our family has ever had. I also think it is really cool to have a car that there are only 1,400 of in the whole United States.

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1.88 out of 5 stars

Never ever going back again

notlovingmybug, 10/29/2012
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
40 of 45 people found this review helpful

I consider this car a lesson learned in poor decisions. I purchased this car new in 2008 and have had numerous problems. So many in fact I'm not sure I can list much less remember them all. I will make this short (as possible) and sweet(as possible). The passenger side window motor stopped working, the radio buttons stick, the console top has broken twice, the compressor is barely working therefore I have almost zero air conditioning and the transmission is failing. Not to mention the car has an odd odor that I cannot get rid of. A light continually stays on that I was told needed a computer upgrade but the dealership never seemed to have the "disc". Too many problems to list.

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5 out of 5 stars

Great Time Travel

OBX NC, 01/02/2009
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
8 of 8 people found this review helpful

Love the car, brings back super memories, makes the day fun and exciting. . My fuel mileage averages 25-29 mpg without pampering. Have owned a Miata, will take the Beetle any day,anytime.

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4 out of 5 stars

It's showing signs of age

Joan Crawford, 03/11/2017
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
22 of 27 people found this review helpful

This was my first car, I've had it for two years. I paid $9k, turns out the car is only worth about $2k. The car runs very well, very stable and smooth and is great on the highway and city, very good gas mileage, it lasts for a long time, the tank lasts maybe 300 miles and only costs $25 to fill up! It goes pretty fast to me and stops very fast too. It makes a good winter car too! Great defrosters and with new all season tires it has never gotten stuck in the snow! The heated seats get super hot too! The only time it's had issues in the snow was when the tires were more than 4 years old. Right now though, it's having some minor issues. It still starts right up and runs everyday, however right now the trunk will not rise open, the interior plastic on the doors are cracking, the glovebox handle and center console handle have broken off, the dash lights for the heat will not turn on, the front headlights are loose and there's a bunch of annoying electrical things like it sounds like the blinker is on but isn't, the car doesn't make any noise if you leave the keys in, the windows sometimes don't move automatically and there's this oil leak under the car no one can fix . I really take good care of this car, I am not rough on it, but I feel like now I have to drive my other cars because it Seems like more and more things are breaking on it, it's minor things but still. It is a good car though, reliable, zippy and runs (which is the most important thing!). But if you check safety ratings, this is not the safest car and defiantly not a good first car due to blind spots and the safety ratings and also volkswagen isn't known for being a very good brand. But my specific car has been very good but I wouldn't recommend spending what I spent on this car or getting any other volkswagen car.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
1 out of 5 stars
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2.25 out of 5 stars

Got a Smoking Hot Deal!!

karinalynne, 01/05/2014
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
17 of 21 people found this review helpful

I bought this car less than a month ago, the second day I drove it, it stalled out at an intersection and I had to have it towed back to the dealership (burnt a coil and blew a fuse). Within a week later, the same thing happened again and again. Finally had to take it to a mechanic, said all 5 coils and spark plugs needed to be replaced. A week after that, I decided to just trade it in for something more reliable. On the way to the dealership, it stalled, started smoking and then caught on fire. It is now totaled and it is the worst car I have ever purchased. Save your time, its a cute car, but its NOT worth it.

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4 out of 5 stars

Steer Away If You Want a Safe Car

Hayley, 08/24/2015
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle Black Tie Edition 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
20 of 27 people found this review helpful

I am 19 years old and received this car as a birthday present less than 2 years ago, the car seemed great at first running fantastically until small little headaches started happening. First it was my keys getting stuck in the ignition when trying to turn the car off, i couldn't even go to class that day because i couldn't turn the car off. Then it was the multiple windows breaking in the car that would go down but then not come up (driver, passenger side, and driver's back window). The car did fairly well in the snow, coming from Connecticut we get our fair share- the car has good control but there's absolutely no weight to the car so i found myself skidding and struggling to get up hills. My last experience with this car was the accident i got in it about a week ago. I rear ended the back of a pick up truck on the highway going 40 miles per hour, easy to say my car was totaled. It was a horrifying experience because i felt no security in the car whatsoever when getting into the accident, there's so little to the car if i hit any harder the entire front of my car would've been gone probably. It's a cute, fun summer car that's nice to drive around if you live in the right conditions. But please take this from me, if you're considering buying your child this car, PLEASE look into better safety features. This car has absolutely no protection to it if you were to get in a serious accident.

Safety
3 out of 5 stars
Technology
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
3 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
2 out of 5 stars
Value
3 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Road well traveled!

Alex Levine, 07/25/2018
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
6 of 7 people found this review helpful

Great car. Great mileage. All around fun veh., top up or down. Very dependable.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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3 out of 5 stars

The Volkswagen Co. Not What It Used To Be

George Lafont, 10/17/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful

Day one from picking up the car from the dealer the handbrake came off when I parked. The car doesn't feel at all like a German car, in fact it feels like it's coming apart. About 2 months later on my way home (45 min. commute) on a very hot Summer day, the underneath engine cover came loose fell off and broke into many pieces. When I took it to the dealer, they accused me of running into something and refused to fix it. The service manager even went through the trouble of fabricating a story that I ran over a parking turtarrier with a piece of rebar sticking out tearing the cover off and again refused. Both their customer service and chairman of the board also refused to help

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4.88 out of 5 stars

2008 VW New Beetle COnvertible

JonF, 06/23/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful

This is a fun, stylish car that is a "blast from the past"! It has the classic Beetle lines with the luxury of a Mercedes. This car is fun to drive, inexpensive to operate - I have been getting 33 - 35 MPG - but the AC kills the mileage - down to about 24 MPG with the AC running). It has lots of "get up and go" with acceleration onto highways rapid and sure. Interior space is great - I am 6'1" and fit quite comfortably in the back seat. I had two Mazda MX-5s prior to this VW and the VW wins hands down - for value, for comfort, with comparable handling and VERY much better when the roads are slippery. This is a delightful car - My wife liked it so much, she bought one for herself!

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5 out of 5 stars

LUV BUG :)

Beach Girl , 11/15/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I purchased my brand new 2008 Convertible Beetle and love it ! (so far )I just traded my 07 Sebring in for it (never get a Sebring) I live @ the beach so its great to take the top down and just cruise in, very comfortable, great stereo Love the SRadio that it comes with, leather heated seats this car has it all my fav car out of all the cars i have had , I would def recommend it to anyone my husband didn't like the beetles @ 1st he said it was to much of a girl car but after he drove it he loves it too , gas is av.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Fun, Fun, Fun

Terrence, 01/16/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I shopped for a small car that was comfortable and has good visibility in all directions, VW won. This car looks small from the outside, not so when you get in. With tilt and telescopic steering wheel and three way adjustable seats, comfort comes easily, making entry and exit a breeze. Tiptronic is fun, the heated seats are hot, 6-disc CD changer/Sirius is cool, 17" low profile tires give it a great look. Lots of head room too. I got triple-white and love it. I threw out the flower holder.

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5 out of 5 stars

My New Beetle is simply awesome!!:)

MeowlGal, 06/14/2009
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I love my new car!! This is my first beetle,I used to own a Volkswagen cabriolet convertible and loved it! I traded in my Toyota truck and got my beetle..I named her "Rubi"!! What a cute and fun car. This car is in mint condition!! I am so happy I bought her!!:)

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4 out of 5 stars

Has been great!

eldaino2, 09/18/2009
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
2 of 2 people found this review helpful

My wife's 08 beetle has been pretty great. its a fairly smooth riding car (an impressive feat considering its based of the mkIV platform and thus has a torsion beam rear suspension) and is a a great long distance cruiser. the stock tires are not the greatest and in typical stock fashion has grown loud and tiresome, but the car itself is very quiet, peppy with great low end tq, and style my wife loves.(and i actually don't mind it either.)

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3.13 out of 5 stars

Low Quality but cute

Ed Rooney, 08/03/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful

We purchased a 2008 "S" with automatic about 3 months ago for my wife, with the intent of passing it on to our daughter next year. I was reluctant to purchase this car based on customer reviews of previous model years. I should have listened, because this piece of junk has been in the shop 4 times to fix various squeaks and rattles and we haven't even had the first oil change yet. So far gas mileage has been in the 22-24 mpg range, mostly suburban driving. While it's within the EPA estimates, it's still low for a car this small. Did I mention that it requires synthetic oil and a filter not carried at any quick lube establishments?

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4.88 out of 5 stars

2008 New Beetle Conv

airbornediver, 11/09/2007
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE PZEV 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
3 of 4 people found this review helpful

I traded a 2004 VW Touareg for this conv. I love my new Beetle. I got the triple black model. It gets attention everywhere I go. The 150 HP engine has enough juice to move. It would be nice if they had a turbo. Maybe they will come out with a sport model. I miss all the comfort features that the Touareg had. Power seats and lumbar would be nice. Also a nav system. I ride hard all the time so fuel economy is not the best. No this car is lots of fun to drive. It beats my Touareg in that department. Having a rag top is awesome. That is the main reason why I got my new convertible. It needs some nicer wheels. I'll be investing in some chrome wheels soon to bring out the bold looks on this bug!

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3.5 out of 5 stars

Not what I expected

maciosaig, 10/28/2009
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE PZEV 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
4 of 6 people found this review helpful

I bought this car for my wife and after buying an 07 Passat and being extremely satisfied with that car I figured Id be just as pleased with the bug. Was I in for a shock I've owned convs in the past so I was away of frame/body flex but this car takes it to new extremes. The handling sucks, power is poor and comfort is great for the driver and front passenger, and my small 3 year just about fits in the back seat. Now there is a rattle in the front end somewhere and the thing is noisy on the highway. For the money they charge these cars should be much more powerful and handle better. I'm not sure how the fit and finish will stand up over the next few years, but I'm not confident

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Love my Beetle!

karmagirl7, 11/24/2014
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
5 of 9 people found this review helpful

I absolutely LOVE this car! The only weird thing is the crayon smell in the car, but everything else is awesome! I love the entertainment package and the MP3 option, when I am bored wtih everything else. This car handles like a champ - I feel like I am in a true high performance vehicle.

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5 out of 5 stars

2008 New Beetle Fun To Drive

Stanley, 06/03/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful

I gave my 2004 Toyota Camry to my son and I purchased a Red Beetle with a Black top. I have owned my car for two months and I just love it. I shopped around for a convertible car that is fun to drive. The New Beetle is perfect. The gas mileage is not as good but is so much more fun to drive. My husband is a large guy over six feet tall. He has enough room in this car but back seats are for small children. He was not sure about a small car but he fell in love with it too. When I was sixteen my Dad had one of the old beetles they have made alot of improvements. Great job VW. People stop me all the time and tell me how much they like my car.

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5 out of 5 stars

Great Commuter

Robert Alyea, 06/16/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
2 of 3 people found this review helpful

My first beetle was purchased in 1966 that was a great car but this one is even better. I drive 150 miles a day back and forth from work. The comfort and ride are exceptional and the car actually has a passing gear. The car has excellent pick up and I am experiencing a little over 30 mpg. I get a lot of looks and have referred many to the dealership. Thanks for providing such a wonderful vehicle it is what I need and also fun.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

A Slice of Heaven in every Ride

Ireland3, 08/22/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I purchased the yellow SE in July and have been driving it everyday just smiling. The handling is great,and the seats are comfortable. I just love all the fun it is to simply go anywhere now in my new "Sunflower Yellow" bug. Gets tons of compliments and fits in the smallest spots. I updated mine with "daisy" steering wheel covers, flower vase, license plate, and seat covers for an even cuter look.

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4.75 out of 5 stars

Sweet 16 again

Czar, 09/02/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S PZEV 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

My wife purchased a 2008 SE convertible for use at our beach house. She loves this car to death. Fun, quick and easy to park. Can fit 4 when needed. Top down fun in the sun.

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4.88 out of 5 stars

Love my New Beetle!

Karen1963, 10/05/2009
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I wanted this car for a long time before my husband bought this one for me as a surprise Christmas gift in 2007. It is so easy to drive, and the seats are a good fit for me. I have the automatic, so the gas mileage isn't the best, but I really love the experience of driving it every day. This is the best car purchase we have ever had and I will likely own this car the rest of it's life!

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3.63 out of 5 stars

2008 New Beetle YUCK!

Beverly DuVall, 03/28/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle S 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 5M)
1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I have owned 6 Beetles in my lifetime and I have loved everyone from my 1968 to my 2005. I recently traded in my 2005 and upgraded to a 2008. What a shock. The appearance and features are all basically the same as all my other New Beetles, however, the gas mileage is another story. I have paid more for gas than I have in payments for this car since I purchased it. It is only averaging 200 miles per tank of gas. I have had it to the dealership for service, and they insist that there is no problem with it. My last full tank of gas I got 193 miles. I am certain that there is a problem with the 2008 Beetle fuel system. I am not happy with the 08 VW. YUCK!!!

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5 out of 5 stars

cyn in florida

beetle girl, 08/20/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle Triple White PZEV 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
1 of 2 people found this review helpful

I love this car; but triple with the white arm rest is whacked. Could get a little better gas mileage.

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5 out of 5 stars

2008 Convertible - Fun fun fun

Belaircarguy, 07/03/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle SE 2dr Convertible (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Bought a beautiful black with cream interior SE model a few weeks ago. Purchased this mainly for my daughters to drive, although I have to admit the old man likes it too! Haven't had a VW for a number of years, but they were always a fun car to drive, and this convertible is no exception. The SE comes with a power top, so makes it much easier for raising and lowering the roof. The car has plenty of pep and the Tiptronic 6 speed manual / automatic transmission is a pleasure. I also like being able to set it to "sport mode", where the transmission holds the shift pattern to higher RPM setting. Good handling as a touring vehicle and sure stopping brakes. Great little car!

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5 out of 5 stars

Fun Car

Catherine, 07/14/2008
2008 Volkswagen New Beetle Triple White 2dr Hatchback (2.5L 5cyl 6A)
0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Nice fun car - gas mileage could be somewhat better. The triple white model is really fun. I like the solid feel of the way it drives - tight. I especially like the blinker system where the blinker is also on the outside mirrors. Outside lighting of the car is well done as well.

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