blog.sparetomato.com

After spending a couple of hours on Saturday in the company of VW enthusiasts, I have begun to question my choice of “the next car I’m going to buy…”

In my list of top 10 things to do before I’m 30, I state that at #3 is to buy a sports car. In my mind, I always saw myself buying an Audi TT, or possibly a Nissan 350Z or the like. Something that was an impractical but fun way to get around.

However, my experience on saturday reignited my love for my car, a VW New Beetle.

Recently, “MABel” has been getting very expensive to keep, particularly as she has just broken the 80,000 mile barrier, which means new CAM belt, new Brake pads, new CAT… plus a big service, so I’ve been considering her replacement.

Overall, my problems have not been with the car itself, but mainly with Volkswagen’s customer service… which in my experience has not been good at the dealership. The car itself is a very good car, not overly practical (experience proved that you can get more in the boot of a Peugeot 106!) but it has been mechanically reliable, and still makes me smile.

Of course a sports car is even less practical, and J. asked my why I wanted one. I responded with “because I do!”, which she clarified as “because you want something to show off in!”, which I suppose to a large extent is true. I hardly push my Bug, and when I am overtaken by a car, I am usually content with knowing that if I really wanted to, I could probably catch and overtake them back. While the car is a little heavy, it is by no means sluggish, and one thing I do like is the power in 5th gear. What I do like about the Bug is that it is still a head turner, and is completely different in a plain-car dominated world. I don’t think I could ever be a “mondeo man”.

The sports car also falls into this category, while the TT is quite prevailant, and the 350Z is also becoming more visible, it still breaks the mould, just not in the same way the Beetle does.

There is also the factor of price. While at £30,000, I could afford to pay for a TT, it is still a lot of money for a car, especially as the Beetle Cabrio Turbo starts at £19,000. You do get a lot thrown in for your £30k, the only options that I could see was the addition of a Bose sound system, whereas the Beetle Turbo doesn’t even include leather upholstry as standard. So, when you factor in the extras, the Beetle Cabrio can work out to close to £30,000. Then of course, you need to factor in the running cost.

At the moment, my 2.0 lite car uses about £30 a week in petrol when commuting to and from work. A 3.2 TT would use more, adding servicing and insurance on top, the TT works out as considerably more.

I will probably not be replacing the car this year, especially as I’ve just spent a lot of money on her, and will need to spend a little more repairing aesthetics if I was to sell her, but I’m constantly considering my options - the temptation to buy a Cabrio in anticipation of the summer is proving hard to resist!

I think that what you wear defines you, and your car is also an item you ‘wear’. The Beetle certainally defines me: fun and quirky.

Although it may mean breaking one of my top 10 things, I am sorely tempted to go for another Beetle - I do love the cars, both old and new, and maybe in the end, the sensible choice is the less sensible car!