Which Baja Bug Would You Play With? 2002 VW New Beetle vs 2015 Polaris RZR

When you think of Baja bugs, what’s the first place you think of? Michigan, in the middle of February, right? Yeah, OK, not so much. But that’s exactly what I have for you today. Neither one has very much Volkswagen left in it, but they both look the part.

Yesterday we looked at a customized van and a ruined Mercedes. Unsurprisingly, even for nearly twice the price, the van took an easy win. That Mercedes-turned-El-Camino (or “Das Straße” as someone suggested) just looks wrong, poorly-done, and like a giant headache to sort out. The van just needs a paint job, if you’re not into the whole patina thing.

I do like patina, but I don’t think it’s the way to go for a custom van. This thing wants to be shiny, and it wants a borderline-offensive mural on the side. And personally, I’m not too fond of the shag carpet either. Tearing it out and replacing it with Pergo, like so many houses from the ’70s have had done, sounds a lot more hygienic.

There is possibly no more frivolous vehicle than a dune buggy. It’s a lightweight vehicle designed to go fast across sand for no other reason than that the sand is there. It’s a pure form of motoring joy, a car that only exists to be fun. Most dune buggies can trace their roots to the Volkswagen Beetle, and the simplest form is just a Beetle with all the extra stuff removed from the corners to make room for bigger tires – the fabled “Baja bug.” The two we’re going to look at today maintain the appearance of a Beetle, but under the skin there’s nothing Volkswagen about them. Let’s take a look.

2002 Volkswagen New Beetle, sort of – $26,000

Engine/drivetrain: 2.2 -liter DOHC inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Midland, MI

Odometer reading: unknown

Operational status: “Ready to race over any terrain”

The Volkswagen New Beetle, introduced in 1998, doesn’t really have anything in common with the original except its name and a passing resemblance. It’s based on the Golf platform, with the drivetrain in the front, and built on a unibody structure – exactly the wrong setup for turning it into a Baja bug. But that didn’t stop the intrepid builder of this car. What we have here appears to be a New Beetle unibody center section with a custom tube frame and roll cage built into it.

The engine isn’t in the front anymore, and it isn’t a VW engine, either. It’s a GM Ecotec 2.2-liter inline four, mated to a Beetle-style transaxle driving the rear wheels. It has custom long-travel suspension and four-wheel disc brakes. The seller says it was “built right” and runs great.

There isn’t much New Beetle left inside; all I can see that looks original is the inside door handle. Instead, we get racing seats with five-point harnesses, bare aluminum floors, and a bank of purposeful-looking toggle switches. It’s probably not the most comfortable thing ever, but this isn’t a “cruise to the ice cream shop” sort of car. It’s more of a “get in, sit down, shut up, and hang on” sort of car.

I wouldn’t have thought the New Beetle shape would work this well as a Baja bug, but this thing looks pretty cool. The rear fenders are entirely gone, replaced with thin aluminum flanges. The whole front clip looks like a plastic or fiberglass piece, so this must be a common enough thing to do that someone is making parts to do it. And I think I see a license plate frame on the back, which would mean this thing is street-legal. Probably still titled as a 2002 Beetle, too.

2015 Polaris RZR XP 1000 with 1969 VW body – $12,000

Engine/drivetrain: 1.0-liter DOHC inline 2, CVT automatic, 4WD

Location: St. Johns, MI

Odometer reading: 7,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Traditional dune buggies have taken a back seat recently to side-by-sides, small utility vehicles which were originally intended for work, but have morphed into off-road toys. Side-by-sides aren’t built for road use, but in some places you can register them for the street if you make a few modifications. This Polaris RZR has been modified so it can be used on the road like a car – and in a ghoulish twist, it wears the skin of an old car, too.

The RZR is powered by a 999 cc twin, driving all four wheels through a CVT, which makes it easy to drive. Just throw it in gear and mash the pedal down. Maybe too easy, actually; I had no idea until I looked it up that these things are rocking over a hundred horsepower. I would have guessed more like 50-60. The seller says it’s “all sorts of fun,” and I believe it.

There isn’t much to the interior of a side-by-side, but of course it has cup holders. That’s not one of the requirements to make it street-legal, but a windshield, a horn, a rearview mirror, seat belts, and lights are. Note the giant “oh shit” handle in front of the passenger seat; if that’s how your passenger is supposed to stay in place, then I think seat belts are a much better idea.

Only parts of the Beetle shell fit onto the RZR’s roll cage: the cowl/windshield, doors, and door sills are about all that made the cut. The front end looks like a fiberglass piece from an old Baja bug kit, the sort of thing JC Whitney used to sell. And the whole thing is coated in truck bedliner. It’s durable, I suppose, but I’d rather have seen shiny paint on it.

My guess is that neither one of these has a heater, which makes them essentially useless this time of year. The temperature here in central Michigan has been hovering in the teens for a couple of weeks now. But come summertime, you could have a lot of fun with either of them. One is a purpose-built machine created from unlikely source material, and the other is a fairly standard side-by-side wearing a classic Baja bug body. Which one seems like a better modern take on the old formula?