Once upon a time, Volkswagen was the undisputed king of cheap cars in America. Beetles sold like hotcakes. Rabbits did pretty well too, despite mounting pressure from Japanese brands. But as Robert Frost once wrote, nothing gold can stay, and VW’s fortunes took a turn for the worse by the early ’90s. New boss Ferdinand Piëch turned the company around by abandoning the bottom end of the market almost entirely, and moving the brand upmarket, where it remains today. Cheap Volkswagens are a thing of the past – unless you’re looking at the used market, like we’re going to do.
We looked at two front-wheel-drive cars with way more power than sense yesterday, and I was surprised to see so many of you go for the Dodge Daytona. I thought for sure it was going to lose. But I guess the big Chevy just wasn’t interesting enough to make a convincing argument. The Daytona won by a nearly two-to-one margin.
You know I agree. I have no use for a GM W-body that isn’t one of the early Cutlass Supreme coupes with a Quad 4 and a stickshift. And I’ve always regretted having to sell my old Chrysler Laser, but it just wasn’t the right car for that point in my life. And I passed on an ’85 Daytona Turbo with a blown head gasket for $500 when I lived in Portland, because my MGB was in pieces at the time and there was no way I could take on another project. I’m not even thinking about project cars right now, but if I were, a Daytona would certainly be something I’d consider.
My earliest automotive memories are of a Volkswagen, a beige ’69 Beetle that my dad drove. He took me to see Star Wars at the drive-in in it when I was four years old. Later, we had a Dasher and a Golf, and my first car was a ’79 Scirocco. I have great admiration and respect for VW’s simpler offerings, and frankly some contempt for overpriced follies like the Phaeton and the ID.Buzz. Today, for your consideration, I have a couple of simple VWs that can be had for cheap: one from the late 1980s, and one from the early 2000s. Let’s check them out.
1987 Volkswagen Fox GL – $2,300
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Kingsport, TN
Odometer reading: 64,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs brake and fuel injection work
When automakers need to fill in the bottom of their lineups, it’s common for them to import an inexpensive car from another market. When Volkswagen wanted a cheaper model than the Golf to compete with the likes of Yugo and Hyundai, it turned to its Brazilian operations for this little car: the Fox. Despite offering practically nothing in the way of options, and pricing the Fox as aggressively as possible, VW still lost money on it, and didn’t sell too many. These days, a clean Fox is a rare sight indeed. Sadly, this isn’t the cool two-door wagon version; it’s a four-door sedan, but it’s still neat to see.
The Fox used the Audi-style longitudinal engine layout rather than the transverse arrangement of the Golf and Jetta. Its engine is the basic EA827 four-cylinder displacing 1.8 liters, and only manual transmissions were offered. Since this is the fancier GL model, it should have a fifth gear; base-model Foxes made do with a four-speed. This one has only 64,000 miles on it, but the seller says it needs some help. They claim its Bosch CIS fuel injection system is “trashed,” and they recommend converting it to a carburetor, but that feels like a step backward to me, especially considering that the car does currently run. To me, it’s always better to fix a stock setup than go off on your own modifying things. It also needs brakes, but the parts to do them are included.
The interior of the Fox is about as basic as it gets, and the only options i remember were air conditioning and various stereos. If you wanted power windows, or even power steering for that matter, you had to look elsewhere. But simple is good when it comes to inexpensive cars. The interior of this one is in decent shape, but it’s dirty. A little elbow grease would go a long way.
The clearcoat on the paint is shot, so it’s pretty dull outside. But it looks straight and rust-free. It also has a little spoiler on the trunk lid that most of them don’t have, which looks kinda cool. I seem to remember these coming in only a handful of colors, at least in the early years: this cranberry red, dark blue, silver, white, and maybe black?
2003 Volkswagen New Beetle GLS – $2,750
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0-liter OHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Little Falls, MN
Odometer reading: 187,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
VW’s move upmarket made room at the bottom of its lineup for something cool, and that something was the New Beetle. The only trouble is that because VW didn’t really offer a base model of the New Beetle, it ended up being more expensive than the more practical Golf. Hardly the dirt-cheap “People’s Car” that the original was. But now, twenty years later, you can pick up New Beetles for a song. This one is for sale at a wholesale used car lot in Minnesota, for less than three grand.
The New Beetle was basically the same as the Golf under the skin, including this one’s nice, simple “two-point-slow” four-cylinder engine. It may not have the juice that the turbocharged variants did, but it’s a whole lot more durable and reliable. No need for premium fuel or synthetic oil; this thing will run just fine on the cheap stuff. It has a lot of miles on it, but the seller says it runs and drives great.
It looks all right inside for its age and mileage, but there are some popped seams on the driver’s seat, and some other signs of wear. Of course, it wouldn’t be a 2000s VW without at least one warning light on the dash; in this case, it’s the airbag light. Could be worse, I suppose.
It looks really good outside – for a Minnesota car. But then you look closely, and you see that rust hole at the front edge of the rocker panel, and you start wondering how it looks underneath. I guess at this price, it doesn’t matter too much; you just run it for a few years until it gets to be a problem. In the meantime, that orange paint is pretty sharp, and it should be easy to find in a parking lot.
I know that because of the issues with some of the fancier models in recent years, a lot of you are gun-shy about Volkswagens. But these are not the over-complicated nightmares that you’ve heard so many horror stories about. They’re straightforward cars, and should be pretty reliable if you treat them right. So which one would you take a chance on?
I gotta go with the boxy Euro-sedan. It’s honest simple transportation. The beetle tried to rekindle that love for the original Beetle with a car that was so far removed from the practical, bare bones, easy to maintain and repair, simple car for the poverty stricken who need basic transportation that it rendered it an over complicated caricature of the original. I can’t buy one simply on principle.
? They are not complicated cars. It’s literally just a MKIV VW. Super common powerplants. Nothing remotely exotic about that car. ?
It has a radiator, and the engine is in the wrong place. It’s not a beetle, if I want a beetle I’ll buy a real beetle, not a cartoon copy of a beetle.
But it is built on a golf, which is a practical, bare cones car, easy to maintain and repair. Have 180k on ours, it’s been real solid.
If I want that then I’ll buy a Golf. Not a Golf in a party dress.
I want the Fox. It’s like a poor mans Audi without any of the nightmare gizmos.
Orange car always wins
I just don’t like the VW BEETLE 911. Fox is the answer
Both are not something I would really want to get involved in. If either was a Diesel maybe. The beatle probably they both will have miserable interiors now but early 00s vw were very comfortable when new if it’s not completely destroyed maybe still had some of that but doubtful.
If that fox were the wagon I’d be all over it, but this Brazilian German offspring of VW — wait wasn’t there a movie about that? — has no charm.
Also the transmissions in those were made of glass as I recall.
Those new beetles are absolutely huge in the inside for two people, I might be interested in that.
I would go for the New Beetle as a daily driver. If nothing else, it’s massively safer. 1980s Volkswagens had known issues with sticking odometers, so there’s no way to tell how many miles that Fox actually has on it (I suspect more than the odometer shows if it’s have FI probablems). Also, parts availability for the Beetle is easy because everything driveline-related is swappable with the Jetta and Golf, which sold in huge numbers. Fox parts availability is different. Not only are parts far older and thus harder to find, but unlike the Beetle’s connection to the Golf and Jetta, the Fox was not directly related to the Golf and Jetta or the Quantum. While the New Beetle can use radiators, cooling fans, and hoses from its brethren, the Fox cannot.
From a collector’s standpoint, I’d advocate for keeping the Fox on the road because it’s a dying breed. From a daily driver’s standpoint, the New Beetle is going to be infinitely easier to keep on the road. Although, between the two of them, the Fox is the only one that you could easily swap an air-cooled boxer into, so that’s a slight bonus point (the Fox began life as the Gol [not Golf] and had an air-cooled Beetle engine up front, initially — but everyone knows that).
I once sat in a brand new Fox that had just been rolled into a dealership showroom. It smelled strongly of greasy sausage. I poked around, flipping the few switches, etc. The radio wouldn’t come on unless the headlights were on. The horn button instead activated the wipers, and one wiper arm flew off. The wiper switch honked the horn. (I don’t remember what the hazard switch did — probably started the engine.)
I’d presume that in the intervening 38 years such bugs would be worked out of this example, and it would be more reliable than the New Beetle.
Not interested in the New Beetle. I really like them when they came out, but I had multiple friends with early aughts Volkswagens and those interiors can’t help but fall apart, and that is looking pretty rusty. The Fox probably wouldn’t be exciting to drive, but I think it would be fun enough and probably garner a few thumbs up around town.
I would not buy a turbo anything from VW, thankfully the four here is NA, would be better if it were a 2.5 5 cylinder, but so be it. the fox injection systems scares me more than a modern VW turbo, so that would be my main issue with the rabbit with a trunk, but I know it would be a faster and better paying flip if that were why I was looking at these. I would be buying them for winter beater status, so the more modern and running better beetle it is for me.
I own an 04 Turbo S. Great car! That said Beetles are so cheap, I would skip this one and get one with the 1.8T. Same MPG, way better performance. The 2.0 is a pretty outdated engine, I had one in a Mk4 golf and it got around 22mpg and was slow AF. Did not like. For that MPG it should be fast, but when it drinks gas and can’t get out of it’s own way, it’s kinda annoying to own especially when they made that chassis with a briliant engine.
Which one has more gas in the tank?
New Beetle for me. It’s a much better vehicle than the old VW Fox which is a rehashed Audi 80 from the 1970s
Fox, 100%
VWs weird period from the 80s-mid 90s resulted is pretty fantastic stuff.
I’ve had VWs from both of these generations, and TBH, I’d be reluctant to buy another of either. However, using the familiar ‘lesser of two evils’ logic that we apply during elections in our two-party system, I’ll choose the Fox.
I picked the Beetle only because it’s a 2-door.
The airbag light on the beetle scares me. I believe that would fail PA inspection and the thought of getting that sorted gives me chills. I was leaning toward the Fox anyway, so that solidifies it. You see these NOWHERE anymore, and it’s got such a utilitiarian…almost iron curtain aesthetic…makes it very interesting in the modern world
It’s likely some corrosion on the connecter under the seat.
Can’t say I want either one, but at least the Beetle is ready to go for a little while, anyway. And I’d be less depressed every time I looked out onto my driveway with the Beetle there rather than the Fox.
Easy choice today, it’s the Fox. The 2.0 in the Beetle is a dog, not particularly reliable, and every VW from that period is currently expirencing the wonders of German glue and plastics right about now. Granted the engine in the Fox is a dog as well, but it is at least reliable. I’d happily take that thing for a grand, spend another grand for a 10 year old 2.5 VW 5 cylinder engine and everything needed to swap, and make a total idiot of myself driving it around like a madman
My brother’s former wife dumped her 2002 New Beetle on him after it gave her nothing but trouble. Trying to sell it at its “market value” was futile as it was riddled with endless list of technical service bulletins and issues such as stalling and stumbling that VW couldn’t seem to “figure out”.
He figured out many of issues came from decontented versions (smaller pieces, cheaper pieces, weaker pieces, etc.) of US version when the German version was virtually reliable and trouble-free. Many of German vehicles sold in Germany regardless of where they were built must undergo the Vollgasfest (full throttle resistant) when driving on the Autobahnen for longer period of time without disintegrating, overheating, faltering, etc. So, the components are robuster, beefier, tougher, and like.
My brother replaced many of those weak-arsed components with ones for German market. The issues vanished overnight, and he still drives the New Beetle to this day.
I’ve definitely found this to be the case with my family trhat’s till in Scotland- they drive Golfs with pretty much zero issues, but my first US VW fell apart horribly after the first few years. I grew up know they would last forever, everyone around here seems to know that you can’t trust them farther than you can drive them, which seems to only be a few miles until they break down. I had a MK4 Jetta that lasted 190k with pretty much zero issues, but my second one of those that I bought in Texas was a nightmare. The CC I had blew up after a few days. My JSW has certailny been better, but still having a decent amount of issues. I’ve wondered if that has a lot to do with where they’re produced for the US rather than being produced in Germany
What engine?
2-litre petrol engine (don’t know which engine code).
I had one of those. The plastic cooling manifolds fell apart. And yeah, you could find metal versions, I think they were just older part numbers though, the newer plastic versions were just cost savings not american vs german.
The Beetle might be the better deal, but the Fox is something I’d actually consider. It’s a bit much for the work it needs, but it could be sorted for a neat ’80s car.
Fox, despite my experience with them. I dislike the new Beetles, and working on them is a lesson in frustration due to packaging of the cutesy body, but I would never own one from Minnesota.
Also, the Fox came out what we jokingly referred to on my friend’s Fox as “creamy gold beige”, because it faded into multiple different shades.
The Fox seems like an awesome $800 project car, but it ain’t $800 (yet)
I’m not interested in the work the Fox needs, otherwise it would be the winner.
The Bug runs well, even has a manual, it’s my winner. A friend has one that’s auto & loved it, regrets giving it to his kiddo when she left for college. She loves it too.
Initially thought I’d go Fox. Then after reading about the brakes and the fuel injection and the seller’s recommendation, I thought I’d go New Beetle. But then there is good likelihood of rust so I don’t want that either. I voted Beetle but I’d rather price out bus passes at this point.
I had an old girlfriend who had a Fox in white. Super basic and I always was working on something, usually electrical. Also, it was pretty tinny as I recall. Not as substantial as a later Golf or GTI. Good memories but I want no part of that one.
I went with the New Beetle. It isn’t the nicest or best car in the world, but for $2750 it just has to be adequate. I would be much more enthused if this was a second generation New Beetle/Beetle – those were a much better homage to the air cooled Beetle than the first generation cars. I genuinely like the 2011-2019 version of the (New) Beetle.
I find the Fox sort of interesting, but not enough to want it. Like yesterday’s Daytona, the Fox isn’t cool or fun enough to be a toy and isn’t new or reliable enough to be a daily driver. It is a car I would look at if I saw it in a parking lot or on a used car lot, but I wouldn’t consider buying it and wouldn’t be excited if someone gave it to me.
Weird, I like the New Beetle way better than the updated one. The styling just looks perfect for what they were trying to do; the 2nd gen looked like they had to do ‘something’ and landed one something that looks like it has RWD proportions, but isn’t. The symmetrical profile of the 1st gen New Beetle and TT are just awesome and strange.