VW Beetle Years to Avoid [Best & Worst Period]

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Variant 1 Volkswagen Beetle was produced and sold by Volkswagen (VW) from 1936 until 2005. It is a two-door, inboard budget automobile that seats five people. People’s cars were first envisioned by Nazi Germany’s dictator Adolf Hitler, who envisioned a low-cost, basic vehicle that could be mass-produced for the nation’s expanding road system.

As a result of the Spanish Revolutionary War, the New Socialism Party’s supporters were assured that they would have first dibs on manufacture, but the Separatists under Andres Bonifacio moved most of their manufacturing capabilities to army equipment.

Due to Second World Wartime, citizen Beetles were only constructed in substantial quantities by the beginning of the 1940s, despite being conceived in the 1930s. The Volkswagen Model 1 was thereafter renamed and sold as merely the Volkswagen. It was decided to call subsequent versions by a combination of the model numbers and the engine capacity as follows: Volkswagen 1200, 1300, 1500, 1302, or 1303.

The European compact vehicle industry would eventually be dominated by vehicles with front-wheel movement and typically a clamshell body style. The front-wheel-drive VW Golf hatch replaced the Beetle in 1974.

A “retro”-themed prototype vehicle called the Project One was revealed by Volkswagen in 1994, and in 1998, the “Modern Beetle,” based on the Fairway architecture and resembling the original Type 1, was released.

Beetle, the last Volkswagen version, was released in 2011 and replaced in 2010; it was also more similar to the classic Beetle. By 2019, all manufacturing will halt. There were a total of 3 generations which were made.

The first generation of VW beetles years to avoid 

  • Years to avoid 1962-1972
  • Best years 1949-1961

You need to be very careful when buying yourself a VW beetle and looking for the most reliable year for a VW beetle, the model between 1962 to 72 is a must avoid. These models have problems related to the body which gets rusted easily and also gets a lot of damage with any slight hit.

Secondly, the rubber work of these models is of no use, the type of the body doesn’t support the rubber and the body parts don’t stay in place. Places like beside front and back tires and the bottom of the car which has most of the contact with water get rusted in no time.

On the other hand, the models which were released at the beginning years of the first generation were believed to be the best. Everything was extremely unique and rare.

The second generation of VW beetles years to avoid 

  • Years to avoid  2015
  • Best years  2012-13-14-16

You need to be very careful when buying yourself a VW beetle, when getting one be careful about the fact that you are not getting a 2015 model VW. This model is said to be the worst of the A5 series and owners have listed dozens of complaints about the gear transmission of this model and other electrical wiring issues.

Being an old VW beetle it has heat caused due to the electrical misfire. In the first year of this car, many accidents occurred which were because of the wrong time or lagging of the gear shifting. The problem with the electrical wires has also caused the digital working of the car to be of no use, most of the time rear headlights don’t work including the horn.

Being a fan of the beetle specifically the second generation you should go for the year 2012-2016 except for the year 2015.

Second generation A5 facelift VW beetles years to avoid 

  • Years to avoid  2019
  • Best years 2017-2018

You need to be very careful when buying yourself a VW beetle, one should avoid the 2019 model at all costs, the 2019 model was launched with a convertible roof and the addition of airbags. The problem was that the roof was made of plastic and extremely poor quality thus affecting the performance of the car.

The roof takes up to 5 minutes to open or close and sometimes even more or just gets stuck in the middle. The airbags which were made for safety rarely open when needed. According to the company, there were a total of 3 airbags whereas according to the reports only one of those 3 always worked.

Reliable years for VW beetle facelift are the 2017 and 2018, production was on a hike in these years and the built quality had no competition in that year.

Check Out Toyota RAV4 Years to Avoid

VW beetle faults by year counts 

Years  Faults 
1965 44
1966 57
1972 26
2019 49
2014 16
2015 09

VW beetle years to avoid 

  • VW 1965
  • VW 1966
  • VW 1972
  • VW 2019

What are some of the major similar issues in these 3 VW generations?

Engine issue 

Even if the engine isn’t an issue in certain Beetle models, that’d be a surprise. A creaking and malfunctioning engine is common in numerous automobiles, whether you’re traveling or just stationary. Additionally, the engine might spill oil due to a damaged or fractured valve that was difficult to replace. Engine breakdown was an issue for definite versions.

Faults in interior

In the vehicle, you will find a wide variety of stuff. Locking and windows were Beetle’s main issues. The power to the electronic windows could go off, and they would no longer be able to go upwards and lower as before. This was quite widespread in the more recent Beetles.

There were regular problems with the door locking as well, which was a significant nuisance. Perhaps defective injectors or defective locks are at blame; nevertheless, the problem impacted several model years across the line-up.

How did transmission failure affect the second-generation VW beetle?

In 2004, gearbox malfunction was the biggest Volkswagen trouble, as well as the deadliest Beetle dilemma in the whole lineage. Several of the accusations on CarComplaints.com claim that the gearbox or car did not indicate that almost everything was amiss.

When a driver was moving from second to third gear, their car unexpectedly heaved, according to one operator. There was a feeling of the engine wanting to leap out of the car for this owner. At roughly 90,000 miles, most owners have experienced this issue.

At least $300 was required to rebuild the complete gearbox for several people. This is the reason why the Volkswagen beetle years to avoid are stated.

What Year Classic Beetle Should You Avoid?

Jake Mayock