Is the 2013 VW Beetle 2.5L a reliable first car?

The 2.5 is the most reliable version. But I would never pay 7 bands for that.

It’s a solid car. The 2.5 litre engine is absolutely bulletproof. There’s tons of people exceeding 200,000 miles with no work done on the engines. There’s a guy on there who did his first minor engine repair at about 300,000. Wife has a 2013 Passat with the same engine, and it’s all original with no issues. No rust either. And that Beetle has a 5 star safety record. American mechanics are just averse to VW’s because they use triple square bits and can be different (but not harder) to repair and work on.

The 2.5 in these were pretty good. Definitely make sure the crankshaft sensor is good.

If you want a VW, maybe look towards a 1.4 Jetta or a Passat. Maybe a TDI if that’s up your alley.

Parts and labor will be more expensive than an American or Japanese car, but you also don’t get the novelty and with select German cars — the luxury (not sure if a Beetle applies to luxury, however). It also may be more fun. I had a Corolla as my first car, and it was awfully slow and boring.

My girlfriend has a Yaris/Mazda2, and it’s also painfully slow and mind-numbing to drive.

Avoid all European cars over 100k miles unless you are ready to pay for repairs often. A good first car is a Honda Fit, Honda CRV, Scion xD, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Toyota RAV4, Mazda 3, Mazda 6, or Mazda Cx5.

I’m not sure what all the hate is. 2.5L is VW’s most reliable engine for this era. Feel free to look it up. I own a 2013 Beetle, and I’ve had no issues with it at all. 137,000 miles later and I still drive it every day. Feel free to ask me any questions.

As someone who lived and worked in Germany for 28 years, this car is worth it. And it isn’t as hard to repair as most say. Just sometimes need different/special tools. Could go to 350000 miles