I drove a Eurovan for a weekend for a story I wrote about Volkswagens. It was a really nice machine, certainly nothing like the old Buses and Vanagons. It’s smooth, powerful, comfortable and more roomy than any minivan out there, save the Chevy Astro. It has some typical VW quirks – strange cruise control knob, funky dash controls. But there’s plenty of room for adults in every seat, and lots of luggage space, too. It was a 2002, which is more powerful than previous years, and cheaper.
It drives pretty well. You feel like you’re driving from the balcony, but it still handles nicely.
It is kind of a piggy, 16 or 17 miles to the gallon, and it’s all premium fuel.
But the reward is a van that certainly stands out in the crowd. I passed only one in 500 miles of driving and the other driver waved to me across four lanes of interstate.
Beware if you have animals, though; it seemed hard to vacuum dog hair off the cloth seats.
Still, I miss that big box …
Zeb
PS Hi, folks. I’ve been lurking for over a year and finally had to reply – and it’s a hijack to boot.
I love my '97 Golf almost as much as I love my wife and my Phillies, and it’s going to break my heart to give it up in a few months when we move.
It’s a great car, it gets good milage, holds a tonne of stuff, and handles great. It also looks cool, too.
My best friend is from a VW-cult family, so I’ve ridden around in all sorts of models from the '60s to the late 90s; she currently is driving a 2000 Beetle, which is very sweet, too.
I had a 1991 Golf GL (traded it in last year). I absolutely loved the car like I’d never thought I could. Great gas mileage, loads of room, very comfortable. Daily driver, occasional road trips but mostly city driving.
It had a transmission breakdown that was covered by the warranty- and that was all. No mechanical problems whatsoever. Nothing.
I drove Toyotas since the early '80s and loved them dearly; also, one of my brothers-in-law is a Toyota mechanic so I had access to knowledgeable, non-cheating service. Last May my '89 MR2 couldn’t be brought into California smog compliance without costing us more than the car was worth, and my husband talked me into looking at the 2001 New Beetle. I bought it and I love it.
I’ve heard others say that they are overpriced, but I’m pretty sure that a comparable Toyota with similar features would have cost more. In fact, my boss has a new BMW that isn’t any better equipped. (She was a little put out by that!) I’m sure there is a performance difference but my driving needs are simple and few so I don’t need to care; so far it has done everything I needed it to do and I feel quite a bit more safe than I did in the MR2, much as I did love it. It was adorable, but pretty much of a death trap, especially in the rain. Thank goodness it doesn’t rain much here in San Diego!
