Jason Weill Web Productions

new beetle

After the mounting repair bills on my 1994 Dodge Intrepid became too much to deal with, I traded it in and -- with the help of my father, whom I'll be repaying for years -- purchased a new 2000 Volkswagen New Beetle.

Here's what the New Beetle looks like when viewed from the front. The car in the background is one of several older Volkswagen Jettas that my neighbors own. If a real beetle were to be nearly crushed by the New Beetle, this is what it would see before... ...and after narrowly escaping death. Meanwhile, viewers some 30 feet above the New Beetle would get this perspective. At 115 horsepower, the standard 2.0 liter engine in the New Beetle is nothing spectacular. It is, however, more than twice as powerful as the rear-mounted, air-cooled engine in the original Beetle. Also available are optional turbo diesel and 1.8 liter turbo engines. The 1.8 turbo engine sports 150 horsepower, takes premium fuel, and comes with a spoiler that automatically juts out when the vehicle passes 93 mph (155 km/h). A five-speed manual transmission is standard, but I opted for the four-speed automatic. A close-up shot of the engine. The owners manual and registration documents call the New Beetle a "two-door" car. What do they know? There's obviously three door-like ways to get into the vehicle, if you consider the rear "lid" (that's what it's officially called) to be one of those spiffy gullwing doors that Mercedes-Benz and Lamborghini have used. The interior of the New Beetle is pretty well-appointed, especially when compared to that of the original Beetle. Standard features include cloth upholstery, dual air bags, a stereo cassette six-speaker sound system (only a CD changer is available), air conditioning, four cup holders (including one for the back-seat passengers), and of course a bud vase. The flowers are fake, but at least I don't have to worry about their petals or water going all over the place should I need to stop or turn suddenly. Thanks to the car's bulbous shape, there's plenty of leg and head room up front. Those in the back seat who are taller than 5'6" might have some difficulty getting comfortable. The back seat also folds forward... ...but can that make enough room to hold enough groceries to feed a family of five for a week? Easily.

Photos

New photo archive

Weill in Japan Photos (20 albums, 366 photos in total)

Blank Slate, the New House (19 images)

Spring Training 2005 (30 images)

Playing in the Woods 2005 (25 images)

Seattle 2004 (18 images)

Vermont 2003 (18 images)

Florida 2002 (23 images)

The Apartment (15 images)

The Big Duck (2 images)

June 2002 (32 images)

October 2001 (10 images)

Carnegie Mellon University (4 images)

Volkswagen New Beetle (11 images)

Spring Break 2000 (8 images)

Senior Prom 1999 (19 images)

Disney World 1999 (5 images)

Carnegie Mellon Pre-College 1998 (9 images)

Other Pictures (3 images)