BLUE_62 wrote:I put my name down for the classic original.
I am a beetle lover and a Mini lover and VW f**ked it up
much the same was BMW did trying to replicate the Mini.
These 2 cars were developed as a peoples car. Cheap
enough for the average family to afford and cheap to maintain and run....
What the hell is cheap about 40k price tags
and certainly nothing cheap about BMW servicing
thats for sure. Give me my 62 standard anyday!
That's crap. Here's why (adopted from a post of mine in 2002).
Maybe one of the old timers here can fill us in (for I wasn't born yet in the heyday of the Beetle), but I had the distinct impression VW was NEVER in the $13,990 drive away price bracket. Never was, never wanted to be - they always thought themselves as a premium European product and traded on that.
Comparing by relative costs of Beetles versus Holdens (the Big Mac cost of living approach)
According to the Holden web site (use Google), the Holden HQ Premier cost $2394 new in 1971, which is roughly equivalent to the Holden Commode Acclaim, as the Premier wasn't a bottom scraper car. The Acclaim 3.6 V6 is second from the bottom of the range, so I think this is a valid choice. The Acclaim is $39,050 at the dealers.
In 1971, the 1500, being the bottom of the VW range then, was slightly less expensive than the Premier at $2059 according to this link:
http://members.netro.com.au/~vwcc/guests.htm
Using the same ratio, an 1500 if sold in today's money, would cost about $33,600 now. The NB 1.6 Miami (the bottom of the NB range) doesn't - it's $25,990 RRP.
Comparing by average weekly wage
In 1971, the average male wage was $4,352 per year, meaning you'd own a Beetle 1500 in about 24.72 weeks assuming you paid no tax and could splurge a complete salary on a car. In November 2004 using ABS figures, the same average wage is $973 per week. Munging using average wage figures, this means you can own a NB Miami 1.6 in approximately 26.76 weeks, meaning the New Beetle - at worst - is only 8.2% more expensive to buy in real terms, making the adjusted value of a new Beetle 1500 if sold today at best around $24,000.
Figuring in statistical bits and pieces
Due to wage restraint, J-curves, CPI and non-CPI money-for-jam figures and the chicken I sacrificed and the spread of the tea leaves, the real purchase parity figure of a VW 1971 Beetle 1500 if sold in today's money lies somewhere between $24,000 and $33,000, and three out of four of the models of the NB range lie in that range, and the top of the range is still less expensive than the Holden Acclaim. Therefore, NB's are not a rip off => QED.
If you look at the VW range in 1971, it included the 1500 (entry level VW and entry level Beetle), Super Beetle, Type 3's, KG, Buses. Translating out, the Beetle 1500 is like a bottom end Polo, which you can have for $16,990 at the moment, far cheaper than the 1500 was in real terms. The bottom end Polo has more interior room, more passive and active safety (airbags, ABS and EBD), and more gadgets (like aircon, power steering, and a CD player) than a 1500 did, which just had high backed seats and a collapsable steering column.
Modern VW's are cheaper, faster, safer, more fuel efficient, carry more, and are thus are very good value for money.
Yours in Lies, damned lies and statistics,
Andrew
[Edited on 13-4-2005 by vanderaj]
