Essential Buyers Guide Volkswagon Beetle: The Essential Buyer's Guide - Softcover

Veloce has now published 13 of these handy pocket size books. Each serves as a useful guide for enthusiasts and assumes that readers will already know a little about older cars. The publications follow a pattern, starting off with the question, Is this car right for you? it's a valid question, since many first-time owners buy with their hearts and not their heads, and live to regret it. Items to watch out for are helpfully divided into a 15-minute evaluation and a more serious investigation examining mechanicals, body, trim and so forth in close detail. The author then compares the various advantages of auctions against private sales before discussing the all important paperwork after all, you'll want to make sure that the seller actually owns what you are buying. Internet links and tips on where to find spares are helpful as is the list of relevant publications. Put it in your pocket before you start looking. --Review from Australian Classic Car, September 2007

Having studied three of this excellent A5-sized series I would suggest that going to buy a classic car without one of these in your pocket would be a very foolish thing to do. Sixty-four pages contain the wisdom of marque and model experts that would take years to acquire. There is no gloss or shine, just honest information; what to look for, where to find the faults, areas of rust etc. A simple scoring system enables you to find out if the car is a good or bad buy, or even one to be avoided at all costs. There is also a guide to the cost of replacing wings, clutches, services and even complete body shells or engines. A price guide should also help with finding out the vehicle's relative value. Engine and chassis numbers will help stop you buying a ringer' and a complete set of specifications will allow you to make sure what you are buying is right. They are not definitive guides or model histories, but a real tool to assist in buying, and one that should be top of the list when researching a model. They are good quality and ridiculously cheap at £9.99 given the accumulated knowledge contained within. Highly recommended. --From Met On Wheels magazine, Volume 3 Issue 052, 2005

THE Volkswagen Beetle is the best selling car ever, and pretty much everyone you know has either owned or travelled in one at some point. But, if you tell them you're considering buying one of your own, you'll usually hear the same old nuggets of information. You ll be told how cold, slow and noisy they are and the engine, which is in the wrong end, is only held in place by four bolts, but never anything of any use. Buy a good Beetle and you'll soon find they are cheap to run, easy to work on and that the huge number of clubs and specialist shows in this country mean that you're buying into an entire sub-culture, that you just don't have with other cars. They are a great starter classics and an excellent first car. The problem is that because they are so many peoples first car, they tend to buy with their heart rather than their head and it's all to easy to buy an attractively priced, tarted up old dog. Written by Ken Cservenka and Richard Copping, they provide so much informed, expert advice picked up from many years of VW ownership that even a total VW novice should be able to avoid the pit-falls and decide for themselves whether a particular car is any good or not. The book is broken down into 17 easy to follow chapters and covers many useful topics, including if a Beetle is the right car for you, running costs and the key problem areas to look out for. One of the most useful features for novice buyers is the provision of a useful point scoring system that can be ticked-off when viewing a potential purchase. Using the book as a guide, each section of the car can be awarded a potential four points, which can then be totted-up to decide whether the car is OK or if it's better to simply walk away and find another. There are plenty of pictures sprinkled about the pages, showing different generations of cars, common problem areas and all the little bits and pieces most people forget to look at in the excitement of that first test drive. Over 21million Beetles were made before production ended in 2004, they are rugged, reliable and great fun to own. So if you're a VW virgin and fancy getting in on the action, this handy sized buyers guide is essential reading and at just £9.99 it's a lot cheaper than going out unprepared and buying yourself a lemon. --Review from Classic Car Weekly, October 2005

A small investment in this book could save you a fortune. With the aid of this book's step-by-step expert guidance, you will discover all you need to know about the car you want to buy. The unique point system will help you to place the car's value in relation to condition. Buying a classic VW Beetle is an important investment - don't buy one without this book's help. The authors, a recognised VW Beetle enthusiast and writer and a specialist photographer, cover all models from 1945 to 2003, including the Cabriolet, Standard and Deluxe and the final generation of Mexican Beetles.; Don't buy a car without this book!; Expert advice from a marque expert; Unique points scoring system to evaluate cars after inspection; Walk away or stay? - a quick initial evaluation of a car; How to check a car's authenticity; Which models are best?; Implications of restoration; Is it the right car for you?; Running costs; Don't buy a Beetle without this unique illustrated guide! Expert advice will help you find the best VW for your money.