The general consensus is the classic Bug needs to be babied along but the New Beetle is a very reliable car. The next generation New Beetle should interest male buyers put off by the first generation’s cute look. 1st generation was on the Golf platform and the 2012 is on the Jetta platform. I don’t think it can float. ;-)
The general consensus is correct. I've had several Beetles during my high school and college years. I wouldn't go out of the driveway without a clutch cable, throttle cable, and a tune up kit. I liked the Baja version best because I could drop the engine out in 20 minutes or less. The engines also ran cooler without all the cooling shrouds on the stock Beetle.