Volkswagen Cabrio

are Volkswagen Cabrio's good cars?

i might me getting a used 2000 Volkswagen Cabrio in December and i was wanting to know if anyone owned one and was wondering if they were good cars. it is a convertible. since it is a convertible will it leak and will it be colder in the winter time because of the type of roof(i guess you call it that on cars.lol) im not the smartest when it comes to cars lol. and since it is used i know it might be different than others but i was wanting to know in general if they were pretty good cars. because i have never heard of them before until my mom told me she found me one.lol

The Cabrio for 2000 was a good vehicle; its short coming is mainly in the automatic transmission and some electrical issues. The top is insulated, as are most German convertibles, so its not as cold as you might think.

The big issue on this vehicle (besides the mechanical condition) is the condition of the weatherstrips and the top itself. The tops of your vintage is likely near the end of their normal life and may need replacement soon. The top replacement in the original German Happage material (if yours isn't the cheap vinyl top used on some of these cars) is not cheap, especially at the dealership level, but a comparable material is available in the aftermarket for much less money. Keep the weatherstrips soft by using a slicone based lubricant on them regularly, so as to keep them sealing against the weather and wind/water leakage. If all those weahterstrips require replacement, it will be expensive.

Door and window adjustments being needed are common; the body settles and flexes some over time, so don't be surprised if the doors and windows need adjustment to fit and close correctly. One adjusted, they should stay adjusted at least for a while but don't expect that they will stay that way forever. Make sure the chassis is rust free as the reinforcements for the lack of a fixed room are extremely important in a convertible.

You could do a lot worse than purchasing a 2000 Cabrio; the Golfs/Jetta/New Beetle vehicles of the same year are less reliable and far more trouble prone than the Cabrio of the same year.

While the leather seats with heat are nice, I think most people would be better off with the cloth seats, a standard shift transmission and the steel wheels, and of course, a/c. Even the cruise control isn't as good as a cruise control in a US or Japanese vehicle, so a base Cabrio will be less expensive to purchase and maintain.

Hope this helps, a car nut.