Mixed Emotions

Tonight I sat in this - the hard top version. What a beautiful car! A few months ago my brother told me this was going to be the last year for the New VW Beetle. I'm stymied as to why they would discontinue something that has done so well, but apparently they have a new concept car that will take its place. It is to be revealed at the German auto show next year.

The Aquarius Blue paint will only be used on these limited special edition 3,000 automobiles - 1500 sedans; 1500 convertibles - and it is really pretty. It's kind of like a robin's egg blue.

Okay, would I like one? Probably. But there is nothing wrong with my '98 model. Just last Saturday, while filling up my car with fuel, another customer came over to me and asked if the engines were still in the back of the VWs. I thought that was kind of funny. Then he asked me how old it was. I said, "How many years do you think it is?" He said, "Three?" He was taken aback when I told him it was 11-1/2. "No!" "Yes." I have a "first edition." And it was a small challenge for me to get it.

In early 1998, I saw my first New Beetle. Wow! I thought is was really cool! The first chance I got, I drove to a VW dealership to see one close up and to give it a test drive. Well, I wasn't the only one with this idea. There must have been 15 or 20 people in line ahead of me. My turn finally came. Get this. "You may drive it out of the dealership, get right on the freeway (highway 100), go to the first exit at which you must exit, cross the bridge, and come back down the highway to our dealership. I'll accompany you." I really wanted to drive it, so I agreed.

After the test drive, I looked around a bit and then drove home. I was hooked. I had a perfectly good (great) car, but I couldn't get this New Beetle out of my head. Later that week, I test drove a second one, and then I knew I was convinced. At the first chance, I went back to the original dealership and placed my order, with a $50 deposit. The cars were so popular, I was put on a waiting list. My order looked like this: I'll take a white, dark blue, or red one; leather or cloth interior; manual or automatic; sunroof or no sunroof. Whatever comes in first, that meets any of my criteria, I'll buy. This was the middle of May.

Around the middle of June I was getting antsy, so I called the dealership and asked where I was on the waiting list. My salesperson put me on hold and after a couple of minutes, he reported his findings. From then on, I called every Friday to ask. Finally on Thursday, September 3, I got THE call. "We have a red, hardtop, no sunroof, automatic. Do you want it?" Of course I wanted it! I told him I was taking off in the morning for Jacksonville for a weekend with my son, but would pick it up on Tuesday, the 8th, after my plane landed.

When I entered the dealership, my salesman greeted me. He confided in me, your name hadn't really come to the top of the list, but last Friday after you called to see where you were on the list, my manager said, "The next time we get in a car that meets her choices, call her. We're getting tired of looking on the list every Friday!" Persistence paid off.