Used 2004 VW Tubo Beetle Convertible - low miles - - by for sale in Knoxville, TN

This 2004 VW Beetle turbo convertible, which my grandkids have nicknamed the “fun-mobile” because they love riding in it with the top down, is a one of a kind in that I have modernized it a bit in the past 14 months that I have owned it. It is a reliable daily-driver car with 98k original miles on it that is mechanically sound and will likely last for many more years. During the first couple of months that I had it, I did have some work done on it to make it the car that I wanted it to be:
As for cosmetics, when I bought it, it was dark blue (and a bit faded) and I was concerned about having such a small car being so dark (what if someone overlooked it at night), so I paid a friend of mine who paints cars from his garage to turn this one into a red bug. I then put the vinyl “Turbo” stripe at the base of the doors and placed nostalgic tribute decals on the rear window and along the back of the car. I also had the sport rear spoiler installed (as they say it will improve gas mileage). More people than I can count have told me they thought this was a really cute VW.
Inside the car, the original blue color is above the door panels, but I put American flags and eagles on each side as I am a patriot. However, I also have purchased four rolls of red vinyl (the same materials as stripes) that can be placed over the top of the blue, should the new owner prefer that over the patriotic theme that I used inside.
My wife is German and since the Beetle is German-engineered, I also affixed Germany emblems on it. Being a retired USCG Search and Rescue pilot, I also put a small outline of the USCG symbol on the bumper. If you don’t like the decals or emblems, a hair dryer will easily work to take them off.
A new top was also installed just over a year ago and I had the windows tinted so it will not get hot inside during the summer months. The top is electrically retracted and raised. I also bought a new convertible top cover that slips over the retracted top and snaps into place so the wind is not flowing into the retracted top on the highways – this is black leather-looking material and fits tightly over the top.
If you look closely at the pictures, you will see that when I had the car repainted, I also had new halo-ring halogen headlights installed which are much brighter than the factory headlights. I also had the taillights replaced with modern ones that have a huge red halo for the night running lights, digital brake lights that are much brighter than the original bulb type, and sequential turn signals that point the direction of the turn with yellow digital lights.
Take a look at the tires and wheels: New 16x7 Platinum Revelation GLS gloss black wheels with VW emblems; New Michelin Cross-Climate 2 radial tires with the inverse “V” aqua-tread design that is perfect for rain or snowy conditions. The tires are the newest ones Michelin designed – The Cross Climate. They are designed with the aqua-tread inverse V’s to push water out to ensure a good grip in pouring rain with standing water, as well as performing well in snowy conditions. Although they are rated for 60k miles, some owners are reporting on Tire Rack that they are exceeding 70k on these tires. They declared them as “consistently at the top of the consumer ratings and Tire Rack test results.”
It also has new brakes, both front and rear, installed to ensure safe driving and I had my friend paint the brake calipers red so they would complement the new color of the car when he painted it. Inside, it is a 6-speed automatic transmission with the option to shift as desired (although I just use “D” and let it do the shifting). A blue light warns you that the car is cold so refrain from using the turbocharger until it disappears (usually within a mile of initially driving). Over the past 12k miles that I have had it, I have only had to use the turbo charge once in busy traffic and boy is it quick. It does have a blizzard-cold air conditioning and, for the winters, it also has heated leather seats that heat both the buns and the back.
As for entertainment, it came from the factory with an in-dash AM-FM cassette with a 6-CD changer under the arm rest. Since cassettes are a thing of the past, I installed a Sirius/XM receiver above the radio and have it playing through the cassette slot, so that worked out well.
Mechanically, since the timing belt had never been changed, I had it replaced, along with the tensioner and pully, at 89k miles – on four-cylinder engines, it is always best to change the timing belt to ensure it doesn’t slip or break in the future. The water pump is internal right beside the timing belt, so I had it replace, as well. I also had them replace all hoses and belts (such as the serpentine belt) on the engine. I also had a new top-of-the-line battery installed and, since there was a small crack in the electrical relay box that mounts on top of the battery, I had them replace that, as well. (BTW, this work was done at MF Auto, the VW experts on Dutch Valley Road). I also had it tuned up with new iridium spark plugs and wires at 90k miles. I recently. I took it to Kar Kare Muffler Shop and had them replace the factory muffler with a Magna Flow muffler to reduce the back pressure and improve power and fuel efficiency, while not being loud. It is economical to drive at 31 mpg average.
For safety’s sake, VW designed the headrests both front and rear with hydraulic devices that surge them completely up if the car senses a rollover condition. This way, the driver and occupants are protected to the maximum extent possible.
The negatives are cosmetic: My grandkids recently snapped off the handle that opens the glove box: I now have a new replacement glove box in light tan in the trunk of the car ready to install. Also, there is a small 1.5 inch crack in the fiberglass front wheel cover on the driver’s side (it was in a fender bender back in 2004 when it only had a few thousand miles on it). I used touch-up paint to cover it, but if you know it is there, you can see it. On eBay, there is a red convertible bug that has the left front fender for sale for $112, so it is not expensive to replace, if desired. There are a couple of hairline cracks in the plastic inside, but I touched them up with super glue and if you use the red vinyl to cover the blue upper parts of the d, these will be forever hidden. The previous owner had bumped something low and broke off the lower grill, so when I had the car repainted, I had that replaced as well. Later he told me it had fog lights installed and wondered why I had given him the standard grill rather than the fog lamp grill (my mistake). So, if you want to use the fog lamps, order the proper grill (only around $44 to $123 on eBay), spray paint it red (I have a can of matching red spray paint) and replace the one that I had
The original asking price was $6,350 which was more than reasonable, but I have reduced the price to $6,000 (if you want to have it repainted back to its original midnight blue color, EconoPaint charges around $350 to do so). Yes, I do have a clean title for this car. Cosmetically, it is not perfect, but then what 18-year-old car is in perfect condition at that age? Take a look at the tag frame on the rear which has written on it in red, “When I Grow Up, I’m Going to Be a Porsche.” Most important is that it was and is a mechanically reliable car that can be used as a daily driver. If you are a serious buyer, reach out to me.