Should I buy a 2013 VW Beetle ?

The fact that the main thing you tell us , is it’s white, tells me you need to take someone who knows about cars with you. 

This is the third generation Beetle produced from 2012-19, and is based on a Golf.

Forget all the “ buy a Toyota..” answers , leave that to the beige brigade . VW are pretty reliable with either a 1.2/1.4 petrol or 1.6 / 2.0 diesel (UK, other markets may vary).

I would go for the 140bhp 2.0 TDi which is a great combination of performance and economy. Sure -VW fiddled the official mpg figures and you won’t get 65mpg, but you’ll get 50+ without trying or doddering round at 40 mph with a huge queue behind you.

However at £7500, a 2.0 TDi might be high mileage, so you might have to settle for a 1.6 or a petrol model.

I wouldn’t get one without a service history.

I wouldn't buy one to take it to a demmo derby.

You are going by name recognition and history.

VW used to be a TANK/Truck/Jeep/Car.  You could drive the psss out of it and it wanted more. That was the air cooled rear engine "Type 1". The people nicknamed it the Beetle, the Bug

.  The New Beetle is now called that by the manufacturer.  The New Beetle looks more like a roller skate.  It is a Beetle like body put on a Rabbit chassis for the FWD water cooled front engined cars.

.  The Rabbit when it first came out suffered from many problems, mostly ELECTRICAL. For years.

. VW is living off its "past reputation", not of the present lower quality vehicles they produce. So the price is HIGHER with less features than you would get in an Asian car such as a Honda or Toyota (both cars are rated #1 in quality& reliability)....which is a direct competitor to VW.

. The Asian cars are in higher demand because they are reliable and got more features for LESS MONEY than VW.    Because of this and I drove the older Beetles for 20 years - I switched over to Asian Honda.  The Asians know how to build a decent automatic transmission. VW still can't do it. So, unless you drive manual transmission, you should go with any Asian maker.  There is a good dozen of them.  I bet they all will be cheaper than VW.  If you can try to buy private.  I have always been lucky with private as the cars are used so are less money than on a USED CAR LOT(they automatically stuff on another  thousand dollars and that is because they are selling it.  They can't offer any extended warranty (as that is from the manufacturer.)

. Understand I drove a VW (various models) for 20 years. Now that I needed another car as my other one died(a VW) I slowed down and TOOK A LOOK AT WHAT I was getting for my money.   The Asian cars gave more in add on features and just as good if not better warranty and better fuel economy FOR A LOWER PRICE THAN HERR VW.   The New Beetle was not the old beetle...it was a different animal.  So I looked at the reliability of the Asian cars and saw they were up to par with VW.

Thinking about it, I hardly see a VW anymore.  They are not as obvious because their body style is not much different from Asian designs.

Entirely up to you - every used car is a crap-shoot depending on how well (or poorly) they were maintained and driven.

I generally suggest taking any potential purchase to a mechanic to have them give it a once-over (call around and get quotes).  It's not a guarantee, but they may catch some big $$ items or other red flags.

If the seller is unwilling to let you take it to a mechanic prior to purchase, then walk away.  Good luck!

Every mechanic I know hates the modern VW Beetle. I was a VW apprentice back in 1970 and love the older air cooled Beetles but would not buy the newer water cooled version of the Beetle. Buy an Asian car if you want reliable transportation that won't break the bank. 

Have a careful read through the link. Test drive the car and try hard to find faults. If it drives OK it's probably fine. VW have always built good cars.

Good car.  8 Years old.  You have 7 years more before the plastic starts breaking.

In the USA these are considered "problem cars". Electrical problems are number one. Mainly headlights that have to be thumped on to get then to come on. Seems they used lighting by Lucas (prince of darkness). Being you are in the UK which built a lot of cars with this type of problem- you should feel right at home.

I understand that they are average to better than average cars.  I have heard of a few electrical problems but nothing that you should lose sleep about.

Without knowing the model, or options , or mileage the price sounds a little high.  Try to talk them down to about 5000 pounds.

They are really good cars. I like them because they are good on petrol, so you won't be at the petrol station as much. I would buy one if I was you.