Would like to start a New Beetle club, but need suggestions

[fiftysomething]

In particular, a water-cooled Beetle club that would include 2012+ models. I put this thread here first because there are 12 years' worth of New Beetles out there. It would seem that 10-14 years ago, there were quite a few NB clubs whose names & locations can still be found online, but all the links are long dead. I could be wrong, but I believe the only current NB-only club in existence in the US today is in southern California. Thus, my only choice, other than moving to SoCal, is to start one myself.

First of all, has anyone else here ever tried to do this?

I live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, about 90 miles due east of Minneapolis. I don't know if my ideas will work, but I'm employed by a newspaper and can get free ads in the Personals and/or Automotive section of classifieds. I've also considered putting home-made flyers on NBs I see parked anywhere. I'm guessing most would throw them away, but if only a few showed interest, that would be a start. I would start by being very informal, no dues, just organizing small GTGs. The next step would be getting interested parties to come in a group to other VW shows.
I'm also a primary member of a well-established all-VW club, and have no intention of leaving them, but I still fear they may look at me as a traitor.


However, a club specifically dedicated to Beetles from 1998 onward is my dream. Anyone have any suggestions or comments?

[speedtek40]

you mean like NewBeetle.org?

[fiftysomething]

I've been registered over there for a few years, but nobody on that site lives close to me. The nearest members to my knowledge are down by Chicago, about a 5-hour drive from where I live. I've been wanting to do this ever since I went to the bi-annual New Beetle GTG in Roswell, New Mexico for the first time last summer.

[speedtek40]

Hmmm, yeah it's hard enough sometimes getting VW guys in general together...model specific gets tricky. Not everyone is as into their cars as some of us....

[BEARJAM]

We have a great New Beetle CLub here in SOCAL. CHeck out our forums for an example of what we did.

http://www.socalnewbeetleclub.com/forum/index.php

[fiftysomething]

I wish Wisconsin was a lot closer to So Cal. I believe you guys may be the only NB-specifc club in the entire US. I suppose my best bet would be a metropolitan area, and the nearest to me is Minneapolis at about 90 miles. Next would be Chicago, about 5 hours away. I want to do this so bad that I would be willing to travel that far if I had to for GTGs. Unfortunately, SoCal is too far.... unless a Starship-type transporter is developed that could beam me and my Beetle there...

NBs are perfect for people like me. First of all, I'm 53 and grew up with air-cooleds when I was a kid, but my mechanical skills suck, so to me, driving a Beetle built after 1998 is like being in a Lexus when compared to air-cooleds. With my NB, I have the VW dealership take care of all my work. Many of the techs there weren't even born yet when the last air-cooled Beetle sat in a US showroom. But here's the big reason I'm a water-cooled Beetle guy and maybe some of you in SoCal can relate: NBs/2012 Beetles seem to be the only water-cooled Volkswagens that can be left stock or be late-models and still get at least some respect at shows. For all other water pumpers, they either have to be heavily modded or 20-30 years old, or at times, both. Sure, some NB people do mods, but however one looks at it, the NB crowd is very pleasantly unique.

[OhRandi]

I feel you on this... No other people near Tulsa, OK are interested.. I'm the only one with a beetle in my local VW club and I feel like an outcast.

[fiftysomething]

That is sadly a good way of putting it. This is where I'm coming from: I grew up with old air-cooled Bugs back in the 60's as a little kid. To make a long story short, my last air-cooled Beetle was a 1969 model that I had from 2003-2009. I have the mechanical aptitude of a tadpole, so after that 69 Bug left me stranded for the umpteenth time, I sold it and got a used NB in 2009, a 2000 GLS 2.0 liter. To me, a post-1998 Beetle is so far ahead of the old air-cooleds that I vowed to never own an air-cooled VW again. Basically, all water-cooleds fall into that category, but here's the problem with NBs:

While clubs welcome them and many even have a NB class at VW shows, very few people put them in because they're regarded as too new and common. On a personal note, I prefer factory-stock VWs, and a stock NB is the only VW less than 20-30 years old that will even have a chance of getting votes at shows, and that's only because they have a class to vote for to begin with. If you have a Jetta, Golf, GTI, Passat, or whatever, they have to have $10,000 worth of mods to even be looked at! I'm too old to have my Passat lowered, chipped, or pimped out any other way, for that matter. I'm 53, not 23.

So I'm looking for people that simply love their NBs and 2012 Beetles, stock or modified, that are realistically close by to just hang out and have GTGs. Right now, the only opportunities to do this are at Roswell, New Mexico once every 2 years, and Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina every May. I want to do stuff like that every month, even if only a couple of others would be interested. Unfortunately, Tulsa would be a little far for me, as Eau Claire, WI would be for you.......

[TightDub]

That is sadly a good way of putting it. This is where I'm coming from: I grew up with old air-cooled Bugs back in the 60's as a little kid. To make a long story short, my last air-cooled Beetle was a 1969 model that I had from 2003-2009. I have the mechanical aptitude of a tadpole, so after that 69 Bug left me stranded for the umpteenth time, I sold it and got a used NB in 2009, a 2000 GLS 2.0 liter. To me, a post-1998 Beetle is so far ahead of the old air-cooleds that I vowed to never own an air-cooled VW again. Basically, all water-cooleds fall into that category, but here's the problem with NBs:

While clubs welcome them and many even have a NB class at VW shows, very few people put them in because they're regarded as too new and common. On a personal note, I prefer factory-stock VWs, and a stock NB is the only VW less than 20-30 years old that will even have a chance of getting votes at shows, and that's only because they have a class to vote for to begin with. If you have a Jetta, Golf, GTI, Passat, or whatever, they have to have $10,000 worth of mods to even be looked at! I'm too old to have my Passat lowered, chipped, or pimped out any other way, for that matter. I'm 53, not 23.

So I'm looking for people that simply love their NBs and 2012 Beetles, stock or modified, that are realistically close by to just hang out and have GTGs. Right now, the only opportunities to do this are at Roswell, New Mexico once every 2 years, and Tail of the Dragon in North Carolina every May. I want to do stuff like that every month, even if only a couple of others would be interested. Unfortunately, Tulsa would be a little far for me, as Eau Claire, WI would be for you.......

A club will be hard to start with 179 views and no replies...but Im down if u get enough interest

[fiftysomething]

A club will be hard to start with 179 views and no replies...but Im down if u get enough interest

Where do you live? I expected a very low response ratio, otherwise you'd see water-cooled Beetle clubs all over the place like you did 10-12 years ago. If necessary, I would start out with just 2 or 3 people for very informal GTGs. I'll drive a few hours to do this once or twice a month, but it would have to be within 250-300 miles of Eau Claire to be do-able.

[TightDub]

Im in Georgia..U wd be better off on the Org if u want to gain interest. This forum is not as active and there are far more die hard beetle fans over there.
I have to say tho... the NB community works hard to try to meet up in various places in the states throughout the year..so Im thinkn a club is very doable..distance or not. Everyone I knew with one close to me sold theres tho=( So Im definately down to hang w more beetles.

[fiftysomething]

I've been on the org for a few years, and finally met some others at Roswell last summer. Very cool people. I suppose if it takes distance to find people, it may still be possible to arrange a couple of GTGS every year. As it stands right now, the only two major events that take place where die-hard NB people from all over converge is Roswell, NM in June of every odd-numbered year (the next GTG is June 9-13, 2013) and Tail of the Dragon, a curvy 11-mile stretch of road in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. New Beetle people usually go around the first weekend of May every year. I confess I've never been there, as this is very close to my wedding anniversary, and my wife isn't into car clubs/gtgs at all.

Otherwise, the orgers (myself and others) have to settle for all-VW shows in our respective parts of the country. However, I like your idea and where I think this is going: What if we could arrange something else as big as Roswell and ToD in a different month? At least this would be one more event where our "family" of water-cooled Bugs could practice camaraderie. I'm going to propose something like that over there and see what kind of feedback I get.

[TightDub]

I keep missing ToD. Im not far from there and I always seem to get a gig that week. I guess I should make a better effort to get w beetle peeps so that we can have a bunch of folk to reach out to.
My wife wasnt into the whole scene thing either...but she has met some nice folks who ask abt her...which kinda made her feel a part of it. Cause we both know its not all abt the cars. If folks are azhats then theres no need to get together. I find most NB heads are pretty cool and somewhat open to meeting people a fellowship.
Im gonna reach out to all the beetle folk in Ga that are on the org. get an idea of who wd be interested in more meets.
Im hopin the newest Beetle will rekindle the love for em...cause now ours are on the way to being new classic

[OhRandi]

I keep missing ToD. Im not far from there and I always seem to get a gig that week. I guess I should make a better effort to get w beetle peeps so that we can have a bunch of folk to reach out to.
My wife wasnt into the whole scene thing either...but she has met some nice folks who ask abt her...which kinda made her feel a part of it. Cause we both know its not all abt the cars. If folks are azhats then theres no need to get together. I find most NB heads are pretty cool and somewhat open to meeting people a fellowship.
Im gonna reach out to all the beetle folk in Ga that are on the org. get an idea of who wd be interested in more meets.
Im hopin the newest Beetle will rekindle the love for em...cause now ours are on the way to being new classic

He started a thread over on the org in the events section, so direct interest there as well.

Thread is here

[TightDub]

He started a thread over on the org in the events section, so direct interest there as well.

Thread is here

Cool