2003 Volkswagen NEW BEETLE V5

Fitted with the highly desirable V5 engine, the vendor believes that this Volkswagen Beetle V5 might just be the lowest mileage example left of the 500 ever imported.

Purchased new by a lady in London/Kent in December 2003, although she kept it for fifteen years she barely used it during that time. Covering only a little over 2,000 miles a year on average, it was then sold to its second owner in 2018. A man who recognised its rarity and potential as an investment, he stored it without ever using it.

The vendor, who is a dealer, bought it directly from him after he moved house and lost his storage as a result. Offered with a full service history file, it is being sold with no reserve so will sell from the very first bid no matter how cheeky that might be…

As you’d expect of such a low-mileage pampered example, the silver bodywork looks excellent with tight shutlines, straight panels, and ripple-free flanks.

There’s a good shine to the paintwork too, and aside from the odd stonechip and minor mark, the only issue we can see are the front and rear badges, which have faded in the sun. Still, that’s very much a #firstworldproblem, isn’t it?

The five-spoke, 17-inch alloy wheels are in a fair condition with only very light marks and nibbling to the rims. They’re shod with Bridgestone Potenza tyres on the front, and Continental ContiSport Contact tyres on the rear, all of which have good tread. Again, the only issue is the badges in the centre, which have faded in the same way as those on the coachwork.

The black leather interior is as dark as the Earl of Hell’s waistcoat and yet, for all its potential gloominess, we can’t help but think its honesty and condition make it one of the nicer Beetle interiors we’ve seen.

That said, the grey leather inserts on the black leather seats and door cards lift it a little, and the condition of the former is excellent, being free of any wear bar the very lightest of creasing; there is certainly nothing in the way of any damage. Still very firm and supportive, they reinforce VW’s reputation as being purveyors of some of the finest seats in the business.

Boringly, the rest of the interior is just as good, with excellent carpets, door cards, headlining, and dashboard. It all seems to work, too.

The boot, which is home to a CD multi-changer, toolkit, and spare wheel, is solid and free of rust. The carpet is good, as is the rear parcel shelf, but there are some superficial scratches to the hard plastic trim within the boot itself.

Problems seem to be limited to the headlining, which is starting to droop near the rear-view mirror.

Oh, and the iconic/infamous vase is present and correct.

The service history is as follows:

19.05.2005 and 10,146 miles – Long Life service

02.06.2007 and 15,232 miles – Long Life service

14.07.2009 and 19,068 miles – Long Life service

09.05.2011 and 23,585 miles – Long Life service

14.05.2011 and 23,683 miles – air-conditioning re-gas

14.01.2013 and 27,019 miles – Long Life service

28.01.2014 and 29,359 miles – Long Life oil service

02.03.2017 – new compressor at £695

07.03.2017 – new electric fan at £497

12.04.2017 and 35,600 miles – Long Life service

29.12.2018 – new battery at £122

07.06.2020 and 37,107 miles – Long Life oil service

The MOT history supports the gradual accrual of miles over the years so, taken in conjunction with the service history, it appears that the mileage is almost certainly accurate.

The underside looks to be solid and straight. The engine bay is rust-free and while the plastic engine cover is clean, the underlying engine is grubby and could do with being valeted.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it drives as it should, displaying an unusual degree of pep for a Beetle courtesy of that wonderful V5 engine. In addition there are no warning lights, all the electrics we tested worked well, the car felt tight and the aircon was strong.

The Beetle’s MOT certificate expires in June 2021. It also comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus some old invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

It also still has its original owner’s handbook, the original purchase invoice, and one key.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a very good standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

A modern VW Beetle isn’t our usual fare but when we saw how good this car is, we simply couldn’t turn it away. With just 37,000 miles and only one owner who has actually driven it, its condition is such that we’d have been unable to resist it anyway.

But when you then dial in the presence of that creamy smooth V5 engine – one of only 500 ever imported – and we realized we were in the presence of something very special indeed.

So special, in fact, that it is almost certainly the best of its type on the market today – and while the term ‘future classic’ is bandied about too readily, we think that this vehicle qualifies easily; with many having been modified and abused, low mileage, standard cars like this are starting to become hard to find and we suspect we’ll all look back in a few years and rue the day we let examples like this get away when they were still available for sensible money.

And the guide price is very sensible. We think it’ll end up fetching somewhere between £5,000 and £9,000, which strikes us as providing extraordinarily good value for a performance car in this condition and with such a low mileage.

Whether it’s bought to be driven enthusiastically by a committed driver, or stashed away as the centerpiece of a modern classic collection, this example has it all.

And, perhaps best of all, it’s being offered with no reserve, so will sell from the very first bid…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.