VW is German which means it should be good but the price point will tell you more than the brand. Im pretty sure most small town cars are not built as well as larger higher spec cars.
You could no doubt find a cheaper way to travel but when you buy what you love you dont resent what it costs you.
Buying new is always expensive and in my opinion should only be done if you dont have any money concerns and want to specify some sort of specific finish you can't find in the second hand market.
You should buy the top spec car at about 3 - 5 years old (not more than 7ish), avoid anything which is a special edition and therefore has requirements for rare parts.
Dont pay too much for 'low miles' this isn't the 1960s, you dont have to rebuild the cars engine every weekend and then bin it after 100k
You get one that's built good and you take care of it they're very good cars they are extremely expensive to maintain if they break but you take care of them they won't at least you have that me personally I would rather have a 1958 Volkswagen top 10 to 12 in out of the center of it weld it back together chop 8:to 10 in off the roof the top weld back together put some Fatty Fenders on it put a transaxle front end on the front of it lower put a built turbocharged 1600 cc motor in it
Lets see, German cars are kinda hit and miss right now. They're moderately costly to maintain, well no car is cheap to maintain. The beetle is probably more reliable than a Ford Taurus but not nearly as reliable as a Honda or Toyota.
There's so much technology crammed into German cars these days I just feel like there's a lot to break or go wrong. Though I have never really heard any complaints about the Beetle.
Superb Opinion