Meet Baja BOB: The Craziest Off-Road VW New Beetle You've Ever Seen!

(www.TFLoffroad.com) On this episode of TFLoffroad we take a look at our newest offroad project car. It's not a Jeep, or a Toyota or even a Land Rover. Rather, it is a 2000 VW Beetle GLS that has been lifted and fitted with big tires for sand, mud, and rock use! What do you think?
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#VW #Offroad #BajaBOB

[@roxbery25]

TFL channels are the best! Your channels should truly have millions of subscribers..they don't know what they are missing

[@TFLoffroad]

Thanks!

[@Sig721Tau]

@@TFLoffroad I actually like this lifted VW Beetle. However, I would have picled a more subdued orange color. Lol

[@timbo7457]

That VW logo on the hood needs to be orange too!!

[@jakobhoffmann7268]

It’s a vw, the check engine light means it’s working correctly

[@jedironin380]

Checked the engine, it's still there. Drive on!

[@zelenizub2036]

2.0 engine just add some oil and go. It will last as long as any Toyota. I run one of these in jetta for 200k before i traded it for mkV gti. Ad quart of oil every 5k and that's it. And it was manual transmission. One time chack engine light came on i cleand air flow sensor like someone told me and it went out. First time i replaced my rear brakes at 100k front brakes another 15k.

[@matthewpaine6908]

Is there any VW with check engine off? My 1.9 TDI has had a check engine light on for 10 years.

[@jesusdamian1874]

My 2000 VW Beetle has had the check engine light on since I got it, 5000 miles later and it’s not caused me and trouble. I hope it stays that way, the German’s know how to build a car

[@cbrackin531]

It pretty much entirely scratch resistant. Continues to leave a big scratch......

[@rkim9955]

I totally fell for it when Roman screamed "Oh No!" When talking about the rhino lining LOL

[@ambienteterrazas]

My young sister had one of these as her fisrt car, when it broke down it sat for months in the driveway, i always thought of doing this, i know its not mega off road capable, but just as a fun proyect and yes i am from Mexico...

[@sylvain-paulcote5470]

Baja Bob??? Why not Baja BUG? The Beetles were always called Bugs!

[@TFLoffroad]

Because Bob is coooooooool!

[@kjchicago1]

This is Major, Real and Deep-This is Baja Bob(a 2000 VW Beetle GLS) How Much Do We All Love Him?! He’s Terrific!

[@RobsonRoverRepair]

2.0 engine is an absolute dog. Scrap it. Find yourself a audi tt 1.8t with 4x4 and swap it all over. Better mpg and anywhere between factory 150 and 220bhp depending on 1.8t model. Would fit with the theme far better.

[@cumbob]

2.0 is less complex and will last longer. Enough power off-road unless they're racing

[@sourabhpurohit4140]

Love all the TFL channels. And the core team of Roman, Nathan, Andre and Tommy are awesome

[@marcnobel3938]

The content on all your channels is getting better and better. Super entertaining to watch.

[@FriENTlyFire]

Where's the Samurai??

[@adelnorte]

Your projects are the best! And all of your channels too! I love all your videos. I wish i had your job guys

[@g4m3rm0j0]

VW and Beetles both have a special place in my heart. Looking forward to this series!!

[@g4m3rm0j0]

@Phillip Aubin Well, the MQB platform is basically everything VW. The Beetle as well we the Atlas, Golf, Jetta, Passat, Polo, Tiguan, and more, all use it. It's not the bug of old, no...but I like it all the same. This one is the A3 model which is my least favorite Beetle as it was designed to be cute and marketed to females. The only Beetle that targeted a gender. I do like the A5 though which was the next gen to this. It's lower and wider and I think it's cool. I of course love the old rear engine, RWD originals. I had a '62 bug with a ragtop and a baja kit on it in the 80's. I have nothing but good memories of that car.

[@bobadams5565]

My name is Bob, I live in Baja and have for years. Where are my royalties.

[@robertabbott3459]

Hey so I did a 98' 2.0 bug for the Gambler 500 here in TN last month. It performed fine with 235/70 r16s and a custom lift. But the front struts do not seem to hold up to offroad abuse. Has the passenger side bust down through the fork and smash against the drive axle, shredding the joint and ending my weekend. Seriously consider fabbing and welding a plate to the bottom of the fork to prevent the strut from pushing down. Or weld the strut directly to the fork. Also the "frame" coming off the unibody on the front end where the front bumper and radiator mounts and everything connect is very weak and will disassemble itself if you try to do any recovery from the front. Not sure what modifications have been done to yours but consider adding additional supports there as well. Let me know if you want to pick my brain about anything else.

[@kingpin3919]

Very cool. Can't wait to see future videos gentleman 👍🏻👍🏻

[@BigMateo24]

Rocks, and Moab? Wrong, take it to the desert or some dunes and drive it fast. Also it's a Gambler, it's supposed to be crap and barely running. It's more of a off road frat party with bizarre junk than an actual race.

[@IG8282-q9h]

Do I smell a road trip to Baja Mexico in the spring?

[@jesusglopez8430]

thanks for sharing, cool bug (bob).

[@johnmoser2689]

Cool low budget project I have an 03 TDI beetle that I've redone and customized... it's a great daily I made my own front light bar and tied it into the skid plate

[@KyleTraeCaswell]

Camera dude is all over the place, had to close my eyes to keep from puking. LoL I can’t wait to see more of this silly little beetle. Y’all are nuts and I can’t get enough!

[@GregorySalvatore]

Cant wait to see what this bug is capable of, I have a 98 beetle and want to do this to have some fun with it for my channel and looking forward to see what changes you make because I also thought the original build didnt go far enough. Really interested in seeing how you solve the rubbing issues.

[@chickenghastadventures8951]

If its front wheel drive with an open differential, its not going to perform wheel off road. Cool car though.

[@tankscrittersandurbanhomes5579]

1 wheel drive vehicles tisk tisk

[@redpillproductionscanada5563]

Had an old kia rio that held its own pretty good offroad believe it or not it comes down to how long it will actually survive offroad lmao. I drove the shit out of mine and killed it jumping it off dunes, never worked the same after that day.

[@VWLiftKits]

Fantastic Vid! That Stage 3 Lift Kit makes that Beetle turn heads. Cheers from Mexico VW LIFT KITS

[@Mikebones615]

Give it the beans with that lift kit 😆😆😆

[@Nickwillfixit]

Had to check the calender thought it was april 1st april fools day.

[@mikerinck8523]

I knew that car looked like a Gambler. Glad you confirmed it.

[@LukeEdward]

HAHAHAHAHAHA! The “2-point-SLOW” engine with more weight and bigger tires. Ha!

[@Dia1Up]

Well all terrain tires on a bug isn't crazy.... what's crazy is that it's the awkward New beetle..... Not the original heh

[@johnclintonhorn]

I saw this beetle for sale in MD. Have fun with it.

[@MountainMasella]

Roman's checkerboard Vans! Stylin'!

[@RichieTaylor]

I built one too! Same lift, bigger tires, a rotopax on the side, spare on the back. I carry some maxtrax too.

[@dzelpwr]

Hah, I've got a couple buddies with lifted Beetles here in California... and they're all diesels... pumped up a bit. They scoot! I have a lifted one too a customer left with me, but still has standard tires. He didn't want to fix it up. Now I daily drive the slightly lifted Bug when I don't feel like paying for the Touareg's fuel bill ;)

[@V10PDTDI]

I ready to bet the check engine light is the catalyst below threshold fault at the end when you started the car it sounded like the catalyst was loose in the can can’t wait for the results of the check engine and the ABS fault is most likely one of the rear ABS sensor but it could be one of the front ones too but the rear more likely.

[@bah5310]

A friend of mine has a 2000 or 01 TDI engine. Maybe we'll build one

[@nicholasarceri6613]

Cool project, even if it’s not an aircooled Baja it’s already fulfilling rule 1 of Baja bugs: making people smile. Makes me miss my 67 and 70 bajas.

[@rossbowman202]

Sweet beetle. I was hoping it was a tdi.

[@angelblanquet6222]

Saludos desde México !!! 😎

[@BYLRPhil]

Yase!!! You finally talked about the Gambler! You guys should do it :-)

[@LastStarfighterAJ]

I have to say, I think the matte headlights match the matte rest of the car. Any way you can get a Quattro system from an Audi TT or similar into it?

[@allthingssamsung1988]

That's a nice project car and I realizer it has the same color as a Bugatti Veyron, it's a baby offroad Veyron!!! Keep it up TFL with the views and awesome cars!!!

[@ronsmith7880]

AWESOME!!!...Hey Roman.. Are you gonna put it up against the Toureg?..I wanna see that!!!..Awesome new offroader car.😃

[@TFLoffroad]

Sure that would be fun

[@ronsmith7880]

@@TFLoffroad how much $$$ for landy ..is it still for sale?

[@seanstewart2838]

i bought a headlight restore kit from turtle wax for 10 bucks at o'reilly auto parts, used it on my headlights on my 02 impreza outback and they look brand new highly recommend it

[@MrThewhip333]

What about awd or 4wd? Did I miss that?

[@Nickwillfixit]

Remove the headlights altogether add big offroad light's, could this be the new replacement for the Baja 1000 class Beetle. a bit of trimming add a jerry can on each side behind the doors and some slider's with bar's to protect the jerry cans.

[@clwade10]

Great video. I admit I got a good chuckle when Tommy reversed it out of the garage. Besides getting the car stable (check engine/ABS etc sorted out) will you be making any drivetrain changes or leaving it FWD? You guys mentioned a lot of accessory changes (another light bar and a hi lift jack for some reason lol) but will you be doing any mechanical changes to the vehicle itself? Maybe after Moab to note the changes? How far into the rabbit hole are you guys going to go?!

[@TFLoffroad]

Not too far. We don’t have the skill or the budget to go from FWD to RWD but a trip to Harbor Freight should do fine 😉

[@clwade10]

@@TFLoffroad sounds good I cant wait to see how it does in Moab! I love the series. My favorite has been the Commanche jeep! Great stuff

[@roberthoovan4130]

Is that the LanRover they just bought

[@Monkeypack07]

Any updates on the Baja Bob??

[@Thundercat68]

That thing needs to be setup and run in the Baja 1000. / not kidding.

[@davidcrain4047]

I got a 98 beetle with the 2.0 aeg been wanting to do this to it

[@davidcrain4047]

Ive actually seen this bug aeound here on youtube and one a web page sellong beetle lift kits.

[@davidcrain4047]

Ive have heard that you can put tow springs from a vw jetta wagon tdi and get the same lift. I put front springs and struts from a tdi beetle on my bug i call Bugsie and it leveled it out.

[@tombalestrieri385]

Are you still gonna paint the Cayenne the transsyberia colors?? Excited to see how that comes out. The fastest off roader will look sweet next to the smallest with the same paint scheme

[@BentonHart]

Check engine light isn't an automatic failure here in CO, so it can be tested. From the CO official website : "A check engine light on a vehicle at least 12 years old may still pass if the I/M 240 test can be run and the car can pass the test. An advisory may be issued."

[@chrisSVT]

So you will have two vehicles with black and orange? Interesting (I'm referring to their new Cayenne).

[@nathanstevful]

Abs light is common in vw golf/ beetle Jetta etc need to swap out the abs pump. It's a fail of the electronic sensor in the pump block. There is a company that does a remanufactured swap out.

[@2-n-tintz928]

The headlights are the eyes of the car... well this one has cataracts :p

[@tdi2xplore515]

I've been offroading (softroading) my Mk4 Jetta (same suspension as your Mk4 Beetle). It has a DIY 2" spacer lift with 29" AT tires and is far more capable than you would guess. The TDI torque probably doesn't hurt, though a lower first gear would be really nice. Aside from the obvious limitations of the 2wd and open diff, the factory strut mounts system is lame and turning out to be a real weak point for actual off road use. Both the bushing and top hat strut retainer are being destroyed. I'm planning to replace them with Mk5 strut mounts and suggest doing so preemptively. On my channel I'm trying to show you don't need a 4x to do some exploring, you can see some beautiful places with just ATs and more ground clearance. (Though I wouldn't say, "No," to a Korwerks 4motion rear end kit from a Euro Jetta!) There is a ton of info on how to improve your lift on the Lifted Water-Cooled VWs Facebook group, with several better alternatives to spacers (Tiguan springs!)

[@richardjames6623]

Great stuff , Just checked out your channel.

[@Julian-do7bv]

This is pretty with the tires it has it may go far

[@justgrayyy105]

I thought the New Beetle with FD with RWD, I didn’t think they were FWD! cmon Volkswagen! Needs a 4X4 conversion and then this thing will be a BEAST

[@tylermitchell4407]

That’s @&$!ing cool!

[@LouieSmithSenior]

Great target for your new gun channel.

[@paulog8813]

Plz before you sell the Discovery 2, make a computation off road test between it and the LR3.

[@jim6682]

Watch out for those walls Tommy

[@EGGINFOOLS]

Don't forget to polish those fog lights too

[@Finallybianca]

Nice to see unprotected oil cooler lines

[@lbjailer]

Quirky, will go places a stock bug won't go. What about after market fenders like the old Baja Bugs back in the day?

[@jonnysonnenfeld6510]

any more LR3 stuff coming?

[@TFLoffroad]

Yup, please stay tuned

[@WW-wf8tu]

It is sitting to the left side of the old LRD, so eventually you will see something.(The Jeep JL appears to be missing, might be in the shop.. again...lol)

[@BRED510]

Cool bug. Engine mgt light on is pretty standard on a NB tbh. If you are proper offroading it, you might want to protect the Power Steering pipes in front of the LHS front wheel.

[@dvandervossen1]

they are definitely at risk, especially since we removed some of the plastics

[@whosyourmate8292]

Are you going to down gear it to compensate for the massive tyres? I can't imagine it'll pull particularly hard in it's current state.

[@TFLoffroad]

Nope

[@whosyourmate8292]

@@TFLoffroad I look forward to seeing more of this awesome bug in future episodes! Keep up the good work guys 👍

[@samchallenger8592]

This for sale?

[@One_Bar]

It's a Carrera scheme. It'd be funny to have Non-Turbo stenciled into the side stripes.

[@dvandervossen1]

There is a plug for the third brake light, so you can remove the wheel... trust me... Evap canister is at passenger rear wheel and was getting knocked loose by the wheel

[@richardmiller1256]

The rattling sound could be the insides of the catalytic converter. Would also explain the check engine light.

[@TFLoffroad]

Could be

[@carlossusanohuertamartinez9645]

How much cost ?

[@dimitriwaardenburg4631]

Niiiiiice 🤘🤘🤘😎😎😎😍😍😍 cant wait to see the adventures 😁😁😁

[@One_Bar]

Needs an actual long arm setup in the front for scrub reduction.

[@MasonAK.1]

Now if you wanted to make it even crazier, a Beetle ute conversion would be insanely unique...

[@therobb5738]

Can't pass inspection with a check engine light? First reason ive found that makes me happy to be in Missouri, same with emissions. In Colorado, I'm gonna just pop that bulb out and erase my P0420 before I turn the key off. Almost a daily routine, anyways. 2000 Blazer.

[@stefanfalldorf6573]

It's s Hoovie!

[@BigMateo24]

What would be even cooler is if you actually entered a Gambler 500 race with it, and filmed it for your show.

[@crazyluckvideos]

Or a throwback to the Bugatti Veyron World Record Edition? 😂

[@carnactm1171]

Altitude sickness ?

[@HoosierDaddy_]

"You think you hate it now, wait till you drive it"

[@TFLoffroad]

We don’t hate it

[@matthewpaine6908]

Emissions are only a problem it you live in Denver. If you live else where in Colorado it is not a problem.

[@kjchicago1]

Baja Bob is powerful

[@OffRoadTripz]

Glad to see our Baja Bug made it to Colorado, and we can't wait to see what you do with it. For anyone who wants to see it running in the dirt at the Gambler 500, check out this video : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jGGlh4iZoZ6JipY

[@kimberlybrookes5844]

The 2006 -2010 VW New Beetles seem to have totally redone the quality of the plastics and interior (even though it looks the same, because I don’t notice the same deterioration.

[@leskobrandon538]

It would be awesome to convert it to 4motion

[@philguzman6932]

Convert it to all wheel drive.

[@danthechevymanc6b475]

This should be interesting but I would rather see you modify the Samurai.

[@leskobrandon538]

Get the "Panzer" brand Skid Plate for it....

[@nathanstevful]

The welding is terrible! Would not like a front end in that.

[@justinfoy7514]

Interesting....

[@fredbrackely]

Whhhhaaat?? There is no way rear wheel drive is better than front wheel drive off road in standard cars. The reasons: 1. All of the weight is on the drive wheels, giving better grip. 2. You can turn the wheels left and right whilst driving, effectively clawing your way through the rough stuff. If you are building a bespoke dune buggy with massive rear tires then yes, RWD, but not in this format. Btw It starts like my old Golf TDI.

[@richardjames6623]

Totally agree! I caught that as well.

[@asmith7094]

Finally a TFL build that I don’t want! 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

[@VWLiftKits]

Bad Ass!

[@cosmodave69]

4:28...Great Political Correct Face!!.Priceless!!

[@sledstorm1]

You should have gotten a TDI>

[@WaseemAsmar]

if only you got the 4motion version..

[@vegasxventures]

I used to dislike this channel so much... it was extremely boring to me and was just talking about cool cars. Then you started getting examples, but we’re afraid to really use them.... now you guys make content and I miss it and I get mad. Thanks for doing what you do.