All that glitters is not gold, especially when it comes to the Chub City VW Beetle MP3 player. It’s a dancing machine but no where near being lean or mean. The sound quality is appalling and the durability is terrible.

With so much ‘bad news’ to start with, I have to admit that the destruction of the CC Beetle is partially my fault. No, I didn’t really take an umbrella to it, but I should have followed my gut instincts and made another choice.

It’s less than a week before Christmas and my emotional need to make sure all my kids have the same number of presents is looming over me. With 5 kids, imagine the turmoil. Especially when we are talking about 2.5 teenagers in the house who’s idea of Christmas is a day of opportunity to get all the expensive stuff/junk they have been wanting all year.

With the higher priced presents out of the way, I still needed to find a couple of the less expensive ones that may not seem like much but usually turn out to be the Rams “Bob and Weave” by the end of the day. Looking around in Shopko, I happened across the Chub City Beetle on display beside the Chub City Character. It was a difficult decision on which I should buy, but I honestly felt like I had to buy one for my teenage son, Mike. Mike’s at the age now where mp3 music players are as important to him as walkmans (or CD players) were to us. When I was his age though, it was actually the whole stereo system that not only included LP but 8 track and cassette. If you don’t remember those days then you are probably asking your self “What is an 8 track?” ;o)

I examined both the Beetle and Character. The Character, although was rather cool (or pimp as kids today say) he didn’t seem to do much but flash colorful lights and play one music track. I compared it to the Beetle and as you already know. I went with one of the Beetles.

*****Product Feature*****
1) The Chub City Beetle is red and white (also comes in blue/white) with multi-colored flashing headlights, taillights and front side windows.
2) It has a built in music track and smoothly moves up and down and sways from side to side while playing music.
3) Hubcaps spin in unison when music is played
4) The Beetle requires 4 AA batteries and can easily connected to your mp3, CD, or even computer through the Audio in/out jacks.
5) Comes with one cord for connection
6) Made of lightweight plastic.
7) 5.5 inches in height and 6.5 in length
8) Three modes “On, off, and Motion off”
9) When in On position, WITHOUT any device connected, you can press the VW Beetle logo on the hood and the built in music track will begin to play and the car will begin to jam.
10) Line out jack for the option to hook up more speakers.

Although I do like the Chub City VW Beetle, it’s just not very durable. The car is nothing but cheap plastic that, when bumped around or knocked off the desk will (with personal experience) break. One uh-oh to the floor and the Beetle just doesn’t ‘groove’ as well. Another issue is that the cord to connect is detachable and can be easily misplaced.

As for sound quality, it’s the worst I have heard in mini speakers. The lyrics coming through the speakers are barely audible. My pre-teen son, upon hearing my iPod connected to the Beetle, commented “Is that coming from the car? That sounds horrible!” Replacing the batteries did not help the sound quality either.

A bit of ‘unimportant’ information. Doors and windows do not open on Beetle. Nothing is removable unless you break it off. An annoying horn blows after you press the VW icon on hood.

So why do I say it breaking is my fault when it really is not made very well? While in the store, although I knew I just had to buy one, my gut instincts told me to go with the Chub Character. It seemed sturdier, (a little less entertaining, but sturdy nonetheless) but my wallet wanted to save $5 so I went with the Beetle instead. Since then, I have found out that the Chub City Character IS as entertaining as the Beetle and because of the design maybe more durable. My lesson learned; sometimes spending 5 bucks more will end up reducing the amount of products thrown into our landfills. (In other words, you get what you pay for)




Recommended:
No

Amount Paid (US$): 14.99
Type of Toy: Other
Age Range of Child: Kids to Teens