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Comments
Buzzzz, try again. The Jetta was designed by VW. The focus was designed by Ford (regardless of which studio on which continent). Ford = American = wretched "cars."
I've driven some pretty impressive British Fords over the years. The mid-1980's to early 1990's Ford Sierra AWD ripped! They came in both a V6 and a 200+ hp turbo 4. There's no way you'd confuse it with a Taurus. They were a really good alternative to the Audi Quattro and were very successful rally cars. It's pathetic that they were never imported into the US.
The European Fords might be impressive, but Fords have suffered quality problems in the US for as long as I can remember. Although back in the day, my mother had a 1977 (I think) Gran Torino that never gave her a problem.
Tell me about it. I've owned two Exploders (92 Navajo & 98 Mountaineer V8 AWD). I had a 1981 turbo Mustang with T-top/Reccaros/Michelin TRX that used to eat engines and transmissions. (Great fun car, incredibly unreliable.) I wouldn't consider owning one without an extended warranty. My trusty old 1972 Maverick with the old 200" 6 and 3-on-the-tree that I had in High School and College was so simple that it was extremely reliable.
I have friends with a Ford Windstar minivan that's on its 4th engine and 5th transmission. Ford paid for everything and ended up giving them comp loaner cars but they've spent hundreds of hours dealing with the car.
I put a 5/100 premium OEM VW extended warranty on the GTI. At 15 months/35K miles, I'm starting to wonder if I'll finally own my first car where I didn't make my money back 5x on the extended warranty price. The only repairs were a leaking oil line to the turbo and a replaced temperature sensor that tripped a fault code. Those were caught during the comp 20K service interval.
People who complain about window regulators should be counting their blessings.
blueguy -
you mean you would buy a Mitsu Galant over even a Ford Taurus? i don't like either, but the Taurus is a solid safe reliable car. but because it was American, you would buy a Mitsu instead? sure, anyone would take a Camry or Accord or Passat instead, but you said ANY Japanese brand. just wondering....
i would buy a Jeep Wrangler over an Isuzu Rodeo Sport anyday....same for Explorer/Envoy/Trailblazer over a 4Runner/Trooper/ etc.
Americans do some things better. Just not much.
He now has an anniversary TransAm (78?) with a Shelby GT350 and another TransAm in between those two. He is currently looking for a Corvette.
But my cousin had a Wrangler, and the brake rotors were cooked at 9K miles, and he drove like an old lady too.
Yeah, but old ladies tend to ride the brakes. If you get the rotors nice & hot and plunge them into a puddle, they warp and get cooked. I had that problem on my Navajo until I adopted the motto:
I don't brake for anybody ;-)
I used to have a Salomon bumper sticker with that slogan on the back window of the Navajo.
Mitsu is mopar. In fact a lot of their cars are even made at DC factories in the US. So the answer is a definitive: NO. If a company gives away over 1 year with no payments and 0% financing, you know something is seriously wrong.
I'll stick with my VW for a bit thanks. I took my brother-in-law out to find a new car and returned to mine thinking, "I do not see how half these cars are ever sold."
i like the new Outlander though. even with the 4 cylinder engine.
It'd be nice if we could talk about the Jetta here and all these other cars there.
;-)
I will try to open a JETTA discussion.
Does anyone know what the 'lead time' is when a 2003 TDI is orderd?
I want to buy one in the spring amd want to place my order in time for perhaps March-April delivery.
Also, is the process like ordering a US-named vehicle?... what I mean is... When I ordered my Dodge Dakota, since the dealer only had to take my order and send it to the factory, I was able to get a VERY GOOD deal. (A dealer PAYS to have new cars sit on the lot but an 'orderd' vehicle is PURE PROFIT to him) Less than a month later, my custom-built truck with MY NAME ON THE WINDOW STICKER showed up for me to drive home.
Can I expect to go thru the Jetta brochure and custom-select the options/colors/engine...etc that I want... then submit my order?
My buddy that just took delivery of his "Mini Cooper" had to order thru a dealer 500 miles away and wait 8 months for delivery.... I trust that the Jetta is not that involved.
You may want to try just looking around yourself at dealers, I had surprising luck in finding exactly what I wanted at the third dealer I went to. I knew I had to have the Monsoon and Cold Weather on a 5-speed TDI, and didn't really want to pay for any other options. I found exactly that at Patrick VW and walked away that day with a new car. :-)
but just because you are ordering from the factory in Germany
Errr. Don't you mean "factory in Mexico" or "factory in Brazil"?
I'm pretty sure that a "custom order" means the dealer requests a specific color and configuration from the regional distribution center. When one happens to come off the boat that matches the order and the order is at the top of the waiting list, it gets shipped to the dealer. That's how most Japanese-origin cars work. It's not like a custom ordered American car where they actually build the car to match your order.
What about the "tiptronic" type system?
Both?
What year did the new Jetta and Passat wagons come out?
What I'm getting at is I'd be interested in an auto 4x4 wagon, with the "semiauto" tranny, as long as I could find one used. I'd imagine they are outrageously expensive new.
the Jetta wagon is not available with 4Motion. The Passat wagon is. the Passat wagon with V6 and 4Motion is not cheap though....pushing 30 big ones....
Think it will be available on the Jetta some time soon? Ever?
Is ANY Jetta with 4motion available? If so, starting when?
On either, what engine(s) is(are) available for the 4motion system?
(sorry for the slightly OT, people).
not sure about plans for a 4Motion Jetta. probably not in the US, though there are 4Motion GTI's in Europe (they get all the good stuff).
mmmm, a nice Bettle ragtop with the Audi S4 engine and Quattro (4Motion) would be HOT!
How much you think a 2000 4motion Passat wagon might go for? Same year quattro audi wagon?
???
Looks like it would go for about $20,000 - $23,000 depending on options, miles, etc.
The next generation Golf/Jetta (MK5) is probably coming out as a 2005 model, and I would be surprised if they do not have 4motion at least as an option.
gives me shivers just thinking about the headaches of a used VW/Audi. a used anything really. an old model car is just too old. and a new model car is too new to be traded, unless it is a Miata or something, where space issues can legitimately come up. why would anyone get rid of a beautiful VW product? only one reason
just get a non-Outback Subaru wagon and be done with it
I was thinking about selling the Jetta to put the money into fixing up my house, and that car would be pretty new and sold as well.
Not everyone gets rid of their cars because they have to. The only car I traded (out of 5) was the Cavalier, because it fell apart at 40K miles.
if i was buying used, i would go for Buick or Caddy (non-Escalade of course). maybe Lincoln.
Secondly, if all the maintenance records are there and the car's in beautiful shape, there is really not reason to doubt.
Third, it's the same philosophy I would have about your car. You think I would wanna buy a car from someone who revs a COLD engine to redline? HELL NO!
and i wouldn't LET you buy my used car. whatchoo think about that??
seriously - i am just responding to Anon's observation that a used VW or Audi might be a good financial decision. i am disagreeing. that is allowed in here ya know....:) sure he might save money on the purchase price, but the mental anguish and potential for costly repairs kind of outweighs the pretty purchase price, in my opinion.
Yes, VW has a hot weather testing facility in Phoenix, Arizona. How they could have missed the regulator problem is beyond me.
Maybe they kept it in an airconditioned warehouse?
For me, being in Vermont, there are not a lot of VW dealers in the state thus, my chances are not too good.
BTW... If they tried to pawn off something I did not want, I would use that as ammunition to get them to cut the price some more. Another option is to ask the dealer to install that option. For example, If a car has everyting you want except heated seats or fancy wheels, have the dealer install them for you as part of the deal.
You (the purchaser) have all the power to request things be part of the deal. I ALWAYS insinst they 'throw in' the factory shop manual. (for VW... this is available in the form of a CD)
You want pinstripes... Make it part of the deal.
You want special tires... make it part of the deal.
You want a lonar-car every time you get service... put it in writing as part of the deal.
You want free state-inspections every year as long as you own the car....put it in writing as part of the deal. (My 12-year-old Honda still gets free state inspections at the dealer)
After you hand them the check, you would be lucky to get the time of day from them;-)
"The Volkswagen Golf and Jetta dropped below average, leaving the Passat as the only VW to maintain average reliability and remain a recommended model"
the jetta has been oscillating between average and below average but even the golf is below average now.
quote-Champion said he was surprised by the decline in scores for the Camry and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.'s Altima, saying consumers' top concerns were squeaks and rattles on the all-new models.-end quote