By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
or 17" Wheel Pkg. available for the Passat from
the factory. This is not to say that you can't
make your own personal modifications...
Unfortunately, the dealer said that they were unable to find the exterior and interior color anywhere in the Pacific Northwest. So, I'm thinking about getting a 2001.5 Passat with the same options. Any ideas from people about what price they have been able to negotiate?
I hope this info helps.
N.Mayr
prepared to take a $500 deal today...The Monsoon
Amplified System adds $287 to the Invoice...There
is no reason that I can think of why this option
should require a 90 wait...I would suggest that
they ran *a locate* and found you the car that you basically wanted and the car is not too far away...Passats equipped with Monsoon are more
prevelant than those without.
Having said that...Who is going to be the *primary* Driver? If it is your wife and she cannot tell the difference then take this car that they found and be done with it...If, however; you are the *Primary* driver; have them look a little harder.
When we do a "Dealer Trade" we generally absorb
the cost that it involves. There may be a Passat out there, but the cost of getting it might be
prohibitive given the structure of the deal that you have worked out. For example, the one w/o the Monsoon may cost $35 to get, but if they found one with it that might cost $100 to get would take 13% out of the gross and they probably don't want to do that...I would not. Given the fact that you have made a great deal on this new Passat if you really want the Monsoon offer to pick up the tab to get it for you...If there really is one out there that appeals to you.
The current warranty structure has been in place since the 95/96 model year cars were introduced, and, needless to say, a lot has happened since then with VW. When this warranty package was put
into place Jettas were selling for 14-15K, Golfs
for 12-13K and there were so few Passats that it
doesn't matter. During this timeframe the current
warranty was pretty exceptional.
With the introductions of both the completely redesigned New Passat & the New Beetle in Q4 of 97
and Q2 of 98 Volkswagen's success has been extraordinary...99 saw the redesign of the Jetta,
and here we are with the new 2001.5 Passat. It
is important to bear in mind here that in 1993 we
sold a mere 50,000 units and this past year close
to 360,000. In fact, VWAG was contemplating pulling out of the US market entirely in 1994.
So...here we are today with great products on the
ground and some incredible products in the pipeline and which will be brought to market in the next 18 months, and a warranty befitting of another time...what to do???
Volkswagen is a very unique brand; with a long &
extremely faithful following...ask anyone you know if they have either had, or driven in, or known anyone who has had a VW and, I would be willing to bet some very serious money on this, that 99.9% of the people you would ask would respond yes...
We are currently dealing with our 3rd generation of VW customers...VW customers have a history of
holding onto their cars for a long time, they are
not whimsical buyers of cars, and this is why the
10year/100,000 mile Powertrain Warranty has been
so appealing to the traditional VW Customer, and
why there has not been an accelerated move to change it to conform with the more traditional 3/36 B to B and 3/36 Powertrain Warranty of such
popular brands as Honda, and even a 5/60 warranty on the
Powertrain for Toyota and Subaru and Nissan. Most of those customers are trading cars every 3-5 years.
The pressure is mounting because VW is taking business away from these other brands, and these
new VW customers are comparing what they are accustomed to getting, with a car that is built and designed as a Volkswagen...a keeper car.
It is my belief that with the introduction of the
Passat Plus in the fall that we will also see the
introduction of new Warranty coverage for that car...probably something along the lines of the
Audi 4/48 B to B and Maintenance, and cutting the
Powertrain back proportionately. Remember Warranty translates to Insurance in term...the more insurance you have.. home, life or health the
more it is going to cost. I hope that this has been a little helpful...
Six months later at 15,000 miles, I told the dealer that the clutch is definitely slipping. This time the dealer agreed and said that it was my problem because I wore out the clutch. Today, at 16,000 miles, I spent $1,900 to have the clutch and flywheel replaced. The car now performs entirely differently. The clutch is lighter, smoother, engages much sooner, and is easy to engage without chirping or spinning the tires, which I need to replace because they are also worn out. I had sent messages to this town hall complaining about how ineffective the traction control system was, and several people responded that I must be driving incorrectly because they had no problem. With the new clutch, there is no problem.
I know now that something was wrong with the clutch from the time I took delivery. Even though I reported it, VW considers it my problem because the dealer could not duplicate the symptoms until the clutch was pass its warranty, and then attributed the problem to wear-and-tear. If your clutch exhibits the same symptoms that Edmunds has described on its 1999 Passat and the warranty hasn't expired on the clutch, you may check with your dealer to see what you can do to preserve your warranty in case the clutch fails shortly after the warranty expires.
it is a terrific testamonial for the benefits of
an extended warranty on any car...
The handling (even for a non expert) feels sublime, and it's plenty peppy.
Life is grand.
Rumor has it that if you are a member of Costco, Herzog-Meier (Beaverton) will sell to you $1000 over invoice. Good luck
I just recently bought a new car and I have to admit that I was feeling some regret that I didn't wait for this car.
When you consider that the Passat is often rated #1 in its category and that for 2001.5 it has been improved and amazingly restyled, I think this car is a great buy. The only downside is the price and that you must use premium fuel.
Thanks.
Would appreciate your opinion on the tires as well.
Thanks
make sure that the *fitment* is correct...Do not
just find something that you like and order it...
Use the "Wheel Rack", and the TireRack folks will
make sure that you get EXACTLY the right size tires to match the wheels that you select.
I am a TireRack Rep and do this for customers everyday...those folks are great... no question
about it...
And how much is the cost for a Colorado Red GLS in the CA Bay Area with the Luxury Package
Thanks
Thank you for any feed back!
1. The look of the 2001.5/2002 Passat is not much better than the 9-3's.
2. 4 yrs bump-bump warranty (I don't want to keep the car for 10 years.)
3. SAAB is in higher rank/class than VW.
4. More hp & torque
5. Audio controls on steering wheel
6. Funny/fancy features:
a. Night vision - option to turn on only
portion of the speedometer at night.
b. OnStar system (even it is only free for 1
year). Someone actually talk to you. You
don't have to keep your eyes at the
navigation system.
7. Could be cheaper!
8. Hatchback (more storage room and rear wiper).
I love hatchback and the rear wiper.
9. Use regular gas.
For Passat:
1. Tiptronic is a little bit more fun than
4-speed auto.
2. VW may have better reliability records than
SAAB even though neither one is super reliable.
3. Nicer interior. The air vent, dashboard, and
console setting in 9-3 are old-fashion and
ugly.
4. 2 years free maintainence.
5. 1 touch Auto UP for front windows
6. You can use the key to control windows and
sunroofs.
I was looking at A4 but I changed my mind to focus on Passat 1.8t, 9-3, Volvo S40 and Accord V6. Somehow, I don't know why, I like Passat...may be the interior of 9-3 makes me think it is not worth to spend that amount of money....
If I move to the southern area, I may spend more for a FWD A4.
I just went looking at 9-3's and liked them. They are very good, but I wasn't "blown away" like I expected. Also, I live in a very Saab-Popular area (VT) so the dealer only wanted to come off MSRP by $1000 before subtracting the $4700 rebate. Add to that his reluctance to give me market value for my trade, and it was a no-go financially.
If the deal would have been better, I would have bought it. At $22-23k it is a screaming deal... once you start to creap over $25k though, the decision gets fuzzier.
r34_ I was thinking about A4 1.8T too, but I just couldn't get over the fact that for a $28,000 car it does not offer leather seats. The reasons are..Jetta, Passat, Beetle they all offer leather seats as an option or a standard.
Sporin_ you are right about the current prining situation of Saab 9-3 that not all edmunds' member were able to get the TMV. But still a hand full of people were able to cut the deal.
Once again thanks for the posts!
The facelifted 2001.5 Passat is much better than the B5. However, the chrome ring on the dash, turns me OFF. It says the same thing for the 2002 A4. If I ever going to own an A4, it must be the 2001.
Cos last week I was able to took a short drive of the new Passat B5.5 Friday night(6:30PM). It just can not compare the current B5 dash........no way. Yeh, the 1.8T are puppier but can't think of myself looking at the chrome ring.....all the time.
Well, got to go....
I left work early and raced through traffic to get to the dealership before the salesman left, only to have him tell me when I got there that he "made a mistake" and that he didn't actually have the car I wanted. I had asked him various questions about the car, and he "checked on the car" to answer my questions, so clearly he should have known that what he was looking at was not the car I wanted. He then proceeded to try to sell me various other cars sitting on his lot. He finally realized that I already knew what I wanted, and then he offered to run a search for the car. I think he knew that I was incredibly mad for being misled, because within 15 seconds he claimed that his computer was down, and he wouldn't be able to help me.
I looked today on the Better Business Bureau website and discovered that Trans Ocean VW is rated by the BBB as having an unsatisfactory business record.
Please do not support Trans Ocean VW's deceptive business practices!!!!!
Well, good that you did not fall for it.
Mebbe you should send him this URL link for the InterNet Manager to read your review of the dealership :-)
He even told me people from Milwaukee, Chicago, and other nearby cities bought cars from them ! What a liar ! Many people told me they got much better deals from Milwaukee & Chicago dealers. I will never buy a car from this kind of people.
I already really liked the looks/features/value of the Passat in 2000. I think they made (almost) all the right changes in all the right places.
Head and taillight upgrades are a class above in terms of styling and effectiveness.
Greater slant on the nose? Eh, not much effect IMO.
New colors: Have you seen the Fresco Green? Incredibly elegant and unique color.
And thank God, they added some compartment space under the arm rest, b/c the glove box is shallow and tall. What was this made for, Ketchup bottles? But if you were glad to hear about the added compartment, I must warn you that you will probably slap your forehead and shake your head when you open it. About half of the capacity is taken up with molded dividers. I was warned that Germans don't like to carry a lot of stuff in their cars, and I can see that the concept is still a struggle for German engineers.
Just to be fair, while I love this car and think it is, hands down, the best bang-for-your-buck available, I was disappointed with a couple of minor things.
1st, the 2/24 warrantee is too little and sends the wrong msg. Please don't say "powertrain." I'll trade my 10/100 powertrain for a 5/60 full coverage warrantee any day.
2nd, the interior color options. You call that "beige"?! Try "Powder Yellow." It is horrible. It belongs inside my grandpa's Cadillac in Miami. I would have preferred a nice, rich beige, instead of gray or black, but am left with no choice.
That said, these are my biggest complaints. Not bad considering that one is addressable (a 5/60 costs about $700) and the other is avoidable.
Other than these minor gripes, I think the Passat does a great job of bringing luxury to masses. It is the Peoples' Lexus. ha ha.
(sorry if I rambled)
Good Luck
will be happier And $$$ ahead..One last thought,
VW dealers love the 2/24, they make a ton of $$
repairing these cars after the warranty expires.
That said... I have had 34k nearly trouble-free miles on my '99 Turbo sedan. My biggest issue has been an incompetant local dealer. I wind up taking my car an hour away to o to a good dealer.
Anyeay, I want to replace my '99 (leased) with a leftover '01 (buy this time) but with all the extra luxury stuff I couldn't afford 2 years ago. Heated leather seats, alloys, etc.
I'm buying an extended warranty though... 5 years, 60k miles bumper-to-bumper. It's worth it for the extra peace of mind IMO.
I'm figuring on a 5 year, 60k mile, bumper to bumper with a zero deductable. I've heard anywhere from $500-$700 for this.
I expect that I will go with the VW Masterguard program throught the dealer.
I guess what I'm really peeved at is nobody knows how to determine the cause. Since I sold WV for 17 years I was willing to work with the dealer. Consequently, during the first year the car was in 6 times, however, they tried different things, but repair orders were not written. The car was back 5 times in the second year of ownership and 3 repair orders written. Now the car is over the 2/24 and I'm told it may have to come out of "my pocket". The dealer stated they should need $10,000 to trade for new 2001 like I have, but due to the problems, they'll "try" to work with me. To put this in perspective, we have 5 children and thru our family, have owned over 15 WV's, but if the problem isn't fixed / remedied by the end of the week, guess who's loyalty died. True, Honda doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but when you can't depend on transportation, WHAT GOOD IS IT?
Give it the good stuff, trust me, you can feel the difference with cheaper gast... less pep, fewrer miles per gallon.
Buy an extended b2b warranty to ease your mind. If I get a nwew on, I will even thoguh my '99 GLS has been trouble-free for over 34k miles. Piece of Mind...
I also agree with sporin, and respectfully disagree with eagle63. While it is nice to be covered for powertrain faults, most "fixes" in today's cars occur in "other than Powertrain" areas. On a per incident basis, yes, the engine repair will be the most severe. But faults with electrical, fuel, A/C, etc systems are more probable and they are incredibly expensive to fix. One occurrence will probably zero out the cost of the entire warrantee. Even if it doesn't, piece-of-mind is a wonderful state-of-mind.
Sporin: I'll bet the $500-700 cost ranges with the deductible. Perhaps at $700 it's $0, but at $500 there is a $100 deductible. You know, just like when they say, "3.9% financing available" and then you find out at the dealership that it's only for a 24-month loan. The rate creeps up to "normal" when you get back to a 60-month loan... just thinking out loud.
Where did you buy your b-b extended warranty and get finance from ? Thanks.
http://www.carbuyingtips.com
You will have to search amongst the 7 chapters - one of them has detailed info on Extended Warranties - Go forth and search :-)
Have you checked over on our Finance, Warranty & Insurance Board? There is tons of great information there already, and it is a terrific place to ask all of your questions.
You can easily get there by using the "Select Topic" drop down box in the upper left of this screen.
Let us know what you find out.
Pat
Host
Sedans and Women's Auto Center Message Boards