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Comments
My Camry was leased through a Toyota dealer in Minneapolis. When it was time to turn it in, Toyota Motor Credit Corp failed to tell me that dealers in Florida, where I now reside, are not part of that division. Sometime in the past Toyota, I found out, agreed to let another entity handle cars in the state. So, the only way a local dealer would take my car was if I leased or bought a new one. That was not part of the agreement. Anyway, the VW salesman was familiar with the problem and faxed Toyota for the proper papers. He inspected my Camry then filled out the papers, faxed them back to Toyota headquarters and they told him they'd pick up the car within 10 days. They did.
That's my last "demand" from the salesperson when closing a deal. I ask them if they put any sticker on the back with the dealership name. Luckily, VW Gallery in Norwood doesn't do that on any of their cars (according to my salesguy). But when I puchased a '94 Isuzu Rodeo (back in '94), I had told my salesguy to not put the dealer sticker on the back. When I went to pick it up, there's the logo. I refused delivery. They took it into their shop and used a hot air gun to remove it.
Dealership stickers, in my opinion, ruin the appearance of the car's rear (plus it's free advertising for the dealership). We get nothing out of it. If I could bill them $50/month to drive around with their advertisment, I'd reconsider.
-Craig
I recently left Corporate America in the pursuit of medical school. As such, that means scaling a few non-essentials back, as my wife (God love her) will be supporting us solely for the next few years. Like most of you, I am also an admitted car-aholic. We currently have a 2001 BMW 330i and a 2001 Z3 2.5. Both fantastic, fun cars, the 330i being nearly the automotive ideal (assuming that something called the M5 did not exist). We have decided to sell the cars within the next year or so and get a Passat. I was set on getting a WRX (great performance machine), but could not get past the immature-looking styling and average (at best) interior. I found that a Passat GLS 1.8T 5M gives me 90% of what I've come to love and respect in the 330i for about 65% of the price. Interior is VERY comparable (I prefer the straightforward, classic German approach to interiors FAR more than the trendy Japanese approach), reliability is on-par, safety is on-par, comfort is on-par, and the fun-to-drive quotient is there. OK, performance suffers a bit, nothing compares to a BMW inline-6, and I do prefer RWD over anything else, but for $15K less, it's a shame I didn't consider the Passat a couple of years ago. A true value in every sense of the word.
It will be a few months before we actually pull the trigger, but I find myself even more excited than when we bought the 330i. Perhaps because the practicality/value aspect of the car appeals to the engineer side of me more. I look forward to following this board for the duration.
Future Passat GLS 1.8T 5M, Leather, Monsoon, ESP
The '03 GLS has a different option package than the '02 (there wasn't a GL in '02). And ESP wasn't available.
Reliability is pretty good (not as good as Honda/Toyota). Little things go wrong (seat heater in mine). But there's a borderline recall on the coil packs on '01 and '02 models. I think they fixed it for '03.
-Craig
I haven't been japped in my wife's car with leather seats - yet, but I have on my Odyssey's velour cloth seats.
Leather shouldn't generate much static, I think, but the cloths you wear will - especially when you layer your outfit - lots of rubbing between the cloths will result in static.
Sorry for the off-topic.
o Put the pump in the gas tank and set it to "fill till full" (that clicky thing)
o Get back into your car
o Get out to take the pump out of the tank when full
This can result in a static charge (from getting in and out of your car) and ignite an explosion at the pump. It's happened many times before (I think 22 times in the past few years). In one case, someone's child burned to death inside the car (horrific story).
If you must get back inside your car while filling (to get money or a credit card), after getting out, touch something metal to discharge yourself before touching the pump (or anything near the tank).
As for shocks getting out of my Passat - not very frequently. I have leather, so that helps. I used to get zapped a lot (and sometimes it really hurt) in the traded-in Accord (cloth seats).
-Craig
We plan to keep the Passat for quite a while (7-8 years), and although reliabilty is important to me, I am certianly willing to give up a slight reliabilty edge to gain in the sportiness/fun-to-drive/character department.
FWIW, I initially had reservations about BMW reliability versus some of the Japanese appliances I had owned in the past. The only problems I've had in the past roughly three years are the replacement of two front power window regulators. All else has been perfect (knock on wood).
I traded in a '96 Honda Accord. It had about 75,000 miles, and the only thing that went wrong was a hole in the muffler. Other than that, just oil changes.
In my '02 Passat, I broke two headlight housings trying to adjust the incorrectly adjusted height, and needed a seat heater replaced. This is within 11,000 miles/8 months.
Now I'm waiting for the coil packs to blow (1 at a time of course).
But I do love the car.
-Craig
I told the dealership I want to drive another Passat to see how normal torque steer is. If it's normal, then all Passat's should do it.
Has anyone else noticed this problem? Thanks
Gary
Shocks: My Jetta has never shocked me yet. I had a rental Impala when my coil went, and it shocked the hell outta me every single time I got out. Even through the plastic key holder!
A little tip: Touch the tip of your key to the door to "discharge" yourself and save yourself the shock. They surely do hurt sometimes!
What you describe is NOT torque steer. Torque steer is a common problem associated with more powerful FWD cars. It's a tendency to pull to one side DURING STONG ACCELERATION due to the unequal length of the front driveshafts. Audi/VW have taken great engineering pains to design the front suspension to minimize torque steer.
Torque steer, by definition, does NOT happen during coasting, braking, or light acceleration conditions. This is what leads me to believe you have an alignment issue, and this should have been the first and most obvious thing that occurred to your dealership.
When coasting does it still pull to one side?
What about when you are one roads that slope to the left?
Alignment?
Passat GLS wagon 1.8t/5M
Pros: Its a wagon - can easily carry dog, skis, bike etc.
Like the appearance
Standard curtain airbags
Good fuel economy
Fun to drive
Cons: Reliability (?)
Not a lot of power
Acura TL Type S:
Pros: Plenty of power
Like the appearance
Good Value
Good fuel economy
Good reliability
Cons: not a wagon
No side curtain airbags
Honda Accord EXV6:
Pros: Good value
Standard side curtain airbags
Good reliability
Plenty of power
Good fuel economy
Somwhere between Passat wagon & Acura in terms of practicality
Cons: Trying to like the looks.
I'm replacing a 1989 Acura Integra hatchback I've owned since new. It has been practical, economical, reliable fun transportation. The main reason that I'm looking for new is that it has no airbags and I feel increasingly vulnerable seeing all the giant SUVs on the road.
I test drove a Passat 1.8T with and without and automatic. They were vastly different cars. The auto was a nice car but the manual was much more fun to drive. The only time I hate a manual is being stuck in ski traffic in the mountains - constantly slipping the clutch.
BTW the difference between the 190 hp six & the 170 hp four is considerably less in Denver & the mountains. I think the turbo maintains its power where the six is down to about 83% of its rating at 5000' and down to 69% of its rating at 10,000 ft. Is this a correct assumption?
Any comments on the reliability of a 2003 Passat 1.8t/5M?
The Accord and TL are nice cars, but they are basically the same car. The new Accord is not as stylish as it used to be, in my opinion. It looks like a gigantic Civic. If you want a car that has the probability of perfect reliability (like Honda), then you might be better off sticking with them. But the late Accord (02) and TL both have had transmission problems (trannies failing), so be warned.
I would choose the Passat if I were you, simply because you state that you want a wagon body style, and the others don't offer one. The Passat also has safety features that a car that's about $10K more MSRP (TL) does NOT have. Think about that. The 03 Passat's also available with stability control as an option, matching the TL and exceeding the Accord in this department.
The 1.8T Passat has had pretty good reliability ratings lately, according to Consumer Reports. As anyone who knows VW will tell you, a Honda will have fewer problems, but the VW actually has a personality.
I recommend you drive all 3 and buy which you like the best.
Thanks,
Anatoliy
If youre getting a 3year old passat, then you might definitely be saving far less than 8k, turbos fail, other potential expensive problems. If you are getting a nice low mileage car, do what you can afford.
Go and register at http://www.vwvortex.com for all the info (on everything!) you will ever need to know about your B5 Passat.
I would go for a 1-2 year old car if not a leftovr 02 model. But the 4/50K warranty became standard in 2002 though, just a note. But you could save yourself some depreciation by finding a 01.5 or 02 on a dealer's lot. The Passat holds its value extremely well though (best-in-class, actually), so that might be difficult.
Go to http://www.vw.com and search under CPO (certified pre-owned) for cars around your area. Good luck!
I think VW did a very good job of clearing the 02 inventory before releasing the 03's.
Also the low interest rates are only good on 2003 models, so it may make more sense to grab a new model than an old. Run the numbers both ways before you buy.
I hear that http://www.silblade.com are good ones, but I don't know as I don't have them.
No thanks..
-Craig
Yeah tiptronic might be slow....but you might be suprised.
HO
The Golf/Jetta are a bit lighter.
WRX: 0-60 in 5.6 seconds
Jetta TDI: 0-60 in 11 seconds.
For that kind of performance difference, I'd be happy to downshift into 4th.
-Craig
I was considering the WRX wagon if I couldn't get the TDI (availability last year). Been happy with the performance, especially on the highway.
You should try to comparisons 50-70 mph, 45-60 mph, etc. They give you more real-world performance.
Do you know how a WRX gets to 60 in 5.6 seconds? Rev to 5000 rpms and slip the clutch in. Not exactly good for the transmission and clutch.
TDI: you can't drop the clutch like other cars (launching sucks for that regard), and people rev to redline before shifting, which is a wasted effort.
Don't forget, the TDI peak torque is at about 2000 rpms. Plenty of torque to get off the line.
I am considering putting a K&N Filter in my '03 Passat GLX. I haven't looked under the hood lately, but I can't recall seeing easy access to the filter housing. As stated in previous posts, the owner's manual doesn't say much about maintenance, so if anyone can lend an opinion, that'd be great. I've used them in other cars and have been pretty happy with them. For $40, you can't go wrong since it will last the life of the car.
THANKS
The TDI is comparible to a Honda Civic Hybrid and the like. They have about the same acceleration. But the Honda can be filled up at any gas station, unlike the TDI.
Don't get me wrong. I think VW's big diesels are the way to go in the Passat. But the 1.9 130hp one? Nah. I'm happy getting 33mpg on the highway and also have decent acceleration.
-Craig
I asked the same thing, and was directed to a website, which I just tried to access again and apparently is no longer there.
http://www.tuninglinx.com/html/afilter.html
Basically it was an independent, rather scientific test of the K&N's which showed that horsepower did not increase and in some cases decreased, and the filtering was not always better than stock filters. I believe that also it voids the VW warrantee.
I took mine back after reading it.
I perfectly happy getting 54 mpg on the highway and still have great 5th gear passing performance.
Sure the 2.5L V6 diesel in the Passat (EUrope) has 20 more horsepower, AND the same amount of torque, but it deliever just about equal performance, but smoother, and carries a larger price tag.
I was skeptical of the 0-60 specs of my TDI myself, until I've driven it, that totally changed my perception of its 90 bhp.
o The TDI is torquey, but also mentioned that it is slow
o Had a little of the "diesel" sound/vibration at idle
o Got worse gas mileage compared to the Prius and Civic Hybrid in similiar driving conditions
o More difficult to find fuel stations that carry diesel (compared to gasoline)
o Isn't nearly as clean for the environment (due to sulfur content in our diesel fuel). A good SULEV gas car polutes less than any diesel in the US.
If I could get a ground stompin' V10 diesel from VW in a Passat, and the US cleaned up the sulfur content in the fuel, I'd consider it.
-Craig