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Comments
1. Is this a good deal?
2. How reliable are these things? Anyone have any issues/concerns, particularly questions I should ask or things I should inspect before buying the car?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Easiest way if you don't want to do hard negotiating: just get the TMV of the car you want, call the dealer and offer that amount (or lower) to the salesman. If he takes it, you got a fair deal. If not, just negotiate from there. Ask for his price, then tell him you'll call him back after you think about it. Keep going until you or he decide you've reached the bottom. Get it in writing via fax. If he says he needs you to come in to make an offer or otherwise refuses to deal over the phone, tell him thanks for his help, leave your number in case he "changes his mind", and move on to another dealer.
Good luck.
Many thanks to everyone for their helpful input!
Is there an official initiation, or am I automatically part of the cult?
Congrats on your new car! Enjoy it and may it serve you as well as your previous Saab did.
Just my $.02
The reliability records of these cars speak for themselves.
-Craig
All New Beetles, coupe or convertible are built in Puebla, as are all Jetta Sedans for the No. American Market.
All Golfs coming to No. America are built in Brazil.
All Jetta/Bora Wagons/Variants are built in Wolfsburg, Germany.
Passats are built in either Emden or Mosel and shipped through Emden.
And like most products, the more expensive, the better the quality...That is why they cost more.....
All the Jetta's I've seen (and assume that I'm talking normal cars, not wagons) have the "Made in Mexico" label on them. And as far as I remember, the Beetles I've seen have the "Made in Brazil" label on them. If I'm incorrect on the Beetle comment and they were Golfs, oops (one useless car is the same as another to me). The point was that the Passat is the only vehicle in the current lineup (Passat, Jetta, Golf, and Beetle) that is always made in Germany.
And the reliability ratings support that fact.
-Craig
I've taken it to 2 VW dealers and they do not know what is wrong. The really do not have any suggestions either. I get the feeling they do not want to be bothered with my issue. I am tired of paying VW for them to look at it and not know what the issue is. They tell me they cannot deactivate the alarm either.
Does anyone have any suggestions or advice?
Or does your year use the car's main horns (under the hood)?
I thought about disconnecting the wire, but I am afraid that would further freak out the Control Unit and may cause even more damage. Plus, I think I would lose more re-sale value if wires were disconnected.
Thanks for any help in advance,
Ryan
You might try posting this on the Vortex.
Good luck!
Cheers,
- Ray
Sorry not to be able to provide proof of a real 'fix' . . .
Alarm - I had a '93 GMC Suburban that had the same problem with the alarm going off - It turned out that the battery was bad, and the low voltage would trip the alarm - weird.
A/C - My wife bought a 2003 Accord that did the same thing - A/C would quit working after driving an Hour or so. Turned out the A/C had too much freon installed at the factory.
My Passat GLX is problem free At 20K Miles and counting.
Gator
I'm in l ove the with Passat GLX, but I'm afraid it might be more car than I can afford. Plus, a single guy doesn't need such a big sedan.
Can you please comment on the difference in 'ride' between the the Passat and Jetta?
It seems as though they contain many of the same features, too. (Minus, maybe homelink.)
Thanks!
Danny
Misty
However, in your specific situation I wouldn't buy the 98 passat. First of all it's the first model year and many defects were fixed in future years. Second, 29K miles in a 6 year old car converted from Canada sounds dubious. You can get a more recent model for that price.
Jettas are known to be less reliable than their bigger siblings, the Passats.
If you take some time to look inside a Jetta GLX vs a Passat, you'll see the interior quality is a bit better in the Passat, IMHO.
Some people say that the Jetta handles a little bit better than the Passat - due to its size, but I haven't noticed it at all (I test drove both 2000 Jetta GLS and a 2003 Passat). However, if you compare the Passat with the cars of its own class (Accord, Camry, et al - the Passat easily blows them away).
After the numerous problems with my wife's old '97 Jetta, I would neve consider buying one again. If you could comfortably afford it, I would go with the Passat, if not for the reliability, but also for it's excellent safety ratings.
I'm considering purchasing a used 1999 Passat GLS 1.8T wagon w/ tiptronic transmission. Only 27K miles, and it was owned by a couple who both work sales at the dealership I'd be buying it from. Certified pre-owned (so 2 year/24K warranty + roadside assistance) and it's absolutely spotless. It has sunroof, upgraded 17" tires with nice alloys, leather steering wheel, cloth seats, no CD player.
Dealer is asking 15.9K, what would be a fair price to offer? Most of the posts I've read so far are about new Passats, anyone have experience buying used? Anything in particular about the 1999 that I should look out for? I loved the way the car drives and looks (it's silver w/gray interior) and it's nice and roomy.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Also, the handling difference in the Passat is because of its size, I have driven Passats before and they handle pretty respectably.
So, we traded in my beloved Civic *sob* and bought a 2003 VW Passat. I like the car but 1) miss my Civic and 2) am being slammed by all of my friends who own minivans. We didn't purchase a new car for more trunk space (which both the Civic and Passat have a respectable amount- enough for a stroller and groceries) we purchase a new car for more *backseat* room for our soon to be two kids.
So anyway, I've had the Passat almost 3 weeks now and am still not enjoying it. DH drives a 2002 Honda Accord that he loves. Can I have some reassurance why the VW Passat was a good choice?
I bought the 2003 VW Passat GLS 1.8T with leather, moonsoon, homelink. Candy white with tan interior.
Thanks,
Carrie
I, for one, don't listen to friends about what car I should drive. Most really don't know my needs as well as I do, and there's a lot of "I bought it so you should, too." When mini-vans were waaayyy popular in my area, we owned a hatchback. When SUV's became hot, we owned a sedan. SUV's are still hot, we bought a Passat wagon. I make it a point to zig when others zag, but only when it makes sense to me.
So, I guess you have the following options:
1) Learn to like it and ignore your friends.
2) Sell it and get a Honda Odyssey.
I don't think I can give you assurance that it was the right choice, since clearly it's not, at least in your mind.
What do you think?
Anyway, we narrowed it down between a Toyota Highlander, a Honda Ody and the VW Passat. It's my car, I used my money and my credit to buy it and my husband had very little say in the matter (again, he loves his 2002 Honda Accord).
I am getting use to going from a 2002 Honda Civic that I loved (despite the *cough*12*cough* problems that I had) to the Passat that I am lukewarm about. I liked the Passat over the other two vehicles for many reasons.
I suppose it is the ribbing I am getting for not going with the norm (minivan) just because we will have two kids by the end of the year and hubby has questioned why I didn't get a minivan or a Passat Wagon (3 weeks too late to interject his opinion!).
I love the 1.8T engine so far, the interior is so much more luxerious over my Civic and my 6 year old daughter loves the room she has in the back! So to answer your question- I chose #1.
Besides, isn't the Passat constantly named the best family sedan over and over again?!?
So what gives?
The Passat is one of the safest cars to be in if there is a collision, and IMHO it is much nicer to look at than a boxy old suv/minivan. I prefer the Sedan over the Wagon for that same reason. Since the back seats fold down, (unless you have 4-motion) I don't see much point in wagons.
And the ride - Don't you notice a bit softer ride than the Honda ? My wifes' '03 Accord feels like it has no Springs compared to my Passat.
My 2 cents worth.
Good luck -
Gator
To answer your question... I can't list what I don't like about the Passat. I like everything on it, it's just a change from my Civic and wanted reassurance after being slammed by a few minivan mommies that I made a good choice.
Carrie
The Passat is 10 times more car than the Civic any day. A luxury car compared to an econo. Enjoy and congrats!
1) Safety
2) Comfort
3) Economy
4) Size
5) Performance
6) Price
Everyone weights these items differently, but in our estimation, nothing else fit the bill. Our wagon allows use to put the stroller on its edge, so we have considerable room for shopping and vacations (took a trip in February - the load included: stroller, folded pak n'play, 5 suitcases, and a shopping bag of presents. Everything fit in the back, with my vision completely unobstructed). All in a car that is almost identical in exterior size to a Honda Accord. The point of a wagon over a sedan is the flexibility of the extra height in the storage area.
The plethora of airbags and the strength of the body were major attractions. Close a door and compare it to your husband's Honda - the VW's more closely resembles a vault door. The crash tests (both domestic and Euro) comfirmed our perceptions.
The comfort features (we have the GLS with leather) rank higher than any other car we've owned. The sound system's good (for stock) and the little creature comfort things abound.
Economy and performance? On the above mentioned trip I exceeded the EPA highway rating with 32 mpg (try that in a mini-van), all the while maintaining alittle over 70 mph on the interstate. The 1.8T is no slouch and can be significantly enhanced if you're willing to have the engine management chip replaced with an aftermarket item (warranty may be voided, caveat emptor!).
There's no doubt that a VW is different from the Pacific Rim offerings. It's a different philosophy, a different style. A different answer to the same design question. Ignore your friends (maybe they're just jealous?). Enjoy the car for what it is. Good luck with your new car.
We only have one child - if we had two, maybe my solution would have been different. But the Passat wagon works extremely well for us.
Count your blessings, we have a friend that just had triplets in addition to their 5 year old. They've moved right on up to the van market (regular vans, not mini's) with the need for six people (three in car seats and one in a booster).
I test drove the Passat and loved the acceleration over my Civic. The Highlander was awsome- loved it but the bite into my Exxon bill would have been horrendous and I fear rolling over, lol. The Ody was ok, it was a used 2000 that I test drove (at the VW dealership no less) and it felt very bouncy (wobbly?) on turns, too big to park (the salesman was kind enough not to laugh at my panick of having to park in reverse- he took over) and looking into I just didn't feel we would NEED that much space. It was nice...just didn't feel like a car I wanted to own.
So I read epinions.com, edmunds.com, asked a friend who has a 2000 Passat, and when it came down safety, standard options dollar to dollar, the Passat won out.
I LOVED that Jetta and would have bought a Jetta again if backseat space hadn't been an issue. A Jetta GLX in Galactic Blue with grey leather interior.... *drool* lol But the Jetta from Carmax had a horrible history when I called the service dept. it had been serviced at.
Carrie
But, that aside, the Passat does have a LOT of space for the kids AND their stuff, and if you don't plan on having more than two kids, you're fine there.
Altair4 is right - NEVER buy a car based on what other people expect or want you to. Your needs are very different from theirs. The Passat has an excellent safety record - unmatched in its class, and I would not put my wife and kids in any car that wasn't any safer. We're not talking about crash tests here - but also ESP, and side curtain airbags!
Your "Friends" are probably jealous of your car - or the fact that you like to do things a little differently. Don't let them spoil your enjoyment of your new, reliable and safe car.
I get to drive the Passat on the highway today so that should be fun
Hubby watched the Passat video with me last night and said "Well now I have to go buy a new car soon to compete with yours! You can't have a nicer car than me!!" He was kidding of course but he was impressed with the nice added touch features (a/c glove box for juice boxes, etc) and heard him mumble a few times "well, I don't have that..." *evil grin*
Carrie
I have not had one second of doubt that I should have bought a sedan versus the wagon. It's so versatile. Now, when I'm on the road and I see a nice wagon, my wife says I sound like Homer Simpson: [Homer voice]Mmmmm...wagon[end Homer voice].
The only competition the Passat had was the the Subaru wagons...but the interior put me off and the exterior cladding on the Outback made my wife blanch. We looked at the Volvo's (v40 was too small and v60 was too pricey). Audi's A4 was too small and A6 was too pricey. Yep, the Passat wagon was the way to go for us! Enjoy your car...maybe you should lend that Passat video to your friends and neighbors...
I still went back and looked at the 3 series really, really close, and of course, the A4. I suppose if I had all the money in the world I would be driving a RS-6 (Audi)
One thing is for sure, one cannot touch a BMW or Audi wagon for the price of a Passat wagon, and I consider them comparable in alot of ways. If VW would offer that 2.7 T in a Passat I might have to look at that...
Gator
I like the looks of the sedan better, but there's no doubt that the wagon is much more versatile. There's no comparison between a wagon (complete open space) and fold down seats (back window/sill in the way).
But, I did have the oppotunity to drive in an '03 Wagon (1.8T) the other day (friend's car). It seemed much "boomier" than my sedan. Every bump he hit created a low frequency boom. This has something to do with the amount of open space in the cabin. In retrospect, I'm glad I bought the sedan. Not to mention it's better drag coefficient (I do tons of highway driving).
The choice is up to the individual and their situation.
-Craig
I might have found my GLX. Used, one owner bought in Nov '02, 12K miles. Auto, w/ ESP.
Is $24,500-$25,000 a good price?
Thanks - there are so few used '03's are the market right now, it's hard to tell.
Dan
I might have found my GLX. Used, one owner bought in Nov '02, 12K miles. Auto, w/ ESP.
Is $24,500-$25,000 a good price?
Thanks - there are so few used '03's are the market right now, it's hard to tell.
Dan
I love the quality feel of the Passat, but I am wondering about a couple of things. Does this car do OK on regular unleaded gas, as I don't like the thought of always buying premium (I don't mind sacrificing a few horsepower)? Also, is the hesitation when first hitting the accelerator better with the manual as compared to the automatic (I guess that this is a characteristic of the turbocharging)? Finally, I've read some messages complaining about the ignition coils. Is this a problem with the new Passats? Thanks for your help.