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Comments
I just bought a new 01.5 GLS w/ Auto (wife needs it),leather, luxury, monsoon. We're thrilled w/ it. In a rush I also purchased extended warranty for extra 2 yrs w/ CNA for $700 w/ $100 deductable. Back home we thought it over about this CNA warranty deal, not sure if it's a wise decision, basically it'll cost me $800 to cover the first covered service. Understand I can still cancel this within 60 days.
Any thoughts you like to share w/ us? I haven't read all the messages here, so I'm not sure if this question had beed posted before.
Thanks a bunch.
Jayson
Anyone has comment on getting 1.8T versus V6 (more than 2K different).
Thanks, Andrew
If you don't own your own home, especially, don't be buying too much car. My house appreciates enough each year to cover my mortgage note, so basically I live free. A 3br apartment here costs the same as my mortgage payment, and they have nothing to show for it.
Btw, I have a $120,000 household income and am "only" shopping for a $27,000 Passat myself. Only when I can pay cash for a more expensive car and still max out the retirement accounts would I buy something more expensive. Previous car was a '97 BMW 540i. Yes, it's about 20% more fun to drive. But it costs double to own and operate. And it's LESS comfortable. I regret ever buying it. Trust me, one day you'll be "old" and wish you had a $300,000 beach condo and a mountain home to retire to, instead of a $70,000 run down house in the suburbs. It also might be nice to retire at 50 instead of 65.
Mike
rather than little pieces of wood as entertainment.
either today or next week or maybe even last week will come so equipped
at no additional charge...delivery on these cars will be early to late October...
And the reason for no additional charge is secondary to the fact that VW acknowledges
the fact that this is a long overdue upgrade...
And truth be known...this is merely the addition of a CD Player...The optional
200 Watt, 8 Channel, actively Crossed Amplifier, upgraded speakers, and DSP
in the HU has been available for quite some time as well as the ability to add a
CD changer or upgrade the HU as many have done for years with any number of
prestige brands...
follow the links to the passat road test. they said the 1.8t is a good engine and not sure if they would pay extra for the vr6
INKY
Thanks!
I've seen your posts on vwvortex. If I lived out west I know where I'd be buying my car.
to add a CD system. The web site list those systems which are compatabile with all models of VW autos and the location of where the systems may be purchased. Happy listening.
2002 Indigo Blue GLS 1.8T tip. Leather/Lux/Monsoon .
2002 Indigo Blue GLS 1.8T tip. Leather/Lux/Monsoon .
are sources...
Can you tell me what the VW warranty will be in Canada for the 2002.
The VW seems to have a much smaller interior and not as good a maintenance record as the Maxima.
What do you think I should choose.
Consumer Reports reliability puts the turbocharged 4-cylinder versions at above average, the 6-cylinder at average. The Maxima does do better at well-above-average but the 4-cylinders have proven quite good.
I think the Passat is a decent value and tops in its class as a $23,000 manual tranny, cloth seats, 4 cylinder "stripper" competing with bland accords and camrys. It is not, however, a good value as a $32-34K loaded faux luxury car. Factoring in resale, reliability, and included maintenance, I think I'd rather have a 3 series BMW or an Audi. Even an Acura TL type S. Especially when I think about having to actually take my car there for service. It also doesn't help that the closest vw dealer to me is in an area of town known more for serving dog meat at restaurants than attracting luxury car buyers.
While it may be an academic debate at the moment about what kind of marketing niche the Passat fills, it is about to become a whole lot more important. By this time next year, VW wants to sell Passats stickered between $35 and $40k, and the year after that, wants to sell the D1 at prices upward of $50k. Ladies and gents, this is a major Dr. Piech fantasy unless VW finds a miraculous way to reform the subpar members of the US dealer body, and pretty darn quickly, too.
US franchise laws make it nearly impossible to impose real reforms on dealers in a quick fashion. Short of outright fraud, pulling a franchise is next to impossible; the tools that manufacturers have at their disposal tend to be economic - tieing allocations to CSI numbers, for example - and these carrot/stick ideas take a long time to weed out the incompetent.
Bottom line: the current dealer group in this country is populated by a lot of guys who had to hang in there through the lean years, and includes a number of principals and locations which are clearly inappropriate to VW's new mission and model mix [for Exhibit A, see the post a few up from here]. The next couple of years are going to be a test for all concerned, most especially customers in those markets where competition is limited, or where the general level of competence is just universally low. Someone in Wolfsburg needs to take charge of this problem, with the same intensity and determination they bring to the table when dealing with new product. Otherwise, your new 4/50 warranty will be valueless, and the Japanese will continue to prosper in this segment [especially Acura and Lexus] based on superior service alone, never mind the relative value of the product.
Otherwise, I totally agree with everything you've stated.
I don't think the Passat is a luxury vehicle. Nonetheless, the quality of the interior (materials, leather) is actually quite competitive with some of the so-called "entry level luxury" vehicles like Acura TL's, ES300's, etc. (and actually, better than the TL's in many ways).
When Nissan announced its new Altima, designed to do battle with the Camry and Accord in the mid-sized market, they made it a point to say they would have a Passat-quality interior. Now Altima fans are howling that early reviews talk about the cheapness of the interior.
I do feel that Passats are somewhat pricey, even though you get safety equipment beyond Camry, Accord, and Maxima. It's taken this long for some catch-up, as the 2002 Camry will finally be available with side curtains. On the other hand, said Camry will also be available with stability control. Its price will be higher than previous Camrys.
As far as the dealerships go, I'm sure your mileage may vary, and your local dealership may be fine. However, I agree that if VW wants to sell $35k-$40k vehicles they'll have to upgrade them overall.
current situation...Your mention of those *lean years* certainly plays a key role
today...So much has happened, so fast that a good number of Dealers are being
forced to play catch up.
It is very important to remember that as recently as 1993/1994 VWOA was
seriously thinking about closing it's doors and leaving the No. American market.
50,000 units a year was pretty bleak...
The introduction of the New 1998 Passat in Q4 of 1997 and the Launch of the New
Beetle in March of 1998 set into motion a turnaround of staggering proportions...In a
42 month period our Sales have increased 700%...365,000 units last year and were
it not for an economy that is slightly less than robust, we probably would be close
to 400,000 for 2001.
And Wolfsburg was well aware of the escalation in 1999 when the *MarketPlace
Initiative* was announced...The Volkswagen MarketPlace specifically addresses
the issues that you raise about Service, Parking, & General Facility Appearance.
In my office hangs a Limited Edition Print of the MarketPlace concept store...
Over the Doorway entrance is the number 2003...It has been my opinion from the
moment I saw this piece of art that VWOA has every intention of exerting all
available pressure on it's Dealer Group to conform to this model, if not completely;
at least generally, by 2003. We'll see.
One more thought: new model introductions sometimes offer the opportunity for the manufacturer to "incent" the dealer body in the desired direction. A real-life example of which I am aware: Mercedes USA required all franchisees to go through a review process, and set stringent new standards for showroom size, service bay counts, CSI scores, etc. in order to qualify a dealer to sell the ML when it was introduced. Our dealer in Sacramento complied, at the cost of many hundreds of thousands of dollars in new investment; the dealer in Reno chose to pass, and runs the same business from the same rundown storefront that has been there for decades. Result: all of the allocations for MLs [and by extension, for other models that were tied to total dealer volume] that would have gone to Reno, went to Sacto instead. They now deliver nearly a dozen vehicles a week "over the mountain" to northern Nevada customers. Sooner or later, this will have the desired effect of either shaping up the Reno franchise or getting it sold. But this sort of thing takes time, and in the meantime the customer has to make do...
VWoA might think to apply the same kind of pressure as the new upscale models are introduced. By whatever means, something has to be done.
We are considering a new car purchase in the near future. The vehciles we currently drive are a 1998 Mercury Sable LS (fully loaded) and a 1991 Toyota Camry DX (only pwr windows and locks). We will (fianlly!) be replacing the Camry. I have heard/read great things about the Passat. I like its styling, great crash test ratings, and have heard its V6 engine is wonderful. Our only quams about the Passat are its reliability. Is it a reliable car? Is it expensive to get it fixed? Our Sable has been pretty reliable and cheap to fix. The Camry has been extremely reliable (about 160,000 miles and counting) but somewhat expensive to get fixed. Would parts/labor for a Passat be comprable to those of a Camry? Also is the Passat really worth the extra $ over its competitors? I understand it offers many luxury options, but its price tag is still pretty steap. Lastly, how much are dealers willing to negotiate on pricing? Any responses would be greatly appreciated.
The dealer is owasco.com (Bob Verway )they are in Whitby ontario and it was worth the drive. This is my second VW. My first is Jetta 2001 GLS loaded TDI, leased from the same dealer.
There is no comparison between Japan v German. I looked at Lexus, junky for the price and I had a Volvo 99 GLT touring (love the car but ). Volvo could not compete with the price/options and they do not have AWD any more.
Oh ya 2002 is 4yr/80k warranty.
Cool.
GLS 1.8T
Tiptronic
Leather Package
Luxury Package
Monsoon
In Dash CD Player
Can't wait till monday to pick the car up !!!
Will the '02 Passat have an in-dash CD? Either single disc or multi-disc? The 2001.5 brochure I looked at a while back showed no in-dash CD option. Wife wants a loaded car but has to have an in-dash CD. I don't want one in trunk.
Did the dealer say if they would be standard or optional with the 2002 Passats? And if optional, how much? I won't have a trunk-mounted player. Don't care if the in-dash is single or multiple disc. Kind of prefer simplier single disc.
Guess I'll be stopping at local VW dealer soon to see if he has any 2002s with 4/50 warranty.