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Comments
This was only a joke, TEO! I figured I would get a rise out of someone.
The reliability issue has been beaten like a red headed stepchild. People come to these sights looking for answers, what they get are opinions.
Reading these boards would make you think that any car is barely able to get around the block without breaking.
Go with what you want, cars today have tremendous reliability as a whole. Odds are you can drive any make for 5 to 7 years and never have it leave you stranded. As for rattles, squeeks and mysterious engine fires, I can't address that. My Passat is new, only has 24,000 miles. No squeeks or rattles yet, and no engine fires. However, my previous 2 VW's were solid at high miles.
By the way, I do like the uniqueness of owning a VW. I still get "the look" from many people when I tell them I drive a VW. You don't have to explain exclusivity to me. If you have read my posts you will see that I am also a Mercedes 300 owner as well as a Land Rover owner. By the way, I get more comments on my Passat than the Mercedes ever did. No exclusivity there, at least around these parts. The Land Rover is a different story.
brands require service...And the fact I have
always been a bit surprised that for a brand with
such a relatively small market share that they
are always busier than we are...This from a MBZ
Owner with 240K on the clock...Original Engine
& Chain...
And most of these cars are new; not the classics...And the hourly Rate is over $100 an
hour...
As I said the illustration was extreme, but only
to point out the power of this specific profit
center in a Dealership...Sorry to be so obtuse...
The Passat (and Jetta, too) are still neck-and-neck with the other dozen or so cars I'm considering from VW, Honda, Toyota, Volvo, Audi, Subaru, Ford, and Chevy. If I told you some of the models I am cross-shopping, you would never believe me. For instance, I'm looking at a Volvo S40 or S60 at the same time I'm looking at a Chevy Impala or a Ford Crown Victoria...go figure, but I have some very solid reasons for why I'm interested in all of these cars. I'm also looking at the Golf, Jetta, Passat, Camry Accord, Audi A4, and the Subaru Outback or Legacy. I haven't really decided either way what I'm going to buy. The good thing is I have until next summer/fall to make up my mind. I'm starting early because I want to make the right choice, plus I really love the whole car shopping experience.
All cars have their pluses and minuses without a doubt. The VW's have excellent safety features and good warranties, but like I said before, it seems as though their service departments leave a lot to be desired. In all fairness, though, I will do some more research on my own in person at some of my local VW dealers to try and get a feel for what the real story is (rather than just relying completely on what I read on the internet, which may or may not be true).
Anyway, thanks again for the great advice, and I'm sorry to be the one to have to tell you about this setback for S.A.V.E. Keep trying, though...remember that most major political movements got their start through small, grass-roots efforts like yours, so just hang in there and keep trying. I'm sure that one day S.A.V.E. with be a social and political force to be reckoned with.
Regards,
DL
The MB part was good, you have to admit plenty of old ones on the road. I spend a bit of each year in LA, loads of great looking old MB's on the road. Will be there next week, maybe I'll drive up and say Hi. I know I owe you a drink or two.
The Passat is incredibly cheap. Maybe not if you load it up with every last option and then order the years supply of turtle wax in the Finance & Insurance office... but I have yet to see another non-luxury model that has so many features STANDARD, even on a stripper model. You can EASILY drive off in a brand new Passat for under 21k, and you will have every feature in a car that you need... airbags everywhere, traction, abs, security system, etc. If you want to line your seats with dead animal skin and put a hole in your roof, it will cost you more, but not a whole lot more.
The Passat leasing deals are incredible. It is price and value which has made me strongly consider a new Passat as a replacement to my current one.
Really?
Where?
Does that car comes with a steering wheel and seats?
Everyhting I have seen here in local dealer lots is loaded up the ying yang. Passats are very easy to find my leather, sunroof, etc. Try to find one with cloth seats and no sunroof..
frankly, i don't understand this... every dealership should offer stripper Passats at ridiculously low prices, then let the salesman steer people into buying the optioned out models loaded with needless extras.
anyway, you can get a nice Passat for a very good price if you don't get all the extras, don't pay for the rust coating, turtle wax, scotch guard, window etching, $800 for a CD changer, warranty, etc etc etc..
BTW - just got 1.8Tmanual passat with leather and luxury package for $23.6, exactly what Bimmer are you gonna sell me with these options for this amount ? Im ready to buy it when you reply.
As for the problem residing in a minority of the total dealership body, that may or may not be true...but what is true is that those J D Power rankings didn't come out of the blue sky. These guys have a lot of work to do.
LS and someone who has read a majority of the posts on the Impala board, I think you should come clean and tell everyone that this is your second Impala and that GM bought back your first one because you had so much trouble with it. Also you should also note that you were in the sales brochure for the 2000 Impala. It was because of the numerous problems noted on the Impala board by you and others that swayed me away from an Impala. The LS stickers in the 25000 dollar range and it does have alot of very nice features but drive the Passat and Impala back to back and IMHO there is no comparison. Also as you have pointed out on the Impala board there are lousy dealers sevice depts in all makes and that we are buying machines and that they all have thier problems Impala and Passat, even Camry and Accord. If you are getting lousy service i feel for you no matter what car you are driving, computer you are using, or washing machine you are using, no one wants to feel screwed. My paticular situation is that this is my second Passat, first time I've ever owned the same make twice in a row, the dealer has gone through growing pains and at one point I swore never again but they cleaned up thier act and at this point I'm very satisfied with the car and dealer.
CUP: according to Edmunds Dealer Invoice with not ONE option is $20,340.00 so i guess if u can find a dealer that makes about zero profit u can get one for less than 21K. Around here on the lot all you can find is optioned up 4 bangers for about 26ish.
Mlayton694: I paid 30k flat with carsdirect for a loaded 3er. At the time a passat glx in my area was selling for 30k , and that was a fwd no 4motion. So take 30k for passat, add 10k to install a complex RWD system and buttersmooth inline 6 and we can talk, sounds silly ? perhaps but i didnt come here to be attacked for posting an opinion.
like i said earlier i favor the VW product ,but IMHO are slightly overpriced. take that as you will.
Regards,
DL
Passat GLX Loaded without 4MO on Carsdirect- $28,554
I ask again, what are you smokin ???
If I get a Passat next year, I plan to get a stripped GLS 1.8T with the only option being an auto transmission. If I can't find one on a lot in the colors I want, I'll have it ordered for me.
It's possible that some dealers might try to steer you away from doing a factory order because they'd rather sell you what they have on their lot, but you can always go to another VW dealer. Usually, it's not too hard to find somebody who will do this for you.
Thanks.
You mentioned looking at a Ford Crown Vic. For some reason I like these also, and I am probably 20 years below their average buyer age. I rent them all the time when I travel. They are very comfortable to drive. Have you seen the new Mercury Marauder? It is a hot rodded but stealthy version similar to the previous Impala SS. I believe it is a 2002 model, looks like fun.
Back to S.A.V.E. and the cause. MY VW dealer is so bad that they charged me extra to rotate the air in my tires during my last oil change. They said it was required at 25,000 miles. (This one may sway a couple of future buyers.)
He told me that this had recently changed and that all cars coming off the assembly line now have a single CD player in the console.
Did I miss some announcement to that effect? Is this for real?
I like power but I also like a quiet cabin. I drove the Passat v6 a few months ago... it was a 2001.5.
2 Days ago I went to drive the "more powerful" 1.8T. I thought I was going to be totally impressed, and "sold" on it, so that when I go to Lease one next year, I would get the 4 and $AVE money..
Well, Im sorry. I hated the 4. It was NOISY, and it did quiet down after 30-35mph.. But it really makes a roar, and makes the whole experience less satisfying. When I drove the 6 cyl a few months ago, it was VERY QUIET, buttery, quick off the line (of Course), and it really made the whole experience to drive it much nicer.
I also found that when the Turbo kicked in, it was very unpredictable to determine at a stand still.
Thoughts anyone? I know I see a LOT of postings with owners of passats w/ 1.8T's. I have to have Automatic, I won't buy any more manuals. I've owned many, and they were fun in the past, but Im ready for automatic. If you had my 80 mile commute, you'd want automatic too.
Oh, and one more thing.. I have a '99 9-3, and it BLOWS away the passat 1.8T. Sorry... But If you ever get the chance to drive one, its amazing. But I still will trade in/turn in the Saab (lease) next year and I do want the passat. OK... let 'em rip..
You are right, I have the 1.8t and it is noisy especially when starting the engine cold. After it warms up its nice and quiet. I can handle the noise, the pickup on 1.8t is good (unless your really into speed), and I absolutely hate the ugly wood trim that cant be separated from the V6 option.
I like power but I also like a quiet cabin. I drove the Passat v6 a few months ago... it was a 2001.5.
2 Days ago I went to drive the "more powerful" 1.8T. I thought I was going to be totally impressed, and "sold" on it, so that when I go to Lease one next year, I would get the 4 and $AVE money..
Well, Im sorry. I hated the 4. It was NOISY, and it did quiet down after 30-35mph.. But it really makes a roar, and makes the whole experience less satisfying. When I drove the 6 cyl a few months ago, it was VERY QUIET, buttery, quick off the line (of Course), and it really made the whole experience to drive it much nicer.
I also found that when the Turbo kicked in, it was very unpredictable to determine at a stand still.
Thoughts anyone? I know I see a LOT of postings with owners of passats w/ 1.8T's. I have to have Automatic, I won't buy any more manuals. I've owned many, and they were fun in the past, but Im ready for automatic. If you had my 80 mile commute, you'd want automatic too.
Oh, and one more thing.. I have a '99 9-3, and it BLOWS away the passat 1.8T. Sorry... But If you ever get the chance to drive one, its amazing. But I still will trade in/turn in the Saab (lease) next year and I do want the passat. OK... let 'em rip..
As for the Saab 9-3 being faster... I don't think so... they're about the same on 0-60 runs. I test drove a 9-3 recently and liked it, but there was waaaay too much body roll for my tastes, horrible back seat legroom and very questionable reliability.
I like power but I also like a quiet cabin. I drove the Passat v6 a few months ago... it was a 2001.5.
2 Days ago I went to drive the "more powerful" 1.8T. I thought I was going to be totally impressed, and "sold" on it, so that when I go to Lease one next year, I would get the 4 and $AVE money..
Well, Im sorry. I hated the 4. It was NOISY, and it did quiet down after 30-35mph.. But it really makes a roar, and makes the whole experience less satisfying. When I drove the 6 cyl a few months ago, it was VERY QUIET, buttery, quick off the line (of Course), and it really made the whole experience to drive it much nicer.
I also found that when the Turbo kicked in, it was very unpredictable to determine at a stand still.
Thoughts anyone? I know I see a LOT of postings with owners of passats w/ 1.8T's. I have to have Automatic, I won't buy any more manuals. I've owned many, and they were fun in the past, but Im ready for automatic. If you had my 80 mile commute, you'd want automatic too.
Oh, and one more thing.. I have a '99 9-3, and it BLOWS away the passat 1.8T. Sorry... But If you ever get the chance to drive one, its amazing. But I still will trade in/turn in the Saab (lease) next year and I do want the passat. OK... let 'em rip..
Reliablity with older saabs of pre '98 were bad, I agree. Our '99 has had not even a burp. there were petty warranty things that went wrong, but otherwise it was like a toyat camry, reliabiity wise. As far as the head to head vs a passat, as a 4 cyl man, it was WAY quieter (actually there is NO engine noise), and the price is even better these days with the saturation of that sedan space. I don't care about body roll really. We have 42K miles on it, and no problems except tire replacement.
After driving a Crown Vic for almost a year, though, I'm pretty certain my next car will be a mid-sized or maybe compact ride (Golf, Jetta, Passat, Camry, Accord, A4, Legacy, or Outback).
Anyway, I better shut up before the moderator cuts me off here for drifting too far from the Passat topic!
Reliablity with older saabs of pre '98 were bad, I agree. Our '99 has had not even a burp. there were petty warranty things that went wrong, but otherwise it was like a toyat camry, reliabiity wise. As far as the head to head vs a passat, as a 4 cyl man, it was WAY quieter (actually there is NO engine noise), and the price is even better these days with the saturation of that sedan space. I don't care about body roll really. We have 42K miles on it, and no problems except tire replacement.
Reliability
Do they work well in snow with the standard all season tires supplied by VW.
Is the fuel consumption in the City very high compared to a non 4motion model.
I look forward to any comments.
Passat, sedan and wagon
Jetta wagon
GTI
Saab 9-3
WRX
Altima
Maxima
Mercedes 230C
Audi A4
If these models share something in common it is that they are all offered in manual stick shift.
Thanks again for the info. I'm sure you're enjoying your Passat
I really like the Passat from a styling and comfort standpoint. I hate the ride of my 9-3SE which has a very stiff suspension and dated body structure which contributes to a noisy cabin. Therefore the Passat is near the top of my list when my lease is up. However, it will be the V6.
As far as reliability, my 9-3 has been rock solid after 22,000 miles. Saab had some problems in earlier years, but the models of late are much improved. I review comments on this board and on VWVortex. I wouldn't say the Passats are trouble-free, and comments about VW service make me a little wary about buying a VW.
Besides, Saab is coming at the end of next year with a much needed replacement for the current Saab 9-3. I like the 9-3's (and Viggen's) mechanical attributes but the exterior design is kinda a turn off for me. I like the interior and the center console mounted ignition key hole, which is a Saab trademark.
By the way right now you can get any new 2001 Saab model with 0% percent financing and OnStar standard.
If the Passat feels like a wimpy 4 cylinder car to you, you are not doing something right.
seriously consider it. However, I'm somewhat concerned about things I hear and read about VW quality and service.
Finally, I don't think the 1.8T is "wimpy". However, I do find it loud and harsh sounding. Despite the 9-3's shortcomings (namely in ride quality and cabin noise), I do think it has a good engine which is very smooth and powerful, especially for a 4-cyl. But, it should be since the Saab is not an inexpensive car!
BTW - Road & Track has the 9-3SE doing 0-60 in 6.8 secs. I'll have to see if I have a Car & Driver with a 9-3 time.
The Saab 9-3 is no doubt a nice ride, but I didn't see it as being any faster than the Passat.
According to these quotes Passat (1998 - 60k miles) reliability (as reflected by maintenance costs) is not bad, about average, but much better than Audi (any Audi). Contrary to popular belief and anecdotal evidence by Audi owners, Audis are little better than they used to be 10-20 years ago when they got the bad reputation.
Overall the Japanese still rule, but the much better driving experience of the Europeans compensates for their worse (sometimes only moderately) reliability compared to the Japanese.
What have people been paying for the VW 6yr 100K with 0 deductible.
Thanks Paul
hehe, j/k. $1300 for 6 year/100k isn't too bad... i think
Thank in advance !