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Comments
Using regular....will trigger the knock sensors, then retard the timing, decreasing performance, and perhaps fuel economy
Also, I've decided that it is not financially prudent to try and trade my Camry in this year. I know that I would not get enough to pay it off in a trade but I don't want to sell it privately. I've done that before and it's way too much hassle. I'm not having any trouble with it (although this sludge issue gives me some concern) so I can afford to wait. It's never given me the smallest problem so far. I just long for a bit more excitement. ** Sigh ** ....
If/when I ever do buy a Passat, you will be among the first to know. Thanks for thinking of me. ;-)
Still dreamin' ......
SilverCrown
I have not been able to find a manual shift 2002 Passat to save my life, so I went into a local dealer and ordered a 2003 (GLS 1.8T, manual, blue anthracite, luxury and leather (beige) packages) this past weekend. Based on the dealer's assertion that I would receive a $500 loyalty credit by using VW Credit, I agreed to pay $750 over factory invoice for the car and options. However, yesterday they came back to me and said that while the 2003 pricing for this configuration was dropping $300-400, that the destination charge was increasing $25, I would no longer be eligible for the $500 loyalty credit because the offer was ending June 30 and I would not be taking the car until July, and that I would be required to pay a $292 Port Fee as well.
1. Does anyone know more specifics on the terms of the $500 loyalty credit? I'm still trying to get through to someone knowledgeable at VW Customer Care (VW Credit told me that it is an offer run by VW of America).
2. Can anyone confirm the validity of a Port Fee, or is this totally bogus? My thought has been that this is roughly the difference between the old invoice and the new invoice, and that the dealer is trying to sell me the 2003 at the same price I would have paid for the 2002.
I'm trying to keep positive by thinking that I'll still be getting a 2003 for slightly lower than the current TMV. However, I can't get over the feeling that I'm being lied to, and that my negotiations were impacted by a lie.
eli12: VW will tell you the MSRP if you call their information line. I was told that the GLS 1.8T is now $22,885 and now comes standard with the Luxury Package (except sunshade). The Leather Package now includes the sunshade and is $1600. Electronic Stabilization Program is $280.
Until I see the factory invoice on my vehicle, my best guess on invoice for these is $20,756 on the GLS 1.8T, $1413 on the Leather Package, and $247 on ESP.
Thanks,
Das Volk
Yes, the destination charges have gone up by $25. The $292 you are referring too can be broken up as $25 for port fee + $ 92 for floor-plan interest and $175 for advertising. The adv charge is the one that varies.. the other two are standard.
Lastly, I would urge that you bargain for the best price assuming that you don't have the loyalty rebate to use. That way, you always end up being satisfied with the price. You could even get the vehicle for less than invoice using the loytalty rebate ! I don't know where you reside, but from reading about what folks have paid, I would say that $300-500 above invoice is a reasonable price. Ofcourse, if you are looking for a specific vehicle (color, options, etc.) and are comfortable with the premium you have to pay, I don't think the dealer will complain about getting a few extra $$$.
Hope this helped.
Customer Loyalty Coupons are, in fact, due to expire on July 1st...Whether they will be extended
I do not know...maybe they will. These coupons are
for existing VW Customers with a current Registration on ANY VW, and there is NO Trade in
requirement. You must Finance thru VCI because the
coupon actually covers the 1st payment and part
of the 2nd if there is any remaining balance.
Less than 10% of ALL car sales are Manual trannys;
so you will pay more for something that is in relatively short supply.
Rates for 2003 will not be available until Monday.
This will be my third VW and I was intending to use VW Credit, but there's not much incentive to do so without the loyalty credit.
In any event, I'll be happy just to get my hands on a car that meets my specs.
Best regards,
Das Volk
I'm very happy with the car in all respects, though I'd hoped for somewhat better gas mileage (am getting about 22 mpg). I knew from reading here that's about what I could expect, but that didn't keep me from hoping for better. Still, the Passat is absurdly fun to drive and I've had no problems with it.
I have a profoundly trivial question to ask. My inquisitive 13-year-old son found a door to a one-inch plastic strip that hides at the top middle of the windshield just behind the rear view mirror. Once opened, the little hatch door lets you lower this visor-like strip. What is it for and why is it there? Couldn't find anything in the owner's manual about it.
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to take the time to enlighten me on this admittedly mundane matter.
is well broken, 5-10K miles, and then, depending upon how & where you drive, in one month intervals
based upon miles v. fuel pumped.
The display on the MFA is NOT your Standard of Measure, or should not be...
Enjoy your new Passat...Congratulations & Welcome
to the Volkswagen Family!!!
you are really interested in getting an accurate
average over time, fuel added v. miles driven,
month over month, or qtr. over qtr. is probably
the way to go...Just one man's opine...
The bad news is, the fuel gauge is next to useless because it drops to 1/4 when the tank is half empty and stays there. I've drvien over 50 miles with the gauge not moving. The worse news is, VW couldn't (wouldn't) fix it because their technical support center said the gauge operation was 'normal'. When I tried to fix it myself, I found the gauge system was a complete kluge. To fit the all wheel drive, they changed the tank to a saddle shape and pushed up the floor in the rear so that the rear seats won't fold.
I bought new parts (three units - $200) and spent $300 at a VW service center other than the one I got the car from to install the parts (not an easy job) and succeeded only in having a wobbly system. The gauge wanders up and down in addition to falling to 1/4 tank early. I haven't had the nerve to drive it down to the fuel warning light because of the traffic I'm always in.
The car is going to be history shortly unless a miracle happens. Someone else who does't mind filling up the tank frequently can enjoy my beauty.
What did they do about the financing?
Thanks
INKY
Both loaded. While dealer researching any loyalty credit--said he never heard of that on a VW only Audi? Anyhow, I drove and on each and every left hand turn the horn honked incessantly. Salesman was very knowledgeable and quite contrite. I wonder how with 72 miles this was not fixed. What a turn off. First, $500 loyalty thing a mystery (perhaps not available in OK) then mystery horn.
I gave my thanks to all and left. Sad because no one else offers a vehicle that fun to drive (with a 5 speed) for $23,500 (lux and leather net price). Anyhow, it drove nicely better than the Jetta by being more solid and larger. Maybe next year....
INKY
Thanks.....
Would new spark plugs help? I got the car with 94,000 miles on it, so I wonder if the previous owner worried about changing the plugs. I think I read that they needed changing right around now.
Thanks
INKY
Thanks,
Mark
I have spent many hours researching the usual choice of cars. I was thinking about the Audi A4, BMW 330, Infinity G35, and the Passat GLX.
I have finally decided on the Passat. I am planning on going to the dealer next week to negotiate a car. I read about all the different tactics on how to reduce the price to something like $500-$1,000 over invoice. Is that really possible? All the cars I have purchased in the past have been around MSRP.
I am in the New England area, Rhode Island to be exact. Anyone know of any good dealers to work with? I am planning on purchasing from Scott's, but I really want to be aggressive with my discount. I guess the key is to be willing to walk.
Any ideas on how to accomplish the tedious task of getting the best price for a great car? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Jeff
Brian C. Welch
I picked up my 02 GLX with 4Motion yesterday. We drove it about 20 miles. Today my wife drove it to the dr's office. When she was ready to head back home the car wouldn't start. The interior lights came on but the engine wouldn't turn over. I was able to jump start the car.
I took the car to the dealer who says that the battery is fine but is holding it over night to check it again in the morning. How worried should I be about this?
Thanks
We are in a heat wave up here in New England, so traveling south does not interest me at all.
Jeff
As for the buying process, I would second cephas1. Start with getting quotes from nearby dealers and find out which dealer comes closest to it by a reasonable amount. The variances may be due to differences in the sales and after sales experiences. You definitely should be able to get 02 model for much less than $500 over invoice IF any cars are still on the lots. Colors and options may be limited if that is the case. Since the 03 models are just rolling in, you may have to be a bit compromising there but I still think that $500 over invoice is a win-win situation. I would advise that you start from the invoice price and move upwards rather than coming down from the MSRP.
/vb
I know you are looking at a GLX but I just bought a loaded (leather, lux, monsoon, etc...) GLS for $50 (yes that says fifty) over invoice. I could have bought a GLX for $100 over invoice but I didn't want to spend that much money. Contact the dealer's using Edmunds.com pricing service to deal directly with the fleet/internet manager. Good luck.
*cash back*...
SubVented rates continue through July on 2002s, Customer Loyalty Program has ended, 2003s carry
rates of 6.25%-6.49% for up to 60 Months...
I was able to get a good idea of Invoice vs. MSRP. Plus there seems to be a 2% holdback. So even if they sell the car to me at invoice, they are still making $600.
I like the idea of checking around. I guess I never really thought about that. I bought a GTI about 5 years ago from the sales guy at Scott's in Rhode Island. I have since sold it and purchased a Nissan Maxima.
I was thinking that I had no where else to go. But there seems to be at least three different dealers in a 20 mile radius.
I am going to negotiate a price somewhere else and then head over to Scott's when the sales guy is back from vacation and see if he can beat the price.
Any other comments are welcomed.
Jeff
After some discussion, my dealer ordered one at no cost, and conceded that "many" Passats were delivered without this item, which should be added during dealer prep. Your salesperson is supposed to check for it prior to delivery, but apparently many do not bother. This is another unpleasant example of the Not Ready For Prime Time aspect of the VW dealer network.
After almost 1000 miles I am more impressed with the car than when I started. Just came back from a four hundred mile round trip to the canyon. Average was 25.9mpg which includes lots of interstate and climbing from Phx at 1100 asl to over 8000 asl in the Flagstaff area. The car just wants to go. For a 1.8L four cylinder it has an amazing amount of power. And with the turbo there is no noticeable change in responsiveness between Phoenix and Flagstaff. I believe that the car would pull a 6-speed manual instead of the 5.
Anyway, so far it has been great! Hope you find the one you are looking for and enjoy it as much as I have so far.
So we bought a 1995 Toyota Camry LE. It's okay, 4-cylinder and an automatic, though. I think it's a really good looking car, but it doesn't even have ABS.
Hopefully I'll get my Passat in January when my sister's Civic is paid off. Then Mom gets to commute in the Camry (it does drive nice, with 115,000 miles on it).
But geez, our VW dealer leaves cars unlocked ALL the time (once, oh my gosh, a 2000 Audi A8, unlocked WITH THE KEY IN THE IGNITION!). Maybe vwguild can explain why the key wouldn't turn though, because yes I tried it. I've gone and sat in Passats several times, usually taking a CD or two with me to listen to (all the Passats have the Monsoon option). Nobody's ever said anything to me about it (of course I go after the dealership is closed). But the W8 Passats are never unlocked, hehe...although neither are the New Beetles.
would be responsible...
though the engine is warm (hot)
Should there be one coming on?? If so, any ideas as to how long you need to drive the car, prior to the fan coming on?
You can have XM radio put in any car on the road, but it's like $300 or something like that, plus the ~$10 or so a month access fee.
The Passat was also just redesigned for the 2001.5 model, so I don't think it's going to be touched again for another 3-4 years.
The On-Star thing might be available as an option in the car, but you would have to go aftermarket to get it I think. Check out http://www.vwvortex.com for more info on the 2003 models.
M