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Comments
After believing for years that German-built VWs did much better in reliability than the Mexican/Brazilian ones, I have since seen evidence that the German ones do have about as many problems as the American ones.
I wouldn't buy a GTI, but I sure would DREAM about having one, then buy something else in the price range.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Although, I tend to be meticulous about caring for it. I always check the air, fluids, and belts each time I go and get gas. That, and I really do take the car in for service every 5,000 miles, like the manual says.
It's definitely been a joy to drive, too. The seats are the best I've ever sat in, out of all the cars I've owned. And if I put the pedal to the metal, my head will jerk back from the acceleration.
I just bought (2 days ago) a 2001 jetta - window regulator problems already. Yesterday the drivers side front window fell down into the door!
Lots of stories online from jetta owners with similar problems. I checked your two website rec's alldata.com and nhtsa.dot.gov, and could not find any confirmation to your claim that "the window-regulators were DEFINATELY a recall-item."
Will the VW dealer in my area take care of thatmeirca folks on Monday morning?
Any other places to check to verify a VW recall?
Speakers out on same door. Related?
Any help would be appreciated.
Please try again. Here is a hint;
6402-03 SEP 02 Body - Door Window Regulator Inoperative
A "TSB" (Technical Service Bulliten) is basically an acknolagment of a shortcoming or perhaps clarifying a procedure.
I always laugh when I hear that. I mean, I assume that there is an actual software issue with the car, but a part of me just said "isn't the gas engine SUPPOSED to stop sometimes?"
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Certainly if it were a calibration error, it would have affected all of them right? And not all Priuses are in the recall, only 75,000 or so from a specific group of VINs/production dates.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I think if VW holds the line on price and brings more diesels into the country they will regain some market share. They do have a reliability hurdle to overcome. My 2005 Passat TDI is great.
On the flip side, you can get a well-equipped top-trim Accord or Camry 4-cylinder for the same sticker price as that base Passat, that will have more features but less power. Or for $1-2K more you can get the same cars with the V-6 and have more power as well as the additional features.
And don't even get started on the domestic midsize sedans (Sonata too), in which you can get all that in some cases, ALONG WITH the V-6, for the same sticker. And arguably better reliability. And a decently stylish interior/exterior, in the case of the Fusion.
Phaeton was a big mistake that must have pulled money from other areas where it would have been much better applied, like increasing durability and reliability. I wonder how this proposal for a new SUV priced above the Touareg will fare. Again, VW will venture into pricey territory.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The Jetta is also more comparable to the TSX than the Passat is.
I am no fan of the std leatherette seating material (I prefer cloth), but the majority of buyers will see that as an upgrade over the cloth in the Accord or Camry.
The Passat's standard 2.0T engine likely performs about as well as those V-6s, despite the higher peak HP number at a meaningless 6000 RPM or whatever.
As for speed, I believe in the large/midsize sedan class the Avalon is the current reigning champ with the Accord V-6 following a close second. And that does not take into account the new Impala SS or the 300C, both of which do break the $30K sticker barrier however. The Passat with the 2.0T is a "tweener" in the midsize class - between the fours and V-6s of most of the other guys.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Which SUV is that? The only other SUV I've heard about for VW is the one they've got coming for 2007-8 that is priced below the T-Rex, you know like a Rav4/CR-V compeitor.
M
I believe sales of the new Jetta have been increasing each month since it came out. This was despite the fire sales that GM, Ford, and Chrysler had going on.
A $30,000 4 cylinder Passat might seem like a good deal to you but I would take an Accord EX-L anyday for $4000-6000 less. VW is not offering a manual transmission with a sunroof which would take it out of consideration for me at any price.
merc: I thought I read someplace that they were developing a second SUV to "bridge" the price gap between the Touareg and the Phaeton? Now that they are dumping the Phaeton, that may be out the window, or perhaps my fuzzy recollection is totally inaccurate?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Base MSRPs are a lot of smoke and mirrors. Price out a Passat V6 and an equally equipped Accord EX V6. If the price difference is less than $3000, I'll eat my hat. The "real world" price on the Passat has shot out of the mid-size sedan category and into the near-luxury segment. It's a nice car, but not nice enough to play in that ballpark. Leave the luxury to Audi.
I'm sorry but that is just idiotic. What did they expect with 18 inch wheels and rubber band tires?
Well the nearly base Jetta (added ATX and ESP to a VE) we bought for just under $19,000 had everything we wanted plus, so it is not a lot of smoke and mirrors for all models for everyone.
It was posted that the Passat was in Lexus, Acura, Cadillac territory. Now it reduced to it might be more expensive than an Accord :confuse: . Likely in most cases it is more expensive than an Accord.
However, it all depends on what your list of "must haves" includes. For instance, if (like me) you want stability control, you get that standard with the cheapest Passat and it is available on the cheapest Jetta. I believe Honda requires the EX to get it. On the other hand if (like me) you want cloth, the passat is out of the running. 4 wheel disc brakes are standard on the VWs, not on the Accord.
I find it particularly obnoxious when a manufacturer requires me to buy a pricey model to get saftey equipment. I give VW a lot of credit for not doing that. We were able to get all the safety equipment that is available on any Jetta, on the VE.
I hear what you are saying, but you should also be aware that there are a number of models at the price of the GLI they tested that, even when equipped with the sport package including low profile tires, do NOT drive that way. Think Saab, think Acura, think one or two others...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The previous generation Passat was a direct competitor to the Camcords, and even then it was a little bit pricier. The new Passat shoots staight past the Camcords into the Cadillac/Acura/Lexus price category. That's going to be a bit hard for most people to swallow from a VW. Why get a VW when for the same price you can get a real luxury car with the dealership experience to go with it? It's the same problem VW had with the Phaeton.
I'm not saying the Passat isn't a good car or that it's not properly equipped. It's just priced out of the VW market segment. Like I said, leave the luxury to Audi and let VW concentrate on the bread-and-butter sales (i.e. $25K and under).
The 2005 Accord value package with automatic starts at $17,995. The 2006 starts at $19025. That is an increase of $1030.
So seems like the prices are closer for the 2006 models than they were for the 2005 models.
HOWEVER, among the more plebeian family sedans, Accord still ranks at the top of the list as a "driver's car", I think (and many car mags agree). Word is, Fusion may topple it off that top rung while matching it for size.
POINT IS, people buying family cars, especially ones with kids that will mess the car up from day one, will most often be priced out of the Passat entirely or choose to buy a less expensive car given that it is going to get messed up anyway. The CamCords get better gas mileage too.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
IMO, I think the Passat is the best "family" car you can buy, period. Problem is the average family buyer isn't going to far beyond 30K (if they go that high to start with).
I really want this car to be a hit for VW, but I think they'll only sell about 80K (instead the 100K+ they should sell in this market segment) because of the price. They really need to restructure the option packages imo.
Now that they're geting rid of the money-draining Phaeton they'll be able to forget this luxury car stuff and get back to the basics.
Bring on the R36 Jetta and Golfs and a 6-speed manual for the Passat V6. A nice turbocharged VR6 R36 Passat (340hp)wouldn't hurt either. VW needs some excitement and some more value driven vehicles in their U.S. product mix, like it used to be.
M
I bought my 2005 Passat GLS TDI Wagon during a lull last April. I got every available option and paid under $27k. For me it is overkill to use for errands. It would make a very nice family of four wagon. Also great safety record. As far as the CamCords, it is hard to argue with the top two selling cars in America. For me they were just too boring.
These all gave problems to my co-workers, and our company only employs about 80 people.
Just briefly on the 4: Number one, a 2001 with the 1.8-liter turbo 4, had the repeated ignition coil failures, which I assume VW has finally resolved with better parts. More recently, a small part on the turbocharger broke, but the design is such that the entire turbocharger has to be replaced. Luckily, VW apparently is going to pick up the tab for this several hundred dollar repair.
Number two: owned by wife of number one. It's a 2003 that failed to start one morning, apparently with nearly every warning light showing on the dashboard. It turned out to have a major electrical problem and I believe its main computer (central processing unit) had to replaced, again luckily under warranty. I think (not sure) that water infiltrated the unit. Then the same thing happened not too much later -- no start. It was determined finally that there was a problem with the rear liftgate switch, causing the security system to shut down the car.
Number three: a late model (newer than 2001 I think) owned by the son of our president-elect. This one apparently would die on the road for no apparent reason, and was repeatedly taken to the dealer for service. The car was ultimately dumped (I don't know if VW bought it back).
Number four: a 2002 wagon model with the 1.8 turbo 4. My co-worker's father generously traded his Passat for the son's 1997 Honda Civic, which the father in turn gave to a young relative for his first car. The Passat only had about 10,000 miles on it. This was my colleague's dream car, but it soon turned into a nightmare. There was a major water leak, with water somehow entering the glove compartment and front passenger floor.
The incompetent local dealer did some major disassembly of the car's interior in a vain attempt to fix the problem, and in the process did more damage to the car. The car was in the shop for something like 5 weeks. Ultimately, VW stepped in to buy back the car for the amount the father had originally paid for it (not including taxes, title, etc.). Now my co-worker is telling everyone about his Passat and will never set foot in a VW dealership again. He now has an '04 Camry LE 4-cylinder almost identical to the one I gave my son last summer.
Since then she has visited the dealership monthly for warrantied repairs, and has stated emphatically that she would not THINK of keeping the car past warranty (which is rapidly approaching), selling at a loss if need be. And is having dreamy thoughts of Mini Coopers. Is that convertible model available yet? :-0
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
That may be. The VW TDI is only about 12% of the total VW's sold in the US. I doubt that VW will sell 200k cars this year. So that is no where near the limit for diesel VW's. Two of the top ten rated cars for mileage are VW TDI's, according to the EPA.
IMO, the Jetta's styling is a copy of the Corolla, and the Passat looks vaguely like the new Avalon.
So you don't like VW...who cares! But why do you object to others having the option to buy them. :confuse:
VW does not prevent anyone else from selling cars here. There are not a set number of "slots" for import car makes.