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everyone at Alexandria is decent it seems.
I did the math as you suggested and the bottom line is that you pay more interest over the life of the loan with the 4% vs the 1.9%. I will grant you that the monthly payments are 27.47 per month CHEAPER, BUT as it turns out that is almost what you pay more in interest over the 60 mo life of the loan (26.67)
20,000 x 1.9%= 380 per yr interest x 5 yr=1900 life of the loan.
17500 x 4%= 700 per yr interest x 5 yr=3500 life of the loan.
Difference= 380-700= 320yr/12 mo =26.67 mo @60 mo= 1600 dollars
Even factoring in putting 2,500 in the bank and making 4% = 100 x 5 yr = 500- 1600 dollars= 1100/60= still equals 18.33 more a month (How many folks actually DO this????).
What am I missing?
I wonder if anyone has a recommendation for a convertible or toddler/booster seat that fits well in that snug backseat of the Jetta. Our infant car seat was a pretty tight fit, so we need a minimum of bulk for the next one.
Greg T.
you're missing that you pay less for the car over the life of the loan. you want to sell me a Jetta at 20k with a 1.9% loan or the same jetta with a 10k rebate and 20% loan, i'll take the 10% loan and rebate every time and twice on Sunday.
Who cares how much interest you pay as long as you pay LESS for the car in total? go ahead and take the "low" interest rate that has you spend more in total over the life of the loan.
Amazing to me how bad people are with money...
So that I am not vague, GOAL:
1. Negotiate your best CAR deal. Invoice and/or below, at most invoice plus 500.
2. THEN negotiate your loan. Then if the 1.9% loan fits do it on that. If your argument is MSRP and/or above, Then do the 1.9% loan again. a 4 % loan on either scenario is still higher than 1.9%
"Who cares how much interest you pay as long as you pay LESS for the car in total? go ahead and take the "low" interest rate that has you spend more in total over the life of the loan."
Reminds me of that old joke: how to make a small fortune in the loan and intest business, start with a LARGE fortune.
Actually your quote makes a strong case for paying cash.
If you have 17-18k in cash and spend it on a car when you can get a 1.9-4.9% loan, you're not very good at looking at your options. buy the car with those low interest loans and then drop your fat wad on an S&P 500 Index Fund. With the rate of return still hovering at 11%, you'll easily make money even with taxes on the earnings.
and yet people would say to pay for the car...weird world.
They do not realize that they are simply borrowing some xtra cash using their new car as colateral.
I have always wonderd why there are no effective "money management skills" tought in highschool. I know people that pull down 80K a year and barely survive week-to-week. I also know folks that make less than 38K with 5 kids and still manage to pay for vacations and other fun family activities.
Aren't there rebates on the Jetta right now?
HINT: edmunds has a button you can clik on to check for any current "incentives" that may be available. Just click on "Incentives & Rebates" to see what is available.
Corolla
Civic
Integra
The Corolla is the leader in reliability and you can pick up a used one for a song. A used civic also will cost peanuts and will definitely run forever. avoid a 2.0 jetta, especially a 2000 like the plague. burning oil, window problems, etc.
Well it seems i have a severe coolant leak in my 2002 Jetta 1.8t. I first started noticing it about 3 weeks ago and the past three days it has progressed to me having to fill the reservoir every day. I called Bernardi VW in Natick to get it in there and the next appt is next month! They did not seem to care about my problem and I can't get my normal service rep on the phone to help me out. He is normally great about callbacks. Funny thing is is that this is a new dealership with expanded service bays.
I even called VWoA and they called the service manager who confirmed that they could look at it in a month. Apparently have staffing shortages and are "very busy right now".
Anyway, I called Wellesley VW to see what can be done and it was a world of difference. They can see me next week and were very nice on the phone. Anyone in the MA area have any experience with this dealer?
thanks all for listening
Guess VW is busy replacing all those blowing coils to work on anything else these days. I got a letter in the mail the other day that they are replacing all coils in the 1.8Ts free of charge. And it only took them almost a year...
Amazing what happens when you actually talk to someone who cares. Told me to bring it right in and he would make sure it was looked at in the next two days. Apologized for the treatment i recieved from his fill in and for the problems i was having.
So we will see what happens, but it was just nice to be treated as a customer and not a problem.
The parts will squeak, rattle and break much more than in your accord though. Lean on that center armrest and watch it snap!
Is the oil consumption a huge issue? As long as i get the regular oil changes and check the levels every once in a while ill be fine right?
Many, many 2.0s, especially 99-2000s have burn issues. Check out vwvortex for more info.
Also, the car will mostly be used driving between cornell and maryland so how reliable are jettas on staying together on longer commutes?
My jetta never left me stranded but had it not been for my extended warranty I woulda been out well over $600. I only had 32k miles when i sold it...so 8k outside of the standard warranty I had woulda had huge bills. Others have had rock solid cars. But JD Power, CR , et al have plenty of evidence that 2.0s and Jettas in general are unreliable and expensive to repair.
i beg to differ especially against the current accord.
There is one guy that posts on other TDI web sites that took a TDI diesel to 623,000 miles and his per mile cost was app 7.5 to 7.8 cents scheduled/unsheduled maintenance. Before I read his article, I figured the cost to be around 5.8- 6.2 cents per mile. I think that the per mile cost is really the ultimate judge. It can be used for tie breaking decisions, but I know that this 12 year rust through guarantee and 10,000 hr design diesel parameter is VERY hard to top.
I will agree that a Honda will be more reliable than a VW. But, allot of people on this board have/had problems with their Jetta and just as many or more have had no mechanical problems. I have a 2002 Jetta 2.0 and have had zero problems (other than dash rattles). Though dash rattles are extremely annoying, they won't leave you stranded.
I've been away putting miles (just under 4,700 now)on my Jetta and I just don't like the auto tranny including the turbo lag. I did drive the 6 speed manual and was a bit better before I decided on the auto. Better next time.
While driving around yesterday the MIL (check engine icon??)light came on. I stopped at the VW dealer where I purchased it and the SW said it would be OK as long as it doesn't start blinking. He set up an appointment for 2 weeks down the road. No big deal....what do you think?
For those who want to know...I did get it up to 105. My fastest yet.
Now, itsn't this getting fun again?
Bar exam results? Maybe it varies by state but in CA it's a pass/fail test. You either made the cut or you're among the huge portion who failed...no results available.
105, eh? Best I ever did in my old 1.8T was 115. Car felt pretty smooth...but LOUD. Still haven't broken 110 in my new car, but 100 is eery quiet and smooth with it. I hit it by accident sometimes.
i was half joking - just reminding people that on the Web, anyone can be a Dr., Esq, etc....
civics and jettas compare in size only. if you're in the jetta's price range you should be comparing to likewise cars. you may want to try out the new mazda 6. the nearest comparison honda has to a jetta type vehicle would be the TSX.
Where to even being...within 1 month of owning the car, the front drivers side headlight blew. I had to take it to the dealer to replace it.
About 2 weeks later, the front lisencse plate fell off the car...after searching the streets high and low (the dealer is the one that put it on in the first place), I took it to the dealer to have it put back on (leave it to VW...I go buy a standard plate kit to put it back on myself..they make the front screws smaller then the others, NOT STANDARD) I was not about to go and shop for the correct size at a hardware store, so what happens...I take it to the dealer and get a bill for $16.00 (don't worry, we didn't charge you for the parts, that was just labor charges....) YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME...IT TOOK $16.00 WORTH OF ARM MUSCLE TO TURN TO SCREWS!!
6 months go by and all is well. Until my car starts making this extremely loud whistling noise. Loud enough that people are actually staring at me when I drive by. I take it to the deal AGAIN...and I am told that it appears that my oil pan cover was misfitted...but they will have to order the part...so, I get to play the waiting game. 2 weeks go by...now word...I call, it is on order, but no ETA at this point, I wait another week, call again, told the same...I am now waiting over a month and a half and get fed up at being stared at constantly...and I call Volkswagen of America and talk to the Consumer Advocate there...surprising, they could get the part it it would just take 3 days (should have done that from the beginning). So I take the car in...no loaner program available, no ride to work...nothing, so I have to inconveninece other people for VW not being able to do anything right. Finally the car is fixed...OR SO I THOUGHT. The owned the car for a little over a year now...and when either front wheel goes over a dip in the road (recessed manhole covers are perfect for this) or I am going a slow speeds, I hear a brief squeal from outside of the car. I again of course have to arrange rides to and from work and such and they call me and say they can't hear it. PEOPLE STARE!!!
So I accept this and they tell me if it happens again come back...like it is sooooo convenient. I have to give them the benefit of the doubt...it is intermittent and those are the hardest things to identify. So it happens on and off but I am dealing with it. Tonight, I get in my car to come home from work, my front passanger side window locks up...and then continues to open and makes this horrible glass grinding noise. I try to put it up, more grinding like cracking glass. I am just driving to the dealer tomorrow and having them take care of this cause I have had enough, and they will be paying for the tint that I am sure is now ruined also. Will have to keep you updated on this.
The glass grinding thing is the window regulator. Happend to me in a Golf loaner I had once. I don't know how they fixed it, of course, as I didn't care because it wasn't my car.
Best of luck with getting the car running right, and keep us updated.
A headlight bulb? Oh, how extreme! You had to take the car to the dealership for this?
Dealership charged you to put in some screws? (duh) You don't say! Dealerships will charge you for anything and everything possible. It's how they make money.
The whistling noise is annoying, yeah. It's not VW's fault the dealer doesn't offer loaners. That varies by dealer.
Are there any other dealerships in the area you can try? Often times, the dealership service can make all the difference. I bought my car from a nearby dealership, but I take my car to a dealer who is 15 miles away because they have excellent service.
if you want a car similiar in size to Jetta/Civic, but are not into buying what feels good to you, what about a Sentra SE? interior is better than Civic, and Nissan is viewed as a step above VW with regard to reliability to some people and in magazines. not a bad little car - the engine will run forever - no timing belt to replace too!
Thanks:)
I use #40 Meguairs rubber and vinyl cleaner rejuvenator and or the Zaino leather stuff or the plastic rubber vinyl product. The key is not to use silicone to clean the vinyl. Also silicone is BAD for the MAF if you should inadvertently put it there or if it gets sucked up there. So again to be safe keep the silicone away.
1)Does my Jetta have a timing belt?
2)If so, when does it need to be changed?
the owners manual doesn't mention it, it only mentions timing belt when refering to the 1.9L TDI motor. I would assume that since it isn't discussed for the 2.0L, that I don't need to worry about it.
1. Yes, your 2.0 Jetta has a timing belt.
2. Not quite, see http://www.vw.com/SP/MaintSchedule.jsp for the definitive word.
As I read it, you have to check the belts and R/R the timing belt tensioner at 40/80k intervals. So at 40,000 and 80,000 miles if the belts are out of specification you SHOULD replace them, BUT for sure R/R the timing belt tensioner.
your comment about problems to complaints ratio is way off base. it's bad enough that a new car would have such problems but how the dealership dealt with the problems is even worse.
i agree some of the anger should be directed at the dealer but it's WV who built the problematic car in the first place.