Volkswagen- I'm done with you. (joint, 2013, electric windows, MPG)
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German people are cold, arrogant, self-absorbed and rude. Don't believe me? Go there--you will not be accepted. Plus their food sucks.
And their cars are overrated, overpriced and full of problems.
Clearly you've never been to a German beer hall. I can recommend a great one in Munich, the most fun loving bunch of crazy nutjobs I've ever seen. Packed full of people of all ages, 16 - 60, dancing on tables to beer hall music and bad 80's covers songs, and all on weeknight!
I think this particular beer hall was across the street from the VW design offices.
Hah... So many problems with VW... And then they tout GERMAN ENGINEERING! I hate how the Germans think they're best in engineering!
VW's are no longer German....the engines are made in Mexico-same with Audi.
I have a VW in high school and ran it to the ground...bought another one in 2002-kept it a year..the brakes were always going out and numerous other problems...
I'll never buy another VW-
You can't say it's losing when you are in a new car every 3 years. It's a cost of driving a maintenance free vehicle that is cutting edge.
Even if you paid cash for a $35K car and drove it for 10 years/120 months and got $5k for it at the end, it cost you $30,000/120 or $250 a month. Doesn't include a couple set of tires, and other maintenance items. Could even include a tranny or engine rebuild. I'll be on my 4th car when your still driving your 9 year old car that is costing you $250 a month and who knows what else to keep it running over 150k miles.
Not to mention when you buy your next car in 10 years. You'll pay cash for a new car for $35K let's say. So that's two car purchases in 10 years, $70K. You'll get something for car #1, let's say $10k to be liberal. Your $60K into it at 10 years, not including maintenance and repairs. A person leasing for $400 a month for 10 years is $48K in it. Sure you'll catch up in a couple years, but that person will be on their 5th car and will catch up again when you pay for your 3rd car 10 years later
I'm just saying leasing is a bit more expensive than buying, but being in a new car every 3 years and not having to worry about large repairs or being stranded is worth it to me.
Which is fine and all...
Lease on a $35,000 Honda Pilot is $329/month with $2,500 due at signing. Works out to around $41,500 before TTL and insurance, all of which are more expensive on new cars. Ignoring that, it's still $10,000 more than buying. That may be worth it to you. Heck, if I didn't drive so much, I'd consider leasing. It's only an extra $1,000 a year to drive a new car that's under warranty. Again, before government fees. Sales tax on an extra $10,000 (or if in Illinois and Texas an extra $105,000), registration, insurance. Repairs and maintenance will somewhat makeup for that. On a three-year lease, you'll probably get dinged for tire wear but there's not much else. Brakes should be good, no major maintenance before 60k (or increasingly 75k or 90k these days), anything that goes wrong is covered under warranty.
VW's are no longer German....the engines are made in Mexico-same with Audi.
While this is true. VW has built production facilities elsewhere for whatever reason.....
Im pretty sure most of their "special" products are still made in Germany. The R32 for example and GLI/GLX/Wolfsburg edition cars are all still made in Germany, even the engines.
In the Mk3 world of VW (93-99) theres a big difference in build quality between the regular 2 liter Jetta GLS and a 2 liter Jetta Wolfsburg.
I think this is because the Mk3 was the first platform VW sent to Mexico to be made....
A lot of the Mk3 Mexican cars have mix-matched parts and well known electrical issues (windows moonroof and lights) that Wolfsburg edition cars just didnt have.
R32's were made in Germany because until the upcoming introduction of the MKVII all the Golfs were still being built in Wolfsburg. The Wolfsburg edition Jettas however were not built in Wolfsburg, but instead Mexico, along with all the other Jettas. The 2.5L 5 cylinder engine was built in Mexico, while the automatic transmission was built/sourced from Japan. The 2.0TSI/FSI engine, along with the 2.0TDI engine were assembled in Germany, while the new FSI engine might have plants in both Germany and Mexico now. The company literally does have car assembly taking place all over the world, and for numerous markets. Parts as a result, are sourced from about everywhere as well. What I've been happy with from VW over my last two purchases, is the Germany engineering...the cars are engineered really well, drive well, handle fantastically, and have great git-up-and-go for relatively small powerplants. Some of the fit and finish problems are present though, I've had to have my headliner replaced because it shrunk on my 06' Jetta...it was done outside of the warranty period, but VW foot the bill, had a couple issues with airbag harness lights which were fixed under warranty. The soft touch material on some of my buttons have started to rub off, which is an annoyance, and looks like poop (even though we take care of the car). My thoughts are, they wanted an "Audi like" product, without Audi like costs...and wherever they cut the corners, destroyed the longevity of the finish.
I owned a Jetta TDI after doing a LOT of research. It was a great car, but a few things you should know about VW NORTH AMERICAapparently there is a difference in terms of quality, culture, reputation, etc).
-As indicated earlier in this thread, VW's in the US are hit or miss by year.
-VW North America has a largely bad reputation for reliability, especially in comparison to VW Europe
-VW North America is notorious for refusing warranty work, even if legitimate
-Yes VW's here are assembled in Mexico, and subsequently have had build quality issues
-VW dealerships are very hit and miss. There are websites reviewing dealers service so you know where to take your car. I once overheard the service guys at a dealer laughing that they had stripped someones lugnuts during a routine tire rotation
-Sometimes you HAVE to get service at the dealer. TDI models requite a very specific oil that is difficult to get in the US. You cannot get your oiled changed just anywhere, or your warranty is kaput.
I actually liked my VW and many are fun to drive, but they're too much of a risk to be considered a good value here. This is in direct contrast to Europe, where they have a better (but of course not perfect) reputation. I wouldn't tough a North American VW anymore.
The problem is that, while some of VWs lemons were confined to year & model, others just randomly appear. It's very frustrating, and ultimately has damaged VWs sales over the years.
Quote:
Originally Posted by crestliner
All of the clever high dollar sales advertisements can not hide this fact .I wouldnt want to pend big money on a new one knowing this.
Just a simple fact, but VW Audi group is the #2 largest auto manufacturer in the world right now... behind only Toyota (and not by much) and well ahead of GM in 3rd. You simply don't get there by having vehicles that are bad, have a bad reputation, are overpriced, or don't suit the market. Granted, that's Globally, but the point is that they sure aren't hurting on sales and the "problems" tend to be highly vocal minority type situations.
Still loving my '01 Jetta TDI... 240k miles, only unscheduled failure that made the vehicle undriveable was at 220k when the alternator failed. Otherwise it's been a thermostat, water temp switch, glow plug (like a spark plug), and nothing else. Everything works as it did from new, still get 48mpg average (46mpg city, mid 50's highway), no squeaks or rattles of any note and generally no reason to expect there will be Any issues in the next 5 years/100k miles (when we're going to evaluate buying something newer).
Have to say that I just spent 3 weeks in Bavaria (southern Germany) through March and I found the locals to be VERY open/accepting. Especially once they saw I was a fan of Bier (have to spell it right.. ), knew to order weissbier in the bottle and how to pour. The best nights were those where we just landed somewhere random, off the normal tourist path, and hung out with the locals.
German people are cold, arrogant, self-absorbed and rude. Don't believe me? Go there--you will not be accepted.
Depends very much on what part of Germany. The south is the opposite of the north and center, much more friendly and laid back, not industrial and cold. As Brian posted ^^, Bavaria is the ticket. Back Forest also is cool.
German people are cold, arrogant, self-absorbed and rude. Don't believe me? Go there--you will not be accepted. Plus their food sucks.
And their cars are overrated, overpriced and full of problems.
Ohh. Not much love for the Germans . The thing is, the Germans are very sucsessful and they make desirable cars. Unfortunately, the American Jetta or Passat are decent but far from excellent.
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apparently there is a difference in terms of quality, culture, reputation, etc).
. The thing is, the Germans are very sucsessful and they make desirable cars. Unfortunately, the American Jetta or Passat are decent but far from excellent.
