GWIM got a 2011 Sportage SX (AWD), Rick bought a GTI..

[ehsnils]

I think that sometimes when you get a rumor of a car brand being bad or not you shall also check where it's assembled. Especially for cars that are assembled in multiple locations over the world. The VW:s doesn't have a reputation over here in Europe for being especially bad. Not worse than other cars at least.

 

Same with Subies - they do seem to have some quirks in the US that doesn't seem to exist on the ones assembled in Japan. Dashboard rattle for example.

[RyanGT]

ShrinerMonkey, I am sorry to hear of your experience with your VW. I can bet you I can find a bad example like what you have gone through with EVERY car manufacturer, be it a Honda or Toyota or Mercedes Benz.

 

I have picked up Consumer Reports at the magazine stands to read. At best, they are good for evaluating toasters and ironing boards. Their statistical sampling methodology is very flawed.

[ShrinerMonkey]

Well great, in the meantime how about you fuck off, and stop cluttering up this thread with your dislike for VW products based on your anecdotal ownership of one VW 10 years ago.

I love you too!

[ShrinerMonkey]

ShrinerMonkey, I am sorry to hear of your experience with your VW. I can bet you I can find a bad example like what you have gone through with EVERY car manufacturer, be it a Honda or Toyota or Mercedes Benz.

 

I have picked up Consumer Reports at the magazine stands to read. At best, they are good for evaluating toasters and ironing boards. Their statistical sampling methodology is very flawed.

Ah yes, the classic "I don't agree with the results of this so it must be flawed" argument, or that every car has it's lemons, etc... Listen, you asked, I told you. It's also not anecdotal when my experience was mirrored by hundreds of others at the VW forums and confirmed by not only CR, but True Delta, JD Power (ugh) and even European quality studies.

[ShrinerMonkey]

I owned a 2001 Jetta 1.8T that was pretty much idiot proof,

So, the perfect car for you then?

[RyanGT]

Ah yes, the classic "I don't agree with the results of this so it must be flawed" argument, or that every car has it's lemons, etc... Listen, you asked, I told you. It's also not anecdotal when my experience was mirrored by hundreds of others at the VW forums and confirmed by not only CR, but True Delta, JD Power (ugh) and even European quality studies.

 

Not true, I more or less agree with CR's evaluation of toasters, ironing boards and refrigerators. Go take a class or read up on statistical analysis and then go find out how CR gathers its data.

 

Automobiles consist of very complex components these days and manufacturers can't make every component and out-source many sub-systems. In all fairness to you, VW had issues with coil packs and window regulators. VW keeps a very tight rein on its cost of sourced parts and I am sure the vendors will try to cut corners. And these parts may have passed initial QC and failed prematurely. Hon-duh and Toyota also had similar issues. So does our beloved Subarus.

[Penguin]

So, the perfect car for you then?

 

Not quite, but it was a very good car for me at that time.

 

The replacement for the Jetta was the 2005 LGT that I bought in October of 2004 when I returned to CONUS. The Subaru was quite a bit less reliable than the VW for me. Go figure.

[godwhomismike]

.....

[Rick]

Did you get that in writing? Who is providing the warranty, VW or the stealership?

 

Yes, I have a copy of the contract. It's through the dealership, and it's legit.

I'm going back on Monday and buying the 100k mile extended, bumper to bumper waranty just for shits and giggles anyway. For $1k I think it's worth it.

[godwhomismike]

.....

[Rick]

LOL!!! The wait till tomorrow is killing me.

 

I really like the two door model, as I think the 4 door looks like shit. But, that 4-door is very convenient, especially when I have passengers. I told the sales guy to locate either one, and told him that I love the look of the 2-door, but the 4-door is more convenient. I am open to either, but I am definitely not fond of the look of the 4-door.

 

I also hope he finds me one with the Xenon lights, which have that mechanism that turns the lights when you turn into a corner.

 

- Mike

 

Just get the one that you'll be the most happy with!

After joining the GolfMK6 forums, I already have the urge to mod. At least a decent set of coilovers, and wheels.

[godwhomismike]

.....

[Penguin]

You could also just try to find employment closer to where you live and reduce your fuel bill even more...

[godwhomismike]

.....

[ehsnils]

I got my whole family calling me an idiot.

...

 

Now - getting a new car isn't something that you can't revert if you do find out that it's wrong for you.

 

And when it's time to change next time there are other cars around.

 

There is no perfect car, every car is a compromise.

[RuskiTrombone]

I got my whole family calling me an idiot.

 

I'm sure it's not just because of your car choice.

[godwhomismike]

.....

[Rick]

I got my whole family calling me an idiot. They seems to have an idea that only AWD (or 4WD) SUVs are the only mode of transportation that you can get around here in the winter months. To them, they think FWD cars are unusable in the snow.

 

Sorry, had an SUV, and it was great in the Winter. But it's a motherfucker to fuel up with it's 93-octane requirement and the 2-3 times a week it needs to be fueled. I'm spending $300-$350+ a month this whole year in ******* gas. That's horseshit. I could probably easily cut that down to $140 a month with the current rates. This weekend alone, I am probably going to be up to close to $100 in fuel for that Forester.

 

I am going to get a set of 15" steel wheels, and a nice set of winter tires for use from Thanksgiving to the first weekend of April. That should be perfectly fine, unless there is like 2-3 feet of fresh snow on the ground. I'd probably get three winters out of them too.

 

.

 

I have a long commute to work as well. I've talked to several VW owners and have been told that 16's with snow tires will be more than enough for Indiana winters.

[Rick]

You could also just try to find employment closer to where you live and reduce your fuel bill even more...

 

Right because the job market in this economy is booming. Did you ever think that maybe he has several years vested with his current company, and values his employment with them?

[Rick]

:lol:

 

No, it actually is.

 

Choice I got is AWD an not worries, except for the colossal screwing at the pump year round. Or, save on fuel, but run the possibility of being totally screwed by mother nature during the rough winter months between mid-December and mid-March. It snows almost everyday during those months.

 

.

 

I'm averaging 32 to 33mpg's/gallon in the GTI. Compared to 20mpg's/gallon in the Legacy. It's not as quick obviously, but it handles better, and is just as fun to drive. My family doesn't like the VW, and they never liked the Subaru. But who gives a shit, they drive POS Chrysler products.

[Penguin]

Right because the job market in this economy is booming. Did you ever think that maybe he has several years vested with his current company, and values his employment with them?

 

I guess that depends on where you live. The economy in Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota are all doing reasonably well. Jobs are not all that difficult to come by.

[BAC5.2]

I'm averaging 32 to 33mpg's/gallon in the GTI. Compared to 20mpg's/gallon in the Legacy. It's not as quick obviously, but it handles better, and is just as fun to drive. My family doesn't like the VW, and they never liked the Subaru. But who gives a shit, they drive POS Chrysler products.

 

That's pretty good fuel economy.

 

I keep toying with the idea of trading the Outback in on a TDI, but I just can't pull the trigger. The Subaru is just too much fun to drive, and the SportWagon has less usable cargo space (the hatch is much much narrower).

 

A 4-door Golf would be awesome, but I'd be losing so much that it would be tough to justify... even if I could get double my current fuel economy.

 

I could easily trade, nearly straight across, for a 4-door DSG GTI. It would cost me ~$3,500 to get into a Golf 4DR 6MT TDI or Sport Wagon 6MT TDI.

 

With the GTI, I'd get ~5mpg better than I get now. The TDI, I'd get ~15mpg better than I get now.

 

That's a 60% increase in fuel economy with the TDI, and since I drive some 100 miles per day, the savings would add up.

 

But, if we move to the UK in March both of our cars are going into storage anyway. If we do 2 years in the UK, then we might sell both cars and simply buy replacements when we get back.

 

Clearly the financial advantage is to stick with the Outback. But if something happened, I would have a hard time not finding myself in the very position that Rick was just in, and GWIM is in now.

[ehsnils]

Sell cars, get different car - like a Legacy Diesel in the UK (or other Euro country to get the steering wheel on the left side if you don't want to bring a RHD car to the US) and then bring it with you when you go back to the US.

[Rick]

Sell cars, get different car - like a Legacy Diesel in the UK (or other Euro country to get the steering wheel on the left side if you don't want to bring a RHD car to the US) and then bring it with you when you go back to the US.

 

 

I really wish Subaru offered the Turbo Diesel in the US. I'd still be driving a Subaru.

[godwhomismike]

.....