I write when things are bad so I decided to write when things are good.

Traded in my 2002 Jetta 1.8 because CPO warranty was up and no way could I afford to pay for repairs every few months. I was shopping lease rates, what I was offered on trade, and the cars in similar price range.

Financially VW won hands down. Perhaps VW is in need of sales. I walked out of dealer with a check for my trade equal to thousands more than offers at other manufacturers. (There was a VW loyalty program for previous owners too) The lease itself was literally sign and drive. VW makes the first payment, plus the lease payments came out about $40 month less per month than comparable cars. (Yeah, I chose lease in case things went bad.)

Product wise, I know car comparisons come down to personal taste and not much out there will start a faster Internet debate. Let’s just say I looked at typical class comparables: Civic, Mazda 3, Sentra, and even the Elantra. I stuck with VW for safety*, fit and finish and frankly - to me - it feels more substantial than some on the list. Others were ruled out because the finances were too off base. FYI Honda dealer was most aggressive and it was real close. Mazda was so off base that I felt like calling the dealer after to tell them how bad their sale rep was. Nissan was fine – but I have had many Nissan. (*Call me a hypocrite for previous post whereby I condemn VW for advertising safety without mentioning safety consideration of being left on the side of the road out of State.)

I went pretty basic 2008 Jetta S, manual trans. After my 1.8 GLS I guess I like the “”zen-nes”" of basic. Or perhaps coupled with fear that too many extras can truly mean too many things could go wrong. (In this modern era that outdated statement can only be resurrected in thanks to VW gen IV. I mean no Honda owner claps their hands when they push the window button and the glass opens. Only a VW owner smiles a sigh of relief when their input is answered with a sunroof actually sliding back, seats actually heating, or idiot lights going off after ignition).

The 2008 VW is solid, gone are the flexing and creaks of the previous generation. It has something like 8 airbags, a huge trunk, and a back seat for real adults. In retrospect with gas prices on their way to $5, I would have gone with the Civic. Had anyone been able to give me an answer on when the TDI’s will actually be here I may have waited for that too. It’s only been about 1,500 miles on my 2008 Jetta S but so far, so good. Again only a VW owner would bother posting praise for something that in 2008 should be a non-issue. (My car works past 1000 miles – yay!)

About my 2002: It was a CPO car and I had ownership from 40,000 to 70,000 miles. Built in Mexico the original sticker for the 1.8T GLS was over $24K - that’s a ton of money for a car that could not make it past 40,000 miles without stopping at VW or anywhere else on the side of the road. Cosmetically I can be a bit obsessive about a car’s appearance. At 70K my ‘02 VW looked great I could have sold it privately and made more money but no way was I going to dump it on some young person.

About my 2000 Jetta TDI, I was told it was one of the last from VW Germany. I commuted about 80 miles a day with it and never had a single problem. For life changing reasons I sold it with about 45,000 miles.

Bought my 2006 Passat 3.6 in June 2006. The car drove like a dream…For the first 2,000 miles. It stalled at 2k miles and wouldn’t start. At 3.5k miles my oil light came on. It spent a week at the dealer. They replaced the oil pump, which is major surgery. At 8k miles, the oil light came on again. It was in the shop for 8 days. They replaced the oil pump again. Since it was on a lift for a week, the springs and struts were damaged. It took them two weeks to get the parts in from Germany. At 9k miles, the struts and springs were replaced for a second time. At 9.3k miles guess what - new struts and springs. At 9.4k miles, strong fuel fumes started pumping through the ventilation system. I bring it to the dealer, they tell me I stepped in gasoline, the car spends 2 days in the shop before they find fuel leaks in rotten hoses (that’s right, rotten hoses on a car with 9k miles). At 14k, 3 cylinders go out. It spends 14 days at the shop while the dealer and VW try to figure it out. I am told they are going to replace the engine…But that doesn’t happen. They replaced the oil pump AGAIN and claim the problem is solved.

I finally call a VW customer care “”advocate”" (freakin joke) and explain that I want to be swapped out of the car, or want out of my lease. VW tells me they will give me credit for 1 monthly payment. I take it.

So now I am at 19k miles and my struts are bad again. I called VW and asked them to let me break my lease, swap me out a car, or just offer me something, anything. They tell me to call the BBB.

Antother thing to watch out for - VW doesn’t count weekends as ‘days out of service’. That’s funny, because I drive a car on the weekends. I called the State Lemon Law Helpline (I have never been so impressed with the state govt) and they tell me VW is lying to me…Just trying to stall me so I miss the Lemon Law time period.

Bottom line - I’m calling all the news channels in town, I’m filing for the Lemon Law, and I’m going to pay someone to stand across the street from the VW dealership with a sign that says - “”Don’t do it, keep going and take a left into the Honda dealership.”"

Edited by Rueben on 05/22/08 at 8:53 PM

Edited by Rueben on 05/22/08 at 8:55 PM

Edited by Rueben on 05/22/08 at 8:56 PM

Back in ‘02 my then girlfriend, now wife, went looking for a new car. I told her, due to the good press from a ‘leading consumer magazine’ at the time, to look at a Passat. She did, fell in love with it, and bought one. Six years, and who knows how many repairs later, I have posted an ad in my local paper and craigslist listing the car for sale. I’ve already been to Carmax, they will give me…drum roll please… a whopping $5500 for a car they deemed ‘very clean’. I was shocked! Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds list the car at around $8-9K private sale, $6K for a trade in. But you know what, I’ve learned that’s just a value. Nobody wants this car, there’s no market in a slow economy for unreliable crap. Frankly, I don’t blame the six people who have contacted me in regards to the car; each has gotten cold feet after reading online reviews.

And a final aside, in preparation for this sale, I dropped the car off at the local VW dealer early in the morning for an oil change, filled out the form, and dropped the keys in the early bird drop box. I returned to the dealer only to to find the service people didn’t check the early bird drop box. My car of course wasn’t finished; hadn’t even been touched. So after a long day of work, I was served up this final indignity by the VW family. Good riddance, VW.

Now, what it’ll take me to get you in this car, today?

OK the ‘60 Beetle was a little underpowered. The ‘89 Jetta was real good car. And the ‘98 Jetta is terrific. 157,000 miles and runs like new. OK the cruise control no longer works, but the engine, transmission and body are just right. Love that car.

Great car until it overheated May 06. No issues again til motor blew big time in May 07. In one year, I’ve had at least 10 trips to the repair shop, and SIX Water pumps. I’ve been stranded everywhere in between Biloxi and Northwest Arkansas.

Feb of this year? New HEAD after just having new motor less than a year before. Less than 3,000 miles after new head? Water pump goes out again.

I do my maintenance.

I’m sick and tired of this piece of crap. It is 3-4 days of service every time. So basically I’m paying for a car so I can walk and bum rides.