I have found a used GTI with DSG transmission, sunroof, 4 doors with 40,000 miles on it for $16000. Seems like a good deal - one owner. However, I have heard questionable things about DSG transmission and VW in general. Ideas? Would you buy this?
I should also add that the dealer has done all the maintenance and it has a VW extended warranty to 75K.
I have an 08 with about the same miles. it has been bulletproof for me. they are good cars if you dont mind chasing rattles every once and a while. if you look at vwvortex.com you can get a good sense that these are reliable cars. people on car talk forums dont like vw’s as a general rule, they knock them for their reliability, but just remember. not all honda’s are good.
and as for the car itself, I am in love, I couldnt ask for more.
I couldn’t agree more. I recommend and buy Toyotas and Hondas but find they still have their problems too. As a math major, it’s just a matter of playing the odds. Statistically, there are still many happy VW owners, satisfied with their choice. There must be many good ones out there. It’s your choice ultimately. Buy a car you like and for your reasons and having the most reliable car statistically may not be one of them.
Happy hunting.
I Haven’t Driven A VW For Many Years, But If Volkswagen Has Kept The Essence Of The Original Rabbit GTI That I Had As A Company Car, I Say Go For It.
That extended factory warranty clinches it.
CSA
My friend bought an '09 GTI brand new back in May, but with a manual transmission.
Its a great car, and he loves driving it.
I haven’t heard any great things about the DSG transmission in those cars, as some owners have reported having trouble with the transmission in low milage.
Personally, I would buy a manual transmission car over any of the new wave of transmissions, until they have been in a model of car for at least 5 years, and you can get some form of reliability history on them.
Nissan just had to extend the transmission warranty on all of their CVT equipped cars to 120k miles, as their cars and SUV’s have been getting a bad rap for their CVT units. Mini stopped offering the CVT in their cars a couple years ago for similar reasons.
Also, with the GTI, you need to only use synthetic engine oil in the car.
And since it is a turbo car, you should make sure to change the oil every 5k miles.
Are you prepared to spend the extra money?
And finally, before you take delivery of the car, make VW change the transmission fluid in the car, so that you have an actual record of it being done, in case the transmission does fain in the near future. Transmission fluid changes are the most neglected vehicle maintenance item during the life of a car.
BC.
“There must be many good ones out there. It’s your choice ultimately.”
Almost every one built is outstanding. VWs just happen to have a little less than twice as many problems as Toyotas do on average. CR rates anything with less than 1% failure rate as excellent. Anything with more than 3% receives the worst rating. That implies that around 2% is average. If perfect to worst is only 3%, then just about anything is a good bet.
likely it’ll also give time as well as mileage as to when oil changes should be done. A used turbo charged vehicle is on my “avoid at any cost” list, simply because I’m more cautious when it comes to those kinds of cars.
@CSA: Warranties are all well and good, but there’s so many horrible things said about VW dealership service
I have had a 2003 GTI 1.8T since new, and it has been ok overall, but it has had lots of minor problems and one big one. The big one is the “plastic” water pump. Actually, only the impeller is plastic, but it gets brittle and disintegrates much too soon, and disables the car. Mine lasted 36,900 miles. According to the discussions on VWVortex, the newer 2.0T GTIs use the same design water pump. The VW dealer would only replace mine with another “plastic” one. I bought an aftermarket metal one and replaced it myself (huge pita). The other problems have been mostly rattles, squeaks, and strange noises from the engine compartment (one differential noise was fixed under warranty by changing to a different manual transmission lube). The car does have some good aspects to offset these faults (I’m still driving it), but really, I don’t see another VW in my future.
Never buy a used VW unless you like fixing cars or you want handling over reliability along with some rollover protection.
BSCars, I Know About Dealers. I Have Worked At VW Dealers For Years. People Who Like VWs Buy Them In Spite Of Dealer Service Problems And Others Have No Problems With Their Local Dealers.
People with VWs love the nearest dealer to me which is over 100 miles from here. I have friends with a VW near that dealer.
What I was referring to was in regards to the factory extended warranty and buying a used car. An owner with a car covered by a warranty is less likely to sell a car needing expensive repairs because that owner would probably have the car serviced under warranty. Also, it gives the buyer a chance to make sure everything is OK with the new car.
Choosing between two similar used cars, inspected and no collision damage, I’ll take the one with the warranty.
Buying any used car, the buyer should always have the car inspected for condition and particularly for previous collision damage as this is not covered by warranty.
CSA
I hear you. I think it’s important for companies to maintain their repeat customers. Having a part fail and leaving you stranded is worse than replacing a perpetually bad part that’s not time critical (brake pads/exhaust). I think many of us generally stick with cars that “got us home safety” over the long haul. I had that feeling with Toyota/Hondas, didn’t with many others I’ve owner. Some were well regarded cars including SAABs and MBs.
In a like manner, I’d probably feel the same way if I started out with John Deere tractors, just happened to start with Kubotas. It’s tough to change when you have a good experience easy if you don’t.
I hope VW is reading about your experience.
PleaseDodgeVan2, You Missed A Reason To Buy A Volkswagen.
I believe Vanna White, the letter revealer on Wheel Of Fortune, bought a 72 Baja Limited Edition Volkswagen (I think it was her first car) as a teenager.
I think she wanted a car with her initials on it!
So if your name is Vanna White, Victor Wilson, Valerie Washington, etcetera, a Volkswagen purchase could make sense.
CSA
I have a 2008 GTI with the DSG transmission and I just had the 30,000 mile service today. I love my GTI and as far as I am concerned the DSG transmission is superior to any other automatic transmission I have ever driven and infinitely superior to the manual transmission. Not only does the DSG deliver better fuel mileage than a manual transmission, it will reliably out perform even a skilled driver using the manual transmission.
One caveat. I was warned by the dealer today that at 40,000 miles the DSG transmission has to be drained and refilled at a cost of roughly $450. In addition the 40,000 mile service includes replacing all the filters as well as all the other fluids and that runs another $300+. If that has not been done on the car you are looking at, you should factor all that into the cost of the car.
Never heard of this before. Has anyone else had this problem? My prior VW was an 04 Golf which went to 90K with no major problems (save a frozen rear brake which cost 1K to repair) before I traded it for a 07 GTI late last year. I have 38K miles on the GTI now and I hope I’m not looking at replacing the water pump in the next year.