I have an 08 Chevy Equinox with 16,000 miles on it. In the 2 years I’ve had it I’ve had constant problems, and it seems like I’m taking it to the shop constantly. It all gets repaired for free on warranty, but it is a real nuisance. Some examples of problems (and this barely scratches the surface) are bad passenger side front hub and bearing, cracked spark plug cap, faulty power steering, 3 malfunctioning radios, peeling exterior molding, and more. As of right now my gas mileage has cut IN HALF in only the past month and I have yet to take it in to find out what this could possibly be.
My brother has a 2009 VW Passaat with 35,000 miles on it, and he is getting a new car because he recently got a job at ford. My question is this: I am so sick of the problems with my car that I am extremely tempted to buy my brothers car from him and sell mine. The added luxury of the Pasaat alone is a big incentive. But I am weary of switching to a car that has so many more miles on it. Another factor to consider is that both my car and my brothers car have an extended 100,000 mile/10 year warranty. Any advice on what I should do here? Should I pass this up because of the Pasaat’s high mileage? Or is the '09 Passaat a reliable enough car that I shouldn’t worry about the extra miles?
Check with your DMV regarding your state’s lemon laws.
Twotone
Wow, that sounds really bad. You should look into your state’s lemon laws.
In the general scheme of things the VW would usually be considered to be on par with or even a little bit less reliable than your Chevy, but it sounds like you’ve just got a bit of a lemon. If your brother has been good with the maintenance the Passat should be an okay car, even with the extra miles, but from a strictly practical point of view it’s not going to be the most reliable or the cheapest to run.
He, like me, takes excellent care of his cars. And he has not had it in the shop even once for any sort of problem. I must say though that I am surprised to hear that VW is on par or less reliable than Chevy.
They’re usually known for their electrical gremlins that crop up every now and then.
Though your chevy sounds like a monday morning, hangover from watching the game last night, vehicle.
35K isn’t a lot of miles in my opinion. Your brother must be driving a lot of these miles on the highway which are generally easier on the car. If you get it you drive a relatively low number of miles per year. So, you should be OK with the 10 year 100K extended warranty. Go for the VW. Your Chevy is a loser, but should have sell for a decent price.
Yes, they are all highway miles from driving around for his old job. Thanks for the advice, my thinking on it is the same as yours.
I don’t think that either is particularly reliable. The 100,000/10 year is good, but if it only covers the things that don’t normally wear out in that time (motor/transmission) and not electrical problems for example, what good would it be ? I hope you two have a good enough relationship that could weather any problems you may have with this equally unreliable car.
Who REALLY owns the Chevy, you or a finance company? You may be in for a very unpleasant surprise if you try to sell it. See “Upside down on my loan”…Good Luck…
It’s mine, I own it.
I think you will spend quite a bit of money and mot get very much benefit in return…