People will pull out in front of me on the road as if I don’t exist, I don’t know if they think, I must be a mellow hippie because I drive one or if they think the collision won’t hurt as bad when I smack into them. But it happens too consistently to ignore.
My window mechanism broke. In the down position. In the rainy season. While they ordered the part I had my window taped into the upright position for about two weeks.
Backing out of a parking space is always an adventure because I have no visability, since I am so low to the ground. I just creep back slowly and hope for the best, until I can see around the cars parked next to me.
Because of the shape of the car, you have big blindspot when making a left turn, fortunately Click and Clack mentioned this years ago, so I have always been aware of it, otherwise, I may have turned out in front of someone and gotten creamed.
My turn signals stopped functioning. This really freaked me out, and took a couple of weeks to get the parts in an fixed.
Expensive to fix, I was in an accident with a moving van and relatively minor damage cost upwards of $6,000 to repair. Fortunately I was not at fault so the other guy absorbed the cost.
Lastly, the keys are expensive and cost a lot to replace/fix. Don’t purchase a V-Dub if you lose your keys a lot.
Most of the complaints on the Beetle have nothing to do with being an inferior car.
Expensive keys? Try any car with key fobs like this.
Body damage repair is expensive on any car so it could very well have cost 6k to fix any other car suffering the same damage.
What does low slung, blind spot, etc. have to do with being an inferior vehicle?
Turn signals and window regulators do wear out and break. The car is 6 years old and it would be interesting to know if those problems occurred after the wreck. 6k dollars in damage tell me that it’s not that minor a deal.
I drove a 1982 diesel VW Rabbit pick-up until I sold it in 2002. It is still on the road today, running like a little charm. Has no rust or mechanical problems.
In the late 1990’s I bought a Golf and it was ok, but traded for the adorable…
New Beetle (1999 or 2000?) with a diesel engine and it became my most dreaded nightmare. The mass airflow sensor went bad 3 times. It also had headlight issues and I couldn’t find anyone who would even think about changing the oil. So if you ask me…
I would buy an older, babied VW before I would think about a newer one.
I have a 2005 Passat Diesel and it is one of the best cars I’ve owned. Previous was an 85 BMW diesel that I sold with 285k miles. I’ve put almost 60,000 miles on this one and have had no problems at all. Great milage too. I tried biodiesel for a while but reverted back to petro diesel due to cost and concerns about possible warranty issues. I believe the VWs made in Germany are probably better built than those in Mexico. The Passat was built in Germany and the Beetles, Golf/Rabbit and Jettas are from Mexico. Sorry, I don’t think the workmanship is as good.
Here is another view. VW knows very well that they have had quality problems in the US and an image in dire need of repair. Consider that VW has renamed the Golf to be a Rabbit and isn’t it possible that VW has largely fixed their quality problems and renamed the car to reflect that change? Wouldn’t they be complete fools to produce the Rabbit with continued quality problems and dirty the Rabbit name too? If they have not turned the corner, and I believe that they have, then they deserve to go the way of the Yugo.
Assuming you’re talking about new Rabbit, that is, the Golf Mark V it is a completely different car than the Golf Mark IV, which is what REALLY smeared VW’s rep, and deservedly so.
It’s been out in Europe for a few years and reports from there say it’s reliability is a complete turn around from the previous version.
I’ve been driving a MkV GTI(sport version of rabbit) for a year and I’m very happy with it.
I have a 2001 VW Beetle. The brake switch broke the first day I owned it after only 7 miles, leaving me stranded. It has been re-called twice since then for the same part. The switch lasts about a year. I am on my 5th switch. VW says that they improved the part but I am yet to be convinced. I still love this car and plan to drive it for another 10 years. I will just keep a switch with me at all times. It’s a 10 dollar part for crying out loud, go for the Rabbit.
You didn’t specify if you are buying the new one or a used car. I personally don’t see why anyone would buy a VW, with it’s questionable background, instead of either a Toyota or a Honda, with their consistently excellent records. Is their some particular good reason why you want the VW? If not, don’t do it. Consumer Reports indicates that VW’s record of reliability is usually among the poorest.
Some people enjoy a car with spirited handling, personality, and innovative design.
While a Toyota or Honda is built solidly and provides highly utilitarian functionality, these cars don’t provide the intangible enjoyment that a VW will.
Getting that balance between fun and reliability is a tough choice for many auto consumers, such as the OP.
Maybe it’s a legacy from the old Beetle days, but both of my wife’s Passats ('90 and 2000) manage to drip oil when they’re 4 or 5 years old. The 2000 is the first VW we’ve owned ( including 5 beetles starting with a '53) on which the battery would maintain a full charge.
My advice would be get a Civic or Corolla and enjoy trouble free driving and clean garage floors.
I have a 95 jetta and the biggest problem I’m having is the transmission. I had it rebuilt once at 62,000 miles and now the transmission is stuck in high gear at 90,000. RELIABILITY SUCK!!! Try Toyota or Honda
I have a 2001 VW Cabrio which I bought new. I have two friends who bought one after driving my car. I LOVE this car. They love their cars. It handles well in summer and WI winter snow & ice. If they start making them again I’ll buy a new one in a heartbeat. My dealership has been wonderful and I use them for all maintenance (Glendale, WI). I had 3 Hondas before this, and I’d say it is slightly less carefree than a Honda, but not by much. Biggest problem I had was driving through an unexpectedly (very) deep puddle which caused electrical issues. Clearly not a VW issue though!Love how it handles and about once a month someone asks me what I’m driving and if I’d like to sell it. It’s a great driving sturdy little car.
Nice car to drive , terrible car to own . Clueless dealers .
I’ve studied the VW experience for several years now and this is probably the most accurate and to the point description I’ve read.
More owners than not consider them nightmares to own. I’m a vintage VW guy and have always loved and had great luck with the oldies, but I can’t bring myself to buy a new one because of the consistency of what I’ve heard about the newer ones.
However, a couple of consumer pages might help give an impression of what it’s like to live with a new VW… http://www.cartalk.com/ct/survey/survey_results.jsp?make=Volkswagen&model=Golf&year=0&x=84&y=21
That said, however, I have heard rumors that the new Rabbit is made in Germany and no longer made in Mexico like the last generation Golf was. Could make a difference.
I love my turbo beetle convert. Any problems since 2005 were repaired quickly. They were speaker and window regulator. Car goes very well, handles nicely and has the largest dash outside of a Mac truck. Florida dealer has been excellent.
Out of HS I got my parents VW Vanagon (still the most fun car of all time) then I went through '90 Ford E150, '96 Pontiac TA, and now my '03 Golf TDi. I wouldn’t give up on VW for anything. You have to understand that some dealers tie the hands of the service department (esp. for warrantee work) and hire the kids right out of the local Comm Coll. That said, you get what you ask for. I recommend being as knowlegeable as possible about any car you drive. I also recommend reading that warrantee that you sign when you buy a car. My turbo died at 58,000 miles and it was replaced under warantee while I was at sea (or more precicely, under it) other than that we love to beat on this car. None of the quirkiness (rattles, wind/rain noise) that is ignored by owners of cheeper cars which use cheep materials. I like the car even now at 100k Mi. because it is servicable with some mechanical knowledge and the help of VWVortex and Fred’s TDi Club Forums. The 3 people I’ve contacted locally via the sites have been friendly and helpful.
That said, a year and a half ago I purchased an '03 F350 SuperCrew Diesel. This Ford has seen the inside of a dealership 3 times in the last 2 months, all repairs under warrantee. Just had to ride my Honda mcycl to work a few times. Good enough guys in my local dealership, so no real complaints there.