VW drivers

Is it me or do VW drivers really think that they are driving on a racetrack? This morning on my way to the university I was cut off by a Jetta, then a little while later a Rabbit crossed four lanes at one time through traffic, and finally another Jetta just about hit me from behind trying to pass me in heavy highway traffic. JEEZUZ! OK, I’m better now. Maybe this comment should be in a rant and rave room. Rocketman

That’s funny. Some mornings I have the exact same experience, except replace all your VW references with contractors in pickup trucks.

Sure, they are very cheap and relatively sporty, so they tend to be driven by teens and 20-somethings. They also tend to be bought by people who enjoy driving them in “boy racer” mode (except for the NB, which is the ultimate chick-mobile). They will calm down a little by the time they can afford to replace it with a BMW. (-;

Actually, the worst are those riced-out civics/toyotas/etc. Load exhaust, about 12 HP of raw power, big sub-woofer, 12-year old driver.

Yes, and actually this exact topic was discussed here a couple of years ago. The consensus then was that VW drivers do tend to be young and aggressive.

I can recall that a few years ago, while driving in the right lane of I-287, I was passed on the SHOULDER by a very young guy in a tricked-out Jetta. The traffic was moving at about 75 mph (10 mph over the limit) at that point, but apparently that was not fast enough for this jerk, who must have been moving at about 90 mph. He then proceeded to weave in and out of the lanes as he continued at that frenetic pace.

the NB, which is the ultimate chick-mobile

Personally I find that they make great chick magnets.  Of course if you are not man enough to drive one, don't.  :-) 

Yea VW's have a typical driver profile somewhat different than say Ford.  The tend to be chosen as a driver's car as opposed to just transportation or a old man's status symbol, the Cadillac.

Nothing wrong with the NB, but it is a chick-mobile (my 16 year old daughter thinks they are very cool and I might actually buy one for her). My only point was that the “boy racer” types do not drive NBs, they drive jettas, etc. As for myself, I refuse to drive anything new enough to have a check engine light anyway. One of these days I may find myself a good old bug convertible to play with (much cooler than the new ones IMHO, but I can’t talk my daughter into one).

I do agree that many young VW drivers fit this stereotype, but I know a few “old guys” who drive TDIs for the mileage. BTW, do you still have to show your AARP card to buy a caddy?

Funny, Ive always noticed this same thing around here, about the contractors in pickup trucks. They run their own business and make their own rules, including parking wherever they see fit. Other than that, its the downstaters that come up here for the weekend, who will do anything to get up here as fast as possible, including passing into oncoming traffic and running them off the road. Then the same thing at the end of the weekend the other way. Besides having money, they have the luxury of knowing the police will not touch them with a 10 foot pole no matter what they do, because donig so would discourage the fragile tourism industry.

I dont notice anything about Jettas or other VWs. No Im not a VW driver either. But Tom and Ray had a rant about it once.

It’s not that I am not man enough to drive them, it’s that my sense of taste forces me to drive reasonably attractive cars. :slight_smile:

Yes, I agree with most of the above statements. I was just yeaterday cut off by a VW driver. True, VWs are driven at about 100 mph on German highways, and therefore are very roadworthy, have good brakes and feel good to go fast in. Unfortunately, I find many VW owners have the same type of arrogant attitude as Mercedes and BMW drivers. I once mortally insulted a VW driver by telling him he was driving an unreliable and expensive to service piece of equipment!(totally true). The same level of arrogance is present in the dealer network, where both salesmen and service department treat you as if it is a privilege for you to be allowed to visit them. Again, VW salesmen treat Toyotas with contempt. For what it’s worth, some years ago the German Automobile Association (ADAC) and the German Consumers Association went over their records to really determine which cars on German roads were the most reliable. It turned out that the Toyota Tercel and Mazda 323 (both cheap econoboxes)were the best respectively. This caused a national ‘angst’(emotional upheaval) in Germany that such an upstart country could produce such good cars! It has been said that the timelag between perception and reality is 8-10 years. Mercedes and Volkswagens (and Volvos)were once the best cars you could buy. That time is long gone. This year Hyundai of Korea came out ahead of Mercedes in overall reliability, at about 50% of the MB retail price.

Back in the 70’s the complaint was that VW drivers were too slow. Make up your minds, people!

I guess that a 37 year old VW is still slow. They sound fast if you’re driving them. Far-from-neugen.

I know I don’t drive like an idiot and I’ve owned my VW Golf since I was 18 (I’m 23 now). I know a lot of people in the VW club I belong to don’t drive like that either (we’re not looking to destroy our cars). I will admit my Golf and my Celica feel great at speeds 100+, but that has been only on a track built for it. I’m more amazed at how people in Ford Taurus’s, Explorers, and other cars of the type that drive’em like they’re in a high speed chase. And semi drivers don’t seem to be any better. Doing 75 to 80mph, changing lanes without looking, and riding side by side blocking the freeway at 50mph. Heck today I saw one semi run another off the road. So I don’t think it’s necessarily the drivers of VWs your noticing, it’s more of the type of car, basically a car that stands out more than others. However the everyday cars slip under most peoples radar even as they cruise at 90 on bald tire. JMHO though.