Q Would you buy your car again?

If you hade the chance would you buy your car again? I would have to say no. Dont get me wrong i love my car but after dealing with all the things that have gone wrong with it(broken glove box, fried headlights sh88 tires and trying to deal with the dealerships i would say no. This is my 5th jetta and although its a good car its the little sh88 that vw should fix but they wont that makes me wish i bought an audi.If they build a passat tdi im trading up.99 tdi 33k miles

Hell yes!

I'd buy TWO of my car again, if I could afford it.

You kidding? If I had the insight I now have BEFORE buying the TDI, I wouldn't have hemmed and hawed for two weeks making my decision. I would have bought it on the spot

Yes, I'd do it all over again, for all the same reasons. The car has met my expectations and thus far has been trouble free at 11K. To date 52.5 MPG and fuel is and will continue to be cheaper than gas this summer!

I do sometimes have doubts--about spending as much money as is required for a new car. However, given that money spent, I couldn't imagine being happier with a car in this league... perhaps within the sub-25k market. Suffice it to say, I've never had doubts while in my TDI.

Silver '000 Golf GL TDI
stock + freight truck reflectors

Yep. Would definitely buy another TDI. Fun car to drive, with oustanding mileage. I just wish the dealer service would be better.

No way, real POS.

Skid

Had a '98 Jetta TDI, wanted a Passat TDI, but had to settle for the NB. We love it... No regrets. Still waiting for the Passat TDI, though.

George

Not only "would I," but I did!
2 weeks ago we brought home our second NB TDI automatic. The first one, a 2000 with over 52,000 miles, has been flawless and continues to average above 43 MPG. The new one has a little over 2,000 in the first 2 weeks, and our mileage has been 37 to 46. Not too shabby for a new engine. The 01 has some subtle refinements that VW has not even advertised, but they are nice little improvements, especially the "swivel" front cup holders, and the extra 24 sq. in. of fresh air intake via the larger grill. Both the 00 and 01 have been perfect.

More so.
I bought my NB in 6/98. This was too soon into production and my particular car had a lot of niggling issues which of course the dealership was very poor at addressing - the first time. A couple issues took over a dozen visits to correct!

Now, compare that with my brother's '00 and another friend's '99 NB's. One or two minor issues. That's it.

I feel confident that if I bought an '01 I'd have a better experience.

Bottom line though is that I probably won't buy another VW if the customer satisfaction ratings don't improve. I would rather pay more to buy a Lexus and get the intelligent, capable service they are known for.

I would not buy the one I have now, I would buy one with leather seats, these cloth seats are too hard to clean, other than that I love the car.

In a nutshell, I'd buy any of our three TDIs again in a minute.

My only regret is taking the '96 Passat to the dealer for anything after warranty -- actually I don't think it needed anything under warranty.

If I had a car with a lot of warranty problems, and I took it to my dealer to fix them, I'd hate everything about the car and my life. My local dealer is so bad that I'm only going to use the warranty if anything goes wrong that's expensive, and then I'll probably shop around and find a decent dealer. Otherwise it goes to the independent mechanic.

VWs definitely can have some niggling problems -- it's just luck whether you get them or not it seems. But the ability to fix them yourself, tolerate them, or find a decent mechanic has almost as much to do with owner satisfaction as being lucky in the first place. I've been pretty lucky with my cars, pretty unlucky to have an abysmal local dealer (Miller Auto, in Leb, NH), and lucky to have a good independent mechanic. Add to that the character, durability, and general thriftiness of these cars, and I'm satisified.

No, should have waited for the Golf with 150hp!

[ April 18, 2001: Message edited by: JRTTDI ]

Absolutely.

Brian P.
'96 Passat TDI mit UPsolute

Absolutely! This car has more than met our expectations. It's quiet, peppy, frugal, reliable, and excellent build quality. Good quality materials, and the doors close with a solid 'thunk'. No tinny noises here. These cars are VERY safe, with excellent brakes, and steering. It's a real joy to care for and drive.

We've had a couple minor issues (creaky driver's seat, shifter vibration, bad taillight trim, and couple creaks/rattles) all of which was dealt with on warranty. The car has ran flawlessly.

For us, the suspension is a bit soft. Is it me or are more cars being designed this way from the factory? Anyway, that can be fixed.

Harry.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by BeetleGo:
Bottom line though is that I probably won't buy another VW if the customer satisfaction ratings don't improve. I would rather pay more to buy a Lexus and get the intelligent, capable service they are known for.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think this about sums it up, depending on the sort of car buyer you are. Consider two actual examples:

#1. I drive a 96 Passat TDI which I bought used for $10K from the original owner who put 60K highway miles on the car. I am mechanically inclined, and perform all of my own maintenance, keeping ownership costs as low as possible. I repair all of the small irritating nickle and dime problems by reading the TDI Forum, which saves me money and allows be to avoid the dealers. I get excellent fuel economy, and the car never sees a dealer. My value for money and driving experience is good, and I love the car.

#2. My sister buys an new 00 Passat 1.8t gasser. She is not mechanically inclined. The car suffers from a litany of small electronic problems and a tiptronic transmission that slips. The radio will not pick up any stations. She informs the dealer of the Passat gas tank recall. What happens?.?.?.

a. the electronic/mechanical problems require numerous return trips to the dealer.
b. the dealer denies warranty coverage on these items, even after several attempts at repair. Sister consults attorney.
c. the dealer completely denies any knowledge concerning the joint US Government/VW Passat gas tank recall.
d. My sister hates her car, and doesn't trust it.

Example #2 sums up why VW will continue to have CS problems- its dealers' attitude compared to others. (Indifferent, ignorant, and uninformed.)

Earth to VW- Those CS surveys mean something- if service was this bad, and I owned the car in #2, I can't say that this wouldn't give me pause. But I'm not the average car buyer who only wants a car to drive, and not just maintain and tinker with.

Businesswise, it ultimately comes down to this:

Hot looking product and sales now, OR
Good product and service, and repeat sales later.

VW, at least corporately, appears to be selecting the former. . .

My '96 Passat has been extremely reliable. Two dealer service items in 90K miles:
1) Shift linkage serviced under warranty
2) Smoky CPU/Injector condition at 40K. I paid the Local dealer for diagonostics and they missed the service bulletin and minor rear brake service bulletin. Much better dealer (Day Imports) diagnosed the CPU-Injector problem over the phone at 50K miles. Replaced at No Charge.

Primary annoyances:
1)Serpentine belt and pully "bounce" at idle.
2)Engine vibration at idle (running new motor mounts now with considerable improvement.
Otherwise very efficient and would definately buy another VW TDI when mine wears out (2020 A.D.)

[ April 17, 2001: Message edited by: Metalnerd ]

My dealer, Martens VW of Washington DC has been perfect. They did a great job during and after the sale.

Don't lump all VW dealers into one group simply because you had a bad experience.

Toyo-lexus-da or whatever Japanese marquee you like may have great service, but who gives a damn if their cars are as boring as cold porridge.

If you the dealers service is more important to your buying decision than the car ITSELF is... then you are a different kind of consumer than I am. I care about the product. No amount of coddling from the dealer could make me enjoy a dull beige Camry or a tin box Honda with less torque than a kid on a tricycle.

It's the car, stupid!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by think diesel:
Don't lump all VW dealers into one group simply because you had a bad experience.

If you the dealers service is more important to your buying decision than the car ITSELF is... then you are a different kind of consumer than I am.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I didn't have the bad experience. A family member did. And, by the looks of things on this forum and statistics in other publications, several other VW owners have as well. Customer Service and Satisfaction IS a problem with VW Dealers. Consider yourself very lucky that you have such a dealer in your area. That's NOT normal.

As for service being more important for SOME consumers, you made my point exactly. My sister and I are totally different consumers. I'm very happy with my 96 Passat, and like Metalnerd, have experienced the very sorts of problems he describes. If I were clueless as to cars, I most definitely would not care to deal with the vast majority of VW dealers who manifest gross incompetence and indifference as to the products they sell and service. Such behaviour is very bad to the clueless consumer.

As for the staid, boring nature of Camry and Accord- Your dead on. What boring cars to own and drive- perfect for the clueless car buying consumer who wants NO hassles.

VW is a fun car to drive and own, but you will have some hassles. The fun of a VW does come with a small price, I'm afraid.

My 98 NB TDI, built 5/98, purchased 7/7/98, has been an absolute pleasure. The only problem was the A/C didn't like to work. Was fixed no charge (30K miles so out of warranty). Since I don't use it, it was never a big deal. Otherwise, has been solid as a rock, and are considerering a longer commute (65 miles vs. 17) because of the car.
As an aside, I would also buy our 99 Passat GLX again. A few "niggling" problems, but nothing terrible. Thank heavens the dealer is decent!

That depends - in this alternate universe, is a 110 hp Passat TDI available?

In short, yes!

I would buy another **TDI**. I will never buy another Volkswagen TDI.

Dealership Techs = Idiots

I agree that Volkswagen has customer service problems. Certainly I have seen evidence of that here on these boards. I *do* consider myself lucky. I did some research before I chose my dealer and chose the most reputable one in my area.

I don't think people should *expect* problems when buying a Volkswagen however. Just do your homework. Find a dealer with a spotless reputation, even if you have to drive a ways and check the car out throroughly before you sign anything.

If you read Consumers Reports Volkswagens do not have the reliability rating of say a Toyota or a Honda, however they are on par with Mercedes, Volvo and BMW, and that's not bad company to keep. In fact, if you cross-reference a 2000 VW Jetta and a 2000 Mercedes E-Class, you'll see that their reliability is about the same! They even have similar ratings in the same areas.

If customer service and reliability are the number one priorities for a new car and everything else is far down the list, then perhaps you do not want a Volkswagen... or a Mercedes...or a BMW.

I hear GM has excellent customer service and some of their cars are as reliable as a Volkswagen or better (on paper at least)

Maybe you want a Buick. I am sure the Buick dealer will take better care of you

Yeah-I'd buy it again (in a second). But if someone didn't have the know-how to do stuff themselves-and had to have the dealer do everything-then they better find a good dealer (which are few and far between for VWs IMHO). Actually-this car is the best I've ever owned-but if VW doesn't improve their customer service-they are going to have very few repeat customers. I've heard/witnessed too many horror stories. See some of the threads by Wyseguy on all the stuff he has been through. His most recent fiasco was performed by Williams VW in Lansing, Michigan which is supposed to be one of the best (if not THE best) VW dealers in the state. But they didn't put all of the tranny bolts back after working on Wyseguy's car!!!!! It can be summed up as (for TDIs)-"great cars, lousy dealers/service." One thing that is great about this forum though-is that you can learn a lot about these cars/go to GTGs etc. to learn to do a LOT of the work on them yourselves!!!!!

A resounding Hell yeah to the question. Without a doubt

Actually Williams is doing very veyr well with Wyseguy.

Never have I seen such service esp considering they think he is a hot head and think that he beats the crap out of his car. Even despite that fact they still make it all good with him.

Some customer service needs to be improved, but that said I haven't had really any negative dealings with VWoA besides the confusion over the timing belt. . . .

NOPE - I'd buy the Jetta TDI Wagon, instead of my Golf! Damn VW for doing the press release 2 weeks after I sealed the deal!! Who wants to buy my GL this Fall?

1600 miles on my Indigo Golf GLS. Very happy miles. If I have few problems I will likely be hooked on diesel and possibly VW. I am concerned about the quality of service available. Since I have an automatic I asked the dealer in my area for an estimate on replacement of the timing belt. The estimate was $675 labor, plus parts. I also stopped at dealer near my inlaws and was quoted $255.00, including belt.
My perception is that a major part of the problem is the scarcity of VW dealerships. No competion = lack of incentive to provide the best service.
Only time will tell, I will do my best to learn the maintenance on th TDI and I do enjoy the car, hopefully the dealerships will not ruin my ownership experience.

The question in my mind in NOT "would I buy my car again?", it is "why would anyone who has driven a TDI want to buy anything else?".
Of course dealer "service" is spotty at best, but to me, the only scary thing was the lack of suitable Rabbit Replacements during the mid-to-late 1990s. After all, no new diesel, let alone turbo-diesel hatchbacks were available for sale anywhere in the U.S.A. from about 1987-1988 to early 1999.

in a minute! just turned 37k on my '00 golf gl tdi this AM. recently did upsolute and k&n drop-in. this is my fourth vw diesel, and by far the best.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by michTDI:
Yeah-I'd buy it again (in a second). But if someone didn't have the know-how to do stuff themselves-and had to have the dealer do everything-then they better find a good dealer.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

When I tell a dealer that they better prove the part they are replacing is bad before they use their normal process of **replace and pray**. They look at me like I have 12 heads. I don't need to be baby sat by a dealer. What I do need is COMPETENT DEALER TECHS!