str1ck
Active member
Picking up a 2016 Passat SEL today! Got a great price on it!!!
That's part of what I liked about the V60 Cross Country, it came with a full sized spare. The fuel mileage wasn't so great however.When my wife got her Golf TDI, it had a subwoofer in the trunk on top of the spare tire (which meant no full-sized spare). I am not a fan of subwoofers in general - I make her turn the thing off when I am in her car, and frankly I would rather have the full-sized spare.
The Volvo has no spare tire at all - just a can of fix-a-flat and a compressor that you plug into the cigarette lighter. I am not sure, but I think there is still room in the trunk for the spare - I just have to go out and buy one. Believe it or not, the car did come with a jack and a wrench, but without a spare it isn't clear how that is ever going to be useful.
My first car was a Chevy Vega. Chevy will never be forgiven.Plus, I've never been in love with GM products (irrational, I know).
Wound up going with the Audi A3 Sportback E-Tron, their plug-in hybrid. Only gets ~15-20 miles on the battery, but has a little more space than the Volt, similar cabin size as the JSW, but shorter, so less cargo room. Gas/highway mileage isn't quite as good as my JSW, but not bad. I drove it hard on the highway home from San Antonio to Houston and got a little over 34mpg. My JSW would've done around 37-38 tops. But my work commute is 5 miles each way so I'll drive most of the week on battery
Subaru Forester base and Premium trims offer AWD + manual trans for modest $.I looked around at some cute utes, like the CX-5. Hey look you can get it with a stick!! But not a stick AND awd... Seems silly to me.
I am not in Texas, but I got the 2016 Premium Plus with "technology" and "B&O radio" packages/options and I got 15% plus $1000 off (around a little more than $8100). With the (for my state) combined Fed and State tax credits of $5.5k it is $13.6k plus a little off the MSRP between the two. Plus I figure in 10 years, for the type of driving I do now, which is highly short range on the EV side, I should save $4k-$6k in fuel costs.Which model E-Tron did you purchase? What kind of year end discounts are they giving in Texas? Interested in the E-tron but the closest dealer is 300 miles away.
My 2015 Mazda 6 had a good sized trunk that could take a full jogging stroller turned sideways with no issues, so I think you'll likely be okay. Curious to hear the results anyway! If you're considering one with an automatic, make sure it has the sport button for the transmission shifting (I think all the newer ones have it, but only the Grand Touring models had it on the 2015s). Without it, transmission is decent, but a little lazy. With it engaged, shifting is crisp and much sportier while holding RPMs a little higher to stay in the torque curve a little better. Better yet, get a manual...So to bring back a topic from 15 pages ago...
Got a picture of my sax in the trunk. You can see it fits, but is actually wider than the opening. If there wasn't a pocket behind the wheel, or if the opening was any smaller, I wouldn't be able to get it in. I recently read a review of the Mazda 6 that specifically mentioned the generous trunk opening, so I'm going to go take a look at lunch time today. We'll see!
Thanks for your detailed response. Like mostly everyone here I am having difficulty deciding what to purchase. My wife asks every couple of days what my current choice would be. The ETron is my current choice. Like the idea of the year end discounts helping to defray the sticker shock. I am facing up to the fact that whatever choice I make it is going to cost something in the high 30s. I wished that VW would bring the GTE to NA but it doesn't seem to be in the plan. Also surprised there isn't some loyalty bonus from Audi for VW owners.I am not in Texas, but I got the 2016 Premium Plus with "technology" and "B&O radio" packages/options and I got 15% plus $1000 off (around a little more than $8100). With the (for my state) combined Fed and State tax credits of $5.5k it is $13.6k plus a little off the MSRP between the two. Plus I figure in 10 years, for the type of driving I do now, which is highly short range on the EV side, I should save $4k-$6k in fuel costs.
I had to fly to Phoenix for this from Salt Lake City so I spent a little over $500 in flight, gas, food to get it back to my home in Utah. There was a similar one a Utah dealer offered me at a very slightly better deal, but since I had a choice I wanted the one in Phoenix due to color and I'd rather pay for radio upgrade than "sport" package.
Yeah, similar to Chadbag, I was seeing 15% or more off. It seemed the higher spec'd models had more discount. Between the deals and seeing only one red one in Texas, I decided to jump before it was sold. Would have preferred to wait a little closer to the buy back date, but figured I'll just put up with two cars for now.Thanks for your detailed response. Like mostly everyone here I am having difficulty deciding what to purchase. My wife asks every couple of days what my current choice would be. The ETron is my current choice. Like the idea of the year end discounts helping to defray the sticker shock. I am facing up to the fact that whatever choice I make it is going to cost something in the high 30s. I wished that VW would bring the GTE to NA but it doesn't seem to be in the plan. Also surprised there isn't some loyalty bonus from Audi for VW owners.
Would you like to tell us the price?Picking up a 2016 Passat SEL today! Got a great price on it!!!
Yeah, that is what I was quoted more or less on the two that wanted to quote me. I had to prompt a little but not too hard. Just let him know what I was looking for and it came. The second one, the local guy, I told what I had been quoted from the other guy and he came right out with it.Yeah, similar to Chadbag, I was seeing 15% or more off. It seemed the higher spec'd models had more discount. Between the deals and seeing only one red one in Texas, I decided to jump before it was sold. Would have preferred to wait a little closer to the buy back date, but figured I'll just put up with two cars for now.
I was quoted (without even prompting) $39k for a Premium plus with tech and sport packages (near Prestige level). MSRP was $47.5. I'm sure there's a little locality discount in this as these don't seem to sell well in Texas where SUVs and trucks are king.
took delivery of my volt (w/ spare tire kit!) last night. since this is my daily drive, less space is now ok with kids gone. Was skeptical about it for a long time but after a few test drives, it drives well and is expected it to do well on my commute. Decided to go for it after reading details about the gen2 tech updates.I'm looking at a Volt real hard too. Drove a couple of them and think they're pretty cool. If not a Volt, perhaps a GTI.
Yep, I'd like that, too. I've seen just 1 or 2 true Prestige models.Yeah, that is what I was quoted more or less on the two that wanted to quote me. I had to prompt a little but not too hard. Just let him know what I was looking for and it came. The second one, the local guy, I told what I had been quoted from the other guy and he came right out with it.
I still wish I had found a true Prestige as it has the cross traffic, ACC, and collision warning stuff. That is the basic difference for about the same price as a packaged out Premium Plus.
Oh, I'm going manual all the way... No worriesMy 2015 Mazda 6 had a good sized trunk that could take a full jogging stroller turned sideways with no issues, so I think you'll likely be okay. Curious to hear the results anyway! If you're considering one with an automatic, make sure it has the sport button for the transmission shifting (I think all the newer ones have it, but only the Grand Touring models had it on the 2015s). Without it, transmission is decent, but a little lazy. With it engaged, shifting is crisp and much sportier while holding RPMs a little higher to stay in the torque curve a little better. Better yet, get a manual...
You sure about that?. . . handling wise [the Camry] feels just as " sporty " as the jetta.
... handling wise it feels just as " sporty " as the jetta.
That and you can get a stick with the AccordYou sure about that?
Other than that, an excellent move on your part.
Couple of things. Kia and Hyundai owners love the 10yr/100,000 mile warranty. That brings quite a bit of customer satisfaction right there. Then there is residual value or what you can sell it for down the road, Hyundai and Kia certainly don't excel yet in this area, but they are improving.I have read in more than one place that Hyundai/Kia have surpassed Toyota/Honda in reliability and customer satisfaction but due to the relative infrequency of buying cars and how word of mouth about ownership spreads, people still prioritize the Japanese brands more than they should.
Did you already sign the title over to the insurance company? If you did, you're right, you're excluded. But if you didn't, keep the car, let the insurance company give you a check and hand the car over as a buyback. I'm assuming the engine still works and the car will propel itself on its own power.Sadly, my 2013 Passat TDI was hit while parked by a driver who fell asleep and it was declared a total loss by insurance. This happened on 8/10/2016, so I didn't see a dollar from VW for either a fix or a buyback, as I was excluded from the settlement.
Q5 is very nice. I have a 3yr old and a 10 week old so need the backseat room of the A6. Wife has a 2013 MDX Tech w/only 23k on it that she is hinting that she wants to trade in for a new Q7. No need for us to have two SUV's. Would love an S6 (complete other direction from my current ride) but too steep for my budget.Feresten aka Forrest Gump ? The Germans have very little sense of humor. An A6 is nice but the Q5 is more versatile with the tall hatch/hunchback. Fits better in cramped city parking spots.