If you are considering buyback which cars are you looking at as replacements?

[aja8888]

Given the number of complaints I read here about frequency and cost of service and repairs on VWs, I think those who buy out of warranty BMWs may be in for a rude shock when something breaks, or when a major service interval comes around.

Yeah, I have been scouring BAT and see some real nice older BMW ragtops and keep thinking I "need" one to fulfill my desire for a BMW and having a fun car again. But then I snap out of it.

It's a fun car until it breaks....

 

[k1xv]

An out of warranty BMW without an independent mechanic and a non dealer source of parts is a no go.

But then, the same can be said for an old Mercedes.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

As the saying goes: "Nothing is as expensive as a cheap Mercedes."

You know what sells cheap out of warranty? Bentley Continentals. Just one example why: My guru had one in his shop that needed a new rear air shock. Rebuilt was $800. Dealer new was $3K. That's just the part.

 

[aja8888]

As the saying goes: "Nothing is as expensive as a cheap Mercedes."

You know what sells cheap out of warranty? Bentley Continentals. Just one example why: My guru had one in his shop that needed a new rear air shock. Rebuilt was $800. Dealer new was $3K. That's just the part.

Must have been delivered in person from England!

 

[EEVLWYS]

Any and every car that you buy is going to cost $$ for repairs. But I'm not going to be making payments on something that I really don't want, like, or need. Hell my TDI had a tail light that the dealer couldn't fix...... $1900 to replace the ECU / computer.....that's BS!

 

[RalphVa]

An out of warranty BMW without an independent mechanic and a non dealer source of parts is a no go.

But then, the same can be said for an old Mercedes.

No. If you could find a good B123, 240D or whatever, it's about the easiest car in the world to work on. Deer destroyed the grill on ours. Got one off the internet for $35. Replaced it ourselves. If you could find my old one, I'll bet it's still a good one. Think the people I sold it to about 7 years ago put it up for sale recently.

 

[k1xv]

No. If you could find a good B123, 240D or whatever, it's about the easiest car in the world to work on. Deer destroyed the grill on ours. Got one off the internet for $35. Replaced it ourselves. If you could find my old one, I'll bet it's still a good one. Think the people I sold it to about 7 years ago put it up for sale recently.

Re-read my post. If you are working on it yourself, you are not taking it to a Mercedes dealer for service. And if you are buying parts off the internet, you are not buying them at the dealer's parts department. You are using an alternate source of parts.

So, essentially, you should change your "No" to "Yes" as the points you make are in agreement with what I said.

 

[mopower]

The beauty of owning an old benz or BMW is that there is a huge aftermarket supply for parts and independent repair facility's when compared to almost any other brand.

Trying to find an indie source for hyundai or kia parts and repair is almost impossible.

 

[Airpizz6]

The beauty of owning an old benz or BMW is that there is a huge aftermarket supply for parts and independent repair facility's when compared to almost any other brand.

Trying to find an indie source for hyundai or kia parts and repair is almost impossible.

Guess you haven't been to Seoul. A small piece of the city dedicated to this type of thing.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

True enough, but I'm not sure I'd rely on an old Mercedes as a daily driver. Mine had been pretty reliable, but I've only driven it about 20K miles in the 4+ years I've owned it. Right now it has a leaking top seal in the injection pump, a coolant leak that required fabricating a replacement hose because they're NLA, transmission flare (holds lower gears) that may be a fluid issue or a solenoid issue, and it needs a blower motor which requires removing that mondo wiper, which is better than taking the dash apart. None of this is major, but if I were driving it as much as my TDIs, it could go south fast.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

True enough, but I'm not sure I'd rely on an old Mercedes as a daily driver. Mine had been pretty reliable, but I've only driven it about 20K miles in the 4+ years I've owned it. Right now it has a leaking top seal in the injection pump, a coolant leak that required fabricating a replacement hose because they're NLA, transmission flare (holds lower gears) that may be a fluid issue or a solenoid issue, and it needs a blower motor which requires removing that mondo wiper, which is better than taking the dash apart. None of this is major, but if I were driving it as much as my TDIs, it could go south fast.

You may be able to solve your transmission flare by increasing vacuum at the shift modulator on the side of the transmission. Jason is dialing in our 350 SDL right now. It was too firm, so he softened it up, now it flares a little... gotta find that magic sweet spot.

 

[IAmTodd]

I picked up a 2003 Saab 9-3 on Friday to replace my 2015 TDI. After coming from an '06 Aero a few years back the new one is a little more basic but still a lot of fun. And for $2,000 I'm loving it. I'll be laughing all the way to the bank with the TDI money.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

You may be able to solve your transmission flare by increasing vacuum at the shift modulator on the side of the transmission. Jason is dialing in our 350 SDL right now. It was too firm, so he softened it up, now it flares a little... gotta find that magic sweet spot.

Mine's temperature dependent. Works beautifully when warm. Not when cold. I'm trying the Mopar ATF+4 which is supposed to do all kinds of magic. We'll see.

 

[kjclow]

My wife made the comment that maybe we should look at a minivan to replace her Golf. (I know, she's nuts!) Last week I had the chance at renting a 2017 Pacifica for three days. It had 1700 miles on it when I picked it up and I added about 400. The good: The van rode pretty good with comfortable seats. Cruised comfotably at 75 mph and according to the dash, returned about 28 mpg across southern Wisconsin, which is realtively flat. I really liked the stow and go area in the back because you can throw your luggae down there and it is very hard to see from the outside. Dash and other insturmentation were nice. Didn't use it but there were bluetooth mics above both front seats.

The bad: The armrests, both in the seat and door, were about two inches too low for me. The wind noise was horrible. Much loader than my JSW with 100K miles. The thing is the size of a small school bus and handles in the parking lots almost as badly.

In the end, I told the wife, "If you want to dirve it everyday, then we can look at costs. If I'm driving it everyday, I'd rather ride my bike in crazy Charlotte traffic."

 

[HBarlow]

I've driven a Honda Odyssey van some. It's a large vehicle but rides, drives, and handles very well at 75 - 80 mph on interstate highways as well as around town. Very practical, reliable, and durable also.

I don't want to own one but for younger couples with children they are excellent vehicles.

 

[rgoetz]

I have a 2007 Sienna. It drives very well and it has been extremely reliable. I personally think minivans make a whole lot more sense than SUVs for families with kids.

 

[dubStrom]

2015 gsw tdi

For added features, a manual transmission, room for cargo, low profile and slippery in the wind, I just can't find anything that comes close, besides the unavailable 2015 GSW TDIs. I have an AC outlet, heated seats, 40mpg city driving, 600 mile range on the highway, and Torque.

Everything I look at doesn't measure up. This delay on the fix for my 2014 TDI stinks. I just want my restitution and be done with it.

All of the Toyotas and Hondas look like transformers now. Ugly. I don't want to go used because it's an unknown potentially damaged car.

I seriously consider a Ram 4WD with Cummins diesel periodically, but it would mean a new debt, or get an older one, again, with potential damage/problems, and goodbye 40mpg.

I refuse to be forced to get a new loan, and anything within the value of my buyback is weak by comparison to the TDI (any manufacturer). Even the Jetta S 1.4 models are under-featured compared to how the TDI line-up is/was built, and it's the only non-TDI in the VW line-up that really gets mileage close to the TDI (not bad really). Manuals are available in the Jetta, and this year the leatherette seats can be had with the MT (5-speed, not 6-speed!) but Jetta just does NOT have certain features. You have to go to Passat for electric recline, for instance.

I just keep coming back to the conclusion that the only thing that makes sense is to keep my JSW, maybe even blow off the fix and just go after market with tune, 0.20 micron filters, and DPF delete. There's a good chance that it will last a long time with those few mods, and maybe even get better mpg under easy driving, and perform better with more aggressive driving. Could be fun...

 

[St.Hubbins]

just picked up an '11 A3 Sportback Premium Plus w/ just 50k on her as our Golf replacement... like many here i just can't see anything else out there that combines driving dynamics, FE, practicality for our family of 4, and sexy, sexy styling
best-case scenario - they offer a compromised fix for it, and we take the money and mod the thing for the long haul... worst-case - it turns out to be a lemon, and we sell it back to VW for a tidy profit.
loving it so far - no hesitation off the line like the Golf. tried to upload a hot pic here, but the system won't let me no matter how i resize it

 

[Clark Addison]

Just refilled the 10 gallon gas tank on my Audi A3 e-tron for the first time, after buying it a month ago. My overall mileage was 64 mpg.

 

[HBarlow]

For added features, a manual transmission, room for cargo, low profile and slippery in the wind, I just can't find anything that comes close, besides the unavailable 2015 GSW TDIs. I have an AC outlet, heated seats, 40mpg city driving, 600 mile range on the highway, and Torque.

Everything I look at doesn't measure up. This delay on the fix for my 2014 TDI stinks. I just want my restitution and be done with it.

All of the Toyotas and Hondas look like transformers now. Ugly. I don't want to go used because it's an unknown potentially damaged car.

I seriously consider a Ram 4WD with Cummins diesel periodically, but it would mean a new debt, or get an older one, again, with potential damage/problems, and goodbye 40mpg.

I refuse to be forced to get a new loan, and anything within the value of my buyback is weak by comparison to the TDI (any manufacturer). Even the Jetta S 1.4 models are under-featured compared to how the TDI line-up is/was built, and it's the only non-TDI in the VW line-up that really gets mileage close to the TDI (not bad really). Manuals are available in the Jetta, and this year the leatherette seats can be had with the MT (5-speed, not 6-speed!) but Jetta just does NOT have certain features. You have to go to Passat for electric recline, for instance.

I just keep coming back to the conclusion that the only thing that makes sense is to keep my JSW, maybe even blow off the fix and just go after market with tune, 0.20 micron filters, and DPF delete. There's a good chance that it will last a long time with those few mods, and maybe even get better mpg under easy driving, and perform better with more aggressive driving. Could be fun...

I expect many others on the forum to reach the same conclusion you have. Our TDIs were our personal choice for the best car on the market in the price range when we bought them and nothing has changed except the offers from VWAG. Why not keep it?

Your car has low miles according to your signature. It will give you several years of fun and reliable driving.

 

[HBarlow]

just picked up an '11 A3 Sportback Premium Plus w/ just 50k on her as our Golf replacement... like many here i just can't see anything else out there that combines driving dynamics, FE, practicality for our family of 4, and sexy, sexy styling
best-case scenario - they offer a compromised fix for it, and we take the money and mod the thing for the long haul... worst-case - it turns out to be a lemon, and we sell it back to VW for a tidy profit.
loving it so far - no hesitation off the line like the Golf. tried to upload a hot pic here, but the system won't let me no matter how i resize it

Congratulations on a good choice of replacements. Imo you simply can't beat a TDI.

I think more of us will decide to keep the current TDI or buy a newer lower mileage TDI replacement before the dust settles.

 

[MD Vet]

I'm working two dealers on a 2017 civic hatch (not a coupe like somebody said earlier) here is a link to "Laura" showing the hatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tOd9WXKJD0
I don't really like this car's styling. Looks like a ninja was set loose on the clay model during development and then they threw on a couple spoilers to add more horsepower. But in the end a car is just a car, and this thing has all the features and performance I am after.

I shopped around for this thing and the best price I could get was from my local dealer at $1000 off MSRP. My wife found an internet listing that was lower, after talking to that dealer it turns out they accidentally listed the car at invoice price. They said they will honor that price, which is another $600 below the first.

So I showed that deal to my local dealer and asked if they could beat it. They said the best they can do is $100 lower. So that is obviously the way to go.

My problem is that in order to get the second dealer to lock in the invoice price I had to give them a deposit. At the time it was a simple decision, yes, lock in this price because it is the best I am going to find.

In Maryland the dealer can not keep the deposit. They can only hold it until the car deposited upon (lol) is sold, then I get it back. The manager said he wasn't worried about selling the car and would refund me the deposit immediately if I canceled the deal. Makes since because I'm sure they can sell it for more than what I was going to pay, right?

Anyways, now I have to swing by the local place and make sure everything is satisfactory, then call the second dealer and tell them I'm backing out and to give me my $ back. I'm not sure it is even worth the hassle for just $100.

OR!! Should I do this...
I could show the second dealer the $100 lower price and ask them to beat it.
Or find a third dealer and show them the $100 lower price and have them beat it...then back out of the previous two deals.

What do you guys think.

 

[HBarlow]

All that hassle for $100? I think it's silly to waste your time.

Consider more important criteria like which dealer is closer or more convenient to your home, which has the better service department, the most comfortable service lounge, the best customer service attitudes, etc.

My VW dealer does a quality hand wash on my VW every time I take it in for any reason and has a very nice service lounge for waiting or transportation back home.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

Anyways, now I have to swing by the local place and make sure everything is satisfactory, then call the second dealer and tell them I'm backing out and to give me my $ back. I'm not sure it is even worth the hassle for just $100.

OR!! Should I do this...
I could show the second dealer the $100 lower price and ask them to beat it.
Or find a third dealer and show them the $100 lower price and have them beat it...then back out of the previous two deals.

What do you guys think.

There's no way I'd invest that much time and running around just to save $100.

 

[k1xv]

Wasting time to save money? An eccentric old guy I know has no checking account. He pays bills in cash, often in person at a payment agent. The phone company's payment agent charges a $1 service charge per payment. So to avoid that, he goes to WalMart to buy a money order for 45 cents, and pays 46 cents for a stamp (total cost 91 cents), to avoid paying the dollar.

Many years ago, there was an electronics store in the New York City area called Crazy Eddie. They had no real prices on anything. You were supposed to go find your best price, and they would beat it. There was no internet in those days, so it involved a lot of shoe leather. So you would go all the way back to Crazy Eddie, they would beat your best price by $1.

 

[pparks1]

I'm working two dealers on a 2017 civic hatch (not a coupe like somebody said earlier) here is a link to "Laura" showing the hatch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tOd9WXKJD0
I don't really like this car's styling. Looks like a ninja was set loose on the clay model during development and then they threw on a couple spoilers to add more horsepower. But in the end a car is just a car, and this thing has all the features and performance I am after.

I shopped around for this thing and the best price I could get was from my local dealer at $1000 off MSRP. My wife found an internet listing that was lower, after talking to that dealer it turns out they accidentally listed the car at invoice price. They said they will honor that price, which is another $600 below the first.

So I showed that deal to my local dealer and asked if they could beat it. They said the best they can do is $100 lower. So that is obviously the way to go.

My problem is that in order to get the second dealer to lock in the invoice price I had to give them a deposit. At the time it was a simple decision, yes, lock in this price because it is the best I am going to find.

In Maryland the dealer can not keep the deposit. They can only hold it until the car deposited upon (lol) is sold, then I get it back. The manager said he wasn't worried about selling the car and would refund me the deposit immediately if I canceled the deal. Makes since because I'm sure they can sell it for more than what I was going to pay, right?

Anyways, now I have to swing by the local place and make sure everything is satisfactory, then call the second dealer and tell them I'm backing out and to give me my $ back. I'm not sure it is even worth the hassle for just $100.

OR!! Should I do this...
I could show the second dealer the $100 lower price and ask them to beat it.
Or find a third dealer and show them the $100 lower price and have them beat it...then back out of the previous two deals.

What do you guys think.

My personal opinion, you find a salesguy you like offering a decent deal at a convenient dealership location and you go with it. These people need to make a living too, they have families to feed. If they do the legwork to find you the car, get you in test drives, etc then do the deal with them. Don't screw them over. At the end of the day, what is $500 over the course of 60 payments. Dealerships should be easier to work with if you bought your car from them.



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[Don Splaun]

Have you checked COSTCO? using their service my RAV4 hybrid was $1,000 under invoice

 

[Don Splaun]

I took the Costco dealer quote back to my local dealer and they matched it and I still got all of the rebates.

 

[MD Vet]

I'm not a costco member

 

[kjclow]

I agree with most of the latest posts. Buy from the closest dealer, even if it is $100 more. That's assuming they have a good solid reputation. You'll probably spend more than that $100 over the lifetime of the car if you take it back to the selling dealer for service. On other makes I've bought from a differenet dealer than where I serviced, I always felt like I was getting lower treatment when I was in there. No mention or offer of extra coupons for their car wash. No free loaners for the day.