Question for the VAG community here @ DB ...

I've been thinking about replacing my 2000 Maxima with a newer vehicle. Me and the wifey would like to get a VW. Which models/engines do you guys recommend? I would like something reliable (I know they are not Japanese cars) and fairly easy to maintain, as I work on cars during my spare time (I don't do timing belts though).

My wife likes the Passat CC (2009) and I'm leaning towards a Jetta TDI (2010) ... too bad VW didn't bring the CC TDI to the States though. One big concern I have is the DSG transmission. I have heard that they are really jerky at low speeds. They need servicing @ 40k without fail, which doesn't bother me because I can perform that service. I'm leaning towards a conventional 6-speed, but the wifey wants an automatic. I can never win ... at least both of us want a VW.

Any word of advice? There's a lot of VW/Audi owners here and I would love to hear your thoughts.

TIA,
G

 

Don't want to throw cold water on the discussion but I would look closely at the reliability ratings of a used VW; I know some owners who regret their buying decisions.

 

Yeah, I still have my doubts too. I want a fun to drive vehicle that is good on gas. VW seem to fit the bill. I have never owned a German vehicle. One of the reasons why I kept the Maxima for so long is because I was waiting for Honda to bring the diesel Accord to the States. That never materialized though ... I like the 2013 models, but I don't want to deal with a first model CVT Honda transmission. I'm not a fan of their regular transmissions either.

 

I have a friend with a CC 6 speed. It's a nice car. He and his wife only by VW. They own 4 right now and since I've known him (over 20 years) they have always had VWs. They like the TDIs and that's what they look for when try purchase. They never seem to have any issues with their cars.

I hear the Jetta engines weren't reliable several years ago and I know people say as a whole they aren't reliable. I think the diesel engine seems good though. I think I'd take a chance on a CC 6 speed even though it's not a diesel any other model would need to be diesel

 

1) I know people who regret buying used toyotas, lexus, BMW, volvos, hondas, acuras, nissans and infiniti so honestly, it comes down to two things. Provable maintenance history and has the car been serviced and cared for correctly.
2) warranty, regardless, I would look for any car under factory warranty or extended if you are really worried about it.

I have bought two pre owned VWs, 2006 jetta which I sold because it was too small, and just bought a 2010 Passat 2.0. and I love it. As with any car its how you maintain it. I have worked in the auto repair industry for 5 years, and have seen catastrophic failure on pretty much every car due to poor maintenance. Corollas especially. I think the owners get lulled into a mindset that because its a Toyota you don't have to do anything to it.

I think the two cars you mentions OP are fine purchases, see if they have CPOs, or ones under factory warranty.

I think the older cars prior to 2006 are poop(refering to VWs) alot of electrical issues that are expensive and hard to diagnose, but VW has really stepped up their quality. The 2012 Passat got motortrend car of the year, which usually goes to Toyota and Honda, but lately their cars look like total shit and are constantly recalled. So that should speak volumes about VW in what they call "initial quality". Having owned two accords, and IS350, Scion Tc and several other cars, I would not even consider looking at the newer versions of what they offer with exception to the new TC.

One car that has caught my Eye and I am thinking about getting is a Kia Optima, its a very nice looking car, and seems to have some good performance numbers. The other car is a 2012 GTI.......

I am not a VW fanboi, or a dubber, i just wanted something different.

It just makes me laugh that people automatically discount VW saying they have problems......... I have not heard of any VWs brake or gas pedal sticking and killing anyone, I have not heard of any irradiated VWs, and I have not heard of any floor mat recalls on VWs.

As for jettas not being reliable, when I sold my 2006 jetta it had 64k miles.......... Never in the shop for any failure other then TSBs, and maintenance. But I do know like I said the pre 2006 Jettas and vws in general had issues.

 

I agree with you Karl. I'm still debating if I should buy it now or wait a couple of months. I have always wanted a TDI ... maybe do a tune and turn it into a GTD or a Cup Edition ... yummy!!

 

about the DSG service, its not easy, but its not hard.......... The fluid is about $150.00 or so, and it books at about 1.8 hours of labor (Mitchell time) I got a quote before buying my Passat and it was basically about $300.00 for the transmission service........ which is cheap considering my STI was twice that if I had paid retail.

Another thing, VW struts like all cars fail or should be replaced about 60k, with the VW as like the STI they are very noticable when they go, its not even like they give you warning.

Oil changes, they take full synthetic, but according to the manual and the dealer the oil change interval is 10k miles (which i think is sketchy) I do it at 6k..........

 

The TDI cup is a nice car, basically a GLI but with the TDI......... I do know a guy that 780 miles to the tank on his TDI, I got 580 on my 2.0 turbo which is average for trips.
Part of me is still tossing around the idea of a TDI passat, but IDK, I love the GTI as its a happy medium from selling my STI and getting that truck.

If it was me, there are still some decent deals on 2012s out right now, alot of dealers want to get rid of them ASAP.

but if you are looking older CPO or private party with verifiable records. No POT LOTS lol

 

If current administration makes it for a second term, gas will go up...VW TDI makes a lot of sence, and is MUCH BETTER CHOICE then a fricken prius...Engine lasts for a very long time, but as with many german cars will need period gasket replacement (not sure on TDI thought). Cost is reasonable, excellent fuel economy, excellent resale value, does not need $10,000 battery replacement. I would go with a Jetta Sportswagen, heck, I even think I might need to replace my 325 or G35 with a Jetta Sportswagen TDI for better fuel economy, as there is no way I'm getting rid of my E70 X5 4.8i...

 

I like the sportwagen a lot, but the wife hates it. I believe that the 2012 sportwagen still have the independent suspension as the previous generation which is a plus, but not a deal breaker for me. I'm headed to Carmax tomorrow to test a few TDI's out.

 

I looked at the sportwagen, its too small......... and drives like crap.

I was looking at A4 avants, sportwagens and had not even considered a Passat Wagon till I drove the 2012, which is basically the same car other then new sheet metal, I was sold..........

It is much larger then a Jetta Sportwagen, and IMO better built, IIRC its based off the A6 platform

Its no STI, but its a cruiser and PDQ..........

 

No offense but if u want something low maintance and reliable stay away from vw.

 

none taken........


what is your definition by low maintenance?

All I have to do is change my oil every 8-10k and change my trans fluid at 40k, and coolant at 100k........... shocks, like most cars will probably begin to go at about 60k, by STI blew out at 19k (left rear)
I get my oil changes, tire rotations and inspections free for 3 years, standard almost in the industry now.

I will admit VWs, can have electrical quirks, but really, that is a very generalized statement.

And reliability?

Like my 2010 GMC Yukon that lost rear diff at 29k, the door locks failed at 10k.......

a week later after 3 weeks in the shop the BCM fails, so no lights, no electrical other then ignition.

My 2006 IS350 had 4 TSB in 1 year, and even after I sold it im getting 1 TSB almost a year.

I had a 2006 Scion TC and the headlights would flicker, apparently bad soldering at the factory.

My dad bought five 2007 Toyota Tacoma's all consecutive vin# for his company, all but one had a poor weld in the fire wall, causing fumes from the motor to seep into the cab. Cost was covered under warranty, but the motors had to be pulled and he was without his work trucks for 3 months while the dealer lagged.
Apparently according to toyota there was a whole weeks worth of tacoma's that came out of the Fremont California plant that had an issue with robotic welding systems.

Or maybe my accord that had ECU failure at 8k miles due to "condensation" according to the dealer.

Or maybe it was my buddy who bought a 2009 LS 460 off the lot, gets it 2 miles down the road with 10 miles on the ODO and throws a rod. (dealer blames ECU)

I saw a Toyota corolla main seal leak at 18k......

I saw a Lexus LX450 loose hydraulic fluid in the suspension with a cost about $3800.00 to the owner, even though it was 2 years old, the dealer said it was his fault for towing, but we found the lines to be cracked at the fittings.

Won't even talk about the toyota recall where people were killed....... or seriously hurt. (never seen that with any car company other then Ford when it had issues with the Firestone wilderness tires, but that was Ford for making a poor choice of tire to put on a top heavy vehicle)


Still waiting for a recall like that from VW or Audi.

I see just as many older VWs, as I do subaru's, Honda's, toyota's etc........


All cars have their problems...........

I usually do not personally keep cars longer then two years, so my experiences are usually under 50k or less when it comes to ownership and possible issues.

I think its laughable on here when someone says they want a VW you get a band wagon of people talking smack, but when someone says " I want to buy a Audi S4, or P-car, or Bentley, or Lamborghini" you don't get the same response......



Talk to those owners and ask about reliability and maintenance costs.









Man You can go on........

 

Kilo has some validate points.
I purchased a 2011 Jetta TDI top of the line model. I had it to the dealer(s) two different. 13 times in 11 months. #3 injector line cracked, exhaust tips extended to far beyond body.Recalls.
Dash Rattles from day one.
DSG Trans cannot be fixed up to one second hesitation is normal.
I had Unitronic tune the DSG better shifts and DSG behaved better, but still could not trust the car when pulling out into traffic.Wife did not trust the car and for her safety I traded for a 2012 Toyota. Camry not one problem 3700 miles.
This is just my opinion and experience. I do know I never own another VW.
The German's do not care about customer service or stand behind their warranty. Warranty better read the fine print.
Good luck on trying to get the VW product fixed!

 

did you notice any gains other then better shifting with the DSG when it came to the unitronic? I was thinking about an APR tune.

As for warranties, just out of curiosity, how did they not stand behind them? was it the dealer you had issues with or VOA?

I know at the local level alot of dealerships from any car line can be total dickheads.

I am not saying that VW are all that and a bag of chips, everyone will have a opinion or personal experience. I just have owned enough cars and worked on them and have seen them at their best and their worst. you will always have a bad batch or issue especially with something man made, nothing is perfect.

That sucks about the 2011 TDI you got, because I think they are generally pretty trouble free cars.

 

I only had theUnitronics DSG tune done, I was trying to fix the trans problem. I aslo install a HPA hockey puck motor mount.
The dealers knows if you tune the euc, so no warranty. The dealers can only perform work "oked" by VOA. VOA always wanted to fix the problem and offered to bring in a field engineer. I had a rental car for two weeks as they worked on the Jetta.
I had Opti-coat 2.0 instaled and the salesman said the car did not need to go thur clean up as it was so clean.
2013 is completely different manufacturing process and needs the blue fluid for emissions. The fuel mileage is better too.
I have weathetech cornsilk color floorliners, and a dieselgeek skidpan for sale.

 

yeah, most warranty work is/has to be approved by VOA or the parent company depending on brand, as for the ECU tune my factory warranty is up in 8 months or 6k miles. then my third party warranty kicks in and that is when I planned to do it.

what sucks is that once its approved the dealership knows its gonna get paid so they drag ass usually.


well 2011 was the first model year of the Mk6 platform so I can see the typical "new model" year syndrome of issues common with most cars, but again that sucks.

 

I agree. Great fuel mileage!30 city upper 40's highway. loved the turbo power excellent out on the highway. Best car I ever drove in the rain.
NO DSG TRANS NO WAY NO HOW IT sucks and VW has had it for years now. You would think they had it figured out perfectly.

If your set on Volkswagen? I would suggest looking at a Golf TDI 6 speed manual.

 

Not sure why you think it drives like crap unless there was something wrong with that one. The ride is fairly compliant but still handles quite well. In fact I ended up taking mine to the track with a friend who is in the Porsche club, I ended up spanking a couple of Porsches, with a diesel grocery getter.

That said, there are fundamental problems with the CRD diesels. If you value reliability, stick with a gas motor. People are having complete engine failures due to the fuel pump design and DPF issues are also starting to crop up. The DSG is probably the most reliable part of the equation. I have a manual and my wife and father both have DSGs. If the DSG was the same price as the manual, I'd probably get one on my next car, and I _HATE_ automatics. The DSG is winning me over very quickly.

 

I should have elaborated, compared to the 2012 passat which is what I was shopping for........as well as the 2006 Jetta that I owned at the time with a H&R cup kit.


Sorry, again, I should have been more specific. It was too soft for my taste...

Coming from a STI, I really like the feel of the a tighter suspension as well as a manual, but I will say this about the DSG. I really like it.