I Accidentally Bought a VW Once...

"iforgotmyburnerkeyonce" (zer0hz) 09/28/2013 at 12:28 • Filed to: VW

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My Brother, Dad, and best friend (car not pictured) followed suit.

Left to Right:
Brother - B6 Passat
Father - B7 CC
Me - MKV Rabbit/Golf

Not Pictured:
Best Friend - MKV GTI

Anyone else have a similar experience with buying a brand, then having other's buy into the same brand?

ttyymmnn > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce 09/28/2013 at 12:33

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Sort of. When I was young, my dad drove VWs. He had a mid-60's Beetle, then a '71 ('73?) Ghia, then an '84 Rabbit, which was the first car I ever drove. Then I bought an '88 Fox, and still have an '01 Golf.

iforgotmyburnerkeyonce > ttyymmnn 09/28/2013 at 12:43

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I had a similar experience, with my dad having a B5 Passat before he left VW for a Mercury Something-or-another-boring-edition. I got a '09 Rabbit, then my friend bought an '08 GTI, then my dad bought the '12 CC. My brother soon followed suit with his '08 or '09 Passat.

How's the MK4 Golf holding up for you? An old roommate of mine just drove his from central Wisconsin to New York for his new job. Had to sleep in it. Didn't fit him but apparently it still runs.

dieselwagon > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce 09/28/2013 at 12:50

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My whole family was on the Vauxhall/Opel/GM bandwagon for many years, including myself. Although Mazda is the brand of choice now, and I can't disagree. I would have had a Mazda6 instead of the Ford Mondeo, if I could have afforded it.

Brand loyalty is a weird thing and the reputation of VW is great, so I looked into a B6 Passat myself, was very much put off by tales of poor reliability and expensive maintenance. Also with a hands on, it doesn't feel as German and strong as anecdotal evidence leads you to believe. VW also like to make a point of not putting any features on anything less than top of the range models. I can see why people used to be loyal to VW, but it doesn't convince me anymore.

It depends where you're starting though, if you're used to the crap GM put out until recently, you would be forgiven for thinking a VW is the best thing ever.

ttyymmnn > ttyymmnn 09/28/2013 at 12:52

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edit

ttyymmnn > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce 09/28/2013 at 12:53

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I've got 185k miles on it. It's holding up in typical VW fashion, which means that it leaks oil (or is burning it), the interior has gone to hell (the headliner started falling this summer), but the AC still blows cold (while blowing out chunks of duct insulation) and the engine just keeps running. I was thinking about putting it out to pasture next year, after I hit 200k, but I like not having a car payment. I think I'll drive it until it just doesn't drive any more. Or until it's too unpleasant to sit in.

iforgotmyburnerkeyonce > ttyymmnn 09/28/2013 at 13:21

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I'm pretty sure that all VW's burn oil. At least I've heard that the 2.0T will burn up to a quart every 1,000 miles. I know mine burns slightly less, but still burns oil. As does my dad's and my brother's (they're both 2.0T's though...)

ttyymmnn > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce 09/28/2013 at 13:27

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I've had lots of leaks. Can't tell you how many times my shop replaced the head gasket. Had a leaking engine seal as well. It seems pretty tight now, but the oil still disappears. In fact, I need to check it today.

iforgotmyburnerkeyonce > dieselwagon 09/28/2013 at 13:31

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I had a '98 CR-V before the '09 Rabbit. Yes, the Honda was cheaper to maintain, but it wasn't reliable anymore (well, I guess it just needed a starter motor, as it would stick every once and a while). I've heard things about VW's being unreliable from earlier models, but I haven't had any trouble with mine, and I've put on almost 50,000 miles in the year that I've had it.

I find that maintenance can be expensive if you have a Passat/CC/EOS/whatever, but the base MKV platform is pretty standard. I like having electronically controlled things in my car, but I also like that I don't have electronic things like a parking brake (like on the B6/7's).

I guess I wasn't looking for top of the line when I was looking, but I was still able to snag one with the cold weather packages (heated cloth seats, heated side mirrors, and heated windshield wiper fluid sprayers). I've got a problem with the direction that VW is going. They've gone downhill since the MKV/B6.

Nieder mit die Beigekreig!

iforgotmyburnerkeyonce > ttyymmnn 09/28/2013 at 13:32

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Get on it! It's a beautiful day! (At least in Chicagoland)

dieselwagon > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce 09/28/2013 at 13:47

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I'm glad it's worked out for you, and i'm also glad you didn't take my post the wrong way. Didn't mean to spend most of the time talking down VW!

The Passat was to be a work vehicle, a Golf wouldn't have been practical as cool as they are. The electric parking brake was the final nail in the coffin for my B6 dreams. They do some really good stuff on the B6's and they look great, I was right on the bottom end of the market which is probably why I couldn't find any good ones for my budget.

A V10 TDI Phaeton is still on my wish list though!

ttyymmnn > iforgotmyburnerkeyonce 09/28/2013 at 13:56

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Ah, Chicagoland. I lived for a few years of my youth ('71-'76) in Oak Park. Still a diehard Hawks and Cubs fan.