Conferring with the Oppo hive mind: high mileage Volkswagens (Shared for the weekday crowd)

"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
09/19/2020 at 15:39 • Filed to: None

My brother and I are at the VW dealership having just looked at the Sportwagen here (lamest test drive ever, more on that later). Overall the car is mostly good, with a few minor trim issues. We had a semi-frustrated laugh about the quirkiness of the design details and how many things seemed designed to be just that extra little bit frustrating for a home mechanic. Despite that we do like the car. The one thing holding my brother back is concerns about reliability, in particular in the long term.

My brother is the type to buy a car young and own it until it dies. Ideally he wants something that he can take past 150-200k miles without too many expensive unscheduled repairs (to be clear, things like clutches and timing belts we’re considering scheduled in this case). Volkswagen has a reputation for being inconsistent in regards to reliability, particularly as the odometer climbs higher, but I don’t know how unfounded that reputation actually is. So my question to oppo is has anyone here had a VW with six digits on the clock and how reliable was it/did it have many issues?

DISCUSSION (37)

dogisbadob > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 15:43

He should consider the TourX instead.

Noodles > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 15:49

My brother bought a GTI 4 years ago. It was CPO, and a complete lemon. It broke down on him numerous times before he owned it for a month and returned it before it was too late.

So of course, he bought a brand new Golf R. I'd say be careful with a few year old VW

BrianGriffin thinks “reliable” is just a state of mind > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:00

1.4t, 1.8t, or diesel? Or not a Mk7?

200k might be possible on the drivetrain, however the rest of the car might fall apart by then. 150k should be doable, though.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:01

From what I understand it seems to be 50% treatment early on in life and 50% pure luck whether your VW turns into a high mileage hero or a complete lemon. I have nothing useful to add here whatsoever. How many miles does it have again?

jminer > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:02

I bought a CPO 14 TDI sportwagen and it’s been trouble free for 30k miles. It only has 70k on it but I expect a few more years or little trouble service from it.

Textured Soy Protein > Noodles
09/19/2020 at 16:05

It took me 2 BMWs to break myself of that habit so perhaps he’ll have it out of his system after the R.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:12

The MK7 Golf platform has been much more reliable than previous VW efforts.

I know of a couple MK7 GTIs that are already over 100k and nothing other than scheduled maintenance has been required. [This is from r/ GTI on Reddit.]

No one can be 100% certain about anything, but I’d feel comfortable with recommending a new Golf to purchase.

Dusty Ventures > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/19/2020 at 16:22

Only 35 now, but like I said, my brother plans to drive any car he buys into the ground. We're walking on this one though, the dealer refuses to allow a PPI

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:29

The 2.5 L5 is an underrated and durable powertrain, imo. My SIL took her ‘05 Jetta to 250k with pretty much zero problems under the hood (just VW interior stuff of course) and now has a ‘13 AssPat with the the same motor (well, “same”).

My anecdotes related to all their 4-bangers are pretty much limited to whatever VW owners post on here.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:30

That’s a definite red flag. You don’t refuse PPIs if you are confident about what you’re selling.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 16:31

I mean, if you can avoid the ones assembled in Mexico it might improve your chances.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 17:13

My 2013 Mark 6 GTI had 4 multi-thousand dollar repairs before it reached 80k. Only 1.5 of those was covered by warranty.

ttyymmnn > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 17:58

I had a 2001 Golf bought new. I had 224k miles on it when it was totaled by a drunk while parked in front of my house. Still had the original clutch. However, it had a litany of problems, some minor annoyances, but nothing imminently life threatening. That said, I was the sole owner, and I knew what the car had been through and I knew that I could trust it to do what I needed it to do.

Noodles > Textured Soy Protein
09/19/2020 at 18:22

Ha! Probably not, he’s already ramped it up to 350 hp. If it breaks now he’ll just blame it on himself and get another.

A fool and their money...

Ssfancyfresh > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 19:04

I don’t know how i would respond to this inquiry. I’ve been driving a VW since 2009 and I’m not sure if they’ve been great or a disaster

Bought my 2001 Audi TT in 2009. It had 60k miles. Sold it 6 years later with 150k miles. It only left me stranded once. The alternator died when it had 140k miles. Never needed a clutch. It did have the 1.8t with the interference head, so timing belt and water pump were replaced at 80k miles. I think I replaced alll the cv boots twice. And I had a weird failure with the driver door wire harness. Oh. And coil packs.

None of that stuff was cheap but I don’t know how much of it could be attributed to VW reliability or it just being an old car

I have an A4 now. it’s 6 years old and it’s got 76k miles. For the most part, it’s just needed regular maintenance at prescribed 10k intervals. I had an issue with the steering shaft that was resolved under warranty and TSB.

My coworker has a 2017 Golf. He’s had a bunch of electrical gremlins. Weird stuff like, door locks, wipers... don’t know.

So maybe it’s a mixed bag.

Dusty Ventures > dogisbadob
09/19/2020 at 20:30

He’s part of the 3 pedal mafia, otherwise he probably would

dogisbadob > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 20:34

In that case, get a CPO Honda HRV. They offered a manual transmission up until last year.

Dead_Elvis, Inc. > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 21:28

From the Department of Not Really Trying to Help:

My ‘71 Bus turned over the odometer twice, but it was also on its 3rd engine by then. Probably about as reliable as any other VW, but with the bonus of no electronic gremlins.

Stef Schrader > Dusty Ventures
09/19/2020 at 22:16

Weeeeelllll...

https://jalopnik.com/everything-wrong-with-my-free-race-car-1819153463

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
09/21/2020 at 13:39

Aren’t they all built in Pueblo?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 13:48

Th e answer about VW reliability is, as always, “no”. For whatever reason, even the basic models nowadays seem to end up with weird issues. Almsot every GTI owner has their car start throwing codes and issues around the 80-100k stretch. Down the street there is a German specialty car repair place. Their clientele is 50% vintage metal, 50% newer VWs and Audis. They do good work, but they do a LOT of work.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/21/2020 at 13:53

That’s about what my anecdotal evidence has been. I’ve owned 2 Volkswagons, and never had a problem with either. I know folks who have owned one and it broke down every 30 feet.

It’s kinda like Russia n Roulette really.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI
09/21/2020 at 13:55

Yeah you get the 300k high mile heroes that look brand new and the lemons- off-the-lot that have a hex placed on them by the factory’s resident witch. There is no in between.

ranwhenparked > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 13:57

My first car was a Super Beetle, bought it with 90,000 miles, sold it a year later with 120,000 miles for $500 less than I paid, did nothing but routine maintenance. Saw it on the road again about 6 years later. So, I would say that Volkswagens, from my experience, can be perfectly reliable even when older and with high miles, as long as you treat them right and take care of them.

Sovande > Dead_Elvis, Inc.
09/21/2020 at 14:00

When I was in high school I had four friends with VW busses (this was about 19 89-93). I bet I have spent as much time standing on the road next to a broken VW bus as I have spent riding in one.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 14:06

All of mine have 6, but they’d be an invalid experience.

I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
09/21/2020 at 14:07

It’s 100% how well you take care of it. Excluding Mk4 electrical issues.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > I like cars: Jim Spanfeller is one ugly motherfucker
09/21/2020 at 15:24

Maybe 95%, but yeah, that’s generally true of almos all cars.

Thisismydisplayname > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 16:06

The older they get, the more the engine plastics turn brittle and break, and then you lose sensors that require probably more work to get to than the actual replacement. Actually, most of my repairs on my Audi’s were a case of taking off 4 things to get to the one thing that required attention, then replace all those parts and possibly break some little brittle vacuum line along the way. But I can say, they were a hoot to drive and much more solid than any Domestic alternative. But in essence, it will get more problematic as they age, but there is likely an upgraded part out there already and someone else has already had the same problem and fixed it. Budget $1k- $2k for a repair budget and you should be prepared, mostly.

Thisismydisplayname > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 16:07

Oh yeah, no PPI, no sale. Especially with a VAG car.

MrSnrub > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 17:10

The Mk7s have been pretty decent, but they’re still not Toyotas. I’m sure it’ll make it to 150-200k, but I don’t know if that would be without replacing a turbo or high pressure fuel pump at some point along the way.

onlytwowheels > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 18:07

He should buy a Toyota

Kinja'd!!!

Dusty Ventures > onlytwowheels
09/21/2020 at 18:21

Not enough rear legroom and not enough cargo space behind the back seat

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > Dusty Ventures
09/21/2020 at 18:32

Driving it into the ground? Toyota/Lexus hands down. Lexus has a crazy good CPO warranty too if hes looking for slightly used.

The German will absolutely have some kind of unscheduled WTF repair.

shop-teacher > Sovande
09/21/2020 at 19:19

Sounds just like my friends Jeep CJ-7s in the late 90's.

Sovande > shop-teacher
09/21/2020 at 19:47

I had a buddy with one of those too. It seemed to run more frequently than the VWs.

shop-teacher > Sovande
09/21/2020 at 21:13

They were always trying to convince me to buy one as well, “Because they’re so tough!”

“Well then why are they always fucking broken?” I responded. Never got an answer.

We had fun with them, but I was glad it was their money being wasted.