Anyone own a Volkswagen?? - Need feedback, might buy Passat today

KingMom wrote: Please let me know what you think of your car? Repairs too expensive??

mckayleesmom replied: I think Rae does....I think she likes them if I remember correctly.

CAMSMOM1 replied: My DH is a manager at a major automotive repair shop. And he says that he gets Volkswagens in all the time, because they are always breaking down. And that the parts are expensive. They are really cute cars, but not always reliable. Hate to burst your bubble, I can see why you would want to get one, they are soooo cute! I wanted to buy a new bug, but Justin wouldn't let me. He says the most reliable cars are Honda's & Toyotas. But he's also a big Chevy fan too.

Just wanted to give my Best of luck car shopping!

luvmykids replied: I don't, but my best friend has a passat and absolutely loves it.

kit_kats_mom replied: I don't have one anymore. I almost bought a jetta a few years ago but my ex BF's dad, who was a car dealer, advised that VW's lose their value very quickly. I ended up with a Honda.

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: VW family here!!!!! My DH has owned four VWs, two Golfs, one Passatt sedan, and he currently owns the Tourag! And I own the Passat station wagon and LOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVE it! I don't know much about cars, so I really don't have much to offer in terms of what makes them such great cars in a mechanical sense. Sorry I'm not more help. But I'll just tell you that I bought my Passatt in 2002 and it has never broke down besides maybe regular maintenance like change of tire or new brake pads. I'm taking it in next Friday for a routine tune-up, but all cars need them now and then. I feel that they are a super safe car and that the quality of the interior/exterior is so much higher than any Toyota or Honda that I've owned (I've had both), but surprisingly very comparable in price. So I totally believe you get WAY more than what you pay for with VWs. When buying the Tourag, DH compared the BMW, Audi and Volvo SUV and still found that the VW ranked highest in all areas and of course was considerably lower in cost. It has amazing features, where for the same price, you would get the bottom of the line for the SUVs I mentioned.

I will tell you one problem we had with DH's Passatt sedan was that whenenver he would go over a patch of ice tall ice (we live in Colorado), the bottom would scrape and somehow it would trigger his electrical system (all the inside lights, radio, etc) and turn them off. And he would get stuck for sometime. The VW dealership couldn't figure out what it was. So perhaps it may have been just poor luck, meaning we got the lemon in the batch. BUT my Passatt has NEVER had this happen and it's the exact same car, just station wagon.

Anyhow, I know so many people that buy used VWs because they really hold up for a long time. A friend of mine had like an early 80's Jetta and she never had problems with it besides cosmetic stuff! You don't find that with many domestic cars IMO. Good luck with your decision!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: BTW, we convinced friends of ours to buy the Passatt wagon when we did (we were PG at the same time), although they were all for Hondas, and they have been SUPER happy with it!

My Honda broke down all the time, yet my parents still have a 91 going strong!

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I have owned two Jettas. One was old (1985 I think -I had to replace the clutch once and finally had to get rid of it because it would never run) so the problems I had with it were to be expected, but the other one I bought when it was only 5 years old and it started having problems within a year. It was a super fun car to drive, and so nice, but Dh says we can't be VW's anymore because of all the problems. Which makes me sad because I really did love that car before it started acting up. It drove really nice.

Dh was searching online for help with some of the problems we've had with ours and found tons of people who said their Jetta's have the same problem. Most of the problems we've had were with the power windows (forever getting stuck either up or down... eventually they all just stopped working - not fun when the AC went out too) and all the other little things like cruise control, rear defrost, power mirrors, alarm and stuff like that all quit working. Right now it's sitting in the garage because the transmission went out, and I'm not even done paying for it. It also used to overheat or something on hot days and just die on the road constantly. I'd have to pull over and let it cool down for a couple minutes before it would start again and then drive another couple of miles before it did it again. Dh found a LOT of people who had the same problem with theirs when looking online. I had that problem with the '85 Jetta too. It was not a good car for rush hour traffic!

As far as repairs, it is expensive. Dh had to replace the spark plugs once and instead of the normal $25 dollars for the set it was $120. Brake pads and stuff like that cost more to. I don't know if Passats have the same problems as Jettas do, but the bigger cost for parts and repairs would be the same.

KingMom replied: Well, First, thanks everyone for your reviews

We are deciding to purchase it and sell our honda since it will better for the family since we are expecting again. We had a 98 2-door Civic with 131000 miles on it and really haven't had any problems but the 2 doors just don't work with kids!

We got a steal on it. It's the GLX model (and Rae, I really wanted a wagon, but couldn't pass this deal up) with leather, and all the fun stuff, and we got it for $11,995!

Wish me well with the new vehicle and if you know anyone in the VA area looking for a commuter car, my civic is for sale

ashtonsmama replied: My younger sister has an '06 Passat and she loves it! Good luck car shopping!

And have fun!

Boys r us replied: I have a Passat and I LOVE IT!!! Rae is right in that you get so much more for your money than with a Honda or Toyota..which I have also owned. It's just a much classier car! Mine is loaded, leather, moonroof, tiptronic transmission(which means it can be driven as an automatic or a manual), VW's top of the line stero package, power everything, the nice alloy wheels, upgraded trim package etc etc etc..I think we paid just a tiny bit over 30k for it. My point is that they are super nice cars and have many comfort features on them that other companies don't even offer...much less for that small of a price tag. I've never had a problem with mine and we are looking into purchasing the Toureg(VW SUV) or the Volvo SUV to replace it only b/c I need something bigger with another baby on the way!

Anyhow..I don't know a WHOLE lot about cars but I do know that the VW Passat is the same car as the Audi A6 so..they are very nice!
The only knock I'll give it is that everything is more expensive with this car, I have to put premium gas in it, it only takes a certain type of oil, which doubles the price of an oil change..etc etc..but it's a good car!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Yeah, I totally forgot to mention that...I have to put the most expensive gas in, but I don't drive all that much...so it takes me awhile to be empty! And I suppose all imports are bit pricer when it comes to parts, but I haven't had to replace any yet. BTW Nichole, my DH absolutely loves his Toureg! If I were to get an SUV (as if I need a bigger car...lol), I would probably go for the Volvo myself. Only thing difference bet the Toureg and the Volvo is like what I said...we got top of the line Toureg for the same price as the bottom Volvo, kwim? Both of our cars are pretty loaded, both 4-wheel drive...where with both Audi and Volvo, we would have gotten only the basics. I was seconds at getting the Audi station wagon, but the Passatt actually has more room and better pickup IMO!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Congrats on the new car! Hope you enjoy it!!!