It's really up to you and your priorities. I almost bought a Passat; and still would. I like the driving dynamics enough that I would be willing to put up with the risk of some repairs. I would not imagine that a VW would be as reliable as some other choices. for me, I got rid of my Toyota Echo simply because I was tired of driving it. No doubt it has hundreds of thousands of miles left in it. Likewise, I don't drive our Camry. too boring and "appliance-like" for me. I would, however, consider a V6 Camry or Accord. but these are my own personal priorities.
2016 Volkswagen Passat decision -- Please help!
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VW ac systems are my bread and butter.they all need $1200 in repairs every few years
I've had five VW vehicles, along with Hondas, hyundais, mazdas, and some fm products. The VW vehicles have been just as reliable, if not more reliable. Maintain them and they work well. Period. People love to bash VW, and in some cases they do it without a lick of real experience. While it is true there can be some quirks, I have had good luck.
I own a 16 Passat now. And....I traded a Honda for it. Gasp! Love the car. Drives great, good power, and worlds quieter than my accord on the highway. I'll buy another VW in a few years.
I own a 16 Passat now. And....I traded a Honda for it. Gasp! Love the car. Drives great, good power, and worlds quieter than my accord on the highway. I'll buy another VW in a few years.
The price seems very good and now you can get a very good deal on them. It should be safe with all that metal around you plus they're designed to holdup in a crash on the autobahn. It's also not overly complex so should serve you well. Buy with confidence.
There have been a significant amount of newer 1.8T engines with rear main seal leaks. My friend's '15 Jetta has been into the dealer for that issue twice now, and the car has under 10k miles. Just something to look at if you check out the car.
If you decide to keep it past the original warranty period, look into getting an extended warranty, alas I'm not aware of any reputable ones that will go out to 15 years.
My thought is they're going to be jammed up for the next 5 years paying off their TDI mess.
So, no engineering going into their product.
They have to move the metal in order to pay off the mess.
The VW you buy 5 years from now is the same VW they are selling you today,
except with 5 years of wear on the tooling.
They'll mark that year down because it's not fresh; that hurts the resale on
the one you buy today, that isn't marked down.
So, no engineering going into their product.
They have to move the metal in order to pay off the mess.
The VW you buy 5 years from now is the same VW they are selling you today,
except with 5 years of wear on the tooling.
They'll mark that year down because it's not fresh; that hurts the resale on
the one you buy today, that isn't marked down.
Originally Posted By: spackard
My thought is they're going to be jammed up for the next 5 years paying off their TDI mess.
So, no engineering going into their product.
They have to move the metal in order to pay off the mess.
The VW you buy 5 years from now is the same VW they are selling you today,
except with 5 years of wear on the tooling.
They'll mark that year down because it's not fresh; that hurts the resale on
the one you buy today, that isn't marked down.
What color is your crystal ball?
My thought is they're going to be jammed up for the next 5 years paying off their TDI mess.
So, no engineering going into their product.
They have to move the metal in order to pay off the mess.
The VW you buy 5 years from now is the same VW they are selling you today,
except with 5 years of wear on the tooling.
They'll mark that year down because it's not fresh; that hurts the resale on
the one you buy today, that isn't marked down.
What color is your crystal ball?
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: BTLew81
I've had five VW vehicles
I'll buy another VW in a few years.
If they are that reliable, why do you need to buy so many so often?
Variety of reasons....upgrading, new vehicle for spouse, or simply wanted a new one. Never due to mechanical issues.
Originally Posted By: BTLew81
I've had five VW vehicles
I'll buy another VW in a few years.
If they are that reliable, why do you need to buy so many so often?
Variety of reasons....upgrading, new vehicle for spouse, or simply wanted a new one. Never due to mechanical issues.
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
+1 I agree with both
Having had a VW, I can say it was the most frustrating experience with a car I've ever had, and it was meticulously maintained. My aunt's 2013 VW Beetle TDI has been nothing but trouble, waiting patiently for VW to buy it back.
Originally Posted By: SEBZX79
If you want a toaster buy a camry if you want something different buy the VW. The passat is made in a US and is different then European passat. I say go for it.
Is it possible that the Beetle was assembled in Mexico and used most parts made in Mexico therefore the reliability is lower ?
+1 I agree with both
Having had a VW, I can say it was the most frustrating experience with a car I've ever had, and it was meticulously maintained. My aunt's 2013 VW Beetle TDI has been nothing but trouble, waiting patiently for VW to buy it back.
Originally Posted By: SEBZX79
If you want a toaster buy a camry if you want something different buy the VW. The passat is made in a US and is different then European passat. I say go for it.
Is it possible that the Beetle was assembled in Mexico and used most parts made in Mexico therefore the reliability is lower ?
My Toyota's are shaping up to be no better than my VW. But I can take my 'yota's to any corner shop and get them repaired. I did not feel I could do that with my VW, especially not as a diesel model. Don't like the Toyota dealership, then drive a couple miles further down the road--they are all over the place.
I liked my VW, but until I have more vehicles than drivers I don't plan on another one.
I liked my VW, but until I have more vehicles than drivers I don't plan on another one.
Before we found out we needed I minivan, I was seriously considering the Passat. IMO its ride quality is heads above Camry. It's much better composed, for such a big car, it is quieter and smoother as well, but has that nice firmness that the Japanese cannot reproduce. The Accord is not bad, but the Camry is simply terrible.
The room inside is also the best in its class. For all intents and purposes, it's interior is of a full size sedan, no midsizer can touch the Passat for that. The trunk size is on par with others I think.
The interior fit and finish is excellent, IMO better than Camry and about the same as the Accord. I also liked the simplistic look, but that is more of a personal preference. I hated the Accord's 2 LCD screen layout, same with the Odyssey.
The 1.8 is a DI and a turbo. Some may not like it but the Accord is DI as well, not sure about the Camry. It has lots of grunt down low, which is where the majority of driving takes place anyway, and runs out of steam a little at high RPMs. The Accord at least felt nice when wound out, but in the Camry, yuk. In any case, none of these are made to be high revved and their ATs keep the RPMs low, so having lots of low of torque in the VW felt the best. The transmission is a regular, 6 speed automatic with the torque converter. Not the DSG unit and it is proven to be bullet proof. Also, unlike the old 2.5, 5 cylinder option, this engine returns very good fuel economy. At the time I was considering a TDI, but with the 1.8, the TDI made little sense unless someone drives a lot.
All in all, I felt that the Passat, at least not the fully optioned up version, should be on par, as far as reliability goes, with Camry and the Accord, but it has that premium feeling, even though it was cheapened out and not the same as the European version, and will not remind you that it is an econobox the same way as the Accord or the Camry would.
The room inside is also the best in its class. For all intents and purposes, it's interior is of a full size sedan, no midsizer can touch the Passat for that. The trunk size is on par with others I think.
The interior fit and finish is excellent, IMO better than Camry and about the same as the Accord. I also liked the simplistic look, but that is more of a personal preference. I hated the Accord's 2 LCD screen layout, same with the Odyssey.
The 1.8 is a DI and a turbo. Some may not like it but the Accord is DI as well, not sure about the Camry. It has lots of grunt down low, which is where the majority of driving takes place anyway, and runs out of steam a little at high RPMs. The Accord at least felt nice when wound out, but in the Camry, yuk. In any case, none of these are made to be high revved and their ATs keep the RPMs low, so having lots of low of torque in the VW felt the best. The transmission is a regular, 6 speed automatic with the torque converter. Not the DSG unit and it is proven to be bullet proof. Also, unlike the old 2.5, 5 cylinder option, this engine returns very good fuel economy. At the time I was considering a TDI, but with the 1.8, the TDI made little sense unless someone drives a lot.
All in all, I felt that the Passat, at least not the fully optioned up version, should be on par, as far as reliability goes, with Camry and the Accord, but it has that premium feeling, even though it was cheapened out and not the same as the European version, and will not remind you that it is an econobox the same way as the Accord or the Camry would.
Just out of curiosity, those of you looking at cars like Passat, Accord, Camry... does the Ford Fusion come into consideration as well? Seems like the 2.0 turbo in the Fusion should give comparable performance (if not better) than Passat 1.8T, and it's supposed to be rather quiet. I'm wondering how the handling and fit and finish of the Fusion compares. Or is it not even in the same ballpark? Poor resale value, maybe (?), although if someone is planning to keep it 10-15 years, then resale value may not be all that important.
I did not like the interior of the Fusion and simply hated the capacitive buttons. No feel to them at all and quite distracting while driving IMO, because there is no tactile feedback. I imagine it would be almost impossible to operate them during winter, wearing gloves, without looking straight at the button for every press.
Aside from that it was a very nice vehicle as well, but I only drove the 2.5 Duratek. I was also not too keen on their dual clutch transmission from reading about it on the net, although it drove very nicely during the test drive.
Aside from that it was a very nice vehicle as well, but I only drove the 2.5 Duratek. I was also not too keen on their dual clutch transmission from reading about it on the net, although it drove very nicely during the test drive.
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Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Just out of curiosity, those of you looking at cars like Passat, Accord, Camry... does the Ford Fusion come into consideration as well? Seems like the 2.0 turbo in the Fusion should give comparable performance (if not better) than Passat 1.8T, and it's supposed to be rather quiet. I'm wondering how the handling and fit and finish of the Fusion compares. Or is it not even in the same ballpark? Poor resale value, maybe (?), although if someone is planning to keep it 10-15 years, then resale value may not be all that important.
Doesn't the turbo version of the Fusion cost in the neighborhood of $30K? I think if given the choice between a loaded Passat currently selling for around $21-$22K and a 2.0T Fusion for around $28-$29K selling price, I'd have to go with the Passat. Plus, once we get into the $30K neighborhood, then other cars like the A4, A3, CC etc start entering the picture.
Just out of curiosity, those of you looking at cars like Passat, Accord, Camry... does the Ford Fusion come into consideration as well? Seems like the 2.0 turbo in the Fusion should give comparable performance (if not better) than Passat 1.8T, and it's supposed to be rather quiet. I'm wondering how the handling and fit and finish of the Fusion compares. Or is it not even in the same ballpark? Poor resale value, maybe (?), although if someone is planning to keep it 10-15 years, then resale value may not be all that important.
Doesn't the turbo version of the Fusion cost in the neighborhood of $30K? I think if given the choice between a loaded Passat currently selling for around $21-$22K and a 2.0T Fusion for around $28-$29K selling price, I'd have to go with the Passat. Plus, once we get into the $30K neighborhood, then other cars like the A4, A3, CC etc start entering the picture.
The passat competes in a fairly stiff (if boring) class.
Look into a Golf Sportwagen, and you won't find another sporty wagon, that is economical and has this much cargo capacity for under $30k (and you can buy a Sportwagen TSI S for under $20k).
That is the current sweet spot for VWs, IMO.
I'm a cheap [censored] (keep my cars for 200k, 300k, + so far) and decided to take a gamble on VW after research and test driving a Sportwagen. One thing of note, if you are in a CA emissions state, the PZEV engine has 15 yr 150k mile warranty on emissions related components. That gives me a bit of a peace of mind. I may also sign up for Geico mechanical breakdown insurance, that will cover me to 7 yrs and 100k miles. I figure any issues will hopefully flush out by then. I have until 15mo/15k miles to sign up.
I'm also averaging higher than the EPA rated 36 mpg hwy (1.8T 5MT) rating - 36.6 mpg over 6k miles so far, and it has been increasing too. This includes loaded down with cargo and doing 74mph up to the mountains. I rarely have to downshift up grades too, which is awesome.
I believe the ATX gets 1-2 mpg less in real world results.
OP - So, I'm anti-sedan, but do love the Passat's engine (so far). I also figure now is the time to get a sporty car, as the next new car may be self-driving (as long as I tend to keep mine)...
Look into a Golf Sportwagen, and you won't find another sporty wagon, that is economical and has this much cargo capacity for under $30k (and you can buy a Sportwagen TSI S for under $20k).
That is the current sweet spot for VWs, IMO.
I'm a cheap [censored] (keep my cars for 200k, 300k, + so far) and decided to take a gamble on VW after research and test driving a Sportwagen. One thing of note, if you are in a CA emissions state, the PZEV engine has 15 yr 150k mile warranty on emissions related components. That gives me a bit of a peace of mind. I may also sign up for Geico mechanical breakdown insurance, that will cover me to 7 yrs and 100k miles. I figure any issues will hopefully flush out by then. I have until 15mo/15k miles to sign up.
I'm also averaging higher than the EPA rated 36 mpg hwy (1.8T 5MT) rating - 36.6 mpg over 6k miles so far, and it has been increasing too. This includes loaded down with cargo and doing 74mph up to the mountains. I rarely have to downshift up grades too, which is awesome.
I believe the ATX gets 1-2 mpg less in real world results.
OP - So, I'm anti-sedan, but do love the Passat's engine (so far). I also figure now is the time to get a sporty car, as the next new car may be self-driving (as long as I tend to keep mine)...
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