Considing a 2015 VW Golf TSI....big mistake?

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: silveravant
I love VW's. The newer Jetta's not so much. Better now, but they really cheapened them up. Still better than a Corolla. The only problem I have found is that the dealers are really bad. I would almost rather buy one out of warranty so I wouldn't have to deal with them.


There are SOME excellent dealerships but they are few and far in between, unfortunately there are few dealers in the adequate category. You either find an outstanding one or deal with horrible ones.
That being said those VW stores that are paired with Audi stores tend to be better overall. (Even if the two stores are in separate buildings located on the same property owned by the same principal.

 

[philipp10]

can I ask why you would not go with the Deisel? I am no fan of VW but the TDI's mileage could sway me. Very impressive.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: philipp10
can I ask why you would not go with the Deisel? I am no fan of VW but the TDI's mileage could sway me. Very impressive.


In my area you pay about $0.80 to $1/gallon more for diesel vs regular gas. So while the tdi MPG figure is dazzling if you equalize the MPG to price of regular gas(1.8 TSI motor) it really is not that impressive anymore. The MPG gets close equalized.

You also pay more for a TDI at the onset but I am guessing it may hold a premium(resale) latter due its auro.

 

[philipp10]

well I remember when diesel was quite a bit cheaper than gas and that was only about 3-4 years ago so over the life of the car, I would bet it would be about the same, but who knows. Probably has to do with the local refinery situation.

 

[hillclimber]

For the OP: my 2003 Passat was a reliable and enjoyable drive, sometimes I wish I still had it. Among other things, a great engine, wonderful seats and a high quality, if subdued, interior. The (different) 1.8T motor required 5K OCI but were very easy to do with a "fluid evacuator" like the PELA 6000, which I used, or the ever popular Mityvac.

If you foresee keeping the car for many years I would put "fun to drive" and "pride of ownership" almost equal with reliability and I think the VW wins on those two points. The reviews I've read, and I've read several, are almost glowing. Don't skip on maintenance, learn to do basic stuff yourself, and I would guess you'd have a very positive ownership experience.

 

[Thermo1223]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Buying premium for a vehicle is akin to getting 10% less MPG. Not exactly a thing for an economy car. I own two (premium) fuel pigs.


It will make a difference in the summer as it is turbocharged. The manual even states premium is recommended last I looked.

Like I said with cold temps in the winter you can get away with it.

 

[bruno]

I'm in NJ and drive a '99 Passat 1.8t which I bought new . The car has 182,000 miles on it and has been reliable . I do pay attention to things like using the correct oil ( M1 0-40 ) .... oil consumption is now 2,500 miles/quart .
My next car will be either a Golf or Passat .
BTW VW dealers are useless . I do some maintenance myself and have a good local shop for more complex jobs .

 

[bruno]

In Mexico ?
That's where they have been built for 20 years or more ?

 

[bruno]

Have you ever figured out the real difference in fuel cost over a year between regular and premium gas ?
It ain't much .

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: bruno
In Mexico ?
That's where they have been built for 20 years or more ?

Not quite. There were some years of golf/ rabbit in recent history that were made in germany.

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: bruno
Have you ever figured out the real difference in fuel cost over a year between regular and premium gas ?
It ain't much .


In my case for the Subaru $200/year and MDX $200/year with my mileage. That is with $0.30/gallon premium for premium around here on average.

Subaru I don't care as car is a blast and knew this upfront. The MDX I missed the fact in purchase and research and assumed all V6 Honda the same.

 

[stephen9666]

Originally Posted By: Thermo1223


It will make a difference in the summer as it is turbocharged. The manual even states premium is recommended last I looked.


What manual are you referring to? Is it for the 2014 and up 1.8T? This new engine is totally different than the old 1.8T that recommended premium. Everything I've read says the new one is made to run on 87.

Quote:
Yes, you read that right: a turbocharged German car that doesn’t require premium.

Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/seda.../#ixzz3Ul6MqRu4


Here's thread on a VW forum about it. The 2014 and up 1.8T say 87.
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?6144624-2014-Jetta-1.8T-fuel-requirements
Quote:
first time volkswagen owner. Just picked up the SE with the 1.8L turbo engine. The sticker on the fuel tank says regular 87.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: bruno
In Mexico ?
That's where they have been built for 20 years or more ?

Not quite. There were some years of golf/ rabbit in recent history that were made in germany.

Also, some MKIV GTI models came from Brazil.

But I think the Golf VII is made in Mexico, as well as some variants of it.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted By: bruno
Have you ever figured out the real difference in fuel cost over a year between regular and premium gas ?
It ain't much .


Around here about .50 per gallon. Each grade goes up about a quarter $$$. If you have to pay more for gas and not really get substantial mileage, maybe a real car is in order. Real Car

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: bruno
In Mexico ?
That's where they have been built for 20 years or more ?

Not quite. There were some years of golf/ rabbit in recent history that were made in germany.


Actually from 1999 until current most all Golf models sold in the USA were built in Germany, a few during the MK4 days were sourced from
Brasil.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
That VW is a drivers car.


Not like they used to be. Maybe a GTI but regular Golf/Jetta more mainstream.


The American versions of VW products I've driven can't really hold a candle to their European counterparts.

That being said, I'd still take a "mainstream" VW over a Toyota, Honda or any domestic offering. Had the "pleasure" of driving a '15 Altima just the other day - VWs may be mostly FWD, but you certainly don't get any of that torque steer like the Altima had.

Yes, maintenance might be slightly more, but their cars, for the most part, feel sure footed and a pleasure to drive.

 

[VR6OOM]

I've owned 7 VW's, a Volvo and 2 Nissan's. They're all the same...as in they all have problems. Take care of them and you'll be ok. I never had a major repair that wasn't my fault or an aftermarket part failure. My dad rags on VW all the time due to Consumer Reports, but that entity is biased and has a lot of false information.

My advice? Test drive a bunch of cars and get what you want. Not what the internet tells you. Make sure it's got a good warranty too and checks all your boxes. Since you want to own it 10-12 years, resale isn't really a big deal for you. But it should be considered, just in case you change your mind. The Golf will be better in this area vs the Civic.

I own a new (non-mqb) 1.8t and I run 87 all year. APR (major VAG tuner) dyno'd one with 93...the car lost power. Don't run 93 unless you plan to chip the car.

Final thought - learn to be handy. I've saved myself a TON of money over the years with self taught repairs. Most of the "common" failures on cars are simply to replace with enough will power. The internet is great in this regard.

 

[jrmason]

I've never owned any gassers but have owned 3 TDIs. I've got various family members that have also owned them over the years. They have all been reliable cars with no major repairs beyond routine maintenance. As a long time diesel owner I dont like the fact the timing belts need replaced every 100k miles on these engines. Its an extra expense that in my opinion is unnecessary. There are other better alternatives out there. I have done several of them myself and they aren't that difficult, its the extra expense I dont care for. Aside from that, all of my and my families VWs have been mechanically solid cars. Every one of them have had rust free bodies and chassis. This is a big deal to me as vehicles rust very heavily here. The wife's 01 Beetles chassis with 140k miles is in better shape than her 08 Mountaineer with half the miles. Its also on all original steering and suspension components, although I am replacing the shocks and springs this spring.

 

[Cujet]

Please go on www.truedelta.com and look at VW's reliability results. There are a few VW's with average reliability results, the rest range from much worse than average to absolutely pathetic.

It seems the number of repairs and the cost of repairs has not improved one bit over the last 10 years.

Also know that from 2009 to 2014, Volkswagen was rated 6th from the bottom out of 40 manufacturers. With only Jaguar and Saturn being significantly worse.

Worse than that, VW, in general, shows consistently high repair frequencies and cost (repair trips per year) each and every year.

Put another way, from 2009 thru 2014, as a manufacturer, VW is 3 times worse than Honda.

When one compares individual cars, Say, the Accord to the VW Comfort Coupe, VW can be 10 times worse than Honda! That's worse by an order of magnitude!

 

[JetStar]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: bruno
In Mexico ?
That's where they have been built for 20 years or more ?

Not quite. There were some years of golf/ rabbit in recent history that were made in germany.


2013 GTI made in Germany.