I and my two sisters have had nothing but VWs and we've never had any trouble with any of them. Our current Passat wagon is a great car.

Well I have a bit of a theory, which could explain the vastly different experiences with VWs. Ever notice the people who drive VWs nowadays? They are generally young, fit attractive people.

I wonder if VWs are meant for good-looking people. The folks who seem to have good luck with them tend to be grade-a, cream of the crop types. Really hot girls tend to have very few problems with their beetle cabrios or Jettas. Hansome guys with nice shoes and well-defined jawlines fit the same category. Maybe that's you, Charlie & Les!

I've sometimes wondered if a VW will reject the owner if they aren't hot/handsome enough. The car feels like it got a raw deal... like a supermodel married to Danny Devito. It dispalys its disatisfaction in the relationship through electrical gremlins, coolant leaks and an expensive appetite for Khumos

I've never voiced this theory to Mrs Norfarnow, because frankly, I've got enough problems already.

hahaha. great!

for the record, my previous VW performed flawlessly.

hey lookie, 5 stars!

I haven't had a 5 star thread since I got hit in the face with a dog $hit projectile, and posted pictures!

I think you're onto something there.

On the gal side, good looking sorority girls.

On the guy side, immaculately manicured, well dressed, fit, usually with a neatly trimmed moustache, sometimes leather chaps . . . hangs around alot with similar guys . . .

Make that two Passat owners who liked their cars. My '99 Passat gave me zero problems other than a leaking power steering hose fixed with a new hose and clamp. That car was great! Excellent interior quality, it was fun to drive, got great mileage for a gas motor, and plenty of room. I tracked mine regularly and didn't have any of the control arm issues you read about. A lot of Passats left the factory with incorrectly installed control arms and subsequently were incorrectly fixed by dealerships that didn't know what they were doing.

We also had a Jetta that was a total POS. It was a great car for the two days that it didn't have any problems in the year that we owned it.

Jake, my friend, I would make very sure, if I were you, this theory never makes it to 'Mrs. NFN' !

As for your theory, I didn't think you were THAT drunk when we met, but thanks. ;) (Actually, in our household, the good looking driver of the VW would be Mrs. OldE.)

Les

Nicely put! As I read through this thread I'm reconsidering my idea to lose my Turbo diesel Benz and pick up an Audi quatro TT...

Their complaint box is full and they don't care. I dealt with them on my wifes 01 Bug. Biggest pos I've ever owned. I will say that they did a bang up job of honoring the numerous repairs under warranty even when it expired. Like the tow truck driver, the lease agent who took the car back said that they look VWs over more carefully upon return because there is always something wrong.

I would LOVE a 99 300td. I have never even laid eyes on one.

Why is that?

Mercedes is blocking them.
http://www.mercedes-benz.ca/index.cfm?id=6872

They say the bumpers are different, but I've read that they are the same pieces, but collision rated in MPH instead of KPH. Stickers, essentially.

It's too bad, they are much more common is the US, 2-4k cheaper and out of the rust belt. I'd buy one in the states in a heartbeat. The car I'm looking at would be a 10-11k car in the states

i am going to debunk you're theory. i wear shorts and t-shirts year round and have an ugly mug! :(

This was posted on Germancarblog.com today .... a Passat review from a gay website:

We drove the 2007 VW Passat 2.0T wagon during a quick trip to Los Angeles. It looks great, handles just like the sedan and the wonderful turbo-charged two-liter engine was great for blasting around LA's freeways. It has just a little bit of turbo lag but not enough to make most people notice. Coupled with the six-speed automatic, it is entertaining and fuel efficient -- adjectives not normally associated with wagons.

Fit and finish were superb and nice touches like the electric rear tailagate show that VW's product planners spent some time with busy parents or some shopaholic quee ... I mean, "restraint-challenged" gay boys. If you want a German with a lot of room in the back, the VW Passat Wagon is worth a look.

hmmmm ...

Ha ha! I used to hitch hike a lot. It didn't take long before I learned not to take rides from guys in station wagons with the rear seats folded down.

anee-wayz

99 E300D was checked over today, and came out with a few niggly issues:
-small transmission leak: fixed then & there, paid by seller
-sunroof inop
-windshield not cracked or chipped, but old & many "pecks" from highway driving.

That's it. Kind of anti-climatic. I'd beat the guy down already, so I didn't even try to get it any lower over the sunroof & window. I'll take the sunroof apart myself to see what the scoop is, and I'll wait until i get a bad chip before I change the windshield. No biggie.

The mechanic said it's one of the nicest e300d's he's ever had in his shop. Meticulously maintained and excellent records. No rust whatsever, having spent its winters in Florida. I pick the car up on Friday morning. Too excited.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1199767421.jpg

I also took a deposit on the Jetta tonight. I posted a tell-all ad in one of my diesel forums, and said that if someone wanted it in Montreal on January 11th or 12th, they should make me a lowball offer. They did, I took it.

That'll save me the cost of the flight, plus a buddy is coming with me... he figures that worst case scenario, he can witness any fiasco I get caught up in. We leave at 5 Pm thursday, get to Montreal ~ 3am. I have 90 liters of vegetable oil filtering right now.

I'll kind of miss it, maybe. Probably not.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1199768061.jpg

You probably were one repair away from driving the Jetta for 100,000 troublefree miles. :)

How is the Mercedes diesel for power in the city? Does it feel underpowered or noisy?

That should be great car my e420 has been really good.

Ha ha I wouldn't be surprised, but I just couldn't put any more money into a car that's rusting and burning oil. It may work great for years to come, but in my eyes it was one flat tire away from the dump.

Heck if I know, I've never driven one!

I test drove a local e320 to size it up and see how it felt, but I've never even sat in a diesel one. As for power... 24 valve, turbo, it's got 174 hp and 244 ft lbs, should be ok. As for noise, I'm told they're much quieter than a VW TDi, but it really isn't a issue for me one way or another. I've been driving my diesel samurai all week, so anything is an improvement.

You will like the MB, I picked one up out of Texas a year ago as a step up from my '91 300td. The '99 is nice smooth , quiet and plenty of power, the down side are all the issues the model is known for, you have heard them all from the MB forum. I spent the first three months of ownership fixing things, wheel bearings, fuel lines, glow plugs, fuel shutoff valve, mass flow sensor and the assortment of burnt out light bulbs, now its a great car.

Enjoy

Eric

Despite some problems, I love my '03 Jetta GLI (24 valve VR6) 6-speed.

It had a leaky rear main seal replaced under warranty at 13k miles. Out of warranty, I bought a VAG-COM reader and found the check engine light was caused by a faulty coolant temp sensor ($4.95). Frustratingly, the rear main seal is apparently leaking a drop or two a week for ahem...quite awhile. Last week, driver's footwell soaked after left A-pillar sunroof drain was apparently overwhelmed by the volume of rain when I parked on a decline leaning that way.

However, it has a wonderful, quiet motor, beautiful shifting and handling. Still on original Michelin MXM4s at ~70k miles. Clutch like new and original brakes. Third Mk IV I've owned. Batteries are rubbish. Replaced with an Odyssey. I was going to sell it, but can't part with it yet. Still like new inside and out. I just park it over a large plastic tray. Not ready for a motor/trans drop to replace the $18 seal.

I strill have both of my VW Jettas.

Only problem was a coolant sensor on the TDI and the sunroof drain cloggin up - created the usual puddle- but I just snipped off the end of the rubber drain nipple so it would not stick closed again.

No problems with the Jetta GLI I was glad to pick up before the MK IV style was discontinued in the US.

I heard you can still purchase the city Jetta in Canada new (MK IV style)

Are you a sadist? An E300D?