Tell me about the reliability of new VW's

[love911]

We have an 09 Tiguan,it is my wife's DD .we initially leased the car and then bought it after the end of the lease with 27K miles, right now it has 36K,my wife loves it,so do I whenever I have a chance to drive the car.very good handling and for a 2.0T it has a lot of kick if you step on it.Only problem we had so far was that the first couple of months through the lease my wife complained about the jerky kick of the trany whenever she would come to stop ,took the car to dealer and they re flash the shifting points of the PCM and after that,no complaint and everything is smooth.and this is a basic model with no Navi,or P seats.
We plan to keep the car for couple of years at least.

[dienstuhr]

2007 GTI 2.0T 6 speed

owned since 2008, 33K miles

only significant problem has been turbo failure, replaced under warranty.


d.

[Palum6o]

Originally Posted by aigel

The TDI Golf is more $ up front but should hold its value quite well, especially with $5 gas around the corner. If it is $4k more than the gas model, it likely will sell for $4k more than the gas model in 3 years from now. I keep a record sheet in the car and will transfer the fuel data some time soon for the first year. I am significantly better than 40 mpg in mixed driving. We are talking half of it in stop and go traffic. If you go long distance interstate and keep it under 70 it easily gets over 50 mpg.

G

Before buying our Q7, we test drove and really wanted a Touareg TDI - I really enjoyed how that thing drove, all the torque and power - is all there. In the 'Executive' trim, they would not budge at the $58K price tag. The lease deal was literally no different than financing it. Now if these cars truly hold their value, then why the heck don't they have solid residual projections to stand behind that?

[R K T]

We bought a 2012 GTI when they first came out in August last year and we love it. The interior quality is top-notch. I drive it like it's meant to be driven and every fill-up is right at 29mpg. So far so good....very good!

[aigel]

Originally Posted by Palum6o

Before buying our Q7, we test drove and really wanted a Touareg TDI - I really enjoyed how that thing drove, all the torque and power - is all there. In the 'Executive' trim, they would not budge at the $58K price tag. The lease deal was literally no different than financing it. Now if these cars truly hold their value, then why the heck don't they have solid residual projections to stand behind that?

I don't think you can compare a luxury SUV at $60k with a compact commuter that's less than half. That said, all other things being equal, don't you think the premium the diesel commands can largely be recovered, at least in percent of depreciation?

G

[RWebb]

how about comparing the compact "commuter" with a Subaru??

[aigel]

An Impreza? I am not imprezad by that car. And that's not even in the same zip code as far as gas mileage goes. There certainly are better brands for value retention than VW. I wouldn't touch a gas Golf for that reason.

Anyways, I'd like to get back to OPs question and after getting some input from owners, see how the Tiguan should holds its value? Unfortunately it appears that no TDI tiguan is available in the US (WTF!?).


G

[ramonesfreak]

ive had 3. a 94 jetta, a 2000 golf and a 2008 rabbit.

regarding the 2008 rabbit, it was pretty nice except one thing

the bottom front corner of the door bent TWICE from ice damming. i opened the door, heard the sound of bending metal and ice crushing and looked down and couldnt believe it. after reading on line about how this is common, i took it in and had it fixed under warranty and they placed a rubber/foam block inside the door so ice couldnt damm

the following winter, it happened again. took it back and fixed it again under warranty.

i got rid of the car even though it was a big step up in ride and handling quality compared to my other 2

i wont talk to much about my older ones, except to say the 2000 golf i had, bought brand new, needed a new transmission after 1 week of owner ship and it only went down hill from there. what an expensive mistake. a total piece of garbage. looking back, it was obviously a lemon

that said, im in the market for a used DD to get to work and back and im considering buying a high mileage older VW as i just dont like honda, toyota etc... this will probably be another huge mistake

[ramonesfreak]

here is the bent door. i see you live in cali so this wont be a problem i guess but a warning to anyone that lives in a winter climate and has a newer model VW...be very careful

i also did not like at all, the way the car attempts to deal with water drainage and the way the leaves got stuck everywhere. the windshield wiper design was also horrible on the 2008.

[Reifle]

Diehard VW family! Right now we have '10 Jetta gas 2.5 and '11 Jetta Diesel. Also '11 Golf 2.5 with DSG - all have there own little quirks but all are solid cars and just a blast to drive! Friends and neighbours with there Hondas, Hyundis and Toyotas are bored with there cars. I started off with a '71 Beetle and graduated to a '76 Rabbit when they first came out. All just great cars! VW just drives better than the rest!

[Reifle]

Just a few shots some of the VWs that have come through my garage! Also, had several Audis in between too!

[sc_rufctr]

As I said earlier I like them for a lot of reasons but especially because...

You don't feel compelled to change a VW as often as anything else... Not the older ones anyway.

I wont be changing my current daily any time soon.

[rfuerst911sc]

Here is a data point to consider. My wife and I leased a 2007 Toyota RAV4 FWD V6 and last year at the end of the lease we bought it. That 3.5 L. engine is fantastic. It is smooth, quiet , very powerful and gets 30 mpg on the highway with the two of us and using cruise control. Have had zero issues in 50,000 miles. Fit and finish are fantastic. No it does not have a " soul " but it is drop dead reliable and that's what I want in a daily driver. It is very easy to drive/park and good interior room. Good luck in your search for a vehicle.

[Jrboulder]

I have a 2011 Jetta SE 2.5 DSG with 19k on it. My ONLY complaint is the climate control temp dial. If you turn it all the way cold it goes to Max AC. I just want fresh air.

The interior is a mix of cheap and nice. Its got a leather steering wheel and a hard plastic dash. I could definitly live without the giant useless TV that dominates the dash or maybe they could at least use it to let me know things like coolant temp and oil pressure.

[ben parrish]

2010 Jetta 2.5..bought new...daily work car with 70k on it NO ISSUES...Great car with wonderful handling on the mountain roads I travel.
I change the oil regularly and rotate the tires as needed; tune up at 50k.
One weird thing though, it does not tolerate aftermarket spark plugs. New ones lasted only about 8k and looked like they had 50k on them. My mileage went to around23mpg and had a rough idle. Spoke with a tech at VW and he told me that they really need VW plugs. I replaced the aftermarket ones with VW and all is well.

[Macroni]

Love my TDI. Very reliable great power and space.......

[Soterik]

We were very interested in the Tiguan when we were told it was coming in the TDI first, but then it went to gas only so we shopped a little harder

We are a VERY VW family, my wife had a 2005 Passat wagon, my dad has a 2002 Golf TDI, I have a daily driver 1990 Jetta GLI 16v, and there's a 79 GTI clone in the garage getting a partial resto.....and we go back from there with over 20 VW's back to the 1956 VW beetle that my dad bought new that I still own.

BUT, when we needed a new car in 2010, we bought the new Subaru Outback. We've got 50K miles on it and it's been literally flawless, it's got more room than the Tiguan and get's better mileage as well.

I would really like to get a VW TDI as my next car, but I can't get an AWD diesel (need AWD) from VW in anything cheaper than a Touareg, so I'm going to keep buying gas Subaru's till something better comes along.

Eric

[ramonesfreak]

today i bought a 2011 Golf in shark blue with only 12K miles on it. Test drove it and was very impressed. Fell in love with the car...seems a few nice improvements with the dashboard since my 2008 Rabbit

[Bob Kontak]

A little older than you have requested - 2003 Passat 1.8T Manual - Owned from 60-140k miles

One CV joint boot ripped open (nasty job from corroded suspension bolts)
Coolant temp sensor failed.
Water pump failed at 75k
Fuel pump failed at 130k
Rear window squirtie thing failed - corrosion
Temp dials - Light bulb will not seat properly
"Minor" evaporative emission leak code is on intermittantly - gas cap sealing - I think
First coil pack just failed at 140k.
Plastic interior parts (e.g., caps/release buttons on top of headrests have come loose in the rear seat.
Original sunroof drain exit nipples are poor design and clog.
Paint on nose of hood had developed several quarter sized rust "circles" from chips that I don't see on other cars but have seen them on this model.

Still love the car. The 1.8 engine itself is great and has demonstrated zero maintenance issues. No boost leaks, no reduction in performance, great gas mileage.

Wife's 2002 New Beetle 1.8 T - 80k miles - owned since new.

CV joint boot failure
Coolant temp sensor and or coolant mix (S/B 50-50) throwing temp sensor code.
Coil packs replaced (twice under warranty)
Glove box door latch failure
Center arm rest hinge failure
Annual headlight bulb replacement
Melted diverter hose right above turbo - boost loss.
Have repaired stainless steel shrouds around cat twice. Corrosion.
Electrical terminal junction on top of battery corrodes/melts at the AC fuse female socket.
Key will not open the lock manually. Corrosion.

Never have been stranded in this car.

Love the snot out of it.

Edit: Both cars have the Air-bag light on and each car has common air bag weak links that you need a $275 VAG-COM and $100 service manual to DIY diagnose and reset after repair.