A thread on VW's. What do you guys think?

[RedTartan]

Originally Posted by mightybooboo

I see your link has already been sold........

It sure did. I've removed the link. Thanks

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by RJMAcres

I restore/hotrod old aircooled VW's as a hobby.
Love em.

Have you seen one like this?

[RJMAcres]

Hard to tell from just that front picture.
Bradley ?
Or is that 1 of those sports models that were made in Brazil years ago ?
Can't remember the name of them however.

I can sort of make out the car won a show someplace in MO.
Where abouts ?

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by RJMAcres

Hard to tell from just that front picture.
Bradley ?
Or is that 1 of those sports models that were made in Brazil years ago ?
Can't remember the name of them however.

I can sort of make out the car won a show someplace in MO.
Where abouts ?

It is a Puma. A 1977 Puma GTE. Once called a Brazilian Corvette.
A friend of mine that lives in southern Iowa owns it. I have been to a few car shows with him. But I can't remember some of the places in MO he has shown at.

[RJMAcres]

Would your friends name be Dennis by any chance ?

[strawhouse]

oh man oh man oh man, a VW thread on a homesteading site???? My two favorite subjects combined!!!!!!!

I could go on and on and on and on about VW's!!
Everyone has already brought up really good points.
Passats are one of the most stupid expensive VW's to fix.
Stay away from anything made after the early 90's. They aren't "machines" after that.

I currently own 2 VW's. My daily driver is a '91 Vanagon (full van, not a camper) my husband's is an '88 Transporter Doka Diesel (a VW van with truck back, imported from Germany)
I have owned many many VW's. My van is tied for my favorite VW I've had, tied with my '88 Golf Diesel. The worst I had was a '98 Beetle TDI. (Great motor, the rest of the car was junk.)

Easy to fix (if you are at all handy) last FOREVER, drive like tanks, especially in the deep Canadian winter! Once you've driven a VW "machine" for a while, you just can't bear to drive anything else!!

A really good VW site, dedicated to "machine" VW's, no new stuff is
www.thesamba.com

Hope you join the ranks of VW freaks soon!!!

[arabian knight]

Originally Posted by RJMAcres

Would your friends name be Dennis by any chance ?

LOL Yes it is.

[plowjockey]

Originally Posted by RedTartan

I did some research and found that there's a lot of anti-VW stuff out there, and lots of devoted VW fans. My father always says that you can't beat anything German-made.

Nothing against your Pop, but I could not disagree more.

Mercedes are built great mechanically, but have some of the WORST electronics of any car made. The "check engine" light is on about as often as the turn signel indicator. They even recommend that you don't take some the convertibiles though a carwash, as the motors in the power top may be damaged. Supposedly, electronics was a main reason for Benz, purchasing Chrysler, which has some of the most advanced and reliable electronics.

Old VW bugs were reliable, mostly because there was nothing to them, as they were so basic. The engine could be removed in 30 minutes. Since they were air cooled engines, the heater was terrible and defrost was nearly non-existent. Spent many hours (mostly trouble free) however, cruising around in the Bugs.

I have not owned the newer ones, but there seems to be two VW camps - one where they run great and their owners love them and the other, where they are always in the $hop.

I would gladly argue that the Japanese build the best cars in the world.

[RJMAcres]

Originally Posted by arabian knight

LOL Yes it is.

Small world. He belongs to VW group I'm in once in awhile.
Haven't chatted with him in a couple years. Haven't even seen him post
in quite some time. Knew he lived in Iowa and he's the only person with
a Puma I know.

He used to do some animal rescues also if I recall.

[SilverFlame819]

I bought the cutest Jetta... It didn't even make it home without breaking down! I drove it 3 times... It broke down all 3 times. Finally threw in the towel. Sold it to a friend. It drove like a charm for her! So I guess it just didn't like me??

I want want want a nice old school bus. Those things are amazing!

[Dexter]

Don't be fooled that the older ones are somehow better!
ANY vehicle from the 80's is nearing 30 years old. You fix the breaks, it needs an alternator, needs a tranny, engine, starter... doesn't matter how many things you fix on an old car there is always something needing replaced (often for the second/third time).

Yes, some Toyotas have passed the 999,999, but that is not the norm for any used car not even Toyota.
Can you tell I've been let down by more than a few cars, including VW's, fords, dodges, etc etc??

[pheasantplucker]

I owned a 71 super Beetle. Got good gas mileage, and was fairly dependable, but one thing (they've probably since changed)...the defrosters on those old things weren't worth a nickle. I had to constantly wipe the inside of my windshield with a sock. Old ones, I'd now have reservations about their safety. If it was not highway miles and just putting around town, I'd say go for it, but serious running with semis and such, I'd probably go for something with more modern safety features...air bags and such.

[wogglebug]

When VW's go, they are magnificent. However, I had terrible trouble with a new first-year-of-production model (1971 VW 1600-S Superbug) before I knew better. It went well when it went too, but the new Macpherson strut suspension was forever breaking, wheel alignment went off if you drove over a matchstick, and it would chew up the tyres very rapidly when that happened. It ate brake pads at an indecent rate too. I suffered electrical system malfunctions as well, and the bodywork wasn't properly sealed waterproof like earlier model Bugs were. So... keep away from first model-year.

I must admit I've heard and read marvellous things about the old VW diesel Rabbit and Golf, including from friends who were owners, so not too far removed. It seems to me that one of them with good solid body, motor and transmission, plus a box trailer with optional cage and canvas cover for when you needed cargo space, would make a solid little town-and-country set-up for someone who commuted, and wasn't into large-scale farming and ranching. However, I have no direct personal experience.

[randy11acres]

Learned to drive in a 58 bug. As a teen was hard on it. Had to replace the motor 3 times and even wiped out a transaxle which took me 8 hours to pull one out of another bug and pull the broke one out of my bug and install it and motor back into mine.

[Wis Bang 2]

My future son in law bought a 2009 Jetta TDI last year.

He loves it!

I made my bowling partner do a double take when I told him that the kid is getting 54mpg on the highway which beats his Prius!

[tiogacounty]

My son and I made a deal. He needed to get outstanding grades at his university and I would buy him a reasonably priced used car. Over my strong objections, he ended up with a 2003 Passat. Bottom line is that it is not the rock sold "appliance" that a Corrolla or Civic would be of that same year. However, it was worth about 25% less than those cars in similar condition, and it's a car that has soul. It's a manual trans, nicely finished and has a real feel to it. It's quick, with a 1.8 turbo, handles tight and rides far better than anything else we test drove. As for reliability, you need two things to be a happy owner. Knowledge and a decent INDEPENDENT VW mechanic. There is nothing that can ever go wrong with these cars that isn't thoroughly documented on an enthusiast website. There are no common parts that aren't available from on-line sources for a small fraction of dealer prices. They have common faults due to simply poor design and quality on VW's part. My kid's car is prone to ignition "coil on plug", and window regulator module failures. He keeps one of each "in stock" and knows how to diagnose each and fix them for a few bucks. If you buy a used VW, it had better be in great shape. It needs to be evaluated by an independent expert and have service records. If you start with a well maintained car, and do regularly scheduled maintenance, you will have a reliable car that will last a long time and be enjoyable to drive. If you start out with a troubled car, and think it should serve you well by, filling it with gas, and maybe changing the oil every 10K or so, you are going to be disappointed pretty quickly. The other issue is dealers. VW has worked hard at being the worst manufacturer in the US to do business with after the sale. They are at the absolute bottom of the ranking in customer service satisfaction when it comes to repairs and warranty work, and they are simply insane when it comes to pricing. Most routine service and repair can be done at a competent independent shop for a fraction of what the dealer wants. One reason that a lot of used ones show up is that the dealer tells the customer that the car needs a timing belt and water pump as part of regularly schedule maintenance, and it will be $1700. We it's true that the work needs to be done. It costs half as much at a local shop and $200 to do it yourself. Many chose to trade in rather than spent that kind of cash. There is some truth to the fact that modern VWs are not the quality they once were, but VW is still the third largest car maker in the world and they build a lot of decent products.

[mightybooboo]

Originally Posted by tiogacounty

. There is some truth to the fact that modern VWs are not the quality they once were, but VW is still the third largest car maker in the world and they build a lot of decent products.

Maybe,maybe not.All makers toss out lemons,and its the unhappy owner who sqwaks,not the happy owner.

I personally have met folks with the 2.0 that werent happy,then again there cars looked pretty beat too.

The Dealers,you would be hard pressed to find worse,IMO thats why VW cant make it big here,they are the most arrogant lying creeps on the planet.Hands down,complete idiots.Yes,independent mech a good idea for sure!!!!!

I cheered when the 3 local dealers went under,nobody deserved being unemployed more than them,and I have 3 VW's in the driveway,I love em.A 59 truck,a 65 Baja,and a 2001 Jetta.

The old ones run well enough,the 59 is very reliable,but the Jetta is a BMW in VW badging ,Luxo sport deluxe,its a NICE car.FAST and Nimble and rides on rails.Agreed ,they have Euro class the Japanese just dont have for pizazz or whatever it is.And a rain car,that Jetta just excels.Not snow,never snow,never.Trust me on that.

[crispin]

this might make a nice daily driver

http://chattanooga.craigslist.org/cto/2121519223.html

[mightybooboo]

FWIW the Passat was the only car my Uncle ever drove once they came out and he could afford ANYTHING out there and was a very smart man,carries wt in my decision.

[next1]

Originally Posted by Wis Bang 2

My future son in law bought a 2009 Jetta TDI last year.

He loves it!

I made my bowling partner do a double take when I told him that the kid is getting 54mpg on the highway which beats his Prius!

I do about 55-56 mpg on hwy. with my VW Beetle TDI 2006. Toyota has a great TDI... outside US. In general, if people are not educated about what is available outside this country, we'll never see it. Ford makes a great small diesel engine for non US market that is nowhere to be found here.