2016 Volkswagen Passat decision -- Please help!

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We stumbled across a new 2016 Volkswagen Passat available at a seemingly crazy good price, $18,999. It has the 1.8L turbo under the hood.

I am looking for opinions - good or not - because I need to decide soon while the deal is still available. FWIW, we like the car. What we are concerned about is the mechanical reliability of the small 1.8, and overall repair costs during ownership over a 10 to 15 year period.

I just don't know much about VW's, but I know some of you can help, Thanks!
 
If you're going to keep a car for that long you shouldn't be looking at VW's. They will nickel and dime you to death after 75,000 miles and its usually the electronics.
 
Some people here are worry worts and can't phantom buying something other than a Camry or an Accord.

Its a good car, but not one I'd wanna keep for that long.
If you were wanting to keep it for 5 years, I'd say go for it.

VW mechanicals are actually really, really reliable once the engine has been out a few years.
VAG always resolves any weird issues with parts revisions within the first few years like say a timing chain tensioner..?
The rest of the vehicle is a gamble. The issue with the VW Passat is that it's priced in line with the competition, even more so because of dieselgate,
but you are still paying BMW prices for parts and service.

Certain things on VW's are better than Japanese and American cars such as brake life and using the ABS sensors for TPMS which is one thing you'll deal with if keeping a Camry/Accord
for 10-15 years.
 
Ans that 1.8L engine is not stressed because its "small". Unlike the competition, it has an iron block like it or not. Keep in mind a diesel semi truck has a tiny engine relative to the weight it carries and most go 800K between overhauls.
 
Originally Posted By: deven
If you're going to keep a car for that long you shouldn't be looking at VW's. They will nickel and dime you to death after 75,000 miles and its usually the electronics.


+1
Everyone I know who's had a VW in the last fifteen years or so really liked their cars but also really hated all of the little problems they had while their cars were still fairly young.
VWs really never were all that great. Even the widely canonized Type 1 would run for maybe 100K before it swallowed a valve, or the Type IV that would run for maybe the same distance before developing cracked heads.
 
Haven't heard anything bad about the EA888 1.8t. If you like the car go for it! New VW's are just as reliable as the rest of them, you just have to do more stringent maintenance then say a Camry or Accord, that's what people can't figure out. I'll admit I haven't followed the maintenance on mine to the T and it hasn't skipped a beat. Although results may vary from that, lol. The driving dynamics are just so much better on a VW IMO. Even my older MKV is more fun the drive then the Camry.
 
I liked the look of the previous generation Passat better than the current, Oldsmobile looking version.

I agree with the consensus that VW's are expensive to maintain.
Also, I would research the DSG transmission before buying.
 
Is that the out the door price or the quoted price before taxes and fees? If the latter, it's really a typical deal and I bit you can even get them under $18K.

As for owning a VW long term, I've had two Passats since 2002 (my current one is a 2007) and most of the little issues I experienced on both were covered during the warranty period. Typically, you have little things like coilpack or PCV valve revisions the first couple years. And VW is good about doing recalls on these things and replacing them with updated parts. The most serious issue is premature wearing cam followers on my 2007 and VW extended the warranties on these to 120K or 10 years.

Most people blow VW problems way out of porportion. Sure there are little problem, but none of the problems that I've experienced were anything but small nagging issues. I replaced the cam follower myself in about 2 hours. I could do coilpacks in less than an hour and I am not a mechanic. After the car is a little older, you probably want to do some DIY maintenance to keep costs down and there is a huge list of DIY videos in the VW community. Pretty much, any monkey can do about 80% of the stuff with a few torx bits, a socket set and a torque wrench.

BTW, the one area where you will have to pay more attention is maintenance. You can't just use any Jiffy Lube oil and need to make sure fluids, and oils meet VW specs. I would also not go 10k on oil changes like VW says. Go 5K max if you want to keep the car going strong long term.
 
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I dont know much about this particular engine, but VW is notorious for all sorts of poor engineering decisions. Youtube is packed full of videos from HumbleMechanic explaining them in a nice manner, but the conclusion I have made is he is a great apologist. In short, like others have said it will be OKAY until about 5 years out and then you will pay big time in maintenance and lack of reliability. It has been proven over and over again, look at VW's current sales and understand why they are suffering.
 
We are on are 3rd VW. Last 2 made it passed to 200K until sold. This one, 2012 Jetta has over 100K. No problems, still orginal battery as well. DO MAINTENCE ON TIME! VWs last long, just need care. I would be buying a Passat right now if I was in the Market for a new one.
 
Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
I dont know much about this particular engine, but VW is notorious for all sorts of poor engineering decisions. Youtube is packed full of videos from HumbleMechanic explaining them in a nice manner, but the conclusion I have made is he is a great apologist. In short, like others have said it will be OKAY until about 5 years out and then you will pay big time in maintenance and lack of reliability. It has been proven over and over again, look at VW's current sales and understand why they are suffering.



Yes if he gets a lemon it will be a problem. But he will know that before warranty is up. I spend very little both in terms of time and cost to keep my 07 running.

Let's see, I've replaced the cam follower, pcv valve, coil packs, the latter two under warranty. Yes bad engineering decisions on the initial parts, but really not a big deal even if not covered by warranty. Follower is $50, pcv a couple hundred, and coil packs $200. All three can be replaced in under two hours by occasionally mechanics like myself (heck I don't even like doing my own oil changes).

My 02 was similar. Little nagging issues most of which I could take care of myself. Even the infamous sludge issue was easily avoided with the right oil at 5k intervals.

How do you preemptively prevent blown transmissions and VCM problems on Hondas? How about bad water pumps and blown head gaskets on Toyotas? My Sienna blew a head gasket and I maintained it the way I maintain a VW. And when I did the research, it was a pretty common problem on 2gr Fe V6 Toyota engines, but Toyota did nothing about it.
 
The 4 "non enthusiast" VW owners I know were 1 time owners. Three drive Japanese cars now, the other an Audi. His "300 hundred thousand mile capable" VR6 died @ about 260K with a timing chain failure.

How VW designed a basically inline 6 cyl with more than 1 chain is beyond me and is indicative of why they aren't on my 'consider' list for vehicles.

Read up and know what you are getting into long term; could be a good 6 year car....
 
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I always wanted a VW but common sense dictated otherwise.
The accord lovers here must be thinking of days gone bye.
The QC is down and if you kept a new Accord you'd have to repaint it in 5 years.
The Accord is no longer a durable well finished vehicle. After 20K careful miles my
Accord Sport had serious paint issues, peeling on the clear coat on all 4 wheels, and interior wear.
I baby cars but this turkey wouldn't stand up to even that. I think you better remain fond of VW and that means don't buy one. Good Luck!
 
Buy it! Enjoy it! read all about it. The engine is VW's newish EA888 1.8 TSI and 2016 brings a few more MPG's to the table for the already impressive model.

I strongly recommend performing your own maintenance and seeing that every single item that is installed meets the proper specifications. If you like to get your car parts from Wal-Mart then it isn't for you. If you don't mind doing the research, buying the tools, and spending the time to learn the vehicle then they can be very rewarding.
 
Originally Posted By: deven
If you're going to keep a car for that long you shouldn't be looking at VW's. They will nickel and dime you to death after 75,000 miles and its usually the electronics.

Originally Posted By: skyactiv
Some people here are worry worts and can't phantom buying something other than a Camry or an Accord.

Its a good car, but not one I'd wanna keep for that long.
If you were wanting to keep it for 5 years, I'd say go for it.

VW mechanicals are actually really, really reliable once the engine has been out a few years.
VAG always resolves any weird issues with parts revisions within the first few years like say a timing chain tensioner..?
The rest of the vehicle is a gamble. The issue with the VW Passat is that it's priced in line with the competition, even more so because of dieselgate,
but you are still paying BMW prices for parts and service.

Certain things on VW's are better than Japanese and American cars such as brake life and using the ABS sensors for TPMS which is one thing you'll deal with if keeping a Camry/Accord
for 10-15 years.

+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.
 
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