Gonna replace my '07 Accord already.

[Saturn_Fan]

Nissan told me to pound sand with a bad head gasket on my 02' Sentra. The problems started at 35K miles and it got much worse from there. Ended up trading it off for a large loss back then. They wouldn't even go half way. Nissan never again.

 

[lovcom]

AudiJunkie, just pay a couple grand to get the entire Accord re-painted with a thick quality enamel. That would be the cheapest way to go...assuming you can get past the sensation of the $ burning a hole in your pocket...for the sake of your financial future, stick to one car and drive it until it drops....take the $$ you might be getting and invest it in something that will pay you back....cars are horrible investments.

 

[lovcom]

Originally Posted By: VeeDubb
I bet you can pick up a base model Passat with a manual tranny for $20K. Passat sales are not strong and VW dealers aren't having great luck unloading manuals. I got mine for $19K (stickered at $24). A base Passat with the 2.0T has the same performance as the V6 Accord Sedan. It will eat the base Accord alive and then spit it out. As for reliability, well, you've owned Audis before so I assume that won't be a problem for you

Horrible advise you give. Passats are perhaps the worse car sold in America....The Accord will eat it and spit it out in regard to reliability, durability, and owner satisfaction....surely you read magazines, yea? It's not like it's a secret that VW is the worse brand sold in America

 

[Audi Junkie]

Just to bring you up to speed on Passats, my Mom's 1996 still has the aire of a new car as far as paint and interior, zero repairs except the odo, replaced under factory exchange for $150.

You have to remember that the B5.5 Passats fell into the hands of a lot of car novices, inc my female cousin. Before that she had Rabitt, Fox and Jetta, all to 200k+ in Maine winters with minimal repairs except struts and maybe a starter or alt. Extreme low maintenance and low performance to match. Now with the Passat, she let the engine go to sludge, timing belt snap, destroying the valves. Although the control arms are bad, her and the husband think they are ok and they never replaced a wheel bearing yet at 260k.

Now, I know there are weak points in the car, but take someone like Quattro Pete, he had both Accord and A4 same/similar year and swears the Accord had more problems. Bottom line is that many of the owners were not "qualified" (I know I'll catch heck for this) to own a turbo Euro car. People coming from TOYOTAs bring a drive it till it breaks mentality, and we know how Domestic owners are....they rarely even ever wax their car, opting for the "Tru-Coat" for $1k at the dealer to alleve their responsability. Your avaid "magazine reading" will leave you short on facts and long on gross opinions of the unwashed masses.

So, my case is not so much for buying a Passat, but rather an A4 (same car) that offers quattro AWD and basicly makes it worthwhile to keep up with maintenance. Going back to the guy w/the new Passat, that is ONE HECK of a car for $20k. Would you prefer a Sonota over it? They are clumsy dolts with poor quality....but they run. It's like comparing a dirty donky to a quarter horse. They both get to the same place, but are quite different in upkeep and performance.

Here's a peek at my last B5 A4, same as a B5.5 Passat. It took pennies a mile to maintain, everything worked fine and performance was awesome for a station wagon.

We still have my 1987 Audi Coupe, still original clutch, WP rad, alt, timing belt etc. Interior and paint are pretty nice for it's age. 30 mpg Heck, even the digidash w/ trip computer works fine.

 

[VeeDubb]

Originally Posted By: lovcom


Horrible advise you give. Passats are perhaps the worse car sold in America....The Accord will eat it and spit it out in regard to reliability, durability, and owner satisfaction....surely you read magazines, yea? It's not like it's a secret that VW is the worse brand sold in America


Like everything in life, a one-size fits all recommendation rarely works. For car-enthusiasts like Audie-Junkie and some others on this site, a VW would be fine. They are willing to visit the mechanic one or two times extra per year in order to have the added fun to drive factor. For others who just want reliable transportation and see cars as no more than appliances, I would agree....a VW would be a terrible idea.

FYI, I do not recommend VWs to some members of my friends and family. But for my friends who love cars, like to think about cars, and like to tinker with cars, I do recommend VWs. I recommended a Jetta GLI to a neighbor across the street. He was considering an Acura TSX. After he drove the Jetta, he said the TSX felt stoggy and appliance like, and he's never looked back. Two years later, he still calls the Jetta the best car he's ever owned and this guy has owned a dozen cars or so over the last five years.

 

[Audi Junkie]

VeeDub, it's kind of a waste to expend any effort on guys like "lovcom". He's just wanting for attention and if he can snipe at things which give other people pleasure and satisfaction, be becomes all the more rewarded for his narrow-minded insights. It's a mental condition that people bring to the internet, gaining them the title of "troll". To a degree, we on Bob's know better than any how rumours get started and repeated without a real basis in fact. My bet is that Euro mechanics know a lil more about oil than street corner garage mechanics. See the connection? There is a definate lack of ability in the American mechanics to work on Euro cars and their insecurity comes through when they bash them. Believe me, it's a little easier to find a qualified Audi mechanic in Germany than Altoona. fwiw, I called AutoZone for some plug wires for my buddys old 100. I said that $100 was insane and the sales zoner said "that's what you get with an Audi". I retorted that, "a wire is a wire". They were $39 at Advance.

Europeans seem pretty much ok with their cars, I dunno if America even exports ANY cars. GM spent like $1B to peddle Saturns in Japan and sold like 10 cars total. So, let the little guys have their glorious magazines full of their peers ranting "I'm never buying a VW again". Well, how come JDPowers assigns VW the Best Resale Value of any marque?

 

[Jett Rink]

I had a VW Jetta from around '98 to '02. It was a nice car. The drivers' side door lock mechanism quit on it and had to be replaced. Other than that, just scheduled maintenance. A relative's daughter needed a car and her father made me an offer for it, so I sold it to them. He knew I had maintained it well. As far as I know she is still driving it.

I have never paid any attention to Consumer Reports in judging an automobile. If you are a driving enthusiast, that's about the last place to look for opinions.

Some people are just hard on machinery and could tear up an anvil, in my opinion.

A next door neighbor has a VW bug, diesel engine. I think he gets well into the 40 mpg range. I've never heard him say a negative thing about it. The timing belt job set him back a few coins, I remember him saying. He and his wife are sort of old hippies and longtime VW drivers.

Another neighbor has an Audi A4, a year or two old. White with beige interior. Audi is making some really exceptional interiors for these cars. Really a cut above. Do yourself a favor and get inside one sometime, if you haven't, if for no other reason than to see what the standard is. Nice pics, Audi Junkie. It is nice to see a good looking older car. Rare around here, unless you have an enthusiast owner.

 

[VeeDubb]

This is my first exposure to the likes of lovcom so thanks for the warning.

Yeah there is a lot of hate for VWs out there. I checked out myvwlemon.com once and that place is a shameless orrgy of whiny and complaints about stuff they could have avoided with a little homework and a little preventive maintenance. They got suckered in by the VW ads and features and probably thought conceptually that it would be a cool idea to own a VW. Nevermind that VWs are high maintenance which even my mom knows. Most of those people should have just bought Toyotas to begin with and called it a day.

 

[MrCritical]

Japan is a notoriously closed market to the United States automobile wise. They play about as fair as the New England Patriots.

 

[VeeDubb]

Dunno about that. Ever since Japan went into a depression, the average citizen can't even buy Toyotas or Hondas. It's just not a good place to sell big ticket items. Wages (in real terms) are so depressed that you've got a generation of young people living at home with parents and not getting married or having kids. That's why Toyota nad Honda are focused on export markets.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Mom called, ironicly. She went in for her CEL and mech says it's "time" for a timing belt. I told her not to, it's not an interference engine and next she'll start really needing stuff for the car, like AC, front end and more and more. Why spend $3k fixing up a $3k car? Anyway, at 12 years, it's "time" for a decision.

BTW- my green car, the 1998 had ZERO WARRANTY REPAIRS in the 3yr/50k period. Zero...but lovcom has his magazine subscriptions that tell him ~everything~ there is to know.

 

[VeeDubb]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie


BTW- my green car, the 1998 had ZERO WARRANTY REPAIRS in the 3yr/50k period. Zero...but lovcom has his magazine subscriptions that tell him ~everything~ there is to know.


My 02 had several warranty repairs and recalls. All in all, I had about five unscheduled visits to the dealer in a five year period. I can live with one unscheduled visit per year on avg in exchange for a car that was a lot more fun to drive than the typical family sedan.

So far so good with my 07. Had one recall done while I was in getting an oil change. A relatively minor thing involving some software updating. But the car is a blast to drive and I get excited when I have to take 6 hour trips.

So is lovcom a disgruntled ex VW owner or just an avid magazine reader?

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: Jett Rink

Another neighbor has an Audi A4, a year or two old. White with beige interior. Audi is making some really exceptional interiors for these cars. Really a cut above. Do yourself a favor and get inside one sometime, if you haven't, if for no other reason than to see what the standard is.


Yes, I am impressed with the Audi interiors, too. I was tempted to get an early 2000-s A6 a few months ago but the scare stories kept me away. Having owned only Hondas (except for an unfortunate stint with a Pontiac a decade ago), it's a little discomforting to hear all the horror stories about the German cars.

But I will switch in the near future. First a Bimmer for the wife and then either an A6 or E class for me.

 

[Shaman]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
GM spent like $1B to peddle Saturns in Japan and sold like 10 cars total.


There are at lest 23 saturns in Japan right now, based on the used car market.

US cars are still popular here. See Cadillac Denalis on 24’s, Astros, tauri, mustangs, foci, etc.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Originally Posted By: Shaman
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
GM spent like $1B to peddle Saturns in Japan and sold like 10 cars total.


There are at lest 23 saturns in Japan right now, based on the used car market.

US cars are still popular here. See Cadillac Denalis on 24’s, Astros, tauri, mustangs, foci, etc.


I said ~sold~, the demos had to be given away. ;0)