Car shopping

[beat_truck]

Jetta repairs =big bucks

And frequent as they get older, too.

I have no idea if the newer ones are better or worse, but the 2000 Jetta we had almost ALWAYS had something wrong with it. AC problems, crappy plastic cooling system components always failing, window regulators, sunroof mechanism, the list goes on. Except for losing money on a BUNCH of new parts I had put on it, I was glad when I decided to send that POS to the junk yard. I'll never own another VW with the exception maybe being an old air cooled Beetle to have as a toy.

 

[Shadowdog]

I have the Consumer Reports April 2016 New & Used Car issue and they rate the Jetta Average for reliability so they have gotten better!

 

[savatage1973]

I have the Consumer Reports April 2016 New & Used Car issue and they rate the Jetta Average for reliability so they have gotten better!

That is not confidence-inspiring. That just means that there are a lot better and a lot worse out there.

 

[Shadowdog]

Many vehicles are rated average or worse now by them because of all the electronic info/entertainment junk goes just like our throw away phones/TV's etc.

Of course some of it is tied into the necessary items like windshield wipers/ defroster fan etc. from some manufacturers so you have to watch for that.

Some vehicles are likely designed to be hard to repair (eg. special tools needed , pulling an engine or major work/time to take off parts to get at a faulty water pump

& look at the cab removal on the Ford SD) in order to increase dealer profits & scrapping of vehicles sooner.

Yes the old ones like the good old Beetle were nice & simple! Miss that!

I think FWD spells more throw away in my experience due to the design & quality of parts used now days.

RWD is usually used in the performance cars where they are expected to be easily fixable in competition (factory etc.) so the can be better long term bets.

So US based trucks (frames don't rust out quickly or ever) & police used RWD cars are likely to last the longest & have less problems. If you want AWD

the RWD based ones will be easier a cheaper to keep up!

 

[doodledog]

Gotta chime in here as a VW owner. We had a 2003 Jetta (the dreaded Mk IV, widely regarded as the worst generation made). Over 11 years, it was an absolute tank. Aside from one fuel pump, it received nothing other than routine maintenance for 150,000 miles, and ran perfectly up to the day we traded it in on a ‘14 Tiguan. The Tig has been equally flawless so far.

As for the a/c, the key to keeping it alive is never switch it off. Keep the compressor running and use the temp control to regulate it.

 

[Wildcat]

As for the a/c, the key to keeping it alive is never switch it off. Keep the compressor running and use the temp control to regulate it.

Running an A/C constantly helps keep the seals and o-rings lubed. Up in the snow belt, the A/C automatically comes on when the defroster is used, so even up here it can see year-round use.

 

[SoCal Sam]

Many vehicles are rated average or worse now by them because of all the electronic info/entertainment junk goes just like our throw away phones/TV's etc.

Of course some of it is tied into the necessary items like windshield wipers/ defroster fan etc. from some manufacturers so you have to watch for that.

Some vehicles are likely designed to be hard to repair (eg. special tools needed , pulling an engine or major work/time to take off parts to get at a faulty water pump

& look at the cab removal on the Ford SD) in order to increase dealer profits & scrapping of vehicles sooner.

Yes the old ones like the good old Beetle were nice & simple! Miss that!

I think FWD spells more throw away in my experience due to the design & quality of parts used now days.

RWD is usually used in the performance cars where they are expected to be easily fixable in competition (factory etc.) so the can be better long term bets.

So US based trucks (frames don't rust out quickly or ever) & police used RWD cars are likely to last the longest & have less problems. If you want AWD

the RWD based ones will be easier a cheaper to keep up!

OP has made his choice already so I suppose it is OK to take a small detour. For a shade tree mechanic like myself, I agree that RWD cars like my Crown Vic are easy to maintain. There are no special tools required other than the usual pullers and almost everything is easy to get at and can be removed with an 18 inch breaker bar and socket set. For example, a water pump is 30 minutes and the T-stat is 10 minutes. I get the vast majority of parts from the self serve junk yards so parts are ultra cheap. I wouldn't say a cruiser just off service is going to be rock solid. It took a year for all the deferred stuff to emerge but once I took care of them, it has been reliable. On an even greater side note, now that I know more about care maintenance, I realize how much scare tactics service ticket writers use to inflate service bills. They have to make a living but not on my dime.

 

[soundmotor]

Gotta chime in here as a VW owner. We had a 2003 Jetta (the dreaded Mk IV, widely regarded as the worst generation made). Over 11 years, it was an absolute tank. Aside from one fuel pump, it received nothing other than routine maintenance for 150,000 miles, and ran perfectly up to the day we traded it in on a ‘14 Tiguan. The Tig has been equally flawless so far.

As for the a/c, the key to keeping it alive is never switch it off. Keep the compressor running and use the temp control to regulate it.

On VW #10, there are good ones and bad ones. When you have a bad one get out quick as it will be even worse. When they are good though I drive them until they die. Of the lot, my Quantum GL5 was the best, ~175K, original clutch and w/ way more to go but got a better deal on a B4 VR6 Passat. I miss both of those cars, the Quantum most.

 

[electronjohn]

Jetta update: We've racked up about 600 miles so far on "Jaz" (My wife names her cars), and couldn't be more pleased. Build quality & fit & finish are A-1...it's a fine machine. A BMW on a budget Based on my wife driving 2-250 miles a month to work, a jaunt of roughly the same every month or so and the inevitable short trip here & there we probably will be doing 7 to 8,000 miles a year. We'll be enjoying her for a while.

 

[Shadowdog]

I'm sure it will be fine for you John & fun to drive! Good to know about the AC info from this thread as it probably pertains to other brands also!

 

[matteos]

Many vehicles are rated average or worse now by them because of all the electronic info/entertainment junk goes just like our throw away phones/TV's etc.

Of course some of it is tied into the necessary items like windshield wipers/ defroster fan etc. from some manufacturers so you have to watch for that.

Some vehicles are likely designed to be hard to repair (eg. special tools needed , pulling an engine or major work/time to take off parts to get at a faulty water pump

& look at the cab removal on the Ford SD) in order to increase dealer profits & scrapping of vehicles sooner.

Yes the old ones like the good old Beetle were nice & simple! Miss that!

I think FWD spells more throw away in my experience due to the design & quality of parts used now days.

RWD is usually used in the performance cars where they are expected to be easily fixable in competition (factory etc.) so the can be better long term bets.

So US based trucks (frames don't rust out quickly or ever) & police used RWD cars are likely to last the longest & have less problems. If you want AWD

the RWD based ones will be easier a cheaper to keep up!

And RWD is just more fun anyway.

 

[electronjohn]

Jetta update #2: Turned 50K on a recent minivacation to the North Shore. Averaged 31.4 for the trip. Other than a nasty oil leak shortly after getting her, she's been a fine machine. The dealer took care of the leak toot-sweet (cracked fitting where the filter screws on...evidently problematic if someone gets a little too "torquey" when screwing the filter on) and we were able to leave it with them for a few days to get a remote starter installed per my wife's desire. Those are NOT cheap for a VW...and require stashing a key fob up under the dash somewhere for installation. But...it works super-well for over 1/4 mile and gives feedback when the car starts. They gave us a 2017 Jetta w/1.4 turbo for a loaner...it was a fun machine.