IS VOLKSWAGON RELIABLE?

[Kenji4861]

I have been thinking of either getting a Honda Civic EX or Toytota Corolla S or an Volkswagon Jetta GLS

Volkswagon Jetta seems to be what I'm leaning towards, but this will be the first non-Japanese car in my family so it worries me if Volkswagon is reliable or not.

Do you know if Volkswagon's are reliable?

 

[ElFenix]

IS YOUR KEYBOARD STUCK?


yes, from what i've heard, they are. of course, i have a feeling that a lot of "reliability" is 1)subjective 2)very dependent upon the user

 

[CocaCola5]

If they're not behind a tow truck they're in the shop.......jk.

 

[Haircut]

I don't think they are very reliable, I mean just from the name it sounds like a shoddy rip-off of Volkswagen.

 

[Zenmervolt]

I've heard good things about the newer ones. Supposedly VW had problems in the 1980's but they are supposed to be straightened around now. One word of caution though, the New Beetles seem to be prone to electrical problems. This seems to be specific to the New Beetles from what I've heard though, so the Jetta should be fine.

The old VW's (air-cooled) were amazingly reliable though. Those little flat fours would just run forever no matter what happened. They'll even run on just two cylinders without a problem (personal experience with that last one).

ZV

 

[The_Dude8]

go for the vw gti vortex. that kar looks awesome.

 

[Gladwin]

VWs tend to have more problems than Japanese or American cars, but VWs use more expensive materials than either of the others, and have more complex mechanical components.

Reliability is not the same as high quality.

 

[911paramedic]

<< The old VW's (air-cooled) were amazingly reliable though. Those little flat fours would just run forever no matter what happened. They'll even run on just two cylinders without a problem (personal experience with that last one).

ZV >>



Hehehe, my first car was a 69 VW bus (got it in '82). I beat that poor thing to death many times. As for what ZV said about it running on two cylinders, true. I burned one of my pistons down so far it looked like a fist on the end of the connecting rod it was so round. The mechanic said he had never seen anything like it before, always an over-achiever I guess. I was able to fix it with three tools: hammer, screwdriver, and a pair of pliers.

Oh, the memories of that bus....

 

[Zenmervolt]

<<Reliability is not the same as high quality.>>

Uh, yes it is. You are confusing "quality" with "complexity", which you cannot do. A balanced and blueprinted pushrod carbbed V8 will be higher quality than a poorly done Turbo FI DOHC 32 valve V8. Just because something is high tech, does not mean it is quality. A machine with high quality will always be more reliable than a machine with low quality.

ZV

EDIT:

<<As for what ZV said about it running on two cylinders, true. I burned one of my pistons down so far it looked like a fist on the end of the connecting rod it was so round. The mechanic said he had never seen anything like it before, always an over-achiever I guess.>>

And they make so much power with only two cylinders firing, don't they? hahahahaha Still run though. I actually had the VW (Type IV) flat four in my 914 idling on just one cylinder (!) when I was trying to figure out which two cylinders were the dead ones.

 

[Gladwin]

<< <<Reliability is not the same as high quality.>>

Uh, yes it is. You are confusing "quality" with "complexity", which you cannot do. A balanced and blueprinted pushrod carbbed V8 will be higher quality than a poorly done Turbo FI DOHC 32 valve V8. Just because something is high tech, does not mean it is quality. A machine with high quality will always be more reliable than a machine with low quality. >>



Nope, its not. Quality is value divided by price. Reliability is the number of breakdowns per time cycle. These are very different things.

 

[RKS]

VW---Great quality horrid reliability.
Had to sell the VW Passat after numerous electrical and mechanical issues. The fit and finish was fantastic, the VR6 combined with the 5M was superb, the handling was outstanding but unfortunately the VW service department probably put more miles on the car than we did. :disgust:

We were in the market for an Audi S4 but I have hear similar horror stories from Audi owners regarding reliability

 

[GermyBoy]

I had an old '87 VW Jetta in Highschool. It was the greatest car ever...Gray Tank.

 

[Howard]

Volkswagen...

 

[jonnyGURU]

<< I've heard good things about the newer ones. Supposedly VW had problems in the 1980's but they are supposed to be straightened around now. >>



Hey now! I've got an '82 Rabbit. :|

Seriously, I've often been surprised about the reliability. Especially when sized up against my wife's Ford Escort that is on it's second tranny, and has all sorts of intermittent electrical issues (dash lights, A/C fan motor, etc.).

The only major problem I've had with mine @ 160,000 miles is the drier for the A/C blew up shooting the silica all throughout the system causing the compressor to seize. Grr... Never got around to fixing it (I rely on 2/55 A/C for now). Also, not that I should be pround of this or anything, I haven't changed the oil in a year. I REALLY need to make some time caring for my car.

I think they're good cars. I don't know about them being BETTER than they used to be. My friend has a '99 Passat in the shop with a leaking radiator. It's going to cost him $300. My radiator hasn't leaked in 20 years and if it did, a replacement would only cost me $100 (or $40 if I just go to the U-Pull-It yard).

 

[Amused]

I've got a 99 Passat GLX. It's been great. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.

 

[aphex]

Weve got two 2002 VW Passats and we LOVE EM!!! No problems yet whatsoever....

 

[Zenmervolt]

<<Nope, its not. Quality is value divided by price. Reliability is the number of breakdowns per time cycle. These are very different things.>>

You have reliability defined correctly, but Quality is not value over price. Value (in the sense of a good deal) is equal to value (in the sense of worth) over price.

From my 1968 copy of Websters, quality is defined as "the degree of excellence which a thing possesses".

You can claim that you meant value over price when you said quality, but you are operating on a nonstandard definition which does not appear in any authoritative lexicon of the English language.

ZV

 

[CloroxCowboy]

I have a 98 Passat and I love it. I normally change cars every two years or so but I love this thing. It is wonderful and other than door locks occassionaly screwing up it is perfect.

 

[jcuadrado]

I love my Jetta VR6 GLS...any car you get is a gamble...that's the facts of life...I have buddies with Hondas that blew a tranny...others with Mercedes with electrical problems....

you just never know..

GL...

 

[yakko]

Well I know they are reliable if you take care of them as are most cars of today anyway. I know they can really take abuse too which I know from 1) personal experience as an owner and 2) personal experience as a VW mechanic. Some of the parts are exspensive and some things are hard to fix because of placement or complexity but things are like that on every car.

 

[mithrandir2001]

I've heard more horrors stories about VW than any major non-US manufacturer...including their recent cars. The New Passat is generally OK, but stay the heck away from the Jetta and Golf. It also seems that their service departments are lousy and inventory issues abound. Wanna wait 4 weeks to get an electrical part from Germany? It's also interesting that VW always finishes in the bottom half of those J.D. Power initial quality surveys. VW wants to be a premium marque with premium prices but they need to get their quality up to spec. I would buy the Civic EX.

 

[imported_vr6]

They are reliable. I have a 200 Jetta VR6 and i love that thing to death! Althought that vr6 EAT gas like crazy, the engine is the smoothest engine i have ever driven.

That inclues a 2000 civic, 1999 accord V6, 89 Camry, 1999 Grand caravan, 93 celica. NOthin is as smooth as my VR6.

Check out this forum regarding all things about VW Link to VW vortex

Plus German cars are just as good as Japanese if not better

 

[aphex]

<< I've heard more horrors stories about VW than any major non-US manufacturer...including their recent cars. The New Passat is generally OK, but stay the heck away from the Jetta and Golf. It also seems that their service departments are lousy and inventory issues abound. Wanna wait 4 weeks to get an electrical part from Germany? It's also interesting that VW always finishes in the bottom half of those J.D. Power initial quality surveys. VW wants to be a premium marque with premium prices but they need to get their quality up to spec. I would buy the Civic EX. >>



I had a 2000 Jetta for 2 years and i never had any real problems... Worst i had was a blown fuse... Ive also never had a problem with their service departments, from the 2 ive been too. Parts can be a problem at times, but im sure all the companies have similar problems.



<< Plus German cars are just as good as Japanese if not better >>



AMEN Brotha!

 

[EdipisReks]

my dad owns a 2001 GTI and 2001 Jetta and a '72 beetle. all are superbly reliable. we are, afterall, talking about a company that owns some of the best car companies on the planet such as audi and lamborghini.

--jacob

 

[Nutdotnet]

Go with the VW....VW's rock man! All of my roommates, including me, have VW's and they are pretty damn solid. Sure every now and again a problem arises with my 90 VW Jetta, but it is 12 years old.

The main thing with buying any car is to just keep great care of it. Keep it clean, change the oil every 3k, if something seems odd get it checked out, etc.......