My Wife forbids me from buying another Golf

[VdubDownthePub]

Getting to the point where I have to choose another car.
Currently I drive a 2007 GT Sport TDI and for the most part I'm happy, awesome car, balancing performance with economy..... But I've had a few issues:
Passenger door refused to unlock - $500
Alleged wheel bearing noise - $600
Yet to be resolved, have had a couple of occasions when I've locked it and all 4 windows open to half way...WTF?

The wheel bearing noise did improve after bearing replacement but it seems the tyres may be the root of the problem, not surprising as it's so much fun to drive this car in it's torque zone which always spins the wheels... Any thoughts?

My wife puts this car's reliability on a par with her 1982 Holden Camira!!

I'm lusting after a Golf R but she says no way, I have to go for a low end Merc or Beemer, very nice of course but won't come close performance wise.

Should I engage a lawyer?????????????

[h100vw]

Should I engage a lawyer?????????????

This!

I bet there's expensive stuff that breaks on Mercs and Beemers too.

Get the R

Gavin

[VdubDownthePub]

My Wife has had a Nissan Pulsar from new since 2003 and the only issue has been a replacement battery!!!

[Diesel_vert]

This!

I bet there's expensive stuff that breaks on Mercs and Beemers too.

No - this!

For all of their strengths, European cars in general are as unreliable as each other. If she's willing to accept a Beemer or a Merc, then logically, she should have no problem accepting another Veedub.

[brimway]

Getting to the point where I have to choose another car.
Currently I drive a 2007 GT Sport TDI and for the most part I'm happy, awesome car, balancing performance with economy..... But I've had a few issues:
Passenger door refused to unlock - $500
Alleged wheel bearing noise - $600
Yet to be resolved, have had a couple of occasions when I've locked it and all 4 windows open to half way...WTF?

The wheel bearing noise did improve after bearing replacement but it seems the tyres may be the root of the problem, not surprising as it's so much fun to drive this car in it's torque zone which always spins the wheels... Any thoughts?

My wife puts this car's reliability on a par with her 1982 Holden Camira!!

I'm lusting after a Golf R but she says no way, I have to go for a low end Merc or Beemer, very nice of course but won't come close performance wise.

Should I engage a lawyer?????????????

One that specialises in family law lol

[benough]

Get the R with DCC. Set it on soft during the test drive and you'll be in.

Or what about don't wheelspin it!

[noone]

Scoda? They have been said to have better build quality.

[Ryan_R]

Do Scoda make an R equivalent? If yes I was thinking the same thing ^

Otherwise maybe the new Audi S3?

[Sharkie]

Getting to the point where I have to choose another car.
Currently I drive a 2007 GT Sport TDI and for the most part I'm happy, awesome car, balancing performance with economy..... But I've had a few issues:
Passenger door refused to unlock - $500
Alleged wheel bearing noise - $600
Yet to be resolved, have had a couple of occasions when I've locked it and all 4 windows open to half way...WTF?

The wheel bearing noise did improve after bearing replacement but it seems the tyres may be the root of the problem, not surprising as it's so much fun to drive this car in it's torque zone which always spins the wheels... Any thoughts?

My wife puts this car's reliability on a par with her 1982 Holden Camira!!

I'm lusting after a Golf R but she says no way, I have to go for a low end Merc or Beemer, very nice of course but won't come close performance wise.

Should I engage a lawyer?????????????

Quality on VW's not the greatest atm .... look at latest survey in the USA. Listen to your wife, a divorce will be more costly than any car.

And BTW, buy a new 320i BMW if you must buy anything non VW. 2.0 turbo and RWD. With a chip easy 200kw which will be more than a match for a R performance wise.

[TomC]

And BTW, buy a new 320i BMW if you must buy anything non VW. 2.0 turbo and RWD. With a chip easy 200kw which will be more than a match for a R performance wise.

Agree with this - 320i is def worth a look. Once upon a time, the base model 3 series were gutless but now they're putting a great 2.0T in even their base model and a simple ecu tune should give some easy gains. If you've never driven a rear-drive Beemer it's worth a test drive... proves AWD isn't always the best! A 3 series with the M sport suspension is a sweet handler

[LunchboxVRS]

Are you buying new? if so its going to have warranty and wont cost to fix unless you cause the damage. so if shes saying no to a dub cause of the money you had to spend on the golf that renders her argumnet mute. if its purely based on reliability a mate just got a bmw 3series for himself and a 1 series for his wife. the 3 series has gone through 2 diffs in 4 months (his not a hard driver either) the one series keeped going into limp mode cause of a sensor error. they keeped replacing the sensors then found it was the ecu that was to blame. the problems have been sorted for a while now and he happy with the cars but the first 5 months where painful for him. on the other end a guy at work got a 3 series at the start of the year and has not had a drama. goes to show it can happen to any car regardles

[BluChris]

No, Skoda don't do an R equivalent, only a GTI equivalent (Octavia vRS). More reliable? That's the rep but they are European and do vary. Mine has had minor issues, and the servicing costs are the same so out of warranty no savings there.

Your tyre noise is saw toothing or scalloping. The chassis is prone to this and you need at least annual 4 wheel alignment (six monthly if you drive hard) to prevent it. Once you have it, only new tyres will fix it.

As for another brand of new Euro, do your homework on reliability and servicing costs by visiting their forums here and OS and see what they are saying.

I'd start by casting a wide net amongst cars that are considered good to drive and with a solid reliability reputation regardless of country of origin and see where it takes you.

[Njay]

320i is not a bad choice, mum has the previous model and its goes well for a 2.0, probably could take my 1.8T stock. You could pick up a couple years old 335i which are rockets or even the 330i. Ive driven a fair few cars now and these last generation bmw have the best handling out of the factory imo

[JustCruisn]

When my Golf breaks I borrow my neighbor's Holden Camira, because it is still going strong.

I'm in the same place, I've got the ****s with my GTI, I want something as exciting to drive but more reliable. It seems you can't get a car with good performance, good luxury, and good reliability. It's like the Triple Constraint (Project management triangle), move one thing up and another goes down.

[Qwertypants]

Not so constructive but I don't understand why people need their wives approval. Unless she is the breadwinner then why can't you have the car you want?
Fark, you work hard enough for your money and family...why can't you have some fun too?

On another note, any car can have problems. When you buy new with warranty you minimize the risks greatly...but you can't rule out an entire range of cars just because you had issues with one.

Obviously it's your choice, but it's sad if you want one, and you're "not allowed" to get one.