Would you buy another one?

[passatpout]

So, after 83,000km, and with about 9 months remaining on my current lease, it's time to start thinking about what sort of cars will do the job for us over the next few years, and judging by some of the other posts, a few others will be thinking of the same thing this year.

Which led me down another train of thought - is it worth getting another VW (or 2)? From where I'm sitting at the moment, no it isn't. I recently sent an e-mail to VW about the issues I've had, part of which read:

"All I can say is that it would take some substantial documentary evidence that they have improved reliability before I'd consider another VW - and considering that next year we were thinking of replacing both cars, and our initial thoughts were for another Passat wagon and a Golf wagon, they're certainly not doing themselves any favours with poor reliability and indifferent dealers. It's a shame, since the Passat is comfortable, economical, and about the right size for us, but the reliability has just let it down - particularly since the injectors failed in September."

With mine, I've had a variety of ailments, most of which I've commented on as they've happened, but have covered quite a few comfortable kilometres (Melbourne to Brisbane return, Melbourne-Newcastle return a few times, etc). I'm just now at the stage where I don't quite trust that it's going to get me where I want to go, and can see an increasingly large maintenance/repairs bill going into the future.

So, would you buy another Passat or another VW, and what reasons would you have for your choice?

[mebius9]

I wouldn't buy another VW.
In the aspect of reliability my car just doesn't give me the confidence I should be getting from a car.

[Dr Block]

At this stage (touch wood) I've had no major issues with my car nor any dramas from the dealer post delivery (pre delivery was another matter entirely!). I'm really enjoying the driving experience of the R36. However, in terms of build quality and post sales care Volkswagen have a long way to go when compared to my previous car (Lexus IS250 Sport Luxury). I'll be reserving my judgement on whether or not I'd buy another VW after another couple of years as I get towards the end of my lease and if I've had any major dramas in this time frame and as to how the dealer or VW Australia have responded to them.

[Avenue]

Short answer - yes. Our R36 (delivered Sept) is our third consecutive Passat over a period of 12 years ('98, '00 and then the R36). Can't say I'm overly impressed with the reliability/maintenance costs as we've had a number of costly issues over the years, mostly with our second car. We had our second car for 10 years, and you'd expect to deal with problems with a car that age. However, given the way it was treated (low km's, regularly serviced, not abused, etc, etc) we would've expected fewer problems. And being VW rather than, say, Toyota, repair bills can be eye-popping.

When it comes down to it, I think it's a little heart over head when it comes to our decision as to what car to get. Absolutely in love with our R36

[R36 Dreamer]

Short Answer No.

This is my second VW, and whilst I have not had any real reliability issues with the car, I have noticed a dramatic slide in terms of customer service at VW. The dealers are selling so much stock, they are in a position where they can miss out on sales and not really care.

I noticed a huge difference in after sales service from 2006 when I got my MkV GTI to now.

It is a real shame, the Passat is perfect for us, and is great to drive etc. etc.

My lease is up in June and I have already ordered the replacement. I spoke to VW to get detail on the Passat and Toureg and didn't get any useful information, so we have moved to another brand, which thus far shows a great deal more interest in keeping our business.

It is all well and good to sell good, solid competitively priced cars, but without good after sales service eventually people will look to another brand.

[anthony]

Short Answer No.

This is my second VW, and whilst I have not had any real reliability issues with the car, I have noticed a dramatic slide in terms of customer service at VW. The dealers are selling so much stock, they are in a position where they can miss out on sales and not really care.

I noticed a huge difference in after sales service from 2006 when I got my MkV GTI to now.

It is a real shame, the Passat is perfect for us, and is great to drive etc. etc.

My lease is up in June and I have already ordered the replacement. I spoke to VW to get detail on the Passat and Toureg and didn't get any useful information, so we have moved to another brand, which thus far shows a great deal more interest in keeping our business.

It is all well and good to sell good, solid competitively priced cars, but without good after sales service eventually people will look to another brand.

So which brand are you moving to,and what are you getting ???

[R36 Dreamer]

So which brand are you moving to,and what are you getting ???

Range Rover Sport TDV6 Luxury. Arrives in May.

Baltic Blue, Ebony Premium Leather with Contrast Stitch, 20inch Stormers, Rear Seat Entertainment. Can't Wait.

[Steve]

With the disclaimer that my R36 has done only about 30000km (I can't check, I'm overseas) since I picked it up in early 2008...

Yes, I would buy another. Will I buy another? I'm not sure.

Aside from a few minor issues it has been trouble free, and it does everything I want and it still makes me smile.

Will I buy another in a year or three? I don't know. I'm fairly young (26) and I need a car that will take me, some floozy, my golf clubs, a swag, random camping gear, and a bunch of guns to various places but still be fun to drive around town on a day to day basis. Short of a far more expensive car I can't think of anything that I could buy now or that's coming that I'd happily move to.

The ideal would be a C63 wagon and a very heavily tweaked-for-adventure Patrol or Landcruiser, but... not for a while, yet!

[Static]

Hmm ... interesting stuff for a possible buyer to read. I've had my 3 Series for 2 1/2 years and never had an issue. Maybe I should be looking at the IS250 instead !!

[R36 Dreamer]

Hmm ... interesting stuff for a possible buyer to read. I've had my 3 Series for 2 1/2 years and never had an issue. Maybe I should be looking at the IS250 instead !!

Don't get me wrong they are great cars. Just be aware that if you are looking for the kind of service and attention you get from your BMW dealer (Lexus are even better apparently) you might be disappointed.

I am sure you will love the car, CC's are great.

[Pana]

The main reason I bought the Passat was because the WRX just ended up being too small with all the baby stuff I had to carry around - and also having to transfer stock between the Pharmacies - but with the wife owning a CR-V - we could probably get by with me having a smaller car and just swapping when we need to - so when the lease is up with the Passat, I will probably look at getting a Golf GTI or R, or with Opel coming back to Australia - maybe the quickest Astra that is available for sale.

Lease is still about 2.5 years away from finishing though so plenty of time to thing about it. Otherwise the car has been great and its a wonderful cruiser - but I do miss the "chuckability" of a smaller car like the WRX which is why I'll probably downsize.