Disagree 100% about VW's being crap. They've been some of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. I have had many VW's and currently have a 2011 Jetta as well as the Kizashi. You really can't complain about a car with a base price of 15g, close to half of what a Kizashi cost in Canada at the time. If you're crazy enough to option a Jetta up to 30g then no, it's not worth it. But for the 21g mine was, in comparison to a similarly equipped fwd, cloth seat, stripper Kizashi, I would take the Jetta. The 2.5l 5 cylinder has gobs of torque, it's smooth, and the transmission works well. Sure the rest of the car is a lot cheaper feeling than the Kizashi, but my money is on the Jetta outlasting it. Plus I can get parts for it anywhere. Oh snap! the engine or tranny ever goes I can put whatever VW engine and tranny I want in there, they are all interchangeable. I hope it never does, but if the Kizashi breaks later in it's life it's basically scrap.
Strangely enough, despite the Jetta being a 'compact' and the Kizashi a 'midsize', the Jetta is mere inches shorter and has a way more backseat legroom, and a trunk that is massive.
This jetta is at 50.000k with no issues, last Jetta was a 97 2.0 automatic made in mexico and had over 200,000 trouble free k's, and before that a 90 1.8 auto Jetta with 350,000 trouble free k's. Always been reliable for me. GM garbage on the other hand......
Comparison: Honda Civic Si vs Kizashi Sport GTS vs Jetta GLI
While I'm glad that you've had good experiences with VW, the data shows the opposite. They consistently rank low in reliability with everyone from Consumer Reports to J.D. Power. We've got two in the family fleet but only the 2002 Jetta is fair to use in comparison to other cars I've owned (the other is a 1976 air-cooled bus but also unreliable in true VW fashion).wyliec wrote:Disagree 100% about VW's being crap. They've been some of the most reliable vehicles I've ever owned. I have had many VW's and currently have a 2011 Jetta as well as the Kizashi. You really can't complain about a car with a base price of 15g, close to half of what a Kizashi cost in Canada at the time. If you're crazy enough to option a Jetta up to 30g then no, it's not worth it. But for the 21g mine was, in comparison to a similarly equipped fwd, cloth seat, stripper Kizashi, I would take the Jetta. The 2.5l 5 cylinder has gobs of torque, it's smooth, and the transmission works well. Sure the rest of the car is a lot cheaper feeling than the Kizashi, but my money is on the Jetta outlasting it. Plus I can get parts for it anywhere. Oh snap! the engine or tranny ever goes I can put whatever VW engine and tranny I want in there, they are all interchangeable. I hope it never does, but if the Kizashi breaks later in it's life it's basically scrap.
Strangely enough, despite the Jetta being a 'compact' and the Kizashi a 'midsize', the Jetta is mere inches shorter and has a way more backseat legroom, and a trunk that is massive.
This jetta is at 50.000k with no issues, last Jetta was a 97 2.0 automatic made in mexico and had over 200,000 trouble free k's, and before that a 90 1.8 auto Jetta with 350,000 trouble free k's. Always been reliable for me. GM garbage on the other hand......
In the 2002 Jetta TDI of the top trim, the quality of the plastics is dismal. They scratch and break easily. The headliner, glove box, and trim pieces are all junky and/or broken. Electronics are faulty and therefore the doors don't unlock properly, the heated seats don't work properly, and the stereo is horrible. Typical German electrical gremlins. The powertrain components are also not well designed. The power steering reservoir needs a special tool to open. The automatic transmission is sealed so you can't even check fluid level. The 1.8T engines also had significant sludge issues due to engine design. VW instead blamed it on oil and required synthetic oil to be used. It lead to a class action lawsuit.
I can go on.
VW's decline in quality was very noticeable when I was at the auto show earlier this year. I basically saw all the cars sold in America under one roof within 4 hours. VWs were a disappointment and the only exceptions were the models still made in Germany. It was odd to see the German-made Golf have better fit and finish and material quality than the American-made Passat, but it was true. VW has also taken the approach to lower their prices by cheapening material quality while also building in Mexico. I don't want to sound racist, but when it comes to cars and parts, Mexican-made parts are junk when compared to VW's German-made stuff. As a vintage VW owner, I can tell you that the German-made parts are the go-to's and the Mexican and Brazilian parts are the cheap shit that people tell you to avoid in the forums.
Honestly, the Mk. V Jetta is noticeably nicer than the Mk. VI. Even my father who likes VWs, especially their diesels, said his Mk. IV was more appealing than the Mk. VI. The decline in quality is that noticeable.
Also, your mileage figures were in kilometers (as you are Canadian). However, when converted to miles, they are actually not that impressive, especially compared to Toyota, Honda, or Subaru. Kind of like the Super Bowl commercial with VW claiming they have the most cars on the road with over 100,000 miles. Since when was that such a remarkable feat? Heck, I bet VW can't claim they have the most cars with over 200,000 miles (actually impressive) as that would probably be Toyota.
I know many college-aged girls and young women who drive their hand-me-down mid-90's Camrys with 225,000 miles or so. These girls don't even know how to check the oil yet the cars keep running with little issues. In comparison, I barely see 20 year old VWs and Audis on the road.
While VWs drive nicely, have iconic styling, and offer German flair at a lower price than luxury brands, reliability is not their forte. In fact, they are bottom dwellers in that regard along with Mini and Land Rover.
Lastly, GM. Yes, a lot of their stuff is garbage. An ex-girlfriend of mine once owned a 1996 Chevy Corsica. My god, what a hunk of shit that was. However, GM does have some gems like the Buick Park Avenue and the Corvette.
GM has always made horrible small cars, but their midsize and full size products were not bad.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
Keep in mind that VW downscaled the Mk6 Jetta and the pricing reflects it. The GLI, on the other hand, retains the higher quality materials that were common on prior generations.
I've been through a few VWs and as much as I love hot hatches, I don't think I would buy another one. I don't have the time to deal with how finicky they are, and it's a huge pain in the ass when random components are constantly breaking. At one point, it was literally one thing after another on my current GTI. If I weren't so heavily invested into it, I would've gotten rid of it already.
I've been through a few VWs and as much as I love hot hatches, I don't think I would buy another one. I don't have the time to deal with how finicky they are, and it's a huge pain in the ass when random components are constantly breaking. At one point, it was literally one thing after another on my current GTI. If I weren't so heavily invested into it, I would've gotten rid of it already.
VW transmissions certainly are NOT sealed for life, despite what the dealer or owners manual tells you. The fsm has the procedure to check and change fluid and the pan gasket and filter are readily available. Done it many times. If your Jetta is an automatic, I'd seriously look into that. Also all I've ever used to open the ps reservoir is the end of a flat screwdriver.
It's really funny how people complain about interiors on relatively cheap vehicles, have you seen the cheap plastic in a 60-70k dollar diesel pickup? I'd trust my VW to drive across the country way before I trust a powerstroke to make it to the grocery store. Of all the vehicles I or anyone I've known has had those 6 litre , wait no it's a fix litre, strokes have to be the most unreliable pos on the road. Nice truck, terrible engine until you spend 7 thousand on it.
It's really funny how people complain about interiors on relatively cheap vehicles, have you seen the cheap plastic in a 60-70k dollar diesel pickup? I'd trust my VW to drive across the country way before I trust a powerstroke to make it to the grocery store. Of all the vehicles I or anyone I've known has had those 6 litre , wait no it's a fix litre, strokes have to be the most unreliable pos on the road. Nice truck, terrible engine until you spend 7 thousand on it.
Right, but those diesel trucks are work trucks. The manufacturer makes them knowing that they will be abused and covered in dirt. There's no point in making something like a Ford F250 nice on the inside.
A VW Jetta or Passat is a different story. These are passenger cars, often costing more than their Asian rivals. My father even addressed the poor plastics issue with a senior VW mechanic who admitted that VW uses inferior plastics compared to Japanese brands. He said the plastic formulation is inferior so this is why they scratch, break, and fade more than others. Honestly, the interior of my 1995 Subaru Impreza held up better with 225,000 miles than the Jetta with less than 50,000.
I know the PS reservoir can be opened with a screwdriver, but the idea of needing a tool to do something like that is idiotic. I can't think of another car that requires a tool to check/refill the PS or any other fluid.
I also know that you can change the ATF. But as far as I know, it requires dropping the pan. The idea that they did not include a dipstick to even check the fluid level or condition is idiotic. They obviously intended the fluid to be "lifetime". However, we all know fluids don't last a lifetime, especially with something like an automatic transmission which is subject to heat and friction.
I mean, how hard is it for VW to add a PS reservoir cap that twists off by hand? How hard is it to add a dipstick for the transmission? How hard is it to use plastics that don't suck (and are found in cheaper cars)?
VW has given me reason after reason why they are among the worst cars. It's not just blind bias too. I work on the VWs in the family fleet and they are shockingly bad compared to the Japanese cars I've owned in reliability, design, and build quality.
VWs used to be cool and well-engineered back in the air-cooled days. These days, they seem more interested in profits and buying up brands than actually making quality products.
A VW Jetta or Passat is a different story. These are passenger cars, often costing more than their Asian rivals. My father even addressed the poor plastics issue with a senior VW mechanic who admitted that VW uses inferior plastics compared to Japanese brands. He said the plastic formulation is inferior so this is why they scratch, break, and fade more than others. Honestly, the interior of my 1995 Subaru Impreza held up better with 225,000 miles than the Jetta with less than 50,000.
I know the PS reservoir can be opened with a screwdriver, but the idea of needing a tool to do something like that is idiotic. I can't think of another car that requires a tool to check/refill the PS or any other fluid.
I also know that you can change the ATF. But as far as I know, it requires dropping the pan. The idea that they did not include a dipstick to even check the fluid level or condition is idiotic. They obviously intended the fluid to be "lifetime". However, we all know fluids don't last a lifetime, especially with something like an automatic transmission which is subject to heat and friction.
I mean, how hard is it for VW to add a PS reservoir cap that twists off by hand? How hard is it to add a dipstick for the transmission? How hard is it to use plastics that don't suck (and are found in cheaper cars)?
VW has given me reason after reason why they are among the worst cars. It's not just blind bias too. I work on the VWs in the family fleet and they are shockingly bad compared to the Japanese cars I've owned in reliability, design, and build quality.
VWs used to be cool and well-engineered back in the air-cooled days. These days, they seem more interested in profits and buying up brands than actually making quality products.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)