Originally posted by: weezergirl
No, I'm not *dead* set on it. But its' the only car that I really like. Other than that...i don't care what kind of car i get...I"m not even really a car person
Ok yeah you're right, I was thinking about the turbo S, not the standard 1.8T. My comments about turbos in general still stand though. They cost a bit more to insure and a couple years down the line, a b*tch to pass smog.
Of course, get a qoute from your insurance agent first, it varies from car to car.
Sentra, civic, corolla, etc. Get your mind off a VW if the above really is the case.Basically I want to get the cheapest possible car, yet still have it run "ok".
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Sentra, civic, corolla, etc. Get your mind off a VW if the above really is the case.Basically I want to get the cheapest possible car, yet still have it run "ok".
Originally posted by: Nemesis77
I'm starting to think that VW dumps their bottom-of-the-barrel cars to USA. The VW's we have here are relatively trouble-free (altrough there has been few horror-stories. There always are) and the maintenance-costs are low (in fact, among lowest there is).
Of course it might be because VW's in USa are made in Mexico (to my knowledge), whereas VW's here are made in Germany
Originally posted by: NutBucket
18.7K for a Beetle? if you're gonna spend that much on a car why not just get an Accord. I'm sure you can haggle down the price on a LX to that, especially with a new model due next year. As for the diesel cheaper then gas, well in LA diesel costs more then premium and isn't to be found at every gas station.
Anyway, I just heard a Norm Reeves' radio ad this morning for a decently loaded Accord, 15K(Not a "one at this price" as far as i could tell). IMHO, I would much rather have the Accord then the Civic if the price is about the same.
OuterSquare has a good point with the Prisms but I think Chevy stopped selling those. Besides, he's lookin into another car kinda sorta anyway, so how much does he really[i/] like that Prism?
That may have a lot to do with it. The US market Bugs, Golfs, and Jettas are all made in Mexico. The Passats we have here are all made in Germany, and they has a relatively good reputation, though not as good as the best Japanese cars (most of which are built in the US).
Originally posted by: OuterSquare
Originally posted by: LittleWolf
I am not sure where you are getting the smog problem information. It is nothing like that. Do you have any evidence to substantiate it or is it just anadoectal stuff?
Well designed turbo engines have absolutely no such problems. And VW/Audi turbo designs are the best in business. And so are the Volvo's. Haven't you seen old volvo's still chugging on the road? VW/Audi has been putting this 1.8T on their cars for quite a while (almost a decade) and I have yet to see any real smog issues on these engines.
-j
There is a 1988 Volvo 740 turbo parked outside infront of the house which recently failed CA smog. It took some work to get it to pass. The car has been well cared for and never abused. By no means is my experience extensive, but atleast I have first hand, long term knowledge on what happens to turbo cars. My 1989 accord had no such problems passing smog.
Naturally, your stance begs the question of, what do evidence do you have to back your claims?? Anecdotal evidence?? Do you even live in CA? Unless you are a smog technician or an emissions engineer, I seriously doubt you should be going around accusing people of using "anadoectal stuff." If you are, then I take that all back, but if there is one thing I can't stand, I can't stand hypocrites.
The reason turbos are harder to smog is really quite simple. Turbos absorb exhaust gas heat. Catalytic converters need to be hot to do their jobs. And on all cars I've seen, the turbo comes before the cat in the exhaust piping. Which means the cat won't be getting as much heat as it does on n/a car. Which means the cat won't work as efficiently as it does on a n/a car. Which means you have more crap coming out of the tailpipe.
This isn't a problem on new cars, but several years down the line, when everything doesn't work how it should, there is a good chance you might run into problems.
Originally posted by: OuterSquare
There is a 1988 Volvo 740 turbo parked outside infront of the house which recently failed CA smog. It took some work to get it to pass. The car has been well cared for and never abused. My 1989 accord had no such problems passing smog. .........
The reason turbos are harder to smog is really quite simple. Turbos absorb exhaust gas heat. Catalytic converters need to be hot to do their jobs. And on all cars I've seen, the turbo comes before the cat in the exhaust piping. Which means the cat won't be getting as much heat as it does on n/a car. Which means the cat won't work as efficiently as it does on a n/a car. Which means you have more crap coming out of the tailpipe.
This isn't a problem on new cars, but several years down the line, when everything doesn't work how it should, there is a good chance you might run into problems.