Got a new Car! 2010 Jetta

[Arkaign]

I just find it funny how people that have problems with their VW will go out an buy another one. A close friend of mine leased a Passat and it was in the shop a lot for small electrical issues. When the lease ended, he actually purchased a new Passat wagon.

Isn't that odd? I have an associate that I worked with for a bit, a mid-tier accountant, who had an '05 or '06 A4. He had heaps and heaps of problems with it until he finally just had to trade it in...

and he traded it for ..

another A4. Self-ownage FTL. He's already got consistent A/C problems less than 15k in.

 

[Arkaign]

there is nothing wrong with the current gen of golf/jetta. i doubt the OP will have any issues with the I5 and a 5spd.

there people going 'lol german reliability lol' are probably also the ones that think GM has 'turned the corner.'

'Nothing' wrong? There are known problems with every single vehicle made, and of course some problems are more serious than others. The lengthy process of designing, sourcing, manufacturing, testing, refining, redesigning, distributing, and so on for each vehicle model is so madly complex in the macroscopic sense that it's almost insane to believe that any model will be 100% each and every time out of the line and under whatever uses/abuses/environments await them in the wild. Hopefully the OP doesn't run into anything major, and the dealer takes good care of him.

As for GM .. Depends on the model, GM makes a lot (too many imho). Some are fantastic (Malibu, Full-Size Trucks), some are obsolete/outclassed/uncompetitive (Cobalt, Aveo, Impala). Still, GM has massively improved from the trash that dominated most of the 80s and 90s, and while I would take a Civic over a Cobalt, I'd consider the Malibu and Accord to be pretty much equally solid good cars.

Also, you can't glob all German models into one group. Some are more reliable than others. Of course a lot of the buyers of the upper-tier models couldn't give a shit if the car is falling apart and a money pit after 50k miles, because they're the type of people who lease a car for a year and toss it aside for the new one every year or two. Short-term I wouldn't mind a BMW or Mercedes for a DD (don't care for VW/Audi personally), matter of fact I would love it, but long-term I couldn't do it. I am looking forward to picking up another M car as a weekender though at some point, which will probably be driven less than 5k miles a year.

 

[amdhunter]

OP, time to post pics.

 

[brblx]

'Nothing' wrong? There are known problems with every single vehicle made, and of course some problems are more serious than others. The lengthy process of designing, sourcing, manufacturing, testing, refining, redesigning, distributing, and so on for each vehicle model is so madly complex in the macroscopic sense that it's almost insane to believe that any model will be 100% each and every time out of the line and under whatever uses/abuses/environments await them in the wild. Hopefully the OP doesn't run into anything major, and the dealer takes good care of him.

As for GM .. Depends on the model, GM makes a lot (too many imho). Some are fantastic (Malibu, Full-Size Trucks), some are obsolete/outclassed/uncompetitive (Cobalt, Aveo, Impala). Still, GM has massively improved from the trash that dominated most of the 80s and 90s, and while I would take a Civic over a Cobalt, I'd consider the Malibu and Accord to be pretty much equally solid good cars.

Also, you can't glob all German models into one group. Some are more reliable than others. Of course a lot of the buyers of the upper-tier models couldn't give a shit if the car is falling apart and a money pit after 50k miles, because they're the type of people who lease a car for a year and toss it aside for the new one every year or two. Short-term I wouldn't mind a BMW or Mercedes for a DD (don't care for VW/Audi personally), matter of fact I would love it, but long-term I couldn't do it. I am looking forward to picking up another M car as a weekender though at some point, which will probably be driven less than 5k miles a year.

VW's little mexican made cars are basically germany's answer to hyundai. the mk3 and mk4 cars were decent but not great. mk5/6 however, they are a generally a pretty good reliable car. and it's new, with a warranty, and i've seen a ton of these cars with lots of miles and no problems ever really to not. VW's weakest point is usually electronics, and everything is a lot more durable on these cars than it used to be. if the car has a major hiccup in the first 100k, it will probably be well within the warranty period. it's not quite a japanese car, but it's getting there.

and in regards to GM, you basically said exactly what i would, except i would have said 'functional' instead of fantastic to describe the malibu and their trucks. the impala and cobalt are just insanely shitty cars to continue making, i don't understand why anyone buys them, besides rental fleets who buy them at massive discounts. but even then the resale and repair costs/downtime always more than make up for the price difference of a jap car, probably sold close to list.

 

[PhoKingGuy]

VW's little mexican made cars are basically germany's answer to hyundai. the mk3 and mk4 cars were decent but not great. mk5/6 however, they are a generally a pretty good reliable car. and it's new, with a warranty, and i've seen a ton of these cars with lots of miles and no problems ever really to not. VW's weakest point is usually electronics, and everything is a lot more durable on these cars than it used to be. if the car has a major hiccup in the first 100k, it will probably be well within the warranty period. it's not quite a japanese car, but it's getting there.

and in regards to GM, you basically said exactly what i would, except i would have said 'functional' instead of fantastic to describe the malibu and their trucks. the impala and cobalt are just insanely shitty cars to continue making, i don't understand why anyone buys them, besides rental fleets who buy them at massive discounts. but even then the resale and repair costs/downtime always more than make up for the price difference of a jap car, probably sold close to list.

I had a rental cobalt that drove like complete shit and had to keep the pedal planted on the floor to move. I opened the hood and found out one of the plug wires was missing, that was hilarious.

 

[disappoint]

Why all the hate on the Cobalt?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AFDMhEnxg&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJd733C7kU&feature=related
Quickest car under 25k? yeah that sucks. gimmie a valve bashing timing belt foreign car anyday over that lulz

 

[PhoKingGuy]

Why all the hate on the Cobalt?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AFDMhEnxg&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJd733C7kU&feature=related
Quickest car under 25k? yeah that sucks. gimmie a valve bashing timing belt foreign car anyday over that lulz

I used to own one, I can shit all over it as much as I want. Because its just that, shit.

 

[disappoint]

I used to own one, I can shit all over it as much as I want. Because its just that, shit.

lol u mad?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

lol u mad?

I'd dig up the thread where I listed every single thing that broke on it in 4 years but i'm too lazy. It was about 2 pages long.

 

[ShawnD1]

I'd dig up the thread where I listed every single thing that broke on it in 4 years but i'm too lazy. It was about 2 pages long.

I think I found it
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=283591

 

[zsdersw]

The Cobalt was a big improvement over the Cavalier it replaced, but that isn't saying much.. cuz the Cavalier was a *complete* POS. GM basically didn't make any significant changes to it since 1995, they just put new lipstick on the pig every few years; it was still a pig, though.

However, the Cobalt was easily worse than all of its segment competitors... and not just the Japanese.

 

[alphatarget1]

He's got warranty
After 3 yrs there will be enough information about them that it will be known what to look out for and if he should dump it.
However being a VW it will have residual value above most avg cars so he won't lose in that regard either. .

Residual value or resell value?

VW isn't worth crap in the 2nd hand market, except their TDI models.

VW = maintenance cost close to that of BMW/Mercedes and you don't get BMW/Mercedes luxury.

 

[evident]

Why all the hate on the Cobalt?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66AFDMhEnxg&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FJd733C7kU&feature=related
Quickest car under 25k? yeah that sucks. gimmie a valve bashing timing belt foreign car anyday over that lulz

the cobalt is a piece and everyone knows it. There really isn't any use in defending that penalty box. The SS may have a fast motor, big friggin deal. but it doesn't change the fact that the rest of the car is a miserable place to be in. i didn't think i coulda drove a worse car, then i got a caliber as a rental. :thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

 

[ayabe]

the cobalt is a piece and everyone knows it. There really isn't any use in defending that penalty box. The SS may have a fast motor, big friggin deal. but it doesn't change the fact that the rest of the car is a miserable place to be in. i didn't think i coulda drove a worse car, then i got a caliber as a rental. :thumbsdown::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:

LOL, Cobalt was on my worst list until I drove a Caliber, which has since been usurped by the Chevy HHR which holds the current title for the "Worst car I've ever driven".

 

[MiataPaul]

You're probably the same asshole who congratulated Sarah Palin on her retard baby... The OP made a mistake and needs to be aware of it before this car becomes a money pit. Most people I know who own a VW have reliability problems with the cars, and sadly it seems that nothing has changed..

I have had over 10 VW's and had no major issues with any of the except for 1990 VW Passat that had a bad auto transmission at 125,000. I would never buy a VW auto, or any other auto if I could help it. I have had them up to as many as 425,000 miles (used to drive 50,000+ a year). Not maintenance free, but certainly more enjoyable than any Honda or Toyota would have been. Current is a 2002 Passat v6 with 65,000 on it, not one thing other than normal maintenance. My family has put over 1,000,000 miles on them over the past 30 years. I am close to pulling the trigger on a diesel Jetta, really like them but have never owned a VW diesel. Biggest issue with VWs seems to be there is a bit of variance in quality. If you get a bad one, they are horrible. If you get a good one they will drive longer than anything but a diesel Mercedes so they seem to be a bit of a craps shoot. I guess I have been lucky.

 

[MJinZ]

I have had over 10 VW's and had no major issues with any of the except for 1990 VW Passat that had a bad auto transmission at 125,000. I would never buy a VW auto, or any other auto if I could help it. I have had them up to as many as 425,000 miles (used to drive 50,000+ a year). Not maintenance free, but certainly more enjoyable than any Honda or Toyota would have been. Current is a 2002 Passat v6 with 65,000 on it, not one thing other than normal maintenance. My family has put over 1,000,000 miles on them over the past 30 years. I am close to pulling the trigger on a diesel Jetta, really like them but have never owned a VW diesel. Biggest issue with VWs seems to be there is a bit of variance in quality. If you get a bad one, they are horrible. If you get a good one they will drive longer than anything but a diesel Mercedes so they seem to be a bit of a craps shoot. I guess I have been lucky.

LMAO... back then you could have had Supras and MR2s... yet you bought POS VWs... ahahahha.

 

[Eugene86]

Wow all this Cobalt hate in here...
I've got a 2 door Cobalt with an auto tranny (LT model) that's going to be turning 2 years old this August and it's got almost 50,000km on it. As of now, I haven't had any issues with it at all except for the red paint on the gear indicator coming off somehow.
Build quality wise its very solid and I haven't had any issues with the interior or exterior. Yes, I know its got relatively cheap interior materials, but what do you expect from one of the cheapest (cost) cars in the segment?
Mechanically it's been bulletproof for now and, hopefully, it will continue to be. The acceleration is on par with any other car in the same segment with similar horsepower, so I dunno how anyone can expect it to be a rocket (do you expect a base civic, mazda 3, or corolla to be fast?). I've driven a current gen civic, mazda 3, and corolla and they were all very similar in performance. Both the civic and the corolla had very plastic-y interiors and the only car of the three that had a nicer quality interior was the mazda 3.
I read a lot of car forums and the cobalt has a much lower amount of problems that a lot of other cars in its segment.
Also, I don't understand why anyone makes up their mind about a car when they've driven a rental... Its obviously going to be beaten to shit...

 

[rdp6]

Congrats on the new Jetta =)

Check out VWVortex.com for the forums if you have questions about your car. Sponsors often post sales on parts for maintenance and upgrades.

p.s. I'm very happy with my 07 Passat 2.0T/6M, even with over 70K miles on it now.

 

[coxmaster]

Congrats on the new Jetta =)

Check out VWVortex.com for the forums if you have questions about your car. Sponsors often post sales on parts for maintenance and upgrades.

p.s. I'm very happy with my 07 Passat 2.0T/6M, even with over 70K miles on it now.

This is a good idea, but not the best. BEWARE of VWVortex, its a bunch of fanboys. MOAR LOW is the only advice you'll get.


Checkout JettaMKV.com, Im on there and Vortex.

 

[CraigRT]

Wow all this Cobalt hate in here...
I've got a 2 door Cobalt with an auto tranny (LT model) that's going to be turning 2 years old this August and it's got almost 50,000km on it. As of now, I haven't had any issues with it at all except for the red paint on the gear indicator coming off somehow.
Build quality wise its very solid and I haven't had any issues with the interior or exterior. Yes, I know its got relatively cheap interior materials, but what do you expect from one of the cheapest (cost) cars in the segment?
Mechanically it's been bulletproof for now and, hopefully, it will continue to be. The acceleration is on par with any other car in the same segment with similar horsepower, so I dunno how anyone can expect it to be a rocket (do you expect a base civic, mazda 3, or corolla to be fast?). I've driven a current gen civic, mazda 3, and corolla and they were all very similar in performance. Both the civic and the corolla had very plastic-y interiors and the only car of the three that had a nicer quality interior was the mazda 3.
I read a lot of car forums and the cobalt has a much lower amount of problems that a lot of other cars in its segment.
Also, I don't understand why anyone makes up their mind about a car when they've driven a rental... Its obviously going to be beaten to shit...

I think you got lucky, man.
My buddy and I went to test drive a G5 (Pontiac version) for him, because it was a good price, looked decent, black exterior, sunroof, alloys, etc.

We both left absolutely laughing. That car was comically bad. It was rattling everywhere, the interior showed immense wear, and the 5 speed transmission shifted like garbage (around 35k miles)

It was just painful, I can't see how that car could end up anywhere but the wreckers.

I went into this with an open mind, mind you.. It was just an utter pile.

 

[rdp6]

This is a good idea, but not the best. BEWARE of VWVortex, its a bunch of fanboys. MOAR LOW is the only advice you'll get.


Checkout JettaMKV.com, Im on there and Vortex.

No doubt the VWVortex is full of, well, all sorts of characters, and it seems to me that the most prolific posters are the pretty immature, or at least take full advantage of the anonymous / not face-to-face nature of internet forums.

It is, however, a decent place to find Tech bulletins, recall info, and "secrets" about your car. Not just maintenance tips, but all the little features which shows how VWs are designed to be a pleasure to operate.

Also, maybe not particularly for the 2.5, but definitely for the 2.0T, the most common advice is MOAR BOOST, which, after having had the APR Stage 1 trial flash, is actually pretty good advice. Now I just need to find money I'd rather not save instead.

 

[punjabiplaya]

rode in it, it was nice, but wtf is up with the bluetooth button placement? answer the phone by pushing a button on the roof console?

 

[PhoKingGuy]

rode in it, it was nice, but wtf is up with the bluetooth button placement? answer the phone by pushing a button on the roof console?

The base model is like this, on the uplevel trims its on the radio itself (Touch screen units) or steering wheel.

 

[Kirby]

LMAO... back then you could have had Supras and MR2s... yet you bought POS VWs... ahahahha.

LMAO... right now you can buy a car infinitely better than what you drive... yet you bought a POS Toyota or something...ahahahha.

 

[StageLeft]

I think VW is quite possibly the worst brand out right now for quality. Still, if it's under warranty any issues will only cost you time.