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Playing with fire? VW Passat

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Dice144

Senior member
My 2008 VW Passat 2.0T is a love/hate relationship. I got the car with only 43k on it and about 3 months in the water pump died. Fast forward two months and the pump died again. Finally the VW dealer fixed what was causing the actual pump failure. A gasket was leaking on the water pump making it failure prematurely.

14 months into ownership the transmission fails middle of winter. At this point the car maybe had 49k on it. Luckily I got the stupid extended warrenty with the $100 deducible (normally I do not get this). After threatening to blast the dealer and warranty company on social media, after three weeks fighting they honored the repair.

Now the car is burning some serious oil and this week the serpentine belt went. Lucky my dad and me were able to fix it for $14 bucks. My Uncle said just trade the car in and as fast as possible before it gets worse (the oil burning). Problem is, I HATE car payments or any debt.

The car is about to break 76k, has some suspension issues and debating if I just repair the car further or just trade it in for whatever and get a more reliable brand Toyota/Honda etc or a luxury brand. The car has been paid off for two years and really enjoying no monthly payments...

If I get a new car, I want one that is bigger than/more powerful than the 2.0T in current car. I feel like I keep going around in circles on what I want. This forum talked me mostly out of the idea of getting a truck, but now eyeing up a Cadillac CTS or cars similar to that size. I am planning to possibly test drive some slightly used cars tomorrow.
 
Dear god...hugs my Toyota.

To be fair, I had an A4 that exhibited no mechanical problems in the 50k miles we had it (did have a "blown" speaker that was fixed under warranty). That said...I expect a car to be mechanically sound till at least 100k these days.
 
Having some medical issues right now and the uncertainty of this car isn't helping the stress factor. Thanks for the feedback
 
How much longer does the extended warranty cover you? I have a friend who had a Jetta and he replaced the transmission twice in that worthless pile of junk by 70k miles. By 90k the transmission was going out again so he traded it in and bought a Honda Accord.

I'll never buy a VW so long as I live. They are utter garbage.
 
You can spend your money on maintenance or on car payments. Usually maintenance is cheaper, but it sounds like this car is a headache. It definitely shouldn't be burning oil at 76k miles. That's some BS.
 
Go buy a Honda Accord V6. Zippier than your Passat and around 1000000000000000000x more reliable give or take.
 
It's a VW. It's up to you how long you continue to pour money into it. Based on my personal bitter experience you WILL continue to be a money pit, plus it will be out of service and in the shop quite a lot, plus the stress you mentioned, until the day you walk away from it. Cut your losses now and improve the quality of your life by getting rid of it. .

OTOH my 2008 Toyota with 205k miles has had exactly one thing break - a water pump -since mile 1.
 
Dice144 said:
Buddy has a 2014 Camry. I like how reliable it is, but boy was it BORING to drive!
Click to expand...
The Passat isn't boring to drive? 😉

Your money, your choice. My housemate had an '03 Jetta Wolfsburg Edition, that was rapidly approaching "money pit" status. They held onto it longer than they should have, honestly, because it was a fun little sporty car.

But they replaced it with an '08 Acura TSX that they got a good deal on, and the TSX is not only way less maintenance, but it's a far more "fun-to-drive" car too. You just gotta get out there and shop around, is all. 😀
 
Yes the vw has the 2.0 turbo. Its got a good amount of go.

I will check out Acura. Never even been in one
 
My DD Honda just rolled past 210k miles and is going on 17. At 190k it needed a clutch master cylinder, and a few days ago I replaced a pair of sway bar end links, which lasted surprisingly long considering I've mostly lived on dirt roads and drive in salt. These are the only two maintenance items it's ever had, aside from fluid changes and tires. It's even on factory brake pads. It's nice to never wonder if the car will start in the morning.
 
AFAIC, VW quit making cars when they went with waterpumpers. My experience with an older BMW made me sure I never want an older German car, though I would consider a classic toy. Nothing VW's made since the 70s qualifies for that title.

tl;dr
get out while you still have money in your wallet.
 
A car payment on a reliable used car is well worth the monetary and emotional savings of the repairs you're dealing with.

I can't even believe you still have it. I wouldn't put up with that garbage at all.
 
Yuriman said:
My DD Honda just rolled past 210k miles and is going on 17. At 190k it needed a clutch master cylinder, and a few days ago I replaced a pair of sway bar end links, which lasted surprisingly long considering I've mostly lived on dirt roads and drive in salt. These are the only two maintenance items it's ever had, aside from fluid changes and tires. It's even on factory brake pads. It's nice to never wonder if the car will start in the morning.
Click to expand...
A 17 year old Honda at 190K on original timing belt and water pump and tensioner and pulley etc??
 
My roommate teased me about keeping the VW often. He is moving out and also going to make the VW move out.
 
Honestly, you don't even need to stick with Honda/Toyota these days, just don't buy German. Ford, Subaru, Hyundai, Mazda, probably even Dodge and Chevy would be better off. My 2013 Ford Focust ST is just under 60k and not a single issue. And that is the first production year.
 
I really like the look of the 2014 Ford Fusion and they are a few thousand less than a Honda Accord in my area.

I like the look new civic layout but the car is too small for my summer roadtrips. (Gf over packs) also need room for kayak paddles etc.
 
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