OT: Volkswagen ownership experience? Options

[Cracker]

Beyond the cheating scandal...does anyone have direct ownership experience? Are there years or models to stay away from? I am thinking of a used car for my son - heading to college next month. Thanks in advance!

Tony

[Cracker]

Greg - How do you - why do you have so many cars man?!?!?! Any issues with the DSG?

T

[GregAmy]

Greg - How do you - why do you have so many cars man?!?!?! Any issues with the DSG?

LOL...not simultaneous, over the years, my friend*.

That DSG car was a venture into something new...I'd heard very good things about it and wanted to try one, so I leased the car. I enjoyed it so much as a street car that I bought it off-lease. It's truly a ground-breaking transaxle, and converted me to the mindset that for the daily driver I'll probably never buy a manual again. It's really that good. 68k miles to date, I did the 40k service myself, and <knock, knock> zero troubles to date.

Of course, I'd prefer nothing like that in my "fun" cars such as the 914s (1 street, 1 race) and the Honda FG I race. I've raced a DSG-equipped car and liked it, but it takes some getting used to. I've been racing manuals for 30+ years and it's just awkward, kinda like learning to left-foot brake (which I've yet to be fully comfy with).

There was a time there where VW quality sucked balls; we're talking late 90s to mid-00s, whatever that generation was (Mk 4?) That's the generation(s) that all the Honda fanbois point to when they try to convince everyone how good their EGs end EKs are (and I've owned a few of those too, including my fav, the DC Integra). But today's Mk 6 and Mk7 cars are very good cars. All suffer from the same problems most modern-day cars do, and that's complexity; one cannot get today's luxury and efficiency without it. If that bothers you then go find a 70s or 80s car with one of those last bastions of carburetors.

On the other hand, if simple basic boring appliance transportation is the desire, something for which you will not be passionate and will have no hesitation to throw away/replace, then the basic Toyota Camry/Honda Accord/Nissan Altima is, seriously, the way to go.

I've done my best to never drive something boring. So far, so good.

GA

* Other things I've owned:

- '76 Dodge Aspen wagon. Ugh. Though it has the wood side vinyl, so there's that...
- c '76 Dodge short bed pickup with 4-on-the-floor and 225 slant-6. Barely pulled the open trailer with race car efficiently, but got the job done. Girlfriends were unappreciative of the vinyl bench seats...
- Non-turbo Dodge Shelby Charger race car. Good for the times, that 2.2L engine is pretty decent. But basic tech and a Dodge chassis...
- '87 Shelby CSX race car and daily driver (I was in school). 2.2L turbo engine and the chassis had a terrible problem of fatiguing at the firewall. But it won us a good number of races.
'91 Chevy Subruban. Replaced the slant-6 Dodge but fuel economy was so terrible, and tank so small, that we had to carry Jerry cans of fuel in the back to make it through Oklahoma in the middle of the night.
'86 Toyota Supra turbo. Nice GT cruiser but yawn.
'03 Ford E-350 5L. Couldn't pull a 24' enclosed
'03 Ford E-350 non-turbo diesel cargo van. Barely pulled the open trailer efficiently.
'94 Miata. Great little car, but...Miata.
'91 Toyota MR2. Fun car. Old Camry engine sub-optimal, shoulda replaced it with something better, like the six.
'99 E350 passenger can with the 6.8L V-10. Pulled the enclosed fine but holy hell did it suck fuel, like 7mpg
'92 Nissan NX2000, 1 street, 1 race. Fantastic little car. Shoulda have kept the street one.
'95 Integra GS-R. Fantastic race car, should have bought one of these as a new street car in the 90s.
'00 Ford Excursion Powerstroke diesel. Fantastic truck, did everything I wanted, and I comfort. Sold it after 300k miles and replaced with a used '01 PSD Excursion that I still own.