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Hi,just looking for other opinions here.I have a 2001 1.9TDi VW Passat (130).Not been too happy overall with the car (build quality wise) but love driving it.Excellent performance and excellent mpg.However, it is now at 58000 miles.In the coming months it is due a timing belt change (£250+),needs at least 2 x tyres and a service.I would also guess the brakes aren't too far away from needing done.I have heard of various horror stories about catalytic converters going and a variety of "common" faults on VW's that I have not yet experienced.I quite fancy the new Vectra and in particular the 2.2 SRi (petrol) model.I do about 15K miles a year, so the diesel/petrol debate isn't so important.What do I do????
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I've the same model (2002). It goes back to the firm this June and I can't wait. Sadly it has proved unreliable - had 2 breakdowns before 30k - AND you have to put up with the poor service/attitude of the VW dealer. It's a car you can respect (performance/economy) but never love.
There must be more to life than a Passat.
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I have an '02 Mondeo that is a great car though has not been entirely trouble free however I have got to say that all of the reliability/dealer saisfaction surveys lately have Ford miles ahead of VW and Vauxhall.
That being said I reckon the new Vectra is good car and the 2.2 petrol is a good engine, I had a '98 Vectra V6 SRi and that was fine, much better than it's reputation at the time, the dealers were not great though. Both the Mondeo and the Vectra provide much more driver satisfaction that the Passat.
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Certainly change it before you come up against all that expense. The trouble with both the Vectra and the Mondeo, if it's your own money you're spending, is that they lose too much value: good cars but just too many of them about. That's why after 7 fine company Renaults I went over to VW and now Audi. Both excellent - I've been lucky, clearly.
Honda Civic or Accord would be worth looking at, and the dealers are generally better. SWMBO's Civic type S (2-litre but not as frenetic as the type R) is under £16,000 and has been excellent so far apart from bad turning circle. It should be worth 50 % of its cost after 3 years.
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I know what you mean about the depreciation,but it is relative.I paid £13000 for my Passat TDi in July 02.It was only about 16 months old.It had already dropped around £4000 from new.I guess I'll be lucky to get around £6500 trade-in.The car is now about 4 years old and has depreciated by some £10500 and this is for a "VW Diesel"!!!.The Vectra SRi,for instance,is a lot of car for less money than other manufacturer's more basic models (i.e. Honda Civic).I can get an 04 Sri 2.2,petrol with 10K miles for around £10800 from a garage.Not too bad if you ask me.I will never again be "conned" into believing that you should be paying more for the so-called "German Engineering".The Passat is possibly the worst built car I have ever owned.
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Why not take it down to the local VW independent specialist if you have such an establishment in your area. Get them to tell you what is likely to need doing in the next year and what it will cost. You can then add that to an estimate of what the depreciation will be for the next year and have a reasonable idea of the cost if you keep it. You have been hit already by such a large depreciation it surely cannot have much left to go. If you average out the depreciation over a longer period it won't be quite so bad.
If you do decide to replace it you should look at the overall cost of a Japanese car. They might be dearer to buy but the depreciation should be less and the owners love them.
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Apologies, Wonderwheels - for some reason I'd thought you had had your Passat from new. After a year or two I'd agree that a Vectra or Mondeo would make a lot more sense as no doubt they lose (even) more than the Passat in year 1. I do hope you pick up a good one.
What worries me about buying nearly new or a year or so old is - why did the first owner sell? Tnere are of course plenty of cars that have been run by management of car companies and changed ever 6-12 months, but others that have been hire cars (probably caned) and even more that their owners have disliked.
When my wife and I buy new we expect to keep the car for between two-and-a-half and four years. If we've chopped it in after a year it's been because it was unreliable (Fiat 131 estate) or uncomfortable and flimsy (Peugeot 206, which also has a lethal three-quarter blind spot).
If only there were a way of knowing where a used car has been, how it's been driven and, especially, whether its owners liked it (if they PX-ed it for another of the same make that helps).
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