Longevity

[andylaiphoto]

So with all the new threads and talk about leaving their MK6 for something more reliable it made me think. If the long term reliability of VWs, and German cars in general, what does that say about people that own 10-15-20yr old German vehicles? Ones with over 100k on the odometer?

Are these people sinking in tons of money and time just to keep them on the road? Or is the perceived low ceiling regarding longevity unfairly brandished upon the German segment?

I myself am on the fence on how long I want to keep my GTI. As of now 70% of the time I'm online shopping for a new ride. The other 30% I'm romancing about keeping it to pass down to my kids when they can drive. Reliability being a huge factor.

I have an '11 with 27k miles and have yet to have any issues other than my AC temp control acting up sometimes.

 

[D Griff]

The unreliability on these things is overrated.

The reliability of Hondas is overrated.

That said, Hondas are still more reliable than VWs. If you like it, just keep it. I think most of the people "wanting out because reliability" just have plac syndrome but don't want to admit it.

 

[t'sGTI]

I think reliability is improving all the time on VW's.
It is a reputation somewhat rooted in the past.
Reliability is slipping on some of the Japanese cars of late.
My brother has had a Jetta for 12 years and no problems
other than regular routine maintenance.

 

[Rockchops]

So with all the new threads and talk about leaving their MK6 for something more reliable it made me think. If the long term reliability of VWs, and German cars in general, what does that say about people that own 10-15-20yr old German vehicles? Ones with over 100k on the odometer?

Are these people sinking in tons of money and time just to keep them on the road? Or is the perceived low ceiling regarding longevity unfairly brandished upon the German segment?

I myself am on the fence on how long I want to keep my GTI. As of now 70% of the time I'm online shopping for a new ride. The other 30% I'm romancing about keeping it to pass down to my kids when they can drive. Reliability being a huge factor.

I have an '11 with 27k miles and have yet to have any issues other than my AC temp control acting up sometimes.

As someone who owns a 23 year old mercedes....if my GTI car did anything the mercedes did as far as reliability is concerned I would have lemoned it. At least the Merc is easy to work on and parts are cheap so it doesn't bother me as much. Also I am not sure my new car is more reliable than the VW, just better.

My mom's had a Jetta TDI since new and its fine aside from crappy interior bits and normal wear items. They just took it on vacation (8hr road trip away) with close to 300k.

 

[grambles423]

Its what you make it out to be. Honda vs. Toyota vs. VW vs. Ford vs. etc. etc. etc. Hammer out costs and see where you are at in terms of maintenance and such. You'll then find an answer.

My car is giving me trouble. Probably because I was K04 for a while......and its an MKV. But, I've also spend a lot more money maintaining it, you see? Even my truck, which had almost double the price of mods on it never gave me an issue until 170K and I only spent money on Filters and Oil. Not manifolds, not DSG Trannies, not Gasket Leaks, not ABS sensors, etc. etc. etc. that I've paid for on my GTI already.

Its what you make it out to be. This is called the "forum flight" when one person gets an idea and it spreads. If you're happy with the vehicle, keep it.

 

[troyguitar]

B7 S4's are clearly the most reliable car ever built.

 

[nouse4aname]

Well with electrical gremlins being the main boogeyman, I imagine it would be cheaper to keep an original beetle running for 20 years than a mk6.

 

[andylaiphoto]

As someone who owns a 23 year old mercedes....if my GTI car did anything the mercedes did as far as reliability is concerned I would have lemoned it. At least the Merc is easy to work on and parts are cheap so it doesn't bother me as much. Also I am not sure my new car is more reliable than the VW, just better.

My mom's had a Jetta TDI since new and its fine aside from crappy interior bits and normal wear items. They just took it on vacation (8hr road trip away) with close to 300k.

300k miles? That's amazing.

 

[maxtdi]

Just how the cookie crumbles, these cars are not super reliable, but it's not bad really. Having a turbo just makes your car that much less reliable no matter what the brand is, as well as direction injection.

The intake manifold is $180 in parts and not that hard to change, the other main issues are water pump (seem fairly isolated) and carbon build up... (every 50k miles and $300-400 if you take it to a shop)

Overall if you don't fuck with the car too much it will last a long time, if you modify like crazy expect many other random things to fail.

If you wanted a reliable Mk6, Manual 2.5 Golf is the way to go. It'll easily go 150-200k miles without any issues.

 

[thedude4bides]

Just how the cookie crumbles, these cars are not super reliable, but it's not bad really. Having a turbo just makes your car that much less reliable no matter what the brand is, as well as direction injection.

The intake manifold is $180 in parts and not that hard to change, the other main issues are water pump (seem fairly isolated) and carbon build up... (every 50k miles and $300-400 if you take it to a shop)

Overall if you don't fuck with the car too much it will last a long time, if you modify like crazy expect many other random things to fail.

If you wanted a reliable Mk6, Manual 2.5 Golf is the way to go. It'll easily go 150-200k miles without any issues.

such a trade-off...

 

[maxtdi]

such a trade-off...

Well I think a golf 2.5 is best compared to a Civic SI... N/A and similar in their power/power delivery. They are probably close in reliability as well.

 

[DUBPL8]

Well I think a golf 2.5 is best compared to a Civic SI... N/A and similar in their power/power delivery. They are probably close in reliability as well.

And still sounds a hell of a lot better than any Civic Si in existence :laugh:

 

[D Griff]

Well with electrical gremlins being the main boogeyman, I imagine it would be cheaper to keep an original beetle running for 20 years than a mk6.

I dunno, cars have come a loooong way and have gotten more and more reliable I think. They do get more complicated and expensive to repair WHEN something goes wrong though.

 

[maxtdi]

And still sounds a hell of a lot better than any Civic Si in existence :laugh:

It sounds better than a hellofalotofcars.

 

[WAP]

Those of us who have owned multiple VW's over the years would not have kept buying them if they hadn't treated us right. At least that's true for myself (4 Dubs and counting), my brother (4 Dubs and counting) and my mother (3 Dubs and counting). Other than my brother's 1st gen VR6 in his 1st gen Passat which had a couple of mechanical issues, they've all been very reliable. 3-4 of them are still running and are still DD's.