| Author |
Message |
    
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 170
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 6:20 am: | 
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The time is coming for a new car, and I'm thinking seriously about a 6 cylinder Passat wagon. Big jump for me, but that model seems to fit the bill and our requirements (safety, non SUV profile, power for NJ driving).
Any advice on nearby dealers? The good, the bad, the ugly?
I've already dutifully signed up with Consumer Reports for their car buying guide. Thanks very much for any info. |
duncanrogers
Citizen
Username: Duncanrogers
Post Number: 1049
Registered: 12-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 7:58 am: |
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I believe there is a VW dealer in Maplewood across from O'Reilly's on Millburn Ave. One thing you might want to consider. When you decide on purchasing a new car and do your research. Make a day of it and drive out to a dealer in the western part of the state. There will be less haggling and you will likely get a better price for the car in a place that is not so densly populated. Then just have it serviced locally.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take"
Wayne Gretzky
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Ken Zeidner
Citizen
Username: Blackflag
Post Number: 16
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 9:15 am: |
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We got our VW Jetta wagon from DCH VW on Millburn Ave. the same day we moved in. Love it. Were able to negotiate and got a good price. Make sure you walk in with an Edmunds book so they know your serious about not paying sticker price. |
Chalmers
Citizen
Username: Chalmers
Post Number: 27
Registered: 3-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 9:40 am: |
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If you are a Costco member, the Costco authorized VW dealership is Reydel in Edison. They were a bit cheaper than DCH in Maplewood, which we bought from, but DCH had the color car we wanted in stock. We also looked at Trend Motors in Rockaway. Price was about the same as DCH. |
newone
Citizen
Username: Newone
Post Number: 104
Registered: 8-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 10:01 am: |
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You may also try an inquiry at carsdirect.com
Got my new car from them - quick, painless and lowest quote I got. |
peteglider
Citizen
Username: Peteglider
Post Number: 338
Registered: 8-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 10:01 am: |
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If you like the car, the Saab 9-5 linear wagon can probably be had for the same price or less than the price of a passat right now. (end of model year!)
i also looked at both about a year ago -- VW dealer (DCH) completely unwilling to negotiate. The Saab dealer gave me a great price -- and it is a nicer car, for sure (larger car, larger engine, standard leather, much better reliability, included maintenance, etc.).
BTW -- my ex-wife just had a dreadful service experience at DCH -- she will be going back to her usual dealer (Somerville/Bridgewater area) -- where she has had only great experiences before.
Pete |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 3814
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 11, 2003 - 10:08 am: |
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Even if you don't use the WWW.carsdirect.com service they gives a price to shoot for.
Douglas VW (along with Ford and Buick) in Summit gets a lot of play from people I know. I never could connect on price, but that might just be me. |
sylad
Citizen
Username: Sylad
Post Number: 35
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 10:38 am: |
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I have a Saab wagon, we looked at VW, Audi and Volvo before we bought it. It is our second Saab and we are very happy. I know someone that had a bad experience with the VW wagon, but I had a GTI many years ago that was great. Consider pre-owned, you can get great deals. I know a great broker, contact me for more info. |
Earlster
Citizen
Username: Earlster
Post Number: 47
Registered: 8-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 2:18 pm: |
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We bought a GLX Wagon at DCH in Dec of 2001. The sales guy was Pedro, he new nothing about cars, but he gave me the price that I was offering. It was the price that I got from carsdirect.com.
The DCH repair service is plain bad. They can't meet deadlines, don't stick to their quotes and don't even call you when they don't get the car ready in time.
VW's are great cars to drive, but I had some bad experiences with my 1999 Jetta Wolfsburg ( became a lemon right after the warranty period was over ) and VW of america was really not helpfull at all.
Our Passat needs a quart of oil every 2-3k miles. Mind you it has less then 20k miles.
I'm done with VW.
Unfortunatelly there aren't to many nice waggons out there. |
Ukealalio
Citizen
Username: Ukealalio
Post Number: 168
Registered: 6-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 3:21 pm: |
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I have a Passat wagon and love it. I bought from the VW dealer in Maplewood who I liked at the time. Since then the car is out of warrantee and the ownership in Maplewood changed to DCH. As far as service goes they are the WORST I have ever seen. They never meet deadlines, don't wash your car when they say they will and are frequently rude. This summer my engine light went on and after $500 told me it was an internal computer. Two days later engine light comes on and they tell me it's another internal computer, another $500 please. I'm taking this up with VW Corporate now and hope to get a refund.
It's a great car, DCH is a horrible dealer.Avoid like the plague !!!. |
sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 702
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 3:37 pm: |
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We had my wife's Audi serviced at DCH a couple of times and here is a listing of what we encountered:
1) Engine temperature was running high - they flushed the engine and put in new coolant. Still same problem. I suggested a new water pump. They agreed. They then called me to tell me that coolant had dripped on the timing belt ruining it. Now needed a new timing belt. Car had 25K miles on it. I asked why it was necessary to change timing belt ($900 bucks) at 25K miles. They said not necessary but recommended. I called my brother to confirm (he's a mechanic in NYS) and he told me that if coolant had dripped on belt it was wise to replace as Audi uses a very corrosive coolant. Made sense to do if they were doing the water pump any way. Says he didn't understand how coolant got on the belt and why they were charging so much money but....
2) Engine compartment was filling with water which was then leaking down inside the car. Asked them to ensure that the drain holes were not clogged. Also had the oil changed. Got the car back and there was still water in the engine compartment every time it rained. Opened the hood one day after a downpour and there was so much water against the firewall the battery was 3/4 submerged. I pumped out the water, removed the battery and found and unclogged the drainage hole. A couple of days after the oil was changed we noticed oil on the drive way. I called them and they said it was probably residual spilled oil, that it would go away in a couple of days. Two weeks later still leaking. Took it back to them turns out that the drainage plug was loose. No apology.
On the plus side when my wife's air bag light came on they found the problem to be a faulty connection which they replaced for around $10. Bernardsville Audi wanted over $1,000 to fix the same problem.
I have since stopped taking my wife's car to them. |
Tom Reingold the prissy-pants
Citizen
Username: Noglider
Post Number: 1025
Registered: 1-2003
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 6:09 pm: |
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I'm looking to buy a car, too. I'm on my third Saab, which I'll sell soon. I'm looking for a used car. I still haven't decided if I want a station wagon or a minivan. I really like the Passat wagaon. If anyone has a car for sale, please let me know.
sportsnut, I think you said you had a good experience at an auction. How can I verify that a car is mechanically sound?
Cars I'm considering:
VW Passat wagon
Saab 9-5 wagon
Subaru Outback wagon
maybe others?
I don't know much about minivans, so I guess I'm considering all the models equally. The Honda seems best but may be out of my price range, even used. Dodges are really cheap. Do they really suck that much mechanically? I drove one, and it drove impressively well for a vehicle of those dimensions.
Tom Reingold
There is nothing
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sylad
Citizen
Username: Sylad
Post Number: 39
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 6:51 pm: |
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Tom...my cousin is a broker, he buys from auctions for indivdual buyers. He will work with you to find you the right car at your price. If you(or anyone else) wants to know more private line me and I can connect you. |
sac
Citizen
Username: Sac
Post Number: 777
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 12, 2003 - 7:59 pm: |
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We've been pretty happy with our Dodge/Plymouth minivans, but I know that they don't have great "frequency of repair" statistics. They do have a pretty good warranty, however, which does help that somewhat. We might have bought a Honda the last time (2000), but you had to get on a waiting list and take whatever came in when it came in (after several months usually), so we went with another Dodge instead. So far it has served us pretty well. |
Cynicalgirl
Citizen
Username: Cynicalgirl
Post Number: 173
Registered: 9-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 5:05 am: |
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Hey, thanks for all this great advice. I'll be sad to part with my 12 year old Honda Civic -- sure wish they made a reliable wagon. Like Tom R, I'm open to a Subaru Outback. Didn't realize Saab had a wagon -- I've mostly had the Honda in recent memory.
I had my heart set on a PT Cruiser when they were first coming out, but since moving up here my husban/child/dog/cat family need more hauling space, and I feel the need for the full complement of air bags, good crash test data and a more powerful engine
What I love about my Honda: Reliability, front wheel drive handling, low to the ground. I started looking at the Chrysler Pacifica, but to me it looks like a trucky lowrider SUV. I'll test drive one, but I suspect stiff handling, etc.
Husband would prefer a Vintage Chevy Nomad, but I like my cars reliable. I am terrible about maintenance, and the Honda has never minded... |
bobk
Supporter
Username: Bobk
Post Number: 3831
Registered: 5-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 8:02 am: |
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As Pete points out take a look at the Saab Linear wagon with the 2.4litre turbo engine. With discounts it is the same price as a Passat V-6 and is by all accounts a good vehicle. |
sylad
Citizen
Username: Sylad
Post Number: 40
Registered: 6-2002
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 8:25 am: |
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Saab = Reliability. Nothing more needs to be said |
sportsnut
Citizen
Username: Sportsnut
Post Number: 703
Registered: 10-2001
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 10:30 am: |
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Tom,
I didn't have mine checked out because it was only a year old and was still covered under the warranty. I'm not sure how you would go about getting it checked out. You could probably ask to put a deposit down and take it to a mechanic.
FYI, my car developed "catastrophic engine failure" about a week after I bought it. Porsche said it would have never been detected by any mechanic. I just got unlucky. However, they removed the old engine and placed a brand new one in all under warranty. |
Fotboat
Citizen
Username: Fotboat
Post Number: 6
Registered: 10-2003
| | Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2003 - 11:59 am: |
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Ditto on the rude beahvior at DCH, They told me two weeks to look at my Passat, Maybe. Hell even their show room people are rude (new & used), or incorrectly size people up. Had a free afternoon, and needed a commuter car, went to DCH to get a Jetta TDI, could not get the time of day there, (probably because I just finished working in my back yard), so I drove over to Madison Honda and bought a 2Dr Civic EX within the hour for $2K under asking price. The Service is also great at Madison, Yesterday I needed a 15K service, drove in w/o an appt, told them I could not get thru on the phone, (which was true). They took me immeadiatly, and I was out in 30 minutes, and with a 15% discout, Now that is service, but I don't expect that all the time. I am amazed that VW DCH is still in buisness. |
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