Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow...

[A1an]

Originally Posted by CanIHazYarisHatch?

I agree with you, but I cannot trust a VW or GM car further than I can throw it. Sad, because VW makes some lovely-looking and driving cars (when they are new). But I would never own one.

After about three years, that "great interior" starts peeling and rattling. Those power windows fall off their tracks. That beautiful instrument panel lights up like a Christmas tree--especially with the CEL, which on a VW, I refer to as the "Change Engine Light".

For those VW enthusiasts I have known (and I have known plenty), the cars are essentially built to really impress on the test-drive...and after the paperwork is signed, to hell with the customer. VW is insanely profitable because it squeezes it's parts suppliers nearly to death, so the parts are very cheap for VW--and they last about as long as one would expect. Because the consumer is already $20k+ deep in paying off their beloved VW, they are essentially forced to pay out of pocket to fix those things that break, oftentimes very expensive things, with those same defective parts--but at high-quality prices, making VW's coffers very obese with what is essentially stolen money from their customers. How they get away with it is amazing to me. How owners keep going back for more punishment--is also amazing to me.

I also don't understand the complaints about the new Yaris dash--do people get a blanket and sleep on it overnight or something? It's a dashboard, it's not supposed to be "soft-touch"--especially in a $15,000 compact car.

Want a "soft-touch" dash? Buy an Audi A4 and get rid of it before the warranty--and the car--expires.

I want a reliable, fun-to-drive car that has high resale value and looks sharp for not a whole lot of money. That's why I bought a Toyota--I don't have to pray for it to start at 60,001 miles. I know it will. But when it does break (when my grandchildren are finishing their Master's theses), it will be very mechanic-friendly to service, and the parts won't cost me my firstborn child.

If you like VWs, well, have fun. I'll stick with that proven 1NZ-FE; what it lacks in "power", it makes up for in near indestructibility. Why is this? Because Toyota does their R&D right the FIRST time. Call me "vanilla", but I like that. It shows they have some pride in more than just a quick sale, and they respect their customers.

So much false information here. VWoA customer service is actually very good (my wife worked in VW service for a few years and has lost count of how many times they have stepped up above and beyond in situations where they did not have to). Cost to maintain isn't far off from a typical Japanese import. From my experiences the cost of parts is actually less in some circumstances. Most of the owners that bitch and moan about poor VW reliability are typically those who abuse the car, don't maintain it, try to improperly modify it, or buy a used car that fits in one or more of these three characteristics.

We purchased this '07 Rabbit new and have almost 90k on it already. Interior is flawless. Drives like new. Nothing really has gone wrong with it. Pretty much all we have spent money on is maintenance, normal wear items, and a couple minor modifications. Even my '89 Jetta is incredibly cheap/easy to fix and has held up quite well over the years.


As far as Toyota customer service goes they are okay. Interior quality is just "meh". I have owned two Scions in the past, both of which were rattle traps that I just learned to live with. Seat material on the first one was pretty thin and the bolsters were starting to wear when I went to sell it after two short years of ownership. Material seems more beefy in the Yaris SE...hopefully we won't have that issue.