Looking to buy a new car, and have some questions about it. Not sure how things work on this board as I generally dwell on /mu/ but I'll give it a shot.
I'm interested in a 2015 VW Golf Sportwagen. I've been looking for a smaller, new, wagon for some time now and this car seems to lead the pack in a lot of ways. I was initially interested in Outbacks, but my attention was drawn to this car because of its stellar reviews, affordability, and fuel economy. Plus, I think the styling is incredibly appealing. One drawback is that it's FWD. Initially I was looking for AWD because of the harsh winters here in the northeast but I've driven FWD cars in the winter before plenty of times and I'm still alive. I'm sure if I slap on some adequate tires and drive sensibly I'll be okay.
My main concerns are: I've heard of reliability issues with VWs. I'm not exactly the most car savvy guy around but I'd like to know of any common issues with them or particularly this model. The one im looking at only has 18,000 miles on it however. Previously I owned a 2007 BMW 750Li, and I loved it. But with it being a BMW and a newer one at that, it just got so costly and ridiculous with the repairs. It was so damn finicky and nearly impossible to work on by yourself. Basically I want to avoid that from happening to me again. With the VW being European, and German specifically, am I gonna run into ludicrous repair prices again? Thanks for any help and sorry if I'm a massive dumbass. I'm sure I've broken many rules I dont know of in posting this.
I'll also add that i'd be trading in 2 cars towards the purchase of this vehicle. its listed currently at $18,000, so the trade ins would shave off some. Plus it is tax exempt for me. also, I'll receive a discount through buying it from this specific dealer. So im not sure exactly but I'm sure I could get it for no more than 13 or 14k at the most. I'd be buying with cash as well. That's always alluring for salesmen.
Jose Diaz
>/mu/ poster >wants a vw
but really i wouldnt buy a vw, they arent any more reliable than any other car, but they have more expensive repair parts and labor generally.
as a subaru owner, i will tell you to get the outback, because i think they are great vehicles. but if you do, be wary that the fit and finish of the interior isnt as nice on a subaru as a VW
the sticky may be a little outdated, but please read it, its highly informative
Thomas Perry
I actually just sat through and read it haha. thank you for the honest reply! I do really love outbacks and it would be a practical purchase. I do a good amount of driving and often carry music equipment so I need something with space, but not crazy amounts. Gas mileage is a plus and styling to me is important. After driving a chevy blazer and a mercury milan most of my life, I'd like to have something I actually enjoy, ya know?
How expensive are parts/repairs of a VW in comparison to bmw or mercedes? I can live with slightly expensive in comparison to domestics or hondas or toyotas, but I simply cannot live with another fucking bimmer
Dylan Green
also, judging by this calculator, VW sportwagens dont seem too expensive in comparison to bimmers or subarus. but how accurate could this really be?
i wish i had test drove a sportwagen i completely forgot about the car before getting a civic.
Jace Wilson
Now im no expert, but IIRC repairs on VW cars are more $ than average American vehicles and Japanese vehicles, but less than other German/euro vehicles.
So your vw would generally cost less to repair than bmw or mercedes.
In general, i think about it like this: The higher the msrp of a car, the more expensive any repair will be. Now this isnt true 100% of the time, but for major repairs, yes
Another option is to look at VW specific forums, they will usually have a "thinking about buying" section.
i have never heard of this site, but it seems pretty comprehensive. if it means anything to you, my subaru wrx, and the golf sport wagon had the same level of yearly maintenance according to them, but i have only had 2 problems (that were'nt my fault) with the car in 5 years of owning it, one was a radiator hose leak, the other was the a/c leaked
Nolan Thomas
right? I forgot about em too before I stumbled upon one while looking at a local dealer's inventory. they're unique looking little cars. Gotta be one of the few true wagons being made anymore. Very fuel efficient, comparable prices to compacts with way more luxury options, stellar reviews, and you dont see em on the road often. That last part could be a bad thing but hell at least you'd be unique out on the road. The only things scaring me away from it are the repair/part prices and the fact that its a FWD wagon and not AWD
Cooper Lopez
the looks so fucking sexy the mkv ones have these taillights that make my dick hard for some reason theyre so teutonic
Charles Nelson
thank you user, you've been really helpful. I'll seek out some VW forums. know any I should look into, off the top of your head? How new was your subaru when you bought it and how many miles? If it was new, Ireally wouldnt expect any issues besides wear and tear within 3-5 years really. yet again, this VW with 18,000 miles would be BY FAR the newest thing I'llhave ever owned/drove. Other than that, my blazer had just over 85,000 when I started driving it. so 18,000 would be essentially off the lot new for me. Not to say 18,000 miles isnt new anyways. Thats practically hardly driven imo
Adam Clark
Ur welcome
i dont know of any vw forums actually lol
I bought my car at 73k miles, and its currently at 115k
Really though you're right 18k isnt a whole lot of miles. One thing to be concerned about is that's just low enough miles for it to be a former lease car, be sure to inquire about that before you buy. in my experience people usually treat leased cars worse
another piece of advice for you, buy it if you want to. only your opinion (and people's that you trust) really matters for your decisions.
Dont over think this, i took 6 months deciding which car i would get, and i lost so many potential good (and better) cars as a result.
i know people who go out and buy cars in a day, i dont recommend that either, but take a few days minimum, just really think about every aspect of owning that car, but dont delay too long if you really want it.
i mean from how you've talked about the car so far, it seems like you really like it. if i were you, i'd go test drive it, and make sure you love it. also be sure to follow the inspection guide when you test drive the car, that can help you avoid potential lemons.
Andrew Brown
VW, especially the entry level are very simple to fix, and parts arent that expensive either. To give an example, I was looking at the cost of a new 2017 Golf R front bumper from dealer and the bumper cover costs only $390. It's not cheap but it's far from being expensive either. I oil changed my gf' 2017 Golf recently, and the oil filter is only
Carter Morales
well, my brother is a car guy. American car guy I should say. If it ain't domestic he hates it (generally). I bought the bimmer on a whim and it really bit me in the ass. he advised against it but I didnt exactly listen. Hell everyone i knew told me not to buy it. But for the time i had it, i loved it. so who cares ifilost a few thousand right? I dunno... But I feel like if i buy another car on a whim, it might do the same. So I do really wanna ponder this decision. If I bring this car up to my brother or friends or mother, I know they are all gonna say the same shit. "It's european, didnt you learn anything?!". Hahaha, maybe they are right. I just am so drawwn to Euro/german styling. But now i am just horrified by the prospect of repair costs after dealing with the 750Li. Granted I know this wont be AS bad, there will be no way to tell that to anyone. For example my brother wants me to get a ford explorer or a a fusion. Disgusting vehicles in my opinion. But cheap to fix and any shop will work on em. My thoughts are though, If I love the car, ill wanna mantain it and it wont hurt to drop 10 - 15k as much on a newer car. If I'm buying an escape for 16k i'll hate it and i'll hate driving it. But in the long run the risk is so much less with a ford or any domestic. Idk.... its a tough decision for sure
Levi Torres
I wish we got Fusion wagons in the 'states, would be the perfect compromise here.
Christopher James
>simple to fix
you know that for sure that a golf sportwagen would be possible for a backyard mechanic to work on? The 07 BMW 750Li I had was hell on earth to literally do anything with. I absolutely do not want to and cannot run into that stuff again. This being a newer german vehicle i just worry that stuff will be a pain in the ass to get to, or literally impossible if you arent the dealer or certified mechanic, such was the case with the bmw.
Jason Morris
>BMW luxury, more $$$ >VW non-luxury, less $$$
See?
Nolan Rogers
holy shit i did not know they made one. quick google search and you're right. It's a modern ford I actually enjoy. Why do i love wagons so much? haha damn, I'd for sure look into that if they had em here.... ah well. Still though, the sportwagen seems a bit more aesthetic to me
Jaxon Morgan
i havent done much to the car, but coming from a Subaru background, VW 4cyl should be a breeze to work on. The oil change was painless, since the drain plug is plastic and can be easily popped out with a screwdriver (very intuitive design).
Leo Martin
Becauss wagons are superior in litrrsllt every wayto sedans but normies are retarded and think sedans "look cooler". Fuck sedans.
Evan Thomas
not always how that works, champ
It's the labor that'll kill you with bmws. It would seem they specifically design shit so you cant work on it yourself.
Chase Gray
I really wish there were more wagon options, we get shafted when it comes to unique cars in America
Brayden Lee
I hope you're right. As long as its considerably cheaper than a bmw to repair, than I'll be fine. gasket leak that leaked oil causing it to burn oil is a 5k+ fix. Coolant leak was an 8k+ fix. Simply unbelievable money. At any rate, I'm assuming and hoping the VW could be simpler to work on so I could avoid those costly dealer/shop visits. Say a fuel pump goes bad. On a ford or a chevy , my brother and I could have it all solved and put back together in a matter of a few hours (not accounting for rusty bolts or some other inevitable setback) without spending over 50 - 60 bucks. I'm not expecting that cheap with a german vehicle but ya know, somewhere around there would be nice. actually just found a non oem fuel pump online for about 150. So more expensive, sure. But not too awful if I could do the install myself. of course a fuel pump is completely arbitrary, but you know what im getting at.
ironically enough, the 2015 sportwagen had a recall due to the fuel pumps! amazing
Austin Collins
If you're going with Sportwagen, I'd opt the higher trim with leather seats. I usually hate leather but on a golf it's definitely worth getting over cloth. It makes the interior looks and deceivingly feel very "premium". I believe 2016+ comes with Apple car play/Android auto, and 2018 comes with bigger infotainment screen.
Also, the base Alltrack starts relatively low if you want AWD.
Logan Stewart
Except that they're not better in every way.
For one thing, chassis rigidity is sacrificed in a significant way with either a wagon or a hatchback - the bigger the car is, the worse it gets. It also becomes an issue for NVH because any sort of sound or noise now cavitates all around the bigger empty space. You've essentially got a big fucking empty box - the downsides should be obvious.
Those things can be compensated for to a certain extent... at the cost of weight and complexity for additional bracing and development costs for a body style that doesn't sell well.
Landon Collins
impreza has a wagon too it sucks only the outback is the one we can get
Caleb Sanders
levorg
Carter Jackson
outside of america they can get a regular legacy wagon too without the suv ride height or gm cladding it sucks so much to be in this country. fuck cant even get 4runners thatre manuel like the prado
Connor Thomas
VW's are very easy to work on, just make sure you have lots of torx bits, hex bits and triple square bits. Pretty much the entire car is held together with those. Things will be expensive to repair if you get a shop to do it. If you buy your parts from places like Rockauto you can do pretty much any repairs on the cheap. The engines are pretty well bulletproof. They just won't die, although everything around it will start to fail once you get high up in mileage. On mine I replaced the whole front suspension, both CV axles, the alternator, timing belt, water pump, and a bunch of other stuff, which sounds shitty, but they're all original parts (1999) and they all held up until well over 200,000km. Properly maintained, Volkswagens really are good cars. Especially diesels.
Brayden Brown
yuropoor here, buy it, it's your car you'll drive it, if you want something that will last than look no further than vw, especially golf, golf 1 and 2 are still valued in balkans and over 300k km u will still need to cough out around 1000€ for a well maintained one
