Re: New VW slogan: "Are you ready to put up with it?" -Reply

[Philip Mueller <Mueller2@wit.edu>]

I've been sitting here listening to everyone debate the reliability of
VW's.  I haven't said anything because all my experience is with the older
ones A1's & old A2's.  I thought that maybe there was just something that
I was missing with the ones, until I read this:

Vojin Janjic wrote:

> <SNIP>
>
> I am not saying, by any means, that GLX is a diseaster when it
> comes to reliability.  VW is unquestionably getting better since,
> for example, the Rabbit Diesel times...   My point is that GLX is

> <SNIP>

>
>
> Vojin

 My Dad had an '81 Rabbit diesel LS.  I learned how to drive in it, & then
drove it for another two years after that.  The rabbit diesel is one of
the most reliable cars that I have ever driven.  My Dad's died with only
222,223 miles on it, because of a cracked block caused by a manufacturing
defect.  Until this point in time all the car ever required was normal
maintenance.  Nothing ever wore out early, & many parts lasted 2-3 times
longer than they should have, it still had the original clutch in it even
though both my sister & learned to drive in it.  Before anyone asks, NO,
we didn't baby it.  My dad beat on that car more than I did when I was
16.  We took the car off-roading, drove it in blizzard when the roads were
closed, & I even did some street racing with it.  Yes, you can beat any
car on the road if you have the right drivers, I beat a kid with a year
mustang 5.0 on a regular basis leaving high school, he didn't know how to
drive it.

My cousin also has an '81 rabbit diesel L with 225,000 that got handed
down from his mother.  He also learned to drive in his, has the original
clutch, & has only done regular maintenance. He doesn't beat his as much
as I do, but he's not easy on it either. His biggest problem has been
fighting of the rust in the last 2-3 years.

My sister has an '85 jetta turbo diesel, that she paid $950 with 120,000,
the odometer stopped at 140,00 about 3 years ago.  This winter she had to
replace the clutch, but that's all that she's done besides regular
maintenance, & we figure the car currently has about 210,000 miles on it.

My other cousin had an '86 gas jetta with 150,000 that he just sold &
aside from some problems with the radio all he did was regular
maintenance.

Now for the big, one I currently have an '81 gas rabbit L that I bought
about a year ago for $450.  The car had 38,000 miles on it when I bought
it but it had been sitting outside for 2 years.  All that it needed to get
on the road was to replace 3 hoses, valve cover gasket, rotors, &
exhaust.  All of these items needed to be replaced because of the time the
car had spent sitting (rusted & dry rotted) not because they were worn
out.  Since I put the car on the road in September I have put 14,000 miles
on it, & done nothing besides regular maintenance ( I added a tach &
upgraded the stereo but those don't count).  The car has given me no
problems & I've driven it all over New England, From Maine to New York.  I
have pictures (soon to be on my web site) of my car in sand pits, on top
of sand hills , in mud pits, and driving down dirt roads.  I plan on doing
some autoX as soon as I get the time and money.

Now, I ask you, please don't crack on the old VW's just because you have
problems with the new ones.  The way I see it, I think that all of your
cars just feel neglected.  Just look.  They're all low mileage cars that
obviously don't get driven enough!

Philip
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Philip Mueller                                            _
Mueller2@acad.wit.edu                                  ()/
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