[Closed] Volkswagens

People buy them new because idiots buy them used for way more than their actual worth

Makes them look like a great buy new.

T5 - 200000 miles - 7 grand please . Pull the other one !

They make good cars that hold value well and can be had on cheap lease deals. Exactly what constitutes a good car is different to different people.

I paid 5500 for a 6 year old golf estate, kept it for 7 years, loved it and would buy another if they still made exactly the same.

You think you're being individual but you're not

No car makes you an individual.

I bought one in 2005. A 51 plate 130tdi Passat estate with 93k on it. I traded it for another one 8 years later when it had 235K on the clock, very much trouble free. Best & most reliable car I've ever had in 40 years of driving ( & one of the most fuel efficient)

What was the question again?

What about folk with Volkswagen tattoos?

Strangest thing ever to get ones knickers twisted over.

Was that the one with the new tirbo and full compliment of warning lights you tried to sell on here ?

You think you're being individual but you're not.

[img] [/img]

Why do people buy Volkswagens? Are you buying into the adverts? Are all Volkswagens the same? By choosing a different colour are you trying to be an individual? I don't understand why people would buy a VW. Are you trying to tell a story? You think you're being individual but you're not.

Why do people buy [s]Volkswagens[/s] cars? Are you buying into the adverts? Are all [s]Volkswagens[/s] cars the same? By choosing a different colour are you trying to be an individual? I don't understand why people would buy a [s]VW[/s] car. Are you trying to tell a story? You think you're being individual but you're not.
Can someone please explain?

You think you're being individual but you're not.

What an utterly bizarre thing to say.

Who buys a Golf be a they think it's "individual"

Anyway, I call troll. Just to counter some posts above, my Golf has proved a bit of a **** on the reliability stakes.

that makes you think you're expressing your individuality?

Ford Mondeo FTW

Got 2 vw's. Build quality is top notch. Been totally reliable. Neutral image. Keep value. What's not to like...

So we're agreed, VW's are good.

Phew.

2 VW's!

We all have our cross to bear I suppose...

🙂

Why does anyone buy anything? They identify (or want to be seen to identify) with the set of values that the brand espouses. Does anyone buy a car because of [i]actual[/i] reliability these days? Or just a perception of reliability? Most modern cars are extremely reliable, and there's no real significant difference between brands. People do however want to be seen to be reliable.

VWs are not fast, they're not slow, they won't go sideways or be any fun to drive, and they aren't exactly luxurious. But they will take several people and their things in perfectly acceptable comfort. To me, that means they're utterly uninteresting, but other people* might consider them to be a perfect utilitarian object.

*Boring people

The Polish fella that bought our old Polo described VW's as "good cars for poor people". I took that to mean that they offered good value for money over the course of their life.

are you trying to be an individual?

No, that comes when you buy an Aston or a Ferrari or something similar, not a mainstream everyday motor.
I've now got a Mondeo which I really like & would certainly consider another VW. (but not a BMW cos theyr'e driven by Nobs)

I bought my last car, after lots of research, based on its width, reported reliability, warranty length and price. With such an exciting list of primary considerations who'd have thought I'd have ended up with a Toyota MPV!

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To me, that means they're utterly uninteresting, but other people* might consider them to be a perfect utilitarian object.

*Boring people

🙂

Or people that find cars boring.

[quote=Superficial ]Does anyone buy a car because of actual reliability these days? Or just a perception of reliability?

Several posts on this thread would suggest that there is still a certain amount of the latter involved in buying a VW, despite as you say the reality being that there is no significant advantage.

Me? Mondeo. I suppose that with a Mondeo you are making a statement - that you couldn't care less about image. At least for me, the perception is that a Mondeo is cheaper to run (and from what I can work out it beats the equivalent VW on most other criteria) - though that could be an equally false perception.

Obvious troll is very obvious seeing as he's not been back!
I do find cars very boring as it happens, I've got a Mondeo Titanium X estate cos the Mrs won't let me have a Transit parked on the drive.
I'd still have another Passat estate though.

They identify (or want to be seen to identify) with the set of values that the brand espouses.

I have no actual idea what the values are of any of the brands.

Edited to minimise tedium

[quote=esselgruntfuttock ] I do find cars very boring as it happens

I expect some would say that's because you've owned boring cars. But then I reckon "exciting" cars are over-rated - it's certainly a very expensive way to make your life more interesting.

MX5

As a person of questionable morals, I wanted a car that reflected my values.

Lexus?

I like my two and both are diesel...

[URL= http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/unfitggeezer/B57FCB18-BDD8-4091-B64F-A0664E4384B3-1641-000002F86C7A0CBE_zpslsxeqyoa.jp g" target="_blank">http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q685/unfitggeezer/B57FCB18-BDD8-4091-B64F-A0664E4384B3-1641-000002F86C7A0CBE_zpslsxeqyoa.jp g"/> [/IMG][/URL]

That grate's a bit annoying

No flash and a longer exposure would have been better. Although it's a shot of an ancient van and an old estate car on a tarmaced front garden of a suburban house in Aldershot or Clwyd or Stirling...there's no amount of glitter you could roll that photo in to make it interesting.

No flash and a longer exposure would have been better. Although it's a shot of an ancient van and an old estate car on a tarmaced front garden of a suburban house in Aldershot or Clwyd or Stirling...there's no amount of glitter you could roll that photo in to make it interesting.

EDIT:

Obvious troll is very obvious seeing as he's not been back!

I don't even know where Clwyd is tbh

You don't want to

It's nowhere as it no longer exists, but it was the home to Llandegla and other such crap.

It's block paving...I'll have you know and I'm not in aldershot or where ever you said that's leafy North London suburb

Oh and thanks, for the camera lesson 😛

2 VW's!
We all have our cross to bear I suppose...

One's 10 years old and the other is 7 years so I'll hold off on the chest puffage..

Neither has a single rattle though, which says something for the virtues of a volkswagen.

esselgruntfuttock - Member
...I do find cars very boring as it happens, I've got a Mondeo Titanium X estate cos the Mrs won't let me have a Transit parked on the drive...

Much the same here, cars are just bike transport boxes. I could probably get excited by a small engined Caterham or the like, but stuff like Ferraris, Astons etc seem pointless on public roads.

My missus doesn't like my taste in Transits either - the day Ford work out how to make them "sexy" to wives, sales will go through the roof.

End of thread.
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Is that Clwyd?

That's a very unique vehicle you've got there PJM1974. Permit me a little chuckle at the colour. 😆
Have to say that VW are good at making Euroboxes, arem't they?
It looks like the drive opens directly on to the road, so no clwyd.

The perfect euro box is dull, boring and reliable when you want it to be, with RWD and a powerful engine upfront to contribute at the press of a button to proper driver handling when you want it.

pure Joy. 😀

I have a mk6 golf which so far has been very reliable, cheap to run and looks ok. I bought it because I've always liked the look of golfs (though I prefer the older ones) and wanted something reliable and cheap for commuting as my old fiesta was too expensive and feeling very rattly approaching 100k. Get twice as many miles in one tank as I did with the fiesta and it's only a little bit more expensive for a full tank. I'm happy with it even if it is a bit of a boring/safe car choice.

@captainsasquatch

Nope, not mine - I borrowed an image from google. I used to have one, probably the finest, best balanced chassis I've ever driven.

Errr, isn't vw the exact opposite of expressing individuality?
Aren't you buying into a cult?
A cult of cool?
Herbie, hippies, surf bums, vw festivals..
Aren't you just saying you identify with those groups?

VWs are cool... Get over it

Not quite as cool as my high mileage, underpowered, grey Renault Scenic though obvs 🙂

I shortlisted Civic, Focus and Golf after reading around and listening to the motoring fanbois about Focus handling. Previously had bought Seat then Toyota. Test drove all three. Decided sharp handling would be wasted on me on motorways, so the Focus wasn't nice enough in other areas plus you couldn't get cruise control without leather. Went for the Civic, based on engine and interior, but there were none at my price range when I wanted to buy. Went back to the VW dealer, the Jetta I looked at had gone, so was offered a Passat for less. Liked the performance, gearbox and interior.

In my mind all the "brand image" of the middle tier manufacturers is the same. Competent everyday cars, nothing really to choose. The next price bracket is the aspirational thing.

A bit of old Skool Cool..
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[img] [/img]

And New Skool too.
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Oh look, stance.

*yawn*

(the beetle pickup conversion is the only interesting one of the lot but still gets points deducted for the scene ornaments it's carrying)

Cars look really stupid lowered too much. Really stupid.

Wow - i thought the max power scene died in the 90s - 3 out of 4 look terrible.

The pick up is pretty cool- i do like a woodie.

trail_rat - Member
...The pick up is pretty cool- i do like a woodie.

It's pretty nifty. 🙂

I like the idea of doing a chop on a car and making a ute/bakkie/pickup.

I thought my Volvo S80 would be perfect for it - they're a sort of VW aren't they? 🙂

Volvos (especially old ones) would be exactly what I would use. Kinda like a P100 but tankier.

Unovolo: every vehicle in those photos is howking. I'd rather look at a ssangyong

Well if we all liked the same things life would be terrible dull, personally I like them and don't mind a bit of stance or a bash with the lowering stick.

The Splitty I'll admit is a bit ott but the point was there all Individual something which the OP was stating that owning a VW wasn't.

That Splitty looks like it's being driven left to right.

I owned a T2 Devon, it ran reliably for five years and I sold it it excellent condition for £1200 - probably worth over ten times that now if you could find one in similar condition.

The exhaust manifolds often leaked into the heat exchangers which meant you had the choice of freezing (Alps/Pyrenees in Winter) or being poisoned with carbon monoxide. The engine was gutless, clattery and used fuel as a coolant. Engine fires were common due to fuel leaks onto the dizzy so I fitted proper braided fuel lines. Stability in cross winds wasn't good and there were a few inches of slack in the steering when it was properly adjusted. It's the only vehicle I've owned where the lack of performance was dangerous; joining the Autobahn was quite exciting. Condensation was an issue, but as we often had to drive windows down to keep the screen clear it soon dried out.

On the plus side it was home and great in the snow, it's nice to look at the old photos but I wouldn't buy another.

Why do people buy any brand?

Pick the one that suits you best, personally I look for the right car for me considering a load of factors - almost by accident all my cars bar 3 have been VAG cars, a Toyota which broke (although it was the fault of the last owner) a Honda which broke all the bloody time and that was Honda's fault and a Ford which was so horrible it actually made me question where Id gone wrong in life.

I'm very excited to be getting my first VW for over 20 years next month. I like the neutrality of VW over the other German brands (or did until recently at least). It's going to allow me to do most of my driving on electricity, will cost very little to run, will go fast when I want it to and look nice (in my view). Can't wait. Still interested to know what the debonair Mr Sasquatch drives though?

Golf GTE?

Still interested to know what the debonair Mr Sasquatch drives though?

[img] [/img]

Why do people buy Volkswagens? Are you buying into the adverts? Are all Volkswagens the same? By choosing a different colour are you trying to be an individual? I don't understand why people would buy a VW. Are you trying to tell a story? You think you're being individual but you're not.
Can someone please explain?

People buy Volkswagens because the brand appeals to them; same with anything else. The boring/safe/white//slightly snobbish middle classes, that's who they appeal too - just look at the way they're advertised/branded - completely different to the French/Italian/Asian brands. I've never seen anyone other than a white person in their adverts for a start

Even this one?

🙄

Sorry; I'm just ignorant!

Edit

Although saying that, that looks like an American ad; or did they do the same for the UK? Still, it says 2015 on it and it must be the first one they've done?>!

Golf GTE?

Yep. It's been a long wait.

Still, it says 2015 on it and it must be the first one they've done?>!

I can't be arsed to look but I bet it's not.

I've never seen anyone other than a white person in their adverts for a start

mmm well thats not true...

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[img] [/img]

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Sorry; I live a sheltered life. Maybe it's just round here thast Volkswagens are viewed as aspirational cars; driven by people who do their weekly shop at Booths.

Or maybe that's just your perception of it.

Given david was presumably referring to the UK marketing I'm not sure any of those examples disprove his point - and you're certainly not disproving his suggestion that he'd never seen an ad with somebody non-white with adverts he won't have ever seen.

What a shock that VW tailor their adverts differently for different markets and don't feature white people when selling in India or Japan - I'm guessing in those other countries those ads are aimed at they probably don't have the same concept of aspirational middle classes.

Ermmm! They're VW ads with different races in, do you really have to then claim it has to be UK only?

Drac, stop feeding the trolls.

Pointless.

I'd think UK only is strongly implied by the mention of "middle classes" - though you could just re-read what he wrote and have a think about whether you're actually disproving his claim even without that.

Sorry Captain.

I'm not trolling at all - and david's is pretty mild given his usual output if it is a troll. It's an interesting suggestion to make given the google bashing which took place in an attempt to disprove him - I doubt the posters had ever seen those ads before they went searching.

Ermmm! They're VW ads with different races in, do you really have to then claim it has to be UK only?

Aracer has basically made sense out of what I was trying to say in my first post.

I'm not saying VW are racist or owt like that; but they just seem to have a certain way of marketing their cars the nice white uk middle class families, I think.

Nah, I'm not trolling either. Infact I don't think I ever do! I just think some people on here lack a sense of humour!

Though you're distracting me from a far more important point:

[quote=molgrips ]Went back to the VW dealer, the Jetta I looked at had gone, so was offered a Passat for less. Liked the performance, gearbox and interior.

remind us again about the reliability...

Nah, I'm not trolling either. Infact I don't think I ever do! I just think some people on here lack a sense of humour!

Ah! The Edinburgh defence.

😀