That thread here about the 1979 Rabbit interests me. I read many car newsgroups and have not run across any other car makes which inspire such passion in their owners to restore and keep them on the road. I also have never seen a thread this long about a car of this age, except for one early
80s Honda owner, whom most people trashed for complaining about the cost of his part.I used to know someone in the late 70s who had a Rabbit and it was always spewing black smoke and he was always angry as it was new. I suppose I would have assumed it wouldn't still be running. But now I wonder. I think back to the crummy Hondas and Toyotas on the road in the 70s and how almost all of them are in junkyards, long gone, mostly because they rusted out, but for some reason the Rabbit still is considered roadworthy. I've seen several just this week and they were not all that rusty. I am wondering if they keep going forever if well taken care of, if parts are replaced, and what makes them worth keeping forever.
I have a friend who drove an orange Beetle, 1966 I think. It had a real personality. He finally sold it to an avid collector, because he didn't want to keep putting money into it, lots of repairs were needed.
But the point is that some people do want to keep restoring their old cars. Why VW? There must really be something really worthwhile about that car. It can't be just image and hype because there is no status in driving an old car, since you're not supporting the theory that everything must be disposable to keep the economy going, and buying new cars.
The Toyotas I've had do not have a personality. At all times I've felt like I was driving a rental car. Same with Hondas I've driven, belonging to relatives. The pos Saturn I used to drive of my friend's had more personality even though it had turbo lag. My Hyundai Pony had personality. Same body type as the Rabbit, it lasted me 365,000 km but it needed too much body work lately to keep driving it; it was structurally unsound, and there are no Pony collector clubs.
I did test drive the Golf and the Jetta when I was researching new cars in
2002, when told my Pony was no longer safe to drive. My number one choice was the Golf because I wanted a hatchback and loved its looks (not fat like most of the other cars). What made me buy the Corolla was 3 things: 1) in general, constant rave reviews putting it and Honda as Number One, and consistently not recommending the VWs (except the Passat) because of electrical problems. 2) needed more room in the back seat for passengers, I thought. 3) Golf and Jetta both cost about $2,000 to 4,000 (Cdn) more than the Corolla, which in turn cost the same as the Echo with equivalent extras. Honda btw was almost the same premium as the VWs. I thought perhaps these cars cost more because of image, since Toyota was judged to be just as excellent or more so.I am saying Toyota (and the car reviews like CR) tricked me into buying a car that I don't like and don't feel I can stand to drive for one year let alone 20 years if it is built to last that long. It has design flaws and I consider it a big mistake and am going to take my losses and try again.
I am thinking of VW now and am well aware of the electrical problems. If something isn't put in right in the factory, and is then fixed, then it should be fine, right? I am wondering if that is as bad as a car (Corolla) that spews sulphur and coolant and gas and exhaust fumes into the cabin daily, which the dealer calls "normal." In all these threads there is only one about fumes in the VW cabin and it was replied by someone saying that is not normal. I always assumed that diesel Golfs would spew diesel fumes into the cabin but the owner here says that doesn't happen. And the diesel Golf seems to get mileage almost as good as the hybrids.
I believe unfortunately that many who own a car become part of that car's club of defenders and cannot admit there is anything wrong with any model of that car. Toyota owners are absolutely the worst; even though Toyota itself admitted to a sludge problem, the Toyota fans who never had that happen accuse others of causing it themselves by not changing the oil twice as frequently as the manual says. That was the last generation. The current generation has a catalytic converter problem and that is blamed on the gas. However that same gas doesn't cause fumes when used in other makes of car with different catalytic converters (apparently).
My question is: those of you who are VW owners, do you love your cars? Do you still love them even though they have electrical problems because you feel at home behind the wheel? Do the problems strand you on the road and if so, how often? Is a cell phone a requirement if you drive a VW because they are very "delicate"? If money was no object what car would you drive, if you had to just pick one and keep it for 15 years?
Thanks.