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I have many friends who are mechanics, and VW's and Audi's seem to be over-engineered and many have wiring harness issues. I can't remember the last time I had to replace an outside light in my '94 Honda Civic, yet I see very young VW's and Audi's with burnt out bulbs or one light is dimmer than the one on the opposite side all of the time.
And about 25 years ago, my sister bought a used VW Rabbit. It was a CA car with no rust and everything under the hood was clean as a whistle. Yet periodically, it would strand her in the middle of nowhere as it refused to start. Finally, my dad made her trade it in for something more reliable (a Toyota). And my dad is not afraid of used cars. He had a first gen Hyundai that he drove for over 200K and a 1990 Toyota Camry that hit almost 300K before being stolen and stripped for parts.
Anyway, VW unreliability is not a myth... and Honda and Toyota reliability are legendary. Also Volvo 240's are known for running forever.
I've owned one VW, a '97 Jetta, and it's been a good car for me. That said, it most likely has had more headaches and annoyances than Toyotas or Hondas (although I've never owned one to know). The fact that I've owned several Alfa Romeos and a Merkur makes me much more tolerant of problems with cars than some of those responding here. I do my own work, so it can be an aggravation but it's not breaking the bank. The details:
Bought the Jetta around 2002 with 50-some thousand miles on it. The car has almost 115,000 on it now, 12 years later. It's the "second car" in the family and used mostly for short trips.
Around 68K the starter motor died.
A taillight let rain in the trunk because the cushioned seal had rotted.
Has the very common VW problem of wires breaking in the door jambs, producing odd effects like the alarm arming itself at the wrong times or the alarm going off randomly.
Cruise control stopped working.
Wiper fluid plastic hose under the hood snapped apart, and dipstick plastic pull handle broke off of the dipstick.
One window regulator died.
A/C died before 90K. Needs compressor and more, I haven't done that job yet.
Had the common problem with a door sticking in cold weather, resulting in an exterior door handle breaking off.
Another door handle had an interior piece (the hook) break.
Valve cover gasket around 111,000.
Oil filter cooler gasket around 112,000.
Lower control arm bushings around 112,000.
Leaky sunroof if I haven't cleaned out the drains.
Drivers seat bolster has broken so seat is flat on left side (clutch foot side - I figure all the city driving and clutch action wore the seat down).
Rear cup holder broke.
Vents are getting the interior foam rubber breaking apart and blown into the cabin. This is from the interior recirculation flap.
So at under 120,000 miles I've had enough (12 years with a car is also unusual for me, so it's time for a change anyway). I'd be game for buying a newer VW, but there are some other makes on my list. It does seem that it hasn't held up well to age, more than just miles. But it still gets me around and has never stranded me away from home.
I don't know how to respond except annecdotally...
My Godfather was stationed in Germany in 1961 and bought a new Bug... he drove the car over 50 years and never pulled the engine and it's been 100% reliable... he was an engineer in Mountain View California.
I have a 1973 VW Thing and no issues.
Mom drove a 1976 Rabbit for 30 years... she bought it for $800 and sold it for $600... never did anything, not even a clutch, except for normal maintenance, tires, battery, pads/shoes...
All of the above were very simple cars... all sticks, no A/C, no radio, no power windows etc...
We had friends visit from Germany and they were amazed to see Mom's rabbit... not that it was running... they were amazed it had not rusted away... she lives in California and zero rust!
What I don't understand is why VW--which is so generally attested to be unreliable here in North America--is so popular in Europe and the rest of the world.
I'm not taking a "side" in this debate at all; it's just something that strikes me as odd.
Overall VW designs can be reliable if the issues are discovered and fixed quickly. The problem is many parts are difficult to repair on your own compared to Japanese cars.
Location: Born & Raised DC > Carolinas > Seattle > Denver
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wife and I have a 2010 VW CC, great car. Absolutely zero issues so far, and we just hit 50k.
My father owned an old volkswagen camper bus, that damn thing rolled for 20 years before it finally broke down. My parents took it on multiple road trips from DC to California and back...never had an issue.
I haven't read any posts in here other than the OP, so don't take offense anybody. But I find it hilarous that one person has a problem with their car (in this case, a Volkswagen) and suddenly all Volkswagens are "money pits" and "unreliable."
I had a problem with my Camry the other day, cost me $300 and took me all day to get it fixed. Doesn't mean I'm going to log into every car forum on the internet and say that "OH MY GOD, Toyota Camry's suck. Don't buy one!"
I haven't read any posts in here other than the OP, so don't take offense anybody. But I find it hilarous that one person has a problem with their car (in this case, a Volkswagen) and suddenly all Volkswagens are "money pits" and "unreliable."
I had a problem with my Camry the other day, cost me $300 and took me all day to get it fixed. Doesn't mean I'm going to log into every car forum on the internet and say that "OH MY GOD, Toyota Camry's suck. Don't buy one!"
Google is your friend here. Just because you got a good one doesn't mean they aren't unreliable. The issues I posted (I know you said you didn't read the replies) are extremely common and widely complained about.
My one experience was a '92 Passat. It was reliable, although rather expensive to maintain, up until it developed electric gremlins. It was then a POS and I was quite happy when a car t-boned me and totaled it. Passat/Golf TDI are on the short list of cars I'm considering. Better value than the Hybrid Accord with similar mileage and without the diminutive trunk. Since I won't be buying for hopefully a few more years at least, there's still time for other competition to develop a midsize/hatch/small crossover that doesn't drive like a Prius and still gets 40 MPG. Ie, Mazda needs to bring the diesel 3/6/CX5 over. Second generation Volt is also a possibility if the electric range is increased and they figure out how to make it get decent mileage on gasoline. Jury is still out on that.
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