Why doesnt the Passat sell as well as the Accord or Camry

[J Baustian]

Current and former VW owners who report how expensive VWs are to fix, are clearly relying on the dealerships for everything -- and the VW dealerships are not cheap.

But there are many independent VW shops, usually owned by guys who used to work at the dealerships but did not like how the customers always got screwed. I recommend finding one or two of these shops, maybe even before acquiring a VW. They know the strengths and weaknesses of each model, and can steer you toward a particular model and engine, or even a particular car that they know is available for a good price.

I have two shops that I know and trust, and between them they keep both of my VW Golf TDIs running in top condition. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I've gone to a VW dealership in the last ten years: a multi-function switch ($226 parts and labor), a new hood latch ($113 including labor), and a outside mirror housing. Those visits all turned out well -- I knew exactly what I needed beforehand. But an earlier dealership visit ended very badly, when a water pump replacement led to a timing belt failure 20k miles later ($3000 in direct costs and loss of income). That was the one and only time I used a dealership for any work like that.

Even in small towns without a mechanic who is well-experienced with VWs, there are good mechanics who can fix almost anything -- but you have to know your car and what it needs. Otherwise these mechanics can end up replacing parts until they finally luck out, maybe.

I haven't owned a lot of cars in my life; I tend to keep each one for a long time, a Saab 900T for 16 years, and now a Golf TDI for 14 years. The Golf was definitely the best car-buying decision I've made.