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New (To Me) Vehicle Poll

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Ok. I have a 1999.4 Volkswagen Jetta that I am starting to have some transmission problems with, the timing belt needs changed, cruise control and air condition no longer work, etc. I am in the market for a new vehicle and cannot decide which to pursue. I have narrowed the vehicle search down to 2, and need your opinions/thoughts on what you would get, and why...

2004-2006 Ford F150 4x4 5.4L V8 ~13,500

2004-2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLI 1.8T ~12,000
 
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Not being a fan of VW, I'm gonna gave to say go for the pickup. But really, the pickup will probably eat a ton more gas and will be less fun to drive. Still... I do hate VW after owning a lemon of a golf.
 
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I could say the same thing about Ford ;) (owned a really horrible lemon)

I can say though that pickups are great, cept the mileage tends to suck, and driving them is sorta boring
 
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Yeah. The pros of the car (for me) are gas milage and driveability (see reference ;D) and the cons are no hauling ability, will have to put a roof rack on it to for my fishing rod rack, and will never be able to tow anything (although ATM I have nothing to tow).

Pros of the pickup and towing things, hauling anything that needs hauling, and I could always use it to make some money here and there (someone asks to get trash, brush, wood, etc from their yard). Cons are terrible gas mileage ~15mpg average and extremely boring to drive everyday. I wish I could buy both! One more thing for the truck is my other Jetta wont be going anywhere, I think i am gonna drop it from insurance and work on it for a few years, then hopefully get it back on the road!

Im at a loss with what to do, hopefully the poll and everyone's comments will sway me one way or the other.
 
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Cons are terrible gas mileage ~15mpg average and extremely boring to drive everyday.

:Grimmace:

I find cars extremely boring to drive, as silly as it sounds.

With a truck, you have a fairly large powerplant (most of the time) and rear wheel drive with almost no weight over the rear wheels. Come winter time, as soon as first snowfall hits, be the first in your local high school parking lot, and you'll have plenty to enjoy. :D

Something about a car is just too economical to be enjoyable, and a Jetta, while indeed a fun little car, just isn't going to be as dependable as a good pickup is.

However, at the prices you're looking at, you might want to check out a Silverado over an F-150. My uncle's got an '87 Silverado that is completely stock other than his alternator, and it's coming up on 1,000,000 miles. I'm yet to see an F-150 do that.
 
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I hate to say it, some of the least dependable vehicles I've had have been pickups. Enough that I'm done with em.. despite growing up as a farm kid
 
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Dodge, Ford, Chevy.. you name it.. I've probably had it. One of the worst was a GMC k25. The Dodge was EXTREMELY reliable engine wise (cummins), the rest of it was falling apart.. the GM's.. the engines had issues.. Ford.. electrical
 
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Derek McNelly said:
[...]a Jetta, while indeed a fun little car, just isn't going to be as dependable as a good pickup is.

Why on earth not? Big, heavy & inefficient = reliable?
I'd go with the Jetta. Gas prices are going to go up in the long term and personally I'd rather more space for people than places for stuff to "haul" :).

For more european snarkiness, be sure to check out Top Gear's review:clipser - Top Gear Ford F150 Pickup Truck
 
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I had a 2004 VW Jetta. It burst into flames while parked, engine shut off, everything else off. By the time all was said and done, the car was completely destroyed, and looked like a blackened frame with not a hint of paint or plastic left on it. There was never any reasonable explanation for why this happened.

So I would not buy another VW.

On the other hand, I now drive a 2006 Chevy Silverado, ext. cab V8 4x4, and I don't think I would ever get another car. There is just too much usefulness in having a truck.
 
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Dodge, Ford, Chevy.. you name it.. I've probably had it. One of the worst was a GMC k25. The Dodge was EXTREMELY reliable engine wise (cummins), the rest of it was falling apart.. the GM's.. the engines had issues.. Ford.. electrical

The Cummins diesel is a great engine, but the rest of the truck (and any Ram for that matter) is a mess. Especially the transmissions. Ford is Ford, and I'd expect it to have electrical problems, along with the blue oval defect.

I'm personally surprised you had engine issues with a GM though.

Why on earth not? Big, heavy & inefficient = reliable?

It's been a while, but there was a member on the forums who once told me over IRC that if I ever purchased a VW, he would personally track me down and beat the snot out of me. Ends up he was a VW mechanic. Forget his name now.

VWs, while engineered well, are poorly assembled with fragile, overly complex parts, and maintenance/repairs are very, very expensive. VWs in general are money pits, and the Jetta in particular is not a particularly hardy model. A pickup with 100,000 miles on it is just getting broken in, while a Jetta with 100k on it is going to feel like it's ready to join the choir invisible at any given moment.

Aptmunich said:
For more european snarkiness, be sure to check out Top Gear's review:clipser - Top Gear Ford F150 Pickup Truck

I have never liked Top Gear.

Come to think of it I've never liked European cars either. Especially Mercedes. Nothing but the utmost hatred for Mercedes and their drivers. I don't know how it is in Europe, but Merc drivers over here are some of the most ignorant and inconsiderate drivers on the road.

And in the parking lot as well, even when they're not in their cars.

1111072151ix9.jpg


Same goes for BMW drivers.

Although, BMWs have some sexy headlights. I give them that.

EDIT: I watched the video clip you linked to. While I found it amusing, it's definitely British. Jeremy Clarkson is making your common British complaints about American cars, and then he has to tie it all together with "This pickup does not work in Britain then because, well, we're just too sophisticated".

And with that one line, Opinion = Invalid due to unfounded bias.
 
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I watched the video clip you linked to. While I found it amusing, it's definitely British. Jeremy Clarkson is making your common British complaints about American cars, and then he has to tie it all together with "This pickup does not work in Britain then because, well, we're just too sophisticated".

And with that one line, Opinion = Invalid due to unfounded bias.

Yeah, that's why I prefaced it with "more european snarkiness". Clarkson is very biased on some issues... but I did find it funny ;)

I'm always wary of advice that makes sweeping generalisations about brands or types. VW may have a few lemons, but you can probably say the same for any brand.

I can't speak for Mercedes or BMW drivers in the US, but as far as cars go, they both do pretty amazing jobs in terms of quality. (Not my type of cars mind you).

So all in all, get a Honda.
 
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Yeah, that's why I prefaced it with "more european snarkiness". Clarkson is very biased on some issues... but I did find it funny ;)

Agreed. I did find it amusing.

I'm always wary of advice that makes sweeping generalisations about brands or types. VW may have a few lemons, but you can probably say the same for any brand.

Indeed, but as far as the Jetta goes, from personal experience I can tell you that once you hit the 100k mark, it becomes a rather scary ride.

I can't speak for Mercedes or BMW drivers in the US, but as far as cars go, they both do pretty amazing jobs in terms of quality. (Not my type of cars mind you).

If the drivers weren't such morons, I'd hold them in higher regard. I do like BMWs, but I've never been fond of Mercs. They do both make a fine automobile.

So all in all, get a Honda.

I have nothing bad to say about Hondas. My mother drove a Honda into the ground and it kept on going. May not be the most luxurious choice out there, but they're dependable cars.
 

eric


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ask yourself, "what do i really want in a car?"

what are your real wants and needs. it seems you may not have pinned those down yet, otherwise you'd have a closer comparison, not two vehicles in two completely different classes.
do you need a pickup? do you want a vw for whatever reason? why won't a toyota or honda do where the vw will?

also, where do you live? is rwd a non-issue, or does the weather get rough? do you live somewhere that owning a japanese car will make you a pariah? do you care? what do you use your car for 95% of the time? do you ever take a lot of people with you?
 
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I have an '06 Rabbit 4 door, and have had absolutely no problems with it at all, and it's an absolute joy to drive. I do know quite a bit about cars, and yes I'm european by birth, but this is my first VW. 40k miles, not a problem and my local VW has been really great.

That said, I've owned a Ford (first car) and as soon as it hit 100k miles it had everything go. Then my parent's bought me a Dodge Avenger with 12k miles. That by far was the worst car I've ever owned, and the last american I'll ever buy. Got rid of that and bought a Nissan SE-R (2002), that was a really great drive, lasted me through to my senior year in college till I got bored with the automatic and that's when I bought the VW. My next will undoubtedly be german, just a toss up between an Merc SLK 350 or Audi TTS. There's a level of refinement in any german car that's unlike anything else on the road.

So, I say look for a MKV GLI, the 2.0t in that is award winning and you get 3 years paid oil changes and service if bought new.


BTW:: Big Top Gear fan ;)
 
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what are your real wants and needs. it seems you may not have pinned those down yet, otherwise you'd have a closer comparison, not two vehicles in two completely different classes.
do you need a pickup? do you want a vw for whatever reason? why won't a toyota or honda do where the vw will?

also, where do you live? is rwd a non-issue, or does the weather get rough? do you live somewhere that owning a japanese car will make you a pariah? do you care? what do you use your car for 95% of the time? do you ever take a lot of people with you?

1. I dont exactly "Need" a pickup for my current job ( I teach technology education), but they are extremely nice to have. I fish alot, albeit without a boat yet, and it would be nice to have a spot to throw my tackle and rods when going fishing. The trunk of my jetta now, and my rod rack work fine though.

2. Yes, I definetely want a VW. I have owned the 1999.4 jetta I have now for 6 years and LOVE it. Despite the problems I am having with it now, it has been a very reliable vehicle for all those years. Besides a japapnese car just does not have the sexiness factor of a Jetta GLI. Im very good friends with a Lexus Service manager (who used to work for BMW, Audi, VW) and get my cars fixed for cost of part + a few beers at the bar anyway. Not really worried about repairing a VW.

3. Live in pittsburgh, If I buy a car it will either be FWD or AWD, I will never purchase a RWD car. A truck, I could get away with a RWD truck, but I would opt to pay a little more and get 4x4, just to be safe!

4. I use my car for the most part to commute to and from work and fishing trips. I hardly ever have more than me and the lady in it. I figure if I got the jetta I could tranport 4 people, and the truck I could transport 4 people (extended cab)
 
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Hmm, is it possilbe to put a hitch on the VW? I had a Camry for years with a hidden receiver hitch and a 4x8 cheap trailer from Harbor Freight Tools. It worked out well for me as I could fix a lot in the car when I needed to and if it was chasing something bigger like some plywood or bark mulch I'd hook up the trailer. Not sure how much you could tow with the V-dub but that might be an option.
 

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i would stick with the car then. though personally, i'd go for something with a hatch or wagon back for the utility if you go on fishing trips, you could bring a bigger cooler, more comfort items, etc.

they do make a jetta wagon, have you looked into that?
 
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Yeah. The pros of the car (for me) are gas milage and driveability and the cons are no hauling ability, will have to put a roof rack on it to for my fishing rod rack, and will never be able to tow anything (although ATM I have nothing to tow).

Pros of the pickup and towing things, hauling anything that needs hauling, and I could always use it to make some money here and there (someone asks to get trash, brush, wood, etc from their yard). Cons are terrible gas mileage ~15mpg average and extremely boring to drive everyday. I wish I could buy both! One more thing for the truck is my other Jetta wont be going anywhere, I think i am gonna drop it from insurance and work on it for a few years, then hopefully get it back on the road!

Im at a loss with what to do,
I'd say so. You haven't really shown me one reason why you need a pickup truck? The only way (I would assume by your remarks) you will make money with a p/u would be to install a snowplow. Oh and for the record, pickups can and will, become a PITA. Everyone wants you to do them favors. Mind you, nothing wrong with helping someone out but understand, after awhile it will become a PITA. Ask any owner.

I've never owned a VW, so I cannot comment personal experience, however - the maintenance costs for all euro cars is *&$(!! insane.

I find cars extremely boring to drive, as silly as it sounds.
Agreed. Although I do appreciate a nice hot rod or muscle car, they're just not my thing. Which leads me to...

You want the perfect summer and winter vehicle? Something that can just as easily tow any trailer that F150 (you linked) can? Want something fun to drive? Then what you really want is a Jeep Wrangler. And you can even have one with four doors too! 4x4 not only for winter driving conditions, but also for having fun exploring off-road. And in the summertime, take the hard top off - drop the soft top, and your doing it in a convertible! Mind you, those fishing trips will become a lot more fun getting to in a Jeep!
 

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not if he travels on the highway a lot...
 

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