Comments on: What is the life expectancy of a Volkswagen?

By: George K

George K — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:18:21 +0000

A VW is good for maby 7 years.A Toyota will out last a VW ten to one.

By: dewhatulike

dewhatulike — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:06:44 +0000

YESSSS>>>>>>>>>Im so torn,I'd get both of them. One for me, one for you.

By: sarabeara310

sarabeara310 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:44:46 +0000

VW’s are very reliable…you just have to keep up with the maint and you’ll be fine. Right now I have a 97 Jetta GT..I’ve had it for almost 2 years and I’ve paid less than $500 on the car (much less). Not to mention there’s 115,xxx miles on the car and it snows a lot here.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 23:10:19 +0000

Volkswagens are solidly built but medium/long term statistics say that you are going to spend more time at the dealer getting things fixed on the Volkswagen.

I love Volkswagen, don’t get me wrong, but the truth is they are not as reliable as Toyota. That is not an opinion. It’s a measurable fact. Check Consumers Reports. Solid research data and surveys are worth more than anecodotes about 300,000 mile cars. Any car will last 300,000 miles if you maintain it religiously and fix whatever is wrong. Question is how much does reliability matter to you and how religious are you with your maintanence and how long are you really even going to keep your next car? All questions you need to ask yourself.

Unless you are hopelessly in love with that Jetta, I think you ought to be looking at a Corolla or a Matrix instead. The Jetta does have more personality than a Corolla, I’ll be the first to admit. You just need to decide what you value most. If you were happy with Toyota’s in the past, there is no reason not to expect you will continue to be.

Only compelling reason I can see to choose a Jetta over a Corolla as a daily driver would be VW’s superb TDI diesel.

By: Nicole M

Nicole M — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:27:45 +0000

As long as you take care of the VW it will last you a good 300,000 miles plus. I’ve had one for 6 years and only have had minor problems, all of them my fault. Take care of it, and it’ll last you forever.

By: HearKat

HearKat — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 22:02:35 +0000

I have had 3 Golf 5-speeds (’87, ’95, ’00) and drove all for an average of 175,000 miles before upgrading.

With each newer model, the cars had fewer and fewer issues with maintenance. On my 2000, all I did was routine maintenance: Oil changes, Brake pads, and S-belt/timing belt. It did not need ANY other repairs!

By: Tina

Tina — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:21:52 +0000

I have a 2001 VW Beetle with 75,000 miles and I have not had to do anything to it except regular maint. I love it. I also have had Toyotas and they are excellent cars. I would say go for it and get a Jetta.

By: lolkid_98

lolkid_98 — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:37:32 +0000

The reliability of VW has gone down greatly anything newer than 1990 I would try to avoid, VW reliability has always been different for the individual vehicle, this might sound silly but if this Jettas high miles with only regular maint. then chances are it will continue to maintain that reliability if it had several Major repairs than expect if to continue to be high maint. . And always remember that although VW is just your standard import it has an exotic car repair bill even for the most common issues

By: stallion1948_lloyd

stallion1948_lloyd — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:16:29 +0000

they last a long time,if you keep them clean.they tend to rust out fast if you dont,unless they made them better then they use to.

By: S M

S M — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:49:21 +0000

I have owned a VW of some sort since 1986. They are not for the fainthearted, but the problems you will encounter are usually a result of not have the car maintained on schedule. I have ALWAYS been an avid non-supporter of Toyota and Honda cars because they are about as generic as you can get. Not to mention slow for something such as the Corolla or Civic.

If you want to look like every other “lost in the crowd commuter” then a Honda or Toyota is the way to go. If you want to experience some real get-up-and-go, go get yourself a v-dub. You’ll never go back to that other stuff.