'07 VW Rabbit... thoughts?

I am considering the '07 VW Rabbit, 2 door, 5 speed.
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2007/volkswagen/rabbit/100777966/researchlanding.html

I test drove it and it's a very peppy/quick vehicle. Not bad for 2.5L, 5 cyl, 150 hp... the torque is what does it at 170 ft-lb. It has a very stable and sure ride.

It's made Germany and imported, the same vehicle VW has been using in Europe for the last few years.

I have a quote of $15,800 which includes 16" alloy upgrades and also includes destination.

Some of the standard features:
4-wheel ABS
emergency braking assist
traction control
dual front side-mounted airbags
front and rear head airbags
2 front headrests, 3 rear headrests
remote anti-theft alarm system
engine immobilizer
daytime running lights
driver & passenger head restraint whiplash protection system
turn signal mirrors
electronic brakeforce distribution
heated mirrors
cruise control
electric speed-proportional power steering
tilt and telescopic steering wheel
AM/FM in-dash single CD player, CD-controller with CD MP3 Playback stereo
8 total speakers
12V front and 12V cargo area power outlet(s)

(photos are from Edmunds.com)

Sweet ride k757! Prolly a little better on gas too but black? I thought you rode red……
Oh, BTW, yer Chrome Plated jewels are being shipped to you today!!!!!! Yipee…..

Sweet ride k757! Prolly a little better on gas too but black? I thought you rode red……
Oh, BTW, yer Chrome Plated jewels are being shipped to you today!!!!!! Yipee…..
I am in the "hmmm" stage right now. The color I would go with is either Silver or Red.

S-I-L-L-S ......... ahhhhhhhhhh

Just sold my 2000 New Beatle 1.8T, and would like to make a few comments about VW. Was a good car, but when things went wrong, they were very expensive to repair/replace. Battery: you'd think that would be easy and cheap, but not on a VW or at least a New Beatle. $136 for a battery:eek: , and then another $105 labor:eek: because they have to take the fender off to replace the battery. Watch out for timing belt issues, and my electrical/electronics were "buggy," to say the least.

When all is said and done, the car was a blast to drive, but the cost of upkeep was just higher than I expected, after years of owning Toyotas and Hondas. I'm not telling you not to buy a VW; just be aware of the significantly higher cost of maintenance. Maybe it is similar to maintaining any other euro-car, but that seems to be much higher than maintenance for American or Japanese, or even Korean cars.

Best of luck on your decision!

I don't think i'd buy into the VW thing either. There are very limited VW's (new and old) on the road. There's a reason for that.

I'd go with a "FIT" if your looking for milage.....if i was looking for a sporty ride with good gas milage i'd go with the civic or civic si

Just sold my 2000 New Beatle 1.8T, and would like to make a few comments about VW. Was a good car, but when things went wrong, they were very expensive to repair/replace. Battery: you'd think that would be easy and cheap, but not on a VW or at least a New Beatle. $136 for a battery:eek: , and then another $105 labor:eek: because they have to take the fender off to replace the battery.

After owning many highline German cars I decided to make a switch to Honda a two years ago. German cars in my opinion are generally the best driving and most comfortable cars in their respective classes. They achieve this through waaaay over engineering almost everything on the vehicle. Nothing is easy to do. For example:

My Audi had underbody plates which provided better aerodynamics, reduced road noise, protection, etc. This meant that oil changes require dropping a large, heavy, plate and basically required a lift.

My BMW had the battery under the back seat. It was within the protection area for the passengers so you would continue to have electrical power in the event of an accident. The bad thing was if you had to replace it you had to pull the backseat of a full size car.

Ever had to use a couple of gallons of oil in a car? My MB SL required 15 quarts.

Just understand to edge out the competition in a class the Germans will go through any lengths to achieve a desired result - to heck with service because you should be affluent enough to take your vehicle into the dealer anyway. Where this hurts them is the VW line. Since these cars are entry level you get a lot of folks who buy the cars because they are German and within their price range but do not anticipate the service costs over the life of the vehicle.

Do yourself a favor. If you do not plan to routinely take your vehicle into the dealer and pay dealer prices for service, buy a Civic.

Just my $.02.

That was well put, Nashville, and exactly what I really meant. I thought a VW would be easy to work on, just like the ones when I was a kid. Hell, seemed everyone had an old bug/dunebuggy that you could tinker with, but the new VWs do fall in line more with the Audis, BMWs, etc., where maintenance goes. There is just so much technology crammed into them that the average guy can't just pull out a Chiltons and dive under the hood. If you can afford to have the dealer do all your maintenance, then who cares, but I found out just how difficult even simple maintenance could be (like changing a battery or thermostat), and that took some of the fun out of ownership.

Not bashing VW here; this is not just a VW problem. The same engineering that gives us such exceptional performance, handling, ride, safety, etc., comes back to bite us at maintenance time. Still, the Asian and domestic makes sure seem to be alot easier to maintain, and alot of that has to do with availability of parts, which is a factor of numbers of units on the road.

Regarding the Fit, I looked at those before deciding to get a new truck, and if I had traded the bug against a new high-mileage car, most likely would have gone that route or with a Civic, but not another euro-car. My friends' Minis are just as expensive to maintain (BMW). I fondly remember my bug and my Volvo as two of the most impressive handling/performing cars I've owned, especially given that one was a commuter-mobile and the other a family sedan, but both required premium gas, and both required a lot of dollars to maintain, when something did go wrong. Still, I will always remember driving them.:D

Just sold my 2000 New Beatle 1.8T, and would like to make a few comments about VW. Was a good car, but when things went wrong, they were very expensive to repair/replace. .... Watch out for timing belt issues, and my electrical/electronics were "buggy," to say the least.
I had one of the early New Beetles, too, and had similar experiences. I loved the Beetle, but dealer service was NOT very good, and I shopped all around the SF bay area trying to find one that both seemed to care and could actually fix problems. And the electronics were definitely buggy... how many times did I have that fuel filler flap problem fixed??? My husband drove the heck out of a 2000 Passat, and had fewer problems with it, but we could tell as the mileage loaded on that it wasn't going to last like a Japanese auto would, and we traded it in on an Infiniti. In fact, on the trip to the Infiniti dealer, the glove compartment door decided it would no longer latch, and just flopped down and stayed down! Car must have known what we were up to....

The new Rabbit looks rather Golf like to me -- looks fast and sleek, though.

I don't think i'd buy into the VW thing either. There are very limited VW's (new and old) on the road. There's a reason for that.

I'd go with a "FIT" if your looking for milage.....if i was looking for a sporty ride with good gas milage i'd go with the civic or civic si
Big Red,
If I applied the same logic of "not many on the road", then I wouldn't have a Ridgeline either. :rolleyes: :D

Big Red,
If I applied the same logic of "not many on the road", then I wouldn't have a Ridgeline either...
Except he's talking a car maker (VW) not a model (RL), and a new model at that...
Not a lot of VWs on the road. The logic would need to be not a lot of Honda's... I think I'm starting to see more RLs than VWs lately as a matter of fact. 4 to 5 a day easily now... I no longer feel like the trend setter... :o

Plus k757, you'll only mess up your Rabbit with a silly Yankee's plate... :p

I know, I know... I shouldn't be squacking right now. Heck, it's Football season in New England now... hehe :D

I've owned several VW TDI models (diesel). I'm disappointed that there are no 2007 TDI's, but hopefully they'll return soon.

No to the point... would I buy a Rabbit? Nope. VW has SEVERE quality control issues in recent years. They've consistantly been near the bottom of the list due to quality issues. Until VW proves that they've cleaned up these problems I would stay away.

Built in Germany has been a badge of a badly built car for the last several years... not a badge of honor like it used to be. Most VWs for the North American market are built in Mexico, but they haven't fared any better than the German cars.

I hope VW takes this issue seriously and takes action to improve things fast. I think part of the problem is the design of the vehicles. I'm told they are difficult to assemble and overly complex in many ways. This contrasts with VW's roots.

The only VW that I am interested in is one of the recent model year old style Beetles manufactured in Mexico up until a few years ago. Too bad they wouldn't import them to the US.

I have a friend who is a VW freak. His VW's were always highly modified. It cost him an arm and a leg for every single mod he did to his vehicles and even regular service seemed a bit steep for me.