Potential Car

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Basement Paul
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Potential Car

Post by Basement Paul »

So after doing a bunch of thinking and calculating based on the current direction in life, I came to the conclusion that I'm going to go back to a car for my daily commute. Since I still have the eBay business I needed something with some utility, but my goal was also to get around 35mpg. After doing a LOT of searching and comparing both what I find visually appealing, and also what warranty, payment, rust through protection, etc, is out there, I settled on this(hopefully the link works):

https://www.kempthornvw.com/new/Volkswa ... 238bec.htm

Of course I would prefer a stick, but as AK Rover can attest, that's pretty hard to find in this type of car especially when I'm searching through last year's model. I've already put a hold on the car and got trade in values from the dealer on my truck and plan to go down there on Monday after work to drive the car, and if I like it, to drive it home. With no money out of pocket, I'll be lowering my payment by about $80 /mth (only 60mths), saving about $60/mth in gas, and cutting down on insurance and plates too. I was pleased that the dealer came in at the highest end of KBB's trade in estimate which made this deal a no brainer for me. Over the next few months I'll start looking for kind of a beater truck that I can use for working purposes. In the meantime, when I need a truck, the S10 will work just fine.

-BP
AKROVER
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Re: Potential Car

Post by AKROVER »

I am a huge fan of the VW and would have bought one of those instead of the Mazda if the VW didn’t share so many of the interior parts with the Skoda I just want a new car to feel new to me. I was also a little worried that familiar looking controls would add to my confusion in switching back to the right side of the road. It is funny that in Australia, the Golf and the Mazda3 often fight back and forth for the top selling car position while in the US they are both low volume vehicles because Americans hate hatchbacks (the 3 sedan does alright here). The Golf has been one of the best selling cars in the entire world for decades now but remains an oddball on our roads. I loved the drive of my Skoda and the American version of the Golf should be even better. The hatchback has a better balance than the wagon and that 1.8 has a ton more horsepower than the drivetrain I had. The Golf is consistently a Car and Driver ten best for a reason and that reason isn’t just the GTI. I also remember reading that the Golf tends to do better than rated on fuel economy. Looks like a good choice to me, if you can tolerate the automatic, that is.
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Basement Paul
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Re: Potential Car

Post by Basement Paul »

If it only had the 1.4t like in the base Jetta, I would be out. But with the 1.8T as the base motor in the Golf, and a 6spd auto, I think I'll be OK. The 1.8t makes 199 lb ft of torque at some number noticeably lower that 2000 rpms, so I imagine the auto will still be mildly amusing. I'm going into the test drive with an open mind, but if I don't like it or it's uncomfortable, I will walk away.

I considered the Mazda3 hatch as the only other alternative, but I couldn't touch a 2.5 for this money and the 2.0 just seems underpowered IMO, even with a stick. Car and Driver does love this VW package, I've read all about it. Hopefully the reliability is there, but buying new makes me feel a little better than getting a certified used one where the history is still a little questionable.

Another thing that kind of pushed me over the edge with the RAM is the fact that the RR wheel opening is starting to rust. Now, I was able to get some rubbing compound and make the stains go away on the lip, but it's still a bad sign. This thing isn't three years old yet and has 42k miles. That's frustrating because I do take reasonably good care of it, keep it in a garage at night, and did spray a rust preventer all around this when I bought it to help protect it. The VW has a 7 year, unlimited mileage corrosion protection and I expect from a rust standpoint, it will hold up better than the truck.

-BP
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MostMint
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Re: Potential Car

Post by MostMint »

Basement Paul wrote: Another thing that kind of pushed me over the edge with the RAM is the fact that the RR wheel opening is starting to rust. Now, I was able to get some rubbing compound and make the stains go away on the lip, but it's still a bad sign. This thing isn't three years old yet and has 42k miles.
That is sad. I'm hoping Chargers don't have this problem there is one in the future for a certain daughter.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
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Basement Paul
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Re: Potential Car

Post by Basement Paul »

When I look around, I see lots of newer Ram trucks with rust all over them. I haven't seen these same trends with Chargers / 300's. My guess is you'll be OK there.

-BP
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