A 2000 Volkswagen Turbo Beetle. A blast to drive but the thing was in
the shop as much as it was in our garage. Bought used in May 2003 with
15K on the clock, traded it in May 2004 with about 25K on the clock.
Should've known when the dealership hemmed and hawed about getting us
past service records there was a problem.
First bad sign was when I showed them on the lot that a tire was low,
and the sales guy said "I'm sure it's just an air pressure problem." No
kidding, really? They said they checked it out but all they did was
pump it up - got it home and had to take it back for not one but two
nails in the tires.
Over the next 12 months VW proceeded to replace (under warranty) every
electrical component they'd replaced for the previous owners (most of
the major stuff!), including the 3rd or 4th oxygen sensor, rebuild the
entire sunroof assembly twice, replace the airbag harness twice, and
replace sundry other electrical bits that usually last a lifetime.
Worst thing was, it was always 1 or 2 days to diagnose the problem and
another 2 days to fix it later on after they'd ordered the parts. If
they'd actually ordered the parts, that is, and received the correct ones!
We contacted the dealer and VW corporate asking them to please, please
take this lemon off our hands - it was clear to me there was something
hopelessly wrong with it, deep in the electrical system. Nothing doing.
They'd honor the used car warranty and that was it. We added it up
and realized that we'd be spending upwards of $500 a month if the
repairs kept up at the same pace. We decided if we were going to pay
anywhere near that much it would be for a better car, so we bought a new
Honda.
I will say that despite all the problems it never left us stranded - it
got to the point where the warning lights would go on and we'd just
laugh. And it would go 120 MPH and feel like it was on rails.
Dan
Bill Brewer wrote:
> Just curious. I asked about Mercedes Benz 300TD wagons. I got several off
> list responses where owners swore by them and several ex-owners who swore at
> them.
> The WORST car I ever owned was a 1979 VW Rabbit diesel. I loved the "no
> ignition - 50 mpg" stuff and actually enjoyed the gutless performance because
> it made your driving skills interactive with the driving experience. You had
> to work to get it to go efficiently and quickly. However, the car began losing
> compression and it started when I was going down the freeway and the car began
> accelerating uncontrollably. I stood on the brakes and forced it to a stop
> with the car in gear (otherwise the engine would overspeed). Then the assbite
> car wouldn't start. It would crank endlessly. Turned out that when the engine
> got hot it would begin dieselling on its own crankcase oil. Then there wasn't
> enough compression to restart it. You could push start it with the bumper of a
> pickup going about 30 mph, but not by pushing by hand. Argh!
> The first time this happened, I missed my grandfather's death. He had
> been asking to see me before he died and the VW screwed me. I was going to
> total the car out of spite (a rollover when have been fun), but instead I
> drove the little car to Pick-A-Part. GFYS ya little assbite car. I did kick in
> one door, which made me feel better.
> What is the worst car other listers have owned?
>
> Bill Brewer
> Tehachapi, CA
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