amg_rx7 wrote:Contradiction wrote: If you want a sterling reputation for "perfect" reliability then you should be buying a car engineered by enthusiasts like a MazdaFixed that for you
For real. Miata, S2000, (some) Civic Si's, MR-2. This idea that you can't have an enthusiast car that's reliable is bullE36 M3.
^Heck, even the pedestrian Mazda3 and Mazdaspeed3 are fun to drive and more reliable than any VW I've seen. It's not just the Miata.
Ian F wrote:einy wrote: My 2011 GTI has a recommended 10k mile OCI.You might want to double-check that. I've read otherwise in a number of places. Personally, I wouldn't go past 5K and make damn sure you use VAG-rated oil. Unless you plan on dumping the car within a few years... then it'll just be some other poor saps problem. And I suppose in that case, SlickDizzy is better off avoiding a CPO VW as you can never really be sure what the service history is and that is everything with these cars...
I'm with you ... I am using VW "rated" oil, and changing at 5k intervals. When I bought it (new), VW had a 30k mile free maintenance deal going on. They changed oil/filter every 10k miles. I did it at the 5k/15k/25k points myself. My hope is it is a 10 year car for me (at least), so I'm spending a bit extra on maintenance than what the book technically calls for.
A regular Mazda 3 or an MS3 might be the way to go here and save headaches.
amg_rx7 wrote:Contradiction wrote: If you want a sterling reputation for "perfect" reliability then you should be buying a car engineered by enthusiasts like a MazdaFixed that for you
To each his own. There are still fanatic BMW owners who put up with rear subframes TEARING OFF, Subaru owners who own cars that eat up head gaskets, etc. All I'm saying is if you love the car enough you'll put up with some of it's inherent flaws.
From my experience VWs were a love/hate relationship. I like the their appearance and when all is well they are fun to drive, but they seem to always need repairs at a steady rate. I went to Mazda and never looked back. Courier, 323, 626, 92 Miata, Protege 5, Mazda 3, 99 Miata. They were/are fun to drive with just preventive maintenance and tires required.
Contradiction wrote:amg_rx7 wrote:To each his own. There are still fanatic BMW owners who put up with rear subframes TEARING OFF, Subaru owners who own cars that eat up head gaskets, etc. All I'm saying is if you love the car enough you'll put up with some of it's inherent flaws.Contradiction wrote: If you want a sterling reputation for "perfect" reliability then you should be buying a car engineered by enthusiasts like a MazdaFixed that for you
I agree with you there.
Both of the BMWs that I had the misfortune of owning were just as bad as the VWs and one Audi I owned. The point is that your choices aren't just a German car or a Camry. Mazda makes fun to drive cars that provide much of the German car driving dynamics w/o the idiotic oversights.
amg_rx7 wrote:Contradiction wrote:I agree with you there. Both of the BMWs that I had the misfortune of owning were just as bad as the VWs and one Audi I owned. The point is that your choices aren't just a German car or a Camry. Mazda makes fun to drive cars that provide much of the German car driving dynamics w/o the idiotic oversights.amg_rx7 wrote:To each his own. There are still fanatic BMW owners who put up with rear subframes TEARING OFF, Subaru owners who own cars that eat up head gaskets, etc. All I'm saying is if you love the car enough you'll put up with some of it's inherent flaws.Contradiction wrote: If you want a sterling reputation for "perfect" reliability then you should be buying a car engineered by enthusiasts like a MazdaFixed that for you
Not to bash Mazda, per se, but the 2 I've owned weren't faultless. If I'd move either my '04 Protege or '96 Miata out of the garage & not give them time to warm up, good luck getting either of them started when it was time to pull them back in. On the Protege: rusting at 3-years old, plus swaybar end-links and strut mounts that wore out quickly.
Ok, so I never lost a subframe or had a dealer tell me they couldn't replace some random fault, but still not perfect. 
amg_rx7 wrote:Contradiction wrote: If you want a sterling reputation for "perfect" reliability then you should be buying a car engineered by enthusiasts like a MazdaFixed that for you
Funny. I had an 07 Jetta 2.5 lease. It was a nice car, lots of exterior lights blew out for how long I had it but it was otherwise trouble free and pleasant to drive. What I don't understand is why VW's performance oriented models are so trouble prone. They're not exactly pushing the performance envelope so hard you can reasonably expect some temperamental qualities. For cars that have been built or in development for decades they ought to run like tanks.
I like the prices on nicely optioned pre-owned GTI's from recent years, but have concerns over the cost of maintenance and even if it was covered I don't have the time or the inclination to get to know a "service adviser" on a first name basis.
I really like the new GTI's they get decent mpg, performance package has a LSD and have nice interiors. I never had many issues with my Jetta but it was a stickshift TDI.
The other car that appeals to me for a daily is a 335D but they also have known issues, much of these are fixed by removing smog equipment however.
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