I think if you buy a new car, reliability probably doesn’t differ that much. But I can tell even with newer German cars, they are a pain to work on. BMW and VAG use so much plastic in critical components, that if you keep the car for 10-15 years, those things start to get brittle and fail. And the way German cars are designed, it’s often hard to get to those things or just to do really simple things.
My former coworker had a newer VW gti and he was having an oil leak 5-6 years into ownership. I figure valve cover gasket , and told him to get it done. He gets an estimate for $800. Whoa. I thought maybe he just went to a mechanic that was trying to rip him off because how hard could replacing a valve cover gasket be? Well,apparently it’s a big job and a royal pain in the ass, and $800 wasn’t that bad… These VW GTIs don’t have traditional valve covers. they have a “cam girdle” that holds the camshafts in place. So when the gasket leaks, it’s a big job because to replace the seal, you are disassembling a lot.
Now, if this was a luxury car, spending say $800 to replace a leaking gasket in 6-7 years probably is acceptable for a luxury car. It’s an expensive car, you have to pay to play.
But we are talking about a GTI which is suppose to be an economical people’s car. But because of this design, it’s incredibly expensive to upkeep, and the cost to maintain it quickly ends up being more than the car is worth. That’s why VW’s will always depreciate like crazy. Reliability might have improved, but their serviceability certainly has not. It’s as expensive to maintain a VW out if warranty and free maintenance period as it is to maintain as an Audi.
I have learned that as part of owning German cars for the long haul, learn to work on them yourself..Parts isn’t expensive, labor is. Or simply don’t keep them… Lease them and return them and let them be other people’s problem. Or get really cheap German cars like $4000-5000, and just do oil and brakes and ignore everything else that breaks. And finally throw it away a few years later.
If you like how VW drives, I would go test drive a comparable Mazda. I think Mazdas are as close to german car driving dynamics a Japanese car is going to get.
The new Mazda 3s they have over in europe with the new skyactiv X engine is pretty impressive. If I had to get a family sedan right now, it would probably be a Mazda 6. They aren’t as reliable as a Camry, but they drive a lot better and I like the fit and finish better.
