maxtdi
Go Kart Champion
I would bet that most toyotas/hondas will have no issues reaching 200k. The European brands are a different story
6
gti long term durability/reliability
- Thread starter syko1031
- Start date
I would bet that most toyotas/hondas will have no issues reaching 200k. The European brands are a different story
floridabartaker
Passed Driver's Ed
Totally unrelated, but I always thought that QFT stood for "quite f****ng true"
As for reliability, most modern cars should be fine til 100K. I'm not so sure whether initial reliability is an assurance of future reliability...I've driven a couple of cars to 100K, one was fine all the way through, the other was a series of minor headaches at the beginning, smooth all the way to the end when I had a leak on one of the coolant hoses.
Wife also had a car that ran pretty fine up until around 80K, when all kinds of mechanical failures occurred.
fatty@golfmk6.com
Go Kart Champion
we should be okay. How long your car lasts depends on a lot of factors but one main factor is where it was made. if you google it you'll probably see a lot of jetta horror stories.. if you also google it you'll see that jetta's are made in mexico (pueblo mexico i think?). My buddy had his jetta catch on fire while he was driving on the highway.
200,000 miles isn't that bad. proper maintenance will get you really far. this guy drove his car for 3mil + miles by keeping up with oil changes, filters etc
200,000 miles isn't that bad. proper maintenance will get you really far. this guy drove his car for 3mil + miles by keeping up with oil changes, filters etc
cacophony555
Ready to race!
Nobody knows for sure, but according to Consumer Reports the GTI has average reliability. So not as reliable as a Toyota Corolla, but likely won't be breaking down a lot either. As far as repair costs, German cars in general are pricier to repair (both parts and labor). You can go to a site like repairpal to get an idea of what repairs cost relative to other makes/models.
My last car, a Mercedes S55 AMG, had 170,000 miles when I sold it to get the GTI! It was running perfectly, but it cost a lot of money to keep it maintained well, and random stuff would need expensive fixing often.
And the S55 has a million more complicated things than the GTI, so you'll be fine with proper maintenance.
And the S55 has a million more complicated things than the GTI, so you'll be fine with proper maintenance.
andy_uranium
Go Kart Champion
Man, I plan to hold on to his car for quite a while, even if I end getting a new dd.. I just love it. Been also considering getting a mk1 to have fun with in the garage.
thanks for all the input guys.
just some info : i'm driving 20k a year, so i'll be at 60k to 65k by the time i'm done paying the car off. also im on a 3 year loan, got 2 years left after this month.
i'm lookiing at 150k~200k b/c that's how much i drove my other cars w/o having to spend major money besides regular maintenance. and yes, they were japanese (honda, nissan)
and i agree with the dsg being a wild card.. i have the false neutral problem occasionally - maybe once a month. but that experience gave me doubts about the durability of dsg
just some info : i'm driving 20k a year, so i'll be at 60k to 65k by the time i'm done paying the car off. also im on a 3 year loan, got 2 years left after this month.
i'm lookiing at 150k~200k b/c that's how much i drove my other cars w/o having to spend major money besides regular maintenance. and yes, they were japanese (honda, nissan)
and i agree with the dsg being a wild card.. i have the false neutral problem occasionally - maybe once a month. but that experience gave me doubts about the durability of dsg
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Well... I have a friend with a 2003 Camry V6 with appx. 120k+ miles and it is about done. He has had to do quite a few things. He is getting rid of it for a 2009 Accord.
I just knew someone with a mid-90's Integra with 150k miles and had to get rid of it too. Just got a new TSX.
I honestly believe the reliability reputation precedes these vehicles actual reliability. Sure, to 100k, I am sure a Honda/Toyota will be more reliable and less expensive to own then a VW. After that, proper maintenance and car really determines how well the car holds up.
Just buy the car you like and take care of it as best you can. Whatever happens at that point is out of your hands.
Just be reasonable with your expectations. VW/Toyota/etc make millions of cars per year. You get to only drive ONE sample. It could have issues and it could not. Even CR and JD Power only sample a small portion of those cars (less than 50k).
Just take comfort in knowing that the least reliable car today (Chrysler T&C) is more reliable in terms of problems per one-hundred then the most reliable car 10 years ago (Lexus LS)
D Griff
Go Kart Champion
Just take comfort in knowing that the least reliable car today (Chrysler T&C) is more reliable in terms of problems per one-hundred then the most reliable car 10 years ago (Lexus LS)
I think this is important to remember. The GTI is rated as "average" by CR, which is probably more reliable than anything pre 2000. I'll see if this ends up being true in my case, I've had two cars before this from the early-mid 90s that were rock solid.
Modshack1
Go Kart Champion
This is CR data from a few years ago. I'd like to think Audi/VW has paid more attention in the past few years, but basic QC stuff still seems to lag the Japanese (and now the Koreans). It's a good thing German "feel" and personality remain...
quick update on durability issues..two minor things came up
currently i'm at 24500 miles / 12 months.
1) the screw that holds the visor to the ceiling popped out as i was pulling the visor to the side. so my visor is kinda just dangling right now and i can't find the screw that popped out..
2) the center armrest in the back wouldn't come down for some reason so i kinda yanked it out. the cupholder attached to the armrest came off heh -_-
i know these aren't major issues and do not effect the drivability but it makes me wonder how other parts will hold up after 100,000 miles..
currently i'm at 24500 miles / 12 months.
1) the screw that holds the visor to the ceiling popped out as i was pulling the visor to the side. so my visor is kinda just dangling right now and i can't find the screw that popped out..
2) the center armrest in the back wouldn't come down for some reason so i kinda yanked it out. the cupholder attached to the armrest came off heh -_-
i know these aren't major issues and do not effect the drivability but it makes me wonder how other parts will hold up after 100,000 miles..
McQueen77
Banned
I'd say, like with any car, if you are on top of the maintenance, even anal about it, it will last a lot longer. Ive talked to different guys who've been in the dub community for a while, owners of Mk3s and 4s and mechanics who are familiar with the longevity of forced induction engines and I've heard across the board from them all - CHANGE YOUR OIL EVERY 5K MILES. People on here will go on and on about oil analysis and all of this but if you are interested in longevity, spend the $60 or so and change it every 5. Your engine will thank you. Last time I did mine at the 15k mark, the oil was filthy after driving it hard during a long hot LA summer. Is it a coincidence that before VW introduced the free maintenance for 30k miles thing that the manuals on the older GTIs recommended every 5k? I don't think so. You can say its because the TSI is much more sound than the FSI but I just don't think VW wanted to foot the free maintenance bill for every 5k.
Also, if you want to keep it that long, buy an extended warranty. First big post 75k mile failure of something and you'll be glad you did.
One final thought is this: If you keep the car a while and are car payment free for x amount of years, if something goes wrong and costs you a few grand to fix, thats still a lot cheaper than buying a new car. On the other hand, if it starts nickel and diming you to death, its time to throw in the towel
Also, if you want to keep it that long, buy an extended warranty. First big post 75k mile failure of something and you'll be glad you did.
One final thought is this: If you keep the car a while and are car payment free for x amount of years, if something goes wrong and costs you a few grand to fix, thats still a lot cheaper than buying a new car. On the other hand, if it starts nickel and diming you to death, its time to throw in the towel
ElectricEye
Autocross Newbie
The life of a cars engine, whether it'll go 100, 150, 250K can be an entirely different thing than reliability.
Poor reliability is that unfortunate thing that can happen in spite of proper maintenance.
I'm considering buying my GTI when it comes off lease.
It's a year old this week, and only 4,200 miles.
No trips to the dealer at all this first year.
Poor reliability is that unfortunate thing that can happen in spite of proper maintenance.
I'm considering buying my GTI when it comes off lease.
It's a year old this week, and only 4,200 miles.
No trips to the dealer at all this first year.
Well... I have a friend with a 2003 Camry V6 with appx. 120k+ miles and it is about done. He has had to do quite a few things. He is getting rid of it for a 2009 Accord.
I just knew someone with a mid-90's Integra with 150k miles and had to get rid of it too. Just got a new TSX.
I honestly believe the reliability reputation precedes these vehicles actual reliability. Sure, to 100k, I am sure a Honda/Toyota will be more reliable and less expensive to own then a VW. After that, proper maintenance and car really determines how well the car holds up.
Just buy the car you like and take care of it as best you can. Whatever happens at that point is out of your hands.
Just be reasonable with your expectations. VW/Toyota/etc make millions of cars per year. You get to only drive ONE sample. It could have issues and it could not. Even CR and JD Power only sample a small portion of those cars (less than 50k).
Just take comfort in knowing that the least reliable car today (Chrysler T&C) is more reliable in terms of problems per one-hundred then the most reliable car 10 years ago (Lexus LS)
This post rings true for any new car purchase.
In retrospect, I have an '05 Chrysler 300C(hemi) with 240,000+ miles and never any major work/repairs at all, an '04 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4(quad cab[hemi]) with 180,000+ miles and never any major work/repairs at all, an '99 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4(quad cab[5.9l]) with 290,000+ miles and only replaced tranny with remanufactured once(lotsa towing) and it needs valve seals(smoke on start up and burning some oil[good compression])...
Regards,