opinions on 07 vw rabbit please!

**jose206** · 03-17-2010, 10:50 AM

I`m thinking about buying one for my business, I just want something that looks presentable,compact and reliable. Of course ill be getting a four door model,it really is going to only be for the small jobs. What are your thoughts on this car? Trying to decide between this,aveo or a yaris.

**WAS** · 03-17-2010, 11:06 AM

I`ve never owned a V-dub, but from what I know, they make good machines. I don`t think you can go too wrong with getting one. That said, the Aveo might be a better deal since GM is still in the financial hot tub. I`ve driven a few Aveos around as rental cars, and can`t say that I`ve been disappointed (of course my expectations were not super high, it`s a small economy car, can`t expect too much from it). Honestly I personally hate Toyotas (long before this safety recall crap), I used to work for a Toyota dealership and just don`t like most of their vehicles.

**Thomas Dekany** · 03-17-2010, 12:24 PM

Go for it. (I am a vw guy though)

**jose206** · 03-17-2010, 01:17 PM

That`s surprising was, everyone I`ve known has always suggested Toyota or Honda. vw Guy, what do you own?

**Thomas Dekany** · 03-17-2010, 01:51 PM

01 vr6 jetta

**Dan** · 03-17-2010, 01:58 PM

This should be moved to Car & Driver subforum.... but you might want to figure out what your priorities are. If reliability is top on your list, VW should not be. VW makes long lasting and fun to drive vehicles. The rabbit probably wins on looks and driving experience, IMO it is a class above the Aveo and Yaris. Reliability is not VW`s strong suit. You can count on numerous unscheduled repair visits within the lifetime of the vehicle.

Take a look at a Consumer reports auto issue. There are charts that show owner reported issues. I believe JD power does a long term vehicle survey also, but it is not as comprehensive by breaking down the sub systems.

*Note most of the JD power reports are worthless, who the hell cares what the car is like the first 90 days.

**nonwelder** · 03-17-2010, 02:51 PM

My VW History...

-2005.5 VW Jetta 2.5 - PERFECT car, no issues, reliable

-2006 Passat 2.0T - Small issue with trans, fixed, great MPG, refinement, performance

-2006 VW Jetta TDI - Got driven a lot and HARD - Held up great, MPG awesome, just a great car

-Currently in a 2009 Jetta TDI - Best car I have ever owned, hands down

I`m a VW man. I believe in the product and think German machines are wonderful!

**Dan** · 03-17-2010, 03:05 PM

Originally Posted by OneQuickGT1

My VW History...

-2005.5 VW Jetta 2.5 - PERFECT car, no issues, reliable

-2006 Passat 2.0T - Small issue with trans, fixed, great MPG, refinement, performance

-2006 VW Jetta TDI - Got driven a lot and HARD - Held up great, MPG awesome, just a great car

-Currently in a 2009 Jetta TDI - Best car I have ever owned, hands down

I`m a VW man. I believe in the product and think German machines are wonderful!

Wow, that`s a lot of VW`s in a short amount of time! So I have to ask, the first one was perfect, the other 3 have had some problems?

**nonwelder** · 03-17-2010, 03:35 PM

The only one with an issue was the Passat. Valve body issue, limited to a select production run. Fixed without issue, and car ran well after that.

My current TDI is the first year of the new diesel powertrain. Other than a reflash under a TSB from the dealer for the trans, I`ve only had it back for routine service.

23k miles in 9 months and it has been GREAT. the 2.5 in the Rabbit is a great engine with great torque and decent MPG. The trans is also well-proven in automatic form.

**Dan** · 03-17-2010, 03:40 PM

Originally Posted by OneQuickGT1

the 2.5 in the Rabbit is a great engine with great torque and decent MPG.

It is torquey, but it sounds terrible. IMO, the 2.0TFSI is a much more enjoyable motor.

**WAS** · 03-17-2010, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by jose206

That`s surprising was, everyone I`ve known has always suggested Toyota or Honda. vw Guy, what do you own?

Yeah, because there`s this perception out there that Toyota and Honda make vehicles that last forever. Not a chance in hell. Yes, they make good cars, but so does every other manufacture out there right now. Ford, GM, VW, BMW, Nissan, Mazda, all make excellent vehicles. If they didn`t they`d be out of business because they wouldn`t sell any cars (yes, GM and Chrysler got bailed out, but that was due to poor decisions at the senior management level, not because they weren`t selling and leasing vehicles).

Anyways, I find the Toyota line very boring. There is nothing exciting about driving around a Corolla or a Camry (I know, I`ve driven brand new ones around). Also, the whole "they last forever and never break down" line is a bunch of crap. Again, I worked at a Toyota dealership, I`ve seen my share of sub-20,000km cars with leaking oil pans and such.

**jose206** · 03-18-2010, 08:28 AM

Thanks allot so far guys, I just found a 07 rabbit with 65k for $10500, is this a good deal, I`m looking to pay it outright.

**nonwelder** · 03-18-2010, 08:37 AM

Check it out on KBB or NADA.

Yakky...yep, the 2.0T is a good motor and more fun, but there have been some cam issues, as well as some significant issues with intake valve deposits. Just something to keep in mind. The 2.5 is about as "simple" as a VW engine gets. It might not sound great, but honestly, it has a unique sound and was a very reliable powerplant for me and many others.

**Dan** · 03-18-2010, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by OneQuickGT1

Check it out on KBB or NADA.

Yakky...yep, the 2.0T is a good motor and more fun, but there have been some cam issues, as well as some significant issues with intake valve deposits. Just something to keep in mind. The 2.5 is about as "simple" as a VW engine gets. It might not sound great, but honestly, it has a unique sound and was a very reliable powerplant for me and many others.

You are strengthening my point about reliability.

Though, the cam issue is related to a few years where the cams were not properly hardened, and the intake valve deposit issue is not a VW issue, any car with direct injection has this problem.

Every car has problem, the interwebs makes them worse, we read about the, get all paranoid...etc.

**imported_nickpapa** · 03-18-2010, 09:42 AM

Family Cars:

91 GTI 16v (used)

97 Jetta TDI (used)

00 Audi A4 1.8t (new)

01 Audi A4 1.8t (new)

02 Jetta GL 2.0 (new)

02 GTI 1.8t (new)

06 Passat 2.0t (neW)

These are the cars my family has gone through in the last 7 years. I personally owned the GTI 16v. As posted earlier, fun to drive, solid, german cars but reliabitliy does not compare to the japanese cars.

Every car on that list has had some sort of large repair done before warranty was up. To name a few, crank bearings (06 passat), massive oil consumption (06 passat), body weld came apart (06 passat), e-brake wont disengage (3 times, 06 passat), oil sludge (01 A4 1.8t & 02 Jetta), ABS sensor (00 A4 1.8t), Control arm bushings 3 times within 60k miles (00 A4 1.8t) etc. etc. etc. etc.

all work is done at the dealer. all oil changes are with synthetic and factory filters all done at the dealer. whenever anyone asks what car they should buy i tell them anything but vw or audi lol lets just say if you do go for a vw, you`ll most likely have a check engine light on the majority of ownership.

my father is the only person that has a japanese car (96 accord). and that is the only car that we`ve ever owned that has never had a single problem (117k miles mostly city driving).

they are very nice cars, drive great (when they do), but if youre looking for reliability, in my opinion (and obviously experience), go with something japanese and play it safe