But I still love my Jeep which consumer reports gave very bad grades to (1998). Nonetheless, to each his own and I think this info is real useful to people considering buying these machines.
I only have a problem (and yes it's my problem) when these posts start sounding like the kids in the paintball forums.
Well, our experience with VW has been less than stellar.
My wife owns a 2000 jetta. I like the car. Looks good, runs, drives and handles great.
The problem though is that at 35k miles it rattles and makes noise like you wouldnt believe. The doorlocks have been replaced, the sunroof has been fixed, latches break(trucnk and jockey box), anti-theft system has been repaired. Just the otherday the digital clock started rapidly going through 1-12 in the hour position endlessly. Then the next day, it stopped.
The powertrain is top notch. The electronic systems and latches and such are crap.
Its a shame. It seems a nice car, gets good milage but we wont buy another VW.
__________________
Van
2005 F-150 FX4, SC, 4X4, 5.4 V8
former '77 23' Safari owner
current 25' Fun Finder 250BHS SOB owner
I attended the Minneapolis Auto Show and took a good look at the Touareg and then went to the Volkswagen online site to check its stats. It is quite an impressive vehicle but in no way is it a serious tow vehicle. The Volkswagen site avoids the issue of towing altogether even when I ran through the comparer with my Trailblazer.
This is what I know. The horsepower and torque of the Touareg V8 vs my Trailblazer I6 is not all that great a difference which makes me believe the tow rating claims by VW may be a tad optimistic. My Trailblazer is a bigger vehicle and more truck than the boutique SUV the Touareg is. Knowing that, and knowing how I feel about towing a vintage 25 ft. Tradewind and knowing current Airstreams are quite a bit heavier, I would not want to consider towing anything but a Bambi with a Touareg.
VW is a company that has no history with towing. I know when I bought a '97 Subaru Outback with a built in receiver hitch that its tow rating in the USA was 2,000 lbs. The dealer showed me that the Europeans rated it at 5,000 lbs. All I wanted was the ability to move my boat a few miles a couple of times per year. I never towed it. But I was left with a suspicion that outside the USA companies know little about towing or they are more willing to gamble. That's my 2 cents.
Let's face it. The Touareg is a suburban boutique SUV and is quite nice. You would have to be awfully rich to want to buy one and take it off road.
Originally posted by Xray Please note the correct pronunciation
for "Touareg" is "tow rig". 'Nuf said.
X
Quote:
Tua·reg ( P ) Pronunciation Key (twärg)
n. pl. Tuareg or Tua·regs
A member of a Muslim, Berber-speaking people inhabiting the western and central Sahara and western Sahel of northwest Africa. So named by the fabric rags they use you wrap their feet to protect them from the heat of the desert sand. Loose trans lation is Toe' rag.
n 1: a member of a nomadic Berber people of the Sahara [syn: Tuareg] 2: the dialect of Berber spoken by the Tuareg people Whom wear a fabric foot covering [syn: Tuareg]
Based on the passionate responses, I say let's just file a class action suit against VW.
Is VW the only company out there that you ever had an issue with regarding money?? I can read all the negative stuff at work on e-mail. I use this forum as a place to getaway from all the bashing.
Let me give you some perspective. I have a friend who has worked all over the world and is now in CA. He is in his mid-forties, lives comfortably, and just found out in February that he has another baby on the way!! How exciting, until he found out a week later that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of kidney cancer that may prevent him from ever seeing his child off to his/her 1st day of school.
My point is simply that there appears to be a good group of people on the Airstream site and I do look forward to tapping into it daily. Viewing VW or any other company with a critical eye keeps everyone honest, but please don't miss the bigger picture (or pleasure) in being part of the Airstream family.
I sincerely hope that everything works out for you with VW.
Originally posted by Xray Please note the correct pronunciation
for "Touareg" is "tow rig". 'Nuf said.
X
Darn! I thought it was pronounced "Tour Rag"
X if you want to tow with it, it is OK by me. I am not convinced from what I personally know and VW doesn't inspire confidence with their publications, stats, and literature. Like I said before, not a word about towing on their web site.
As an aside, I looked at the Chevy SSR combo sport truck that shares a Trailblazer underpinning and has a more powerful V8 engine every bit equal to a Touareg. Chevy is only willing to rate it to tow 2,000 lbs. Too bad. It would have looked great towing an Airstream.
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