Volvos, VW's, Saab's, Audi's and other EUROPEAN cars...

Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

I need to replace my aging Toyota truck. 1990 with 186000 miles. Runs great and is driven daily but i cant fit the whole family of 4 into it especially with 2 car seats! The Volvo is safe and is supposedly quite reliable. Does anybody have any thoughts? I am looking at the 1994 and later models. the newest body style (2001-2002) is too expensive for what I can afford. And it is hard to find them out in west Texas...

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Well I can't say much about it but I know I want to get a good fuel efficient car with enough room for the family, but that doesn't leave many options. The Jetta TDI (diesel) is my top contender right now. I really wish they made the Passat with the same TDI diesel engine. I don't need pep, even thought I was really amazed by the pep the TDI has compared to a gasoline car with twice the HP. I think it has something to do with the compression of diesel engines.

Where's Darell when you need him I think he gets back next week, and then this thread will really take off

With Darell in mind I did some research and found diesels produce less greenhouse gasses, but more smog producing gasses. Then again at 45 mpg it should make less of both.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

why is the passat not available with the same tdi-engine ?
here in germany you gemuch better tdi-engines in the passat as in the jetta.
the jetta is not build since ? 5 or more years i think. its successor is the bora.
volkswagen/audi tdi engines are reliable and have a long life.

i would recommend volvos up to model 96. models build after 96 have frequent engine and other quality faults. volvo loosed on quality after ford took them over.

if you want real quality look at this manufacturers : mercedes benz, bmw, volkswagen, audi.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Without being sure of your price range...

Audi, while looking good on the surface, has major issues with quality...well it depends on the model I guess. A4s seem okay but not many people are happy with their A6, major electrical gremline.

Mercedes is nice but expensive, might as well get something newer with less miles if you can, unless you really really want a MB.

BMW is also a real nice car but the repairs will kill you. True imports cost more to repair, BMWs cost a LOT more too repair.

VW...nice company and nice cars but you still have to be careful. With VW it's the little things that will break, but that can add up.

With all this in mind here are the cars I recommend...

Saab 9000 or 9-5 depending on what you can afford: Saabs are great, they've got power but because they use 4 cyl-engines they still get decent gas milage. Might consider a 9-3 or 900 but if you regulary haul 4 people you'd probably want to stick with the 9000 and 9-5.

VW Jetta or Pasat. The Pasat is a much nicer car but older ones are hard to find and newer ones might break your bank. Jetta is a great car and (here at least) they're a dime a dozen.

If those cars are too small then look at Volvos. Volvos are also great cars but they're larger--worse gas milage etc. etc. but not too bad.

Whatever you get remember this...Euro cars MUST be maintained. If you are nice to your Saab or Volvo or VW it will be nice to you, but if you don't maintain it, it will treat you to high repair bills and lots of break downs. Are you sure you want to jump from Toyota (Ultra super reliable) to a Euro car (Reliabe, but not Toyota reliable) it's just something to think about. I might add that my opinion, being the Saab geek I am, is just slightly biased...anyway if you have any further questions just ask!

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Sabby tell me more about Darell's LEMON volvo...I didn't know that!!!

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

I say stick with Toyota. You can't go wrong with their proven track record. I am going to purchase a double-cab 4x4. I have 4 kids and I would be able to get myself and all kids in the vehicle if I had to. When we go out as a complete family we take my wife's suburban.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Walt's wife knows what to drive.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Amen Tex! The Suburban is a very nice vehicle. I would recommend to anyone needing a large vehicle or a large towing capacity.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

yea I am in the Toyota and a Surburban right now. And I am not getting rid of the Surburban! Just wondering what will fit my family of four for a night out of town... A wagon seems a logical choice...

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Aw heck! Now you tell us that you have a 'burban! I was thinking a Volvo with AWD because that would get you through those times when a normal car just won't cut it but since you have a Suburban (And not an Excursion...eeeewwww) the Saab becomes the only logical choice

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

I'd go for a Saab 9-5 Wagon, they're Moose tested!

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Ok more comments from me. TDI is a great engine if that's the way you want to go. VW Wagon is a great car, too. Yes (From the Cafe' and "What are your hobbies) Darrel had a Volvo but it was a lemon so it was replaced with the Ev1. You still might want to see if there are any Saabs around before you buy, jsut for kicks. They suffer terrible depreciation so you can get a off lease Saab (3 years old, around 40k) for about $20,000. That's a car that was over $40,000 when new.

They suffer terrible depreciation which is bad but it sounds like you plan to drive it for a long time anyway, so that shouldn't worry you much...They're quite safe, they just don't advertise it like Volvo does. Also, you might consider (Yes, I know it's American) a Ford Taurus...very safe roomy car. Not as reliable as some other cars but by far probably the best American car out there, my brother just bought a 2000 with 35,000 miles on it for $10,000

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

And just how reliable is the Saab? Remember that in order to get service I will have to drive 200 miles one way... There just is no body that works on European vehicles in Abilene TX. Except the VW dealer told me they will do non warranty work on Volvos, Hence another reason i chose the brand.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Well that's certainly modivation to get the Volvo isn't it! It all depends on the model year, avoid 1994 like the black plague. Usually the things that go wrong are minor and (if you're up to it) you could repair it yourself...

BUT! With that 200 mile for service disclaimer I can certainly see the modivation for Volvo. I mean if you were just going in for a check up on your Saab those 200 miles could really fly by but when something isn't working right 200 miles is a long tow or drive!

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

I hear ya' We have a different set up out here in West Texas where the Surburban and the F250/F350 trucks from Ford are KING of the road. You literally cannot look around in virutally any parking lot and not see at least a couple of either around you... They are everywhere.

I do know that Toyota trucks last a long, long, time but what about the cars?

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Yup. Toyota everything lasts forever.

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Brock, I'm a big fan of the TDIs. VW's diesels have a pretty solid reputation for going 250-300K miles. The new ones are quiet and barely smoke. I've stood next to them and only the very faint difference in odor was what tipped me off.

The high compression ratio used in diesels offer a couple of advantages.

Higher volumetric efficiency, which contributes to the high MPG ratings they have.

The compression is also responsible for the torque that diesels have. With torque, you can gear a transmission with pretty long legs and performance won't suffer, and with a nice low top gear, your highway mileage is around 70-100% better than a gasoline engine in the same car. Grab a gear, let the motor pull through a wide bottom end and midrange, shift, and repeat.

Here's a couple of websites you can check out for more info on the TDI from real owners, not paid magazine hacks.

http://www.vwvortex.com (They have a similar discussion board there.)

http://www.tdiclub.com/ (They've just revamped their forums, but all the old messages have been archived for reference if you need them.)

http://www.stealthtdi.com/Links.html (Scott is a TDI enthusiast and has links for some of the tuners out there who make neat toys for TDIs.

Frankly, I'd love to have a TDI. I know several people who have them, and they've proven to be very good cars. There are regular quibbles that seem inherent with different models of cars. VW has had ongoing problems for years with their power window regulators. They had a bad run of A/C compressors in some of their `95-`97 models.

Unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to leave mine alone. I'd have to put on an aftermarket exhaust, springs and shocks, and chip the brain. You can add a performance chip to the control computer on TDIs. While there's no "spark curve" for the chip to tweak, there is a fuel, turbo pressure and wastegate maps.

The Wetterauer (sp?) and Upsolute chips increase the hp from 90 to around 120, and the torque from 150 ft/lbs into the 200-220 range. More tweaking and upgraded injectors will get around 150 hp and nearly 300 ft/lbs.

I'd be out of control. I have enough problems with leaving my current 16V stock. A TDI would be like a blank canvas to me...

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

I have appropriately retitled this thread...EDIT Again...

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Actually Volvo and VW should not co-exist in the same title, Volvos and Saabs are decitedly sweedish and VWs and Audis are decitedly German

(OH sorry, my tounge was stuck in my cheek again)

Re: Volvos, VW\'s, Saab\'s, Audi\'s and other EUROPEAN cars...

Originally posted by Saaby:
Actually Volvo and VW should not co-exist in the same title, Volvos and Saabs are decitedly sweedish and VWs and Audis are decitedly German

Click to expand...

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Not quite, my Saab is 1/3 German parts.