I got a good laugh in the mail today. A letter came marked 'URGENT NOTICE' 'An Important Message About Your Toyota' So I think it must be something about my 2010 Breaks reprograming recall. So I open it, this is where it gets funny. Inside is an advertisement from the local Volkswage/Subaru dealer saying are you driving a Toyota? And they want to keep me driving with the peace-of-mind in a vehicle I can trust! LOL well they must want me to keep driving my 2010 Gen 3 Prius. I will be sure to drop this off to my Toyota Dealer to share the laugh. For me especially I have had the worst luck with Volkswagens. Every traffic accident I have ever been involved in has been with the other offending vehicle running into me by a Volkswagen. Really several VW accidents over 35 years. Hitch hiking I was picked up by a guy Ina brand new Volkwagen. With in a quarter mile he blew a tire and rolled the car, we almost went over a cliff. A few years later a VW bug came barreling up a hill in reverse and plowed into my car. A few years later a good friend of mine was killed in a VW roll over. Years later I was involved in a collision in an intersection, yep VW. The next year I was driving through a parking lot and a VW pulls out of his parking space and plows into the side of my truck. I call it my VW curse. I now try to avoid VW's when I see them on the road as a bad omen.Â
The worst brand new car I ever owned was a Subaru about 2 years ago. It was a Liberty Sedan and I sold it within 3 months. You name it, it went wrong. Electrics would die on me whilst driving along doing nothing special, the side gutter molding fell off, the drivers seat creaked constantly (I am not a large chap). The dealer experience was a mixture of Fawltey Towers and Nightmare on Elm Street. I vowed never again to own one.
Sounds like you have a thing against VWs... Haha. Great stories. My wife bought a new Jetta about 8 years ago. Although she loved the look of the car and the pick-up from the turbo motor, the car kept leaving her stranded on the side of the road. In a 6 month period, her Jetta was in the shop about once a month with each bill being about $1K (sucks when it is JUST pass the warranty period). Eventually she was fed up with it, bought herself a certified pre-owned Gen II Prius, and hasn't regretted one bit of it. To piggy back on your mail notice, I received a mailer today from GM promoting their specials for Toyota owners... Even if my Prius crashed and burned tomorrow, I still wouldn't consider them.
I, too, have had bad experiences with Volkswagen, although in their defense I feel it's really no different from any other car manufacturer. However, first impressions count, and although I've owned the car now for about 10 years and only had to do a few repairs (flex pipe, oxygen sensor, exhaust system, MAF sensor, etc.) and many minor annoyances (unknown leaky door/window/rear hatch?), the horrible dealer experiences and the worst customer support I've ever received to date have made me stay away from Volkswagens. I don't doubt they make good cars and try their best, but having had my bad experience with innumerable repairs that start adding up quick coupled with poor dealership and no customer service, I just wanted a fresh start. Looking forward to a Prius when it comes in.
