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I know why I drive a Volkswagen - it fits. Every American car I have ever driven doesn't work for my 6'5 narrow frame (I'm also long-legged, short torso). There

I know why I drive a Volkswagen - it fits. Every American car I have ever driven doesn't work for my 6'5 narrow frame (I'm also long-legged, short torso). There's also the tendency to load up the dash with every possible piece of information and turn the radio into some kind of Microsoft supercomputer. It's a car - it needs to get me reliably and comfortably from point A to point B with a minimum of distraction, look presentable and connect to my iPhone for music. The TCO on VWs, in my experience, is very low, mostly because they don't have complex add-ons that break constantly.

bovermyer 8y ago
Whenever my wife's Beetle breaks in any way, the repair cost is easily 5-10x what a comparable repair is for my Accord. She's had to do repairs on her car three times since she got it. I've had to do repairs on mine... zero. The cars have been in our possession for about the same time and are almost the same age. I daresay that the TCO on Volkswagens is higher than "very low."
- tcoff91 8y ago
  Completely agreed. Unfortunately when you have to see the same mechanics who also work on Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW, you get reamed on the repairs. parts are expensive too.
- bluGill 8y ago
  IF you do your own work VWs aren't too bad. Parts are more expensive, but not too much. However you have to know going in that only German car mechanics($$$) will have the tools to work on it, and they are the only ones who won't put in standard anti-freeze (or oil) which work on every other car but will break something in yours. Some would argue that the extra tools you have to buy is a factor, but you need special tools for every car anyway. So long as you know you need them it isn't a big deal.
  - lotsofpulp 8y ago
    I think I can take apart a whole Toyota with an 8mm and 10mm socket wrench.
rconti 8y ago
German cars are odd like that. I know 3 really tall guys; one is 6'8" and the other two are 6'10". They all drive German cars because they FIT. For some reason an A4 and a Golf fit the 6'10" guys just fine; one of whom would look out the REAR side window driving an Infiniti Q45 ("full size" luxury sedan). There's just something about German car design that is sizing magic. I could even fit behind my 6'10" friend driving his A4, which for all intents and purposes (in the US, at least) is an entry-level/compact luxury car.
- MandieD 8y ago
  Germans are a bit taller than Americans, on average, and Dutch people are even taller. With $6-7/gallon gas, fuel efficient cars that 2m (6’6”) guys can drive comfortably will always be in demand.
- microtherion 8y ago
  I used to notice something similar about Japanese cars and trunk space when renting: It seemed that for a given external size, a Japanese car would always have considerably more trunk space than an US car. Recently, I started including carplay as a must have feature when renting, and since Toyotas are lagging in that respect, I started looking at US cars again, and I must say that the Chevy Cruze has about as big a trunk for its size as anything I've seen.
tcoff91 8y ago
I moved to VW from hondas and toyotas. Overall i love the car but i would say that maintenance is much much more expensive than japanese cars. German auto mechanics and VW parts are just so much more expensive than japanese. I have no dealership in my city so I have to see independent mechanics. It's insane how expensive they are!
- jddaigle 8y ago
  That and VW's customers in home market (EU) have different expectations WRT the cost and frequency of maintenance. To grossly generalize American consumers want cars that above almost everything else require as little maintenance as possible and use the cheapest parts/consumables. European customers on the other hand are more likely to think nothing of a car that needs regular care and feeding, including using manufacturer-specific fluids and consumables, in order to achieve higher levels of other things like efficiency or performance. It seems like 87.4% of this discussion revolves around differences in definitions of "better".
Infernal 8y ago
I am 6'8", also long legged with a (relatively) short torso. In general, it holds that the Japanese companies build small cars for small people, American companies build big cars for big people, and European companies build small cars for big people. Exceptions can be found of course, but this is overwhelmingly the rule. Even Japanese cars that /should/ be big are not made to accommodate larger occupants - see the Lexus LS series for instance, their largest luxury sedan - for some reason the front seat stops well short of sliding back and occupying all the room it could, therefore my knees are crammed up into the dash. Same goes for Toyota Avalon, Sienna, various Acuras I've tried, Honda Accord, etc. etc. Contrast my experience in Japanese cars with the smaller Audi A4, or my (much, much smaller) 1984 5-series BMW, where the front seats are able to run back as far as touching the back seat, resulting in ample leg room when needed. For American vehicles, at least when you pony up the $$ for the larger models, you actually get occupant space to match - in my experience all American vehicles based on a half ton or larger truck frame offer ample interior space even for someone of my stature - this is Silverado, Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade, Expedition, etc.

bovermyer 8y ago

Whenever my wife's Beetle breaks in any way, the repair cost is easily 5-10x what a comparable repair is for my Accord. She's had to do repairs on her car three times since she got it. I've had to do repairs on mine... zero. The cars have been in our possession for about the same time and are almost the same age. I daresay that the TCO on Volkswagens is higher than "very low."

tcoff91 8y ago
Completely agreed. Unfortunately when you have to see the same mechanics who also work on Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, and BMW, you get reamed on the repairs. parts are expensive too.
bluGill 8y ago
IF you do your own work VWs aren't too bad. Parts are more expensive, but not too much. However you have to know going in that only German car mechanics($$$) will have the tools to work on it, and they are the only ones who won't put in standard anti-freeze (or oil) which work on every other car but will break something in yours. Some would argue that the extra tools you have to buy is a factor, but you need special tools for every car anyway. So long as you know you need them it isn't a big deal.
- lotsofpulp 8y ago
  I think I can take apart a whole Toyota with an 8mm and 10mm socket wrench.

rconti 8y ago

German cars are odd like that. I know 3 really tall guys; one is 6'8" and the other two are 6'10". They all drive German cars because they FIT. For some reason an A4 and a Golf fit the 6'10" guys just fine; one of whom would look out the REAR side window driving an Infiniti Q45 ("full size" luxury sedan). There's just something about German car design that is sizing magic. I could even fit behind my 6'10" friend driving his A4, which for all intents and purposes (in the US, at least) is an entry-level/compact luxury car.

MandieD 8y ago
Germans are a bit taller than Americans, on average, and Dutch people are even taller. With $6-7/gallon gas, fuel efficient cars that 2m (6’6”) guys can drive comfortably will always be in demand.
microtherion 8y ago
I used to notice something similar about Japanese cars and trunk space when renting: It seemed that for a given external size, a Japanese car would always have considerably more trunk space than an US car. Recently, I started including carplay as a must have feature when renting, and since Toyotas are lagging in that respect, I started looking at US cars again, and I must say that the Chevy Cruze has about as big a trunk for its size as anything I've seen.

tcoff91 8y ago

I moved to VW from hondas and toyotas. Overall i love the car but i would say that maintenance is much much more expensive than japanese cars. German auto mechanics and VW parts are just so much more expensive than japanese. I have no dealership in my city so I have to see independent mechanics. It's insane how expensive they are!

jddaigle 8y ago
That and VW's customers in home market (EU) have different expectations WRT the cost and frequency of maintenance. To grossly generalize American consumers want cars that above almost everything else require as little maintenance as possible and use the cheapest parts/consumables. European customers on the other hand are more likely to think nothing of a car that needs regular care and feeding, including using manufacturer-specific fluids and consumables, in order to achieve higher levels of other things like efficiency or performance. It seems like 87.4% of this discussion revolves around differences in definitions of "better".

Infernal 8y ago

I am 6'8", also long legged with a (relatively) short torso. In general, it holds that the Japanese companies build small cars for small people, American companies build big cars for big people, and European companies build small cars for big people. Exceptions can be found of course, but this is overwhelmingly the rule. Even Japanese cars that /should/ be big are not made to accommodate larger occupants - see the Lexus LS series for instance, their largest luxury sedan - for some reason the front seat stops well short of sliding back and occupying all the room it could, therefore my knees are crammed up into the dash. Same goes for Toyota Avalon, Sienna, various Acuras I've tried, Honda Accord, etc. etc. Contrast my experience in Japanese cars with the smaller Audi A4, or my (much, much smaller) 1984 5-series BMW, where the front seats are able to run back as far as touching the back seat, resulting in ample leg room when needed. For American vehicles, at least when you pony up the $$ for the larger models, you actually get occupant space to match - in my experience all American vehicles based on a half ton or larger truck frame offer ample interior space even for someone of my stature - this is Silverado, Tahoe, Yukon, Escalade, Expedition, etc.