Older model Passat vs New Model Jetta

Thanks for the welcome!

I can't say that I'm "sorry" that they stopped production of Olds. It really didn't have a place in the world anymore. That said, I think that with the direction of the Intrigue and Aurora, that Olds would have made a FAR better brand to draw the "Lexus inspiration" that Buick does currently. I don't know WHAT GM was thinking, trying to turn boring land yachts into something akin to a Lexus. The Intrigue, in my mind certainly felt more Lexus like, with its combination of styling and performance, than any of the Buicks they are trying to pawn off now.

Oh well! Rustcheck, I'm going to assume that is something other than the standard "Rust-proofing" stuff they sell here in the States (up North). I KNOW that is a scam (like Scotchguard-ing)....Any idea what the difference might be?

evening, southerngentleman ! i've used rustcheck on my previous two cars and i'm pretty happy with it . the ministry of transportation uses it for the road-sanders , so i hope they know what they are doing .
it's been tested at the local 'royal military college' and they've (sort of ) given it its stamp of approval . rustcheck has been around in ontario for at least twenty years and they have plenty of repeat customers . i don't know about the chemical properties, being neither a chemist nor an engineer .
you can find their website by googling for their name (i shouldn't post their website here . we try to stay away from given 'commercial' websites on a2k) . nice to chat with you ! hbg

Brilliant then! It must be the "real-deal" if the RMC uses it. It certainly sounds like its not your average 'slick Willy' used car salesman rust-proofing material. I can imagine that with the salt and sand up there during the winter that a little something extra is much needed!

You know, I was thinking about this and it occured to me that you drive an Intrigue...that means you're obviously not tooling around with AWD for 4WD...which I find interesting. Do most people not bother with the AWD/etc. cars up there? I'm sure you're all quite good at driving in snow....

You're glad that you can do it - different/difficult in your native place:




:wink:

Anyone want to help me out a let me know what that is all about (above)?

Anyways, at least getting back on the VW train...how about that new EOS?
That's a damn sexy looking hard-top coupe! It does look a little more Audi-like than I might like, but the price point it right. Its not a Mercedes or a Bimmer but it sure beats the hell out of any of the American offerings..and honestly, any of the current japanese offerings too!

Huge fan of that VW interior finish. Laser sharp!

Hello? Is anyone out there?!

Go for the Passat. The Jetta is undecided. Too big to be a compact car. At least the Passats got a set character.

It's now on its last toenails -- brake fluid leak, not looking good. Coupled with the fact that we're finally in less desperate financial straits, I think a new car is in our near future.

I just read a thing in the NYT about how now is a good time to buy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/29/automobiles/29auto.html

The Acura TL or RL looks good, from this exchange. I think it's roughly the kind of car he'd want, if a little on the performance/ pricey/ fancy side of the spectrum. (This would be mostly his car.)

J_B, how roomy is your car? I know you're tall, he is too (about 6' 2"), and he often doesn't like cars because of how squooshed he is.

We now have a Saturn and we're happy with it; he thinks the Saturn Ions look pretty good and are nicely priced. We went with a Saturn when we bought our first car in L.A. (and our only new car ever) in large part because the cars we were more interested in (Toyota Camry, Honda Accord) were so high on the "most stolen" lists, though. And having a car stolen was a real concern in L.A.! (Everyone had a story about "the first time my car was stolen...", it was insane.) Now that's not such a concern (though it can't be karmically good to say so...)

He's interested in hybrids, not sure if we can afford it.

Probably most interested in a used-but-newish car -- a couple of years old, maybe.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

hi , sozobe !
there are quite a few articles about hybrid cars and the cost of battery-replacement to be found under this link .
i've also read some articles about hybrid-cars in german car magazines . the message i get is :
yes , they are good cars , but ...
- high cost of battery replacement
- environmental cost of battery replacement
- there are better ways of achieving higher gas mileage and reducing pollution - such as the new diesel cars , turbocharging ...

i'm not a car guy , just like to find out what's going on .
hope our seven-year old oldsmobile will be around for a while .
take care .
hbg

...HYBRID CARS AND THEIR BATTERIES...