I’m looking for a used car for my 17 yr old son for school, work, etc with a budget of $5000. I stumbled across a used 2097 VW Rabbit with low miles and it looks like a good price. I’m not familiar with VW cars at all, we have Honda’s and a Toyota now and previously Fords. So any opinions good or bad on these cars?

I put a hundred thousand miles on a 1982 Rabbit...never seen a 2097 Rabbit, but I bet it’s got more than 52 HP

Funnin aside...I’d go with a Honda or Toyota of the same vintage. And I’ve spent over 400,000 miles in Volkswagens.

Had a 1981 Rabbit. Wish I still had it. Newer ones, though, no, I’d pass especially considering you’ve had Honda’s and Toyota’s to compare it to.

Stick with what you know.

Hell no, run from a VW. You'd be better off sticking with Toyota, Honda, Ford etc.

Can't speak to a Rabbit but I can opine on a 2006 VW convertible. My wife drove this for 5 years and it was reliable. 5 cyl engine that was ok. Tail light went out so I figured I could surely replace a bulb. No way. The rear light assembly has to be pried out. I finally got it out by sliding a butter knife around the edge. Damaged the gasket a little but they are part of the whole assembly, no a la carte.

Sold Ruby in about 24 hours to a 78 year old lady and my wife bought a 2011 Acura TSX wagon that we still have and it's been absolutely trouble free.

A $5000 VW sounds like a near future expensive choice.

IMO with VW cars, Westmoreland Pennsylvania built Rabbit...Hell no.

German built Rabbit...maybe.

We've had really good luck with VWs. Still have my wifes 2007 EOS and its been a great car. The only exception is the power seat. It went out (my fault, I loaned the car to my DIL). I had VWs from my 1961, our 1978 rabbit, and now the EOS. 12 years is a good life span. I'd do it all over again.

Thanks for the input. It’s a 2007. 53,000 miles and $3995 is what it’s listed for at the dealer. It’s at a Honda dealer about 1.5 hours away. Majority opinion is too stay away. Guess I’ll keep looking for a Honda or Toyota.

Don’t walk, run away from a VW.

I've never owned a VW but I've always read about their repair costs being high and electrical parts being potentially finicky. Because of stories like that, I've stayed away from them.

Given your price range, I think you'll end up having to get a Honda/Toyota with higher mileage but the track record of those brands speaks for itself.

Friend of mine just bought a Beetle, I tried to steer him away from VW but it's his first new car and he wanted a VW. He was looking at a Golf at first but then sent me a pic of a Beetle. After the warranty runs out, I think he might be regretting his decision.

VWs are like shitty BMWs and cost just as much.

See my post in the car history thread.
When I bought my first Japanese car I finally could stop worrying about the car breaking down repeatedly.
Maybe VW’s are better than the Rabbits (now called Golfs) were, but the Japanese cars have improved even more.
Stick with Toyota or Honda.

quote:

Originally posted by chongosuerte:
I put a hundred thousand miles on a 1982 Rabbit...never seen a 2097 Rabbit, but I bet it’s got more than 52 HP

Funnin aside...I’d go with a Honda or Toyota of the same vintage. And I’ve spent over 400,000 miles in Volkswagens.

I had one of those diesel rabbits too.

Scotty says:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7aSoFqAyK8

He’s also no fan of european cars. He’s kind of entertaining but he’s right about a lot of stuff, IME.

The VW cars from the late 1970's thru the 1980's were pretty good. The exhaust manifold was on the right (or rear) of the engine, not curling under the oil pan like many Japanese cars of the same era. The starter and alternator were orientated on the front of the car for easy access. Pretty well designed, IMHO.

The only problem I experienced was with the shift linkage. It came out of adjustment easily and was hard to align correctly.

The cars made after 2000 had a lot of shortcomings but the older cars were simple and fun.

V.

quote:

Originally posted by birddog1:
I’m looking for a used car for my 17 yr old son for school, work, etc with a budget of $5000. I stumbled across a used 2097 VW Rabbit with low miles and it looks like a good price. I’m not familiar with VW cars at all, we have Honda’s and a Toyota now and previously Fords. So any opinions good or bad on these cars?

Hahah someone of you are going way back in time - I doubt he's looking at an mK1 Rabbit...

I'm not exactly sure what year you are referring to - but if it's an MK5 Rabbit, 2007 then it's not a bad choice if it's been taken care of. The inline 5 cylinder engine with timing chain is nearly bullet proof. Very reliable engine compared to the rest of VW's lineup from that time frame. The headliner might be falling apart (or probably already replaced/repaired) if you are in a hot area. The drive axles are the only things I had to replace (besides the headliner) on my 2008 Rabbit 5-speed after 9 years and 120K + miles. The 2008 will have a little extra HP/TQ over the 2007 but not a huge difference. Avoid the 2006 and earlier inline 5's.
Edit just saw this:

quote:

Originally posted by birddog1:
Thanks for the input. It’s a 2007. 53,000 miles and $3995 is what it’s listed for at the dealer. It’s at a Honda dealer about 1.5 hours away. Majority opinion is too stay away. Guess I’ll keep looking for a Honda or Toyota.

Offer them $2500. I doubt that they have that much in it. I base that off the dealership here giving me barely 3K for my 2008 back in December of 2016 (which to be honest, was in perfect mint condition and looked brand new at the time) It's not a bad choice if it's in good shape. That's extremely low miles for that year car.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
Scotty says:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7aSoFqAyK8

He’s also no fan of european cars. He’s kind of entertaining but he’s right about a lot of stuff, IME.

Sorry, but "Scotty" is a complete moron. Sure he knows some common sense things about cars - but he's completely biased and a huge tool when it comes to certain cars. He will basically only recommend used Toyota's. The important thing to think about is "how much does this dealer have in this car...?" They barely gave me 3K on paper for my car and then later tried to sell it for $7,900 which was absolutely ridiculous.

quote:

Sorry, but "Scotty" is a complete moron. Sure he knows some common sense things about cars - but he's completely biased and a huge tool when it comes to certain cars. He will basically only recommend used Toyota's

Don, I posted a link to a video where Scotty advised against purchasing a used car from a dealer, which has proven in my experience to be good. Scotty’s advice to purchase a used Toyota is pretty sound, as has been stated by numerous members in this thread and others here on the forum. I’ve never owned a Toyota, but I have owned several German cars and wouldn’t recommend them to anyone for a first vehicle for a teenager to drive.

My opinion is that a car that had to have the drive axles and headliner replaced in 9 years and a little over 120k miles speaks to the quality of the vehicle, as a case in point.

I’ve got no axe to grind with VWs. My first 3 vehicles were Volkswagens (all made in the 1960s). I still have a 1966 VW Beetle. I have had to tinker with them frequently, but at least it was possible for a driver to service the older VWs. In fact, the owner’s manuals had instructions about how to perform minor mechanical maintenance so the owner could do it. The newer VWs are much more difficult for the average person to maintain. I believe there is an intent on the part of VW to design their cars that way, so the dealership can make money repairing them.

Yeah, Scotty is a little bit different, but I still think his advice is generally at least as good as yours is in this thread, even if he’s a “complete moron”. And there’s no apostrophe needed in your use of “Toyota’s”.

I was going to take a look at it tomorrow but I’ve also head about the high cost of repairs and with everyone saying to stay away, I’m going to keep looking for another car.

I've gone through teen-age driving learning curve three times, so I'm qualified to speak. If your teenager has just got his license get a cheap but semi-dependable first car for them. Due to youthful enthusiasm coupled with inexperience they'll have their first accident maybe the first time out.

I mean no insult to you or your son, or anyone else. Just my observation. Buy him what you want; them getting 75,000 or more out of it is a rare occurrence.