So why did you choose Volkswagen ?

[mattD110td5x]

The wife has been driving a suzuki sierra hardtop since new in '95,
we are both pretty hard on cars so suzi is looking less indestructable
than it has been over the years.

...and now with a couple of children and golden retrievers space is a problem.

Spec (in order of priority)
- <$20K
- Wagon or large hatch --> 5 seats + 2 larg-ish dogs
- “command” drive position – lots of glass in back (car sickness)
- safe (>4 stars, ABS, belt pretensioners, 4 wheel disks)
- tough/reliable
- manual (she hates autos, even DSG)
- economical (<8L/100km, 500km range, diesel preferred)
- sporty suspension - must not wallow (car sickness)
- mostly user servicable (filters and oil)
- low lip rear door to get the dogs in/out
- visibility/slab sides so you can see the corners for parking
- ability to fit a cargo barrier and roof racks
- full size spare
- central locking, immobiliser
- simple instrument cluster
- an enthusiasts brand, something with passion and forum support

How hard could it be? - We looked at 21 different makes/models over 3 months,
I can't understand why nothing could meet spec??? What do those marketing people do all day?

...then we chanced on a Caddy Life in a showroom that only lost out on the price.
I knew I could build up an approximation to a Life from a less expensive caddy van
and avoid the expensive "luxury" that we didn't want/need.....

We now have slightly second hand Caddy with windows and a second row of seats - perfect!

- matt

[Satanstoenail]

I always loved Holdens as kid, I dreamed of owning an EH someday. But then before I bought my first car, my best mate got a mustard Mk1 Golf through a friend of his who is a mechanic for next to nothing. It was pretty rough but we went everywhere in it and it never missed a beat, and I fell for the character and quality instantly.

I proceeded to buy my first car, a white LS auto, for $400 that a girl had sitting in a paddock. It needed a fair bit of work to get on the road but I had heaps of fun fixing it up. I smashed it 6 months later and bought a brown manual GLS and swapped a lot of parts off the white one and resprayed it. That Golf lasted me 5 years and I loved it to bits.

I ended up buying an very cool looking lowered EH wagon after that for a change and to settle my childhood dream but it was a nightmare to keep running and it drove like a truck, so I got rid of it and returned to the fold. I've had my Mk2 for about 8 years now and I can't see myself driving anything but VW ever.

[Buller_Scott]

hi, im scott- im a regular, but i pretty much only loiter in the polo and diesels section.

i've spent a few years living overseas in different places, so i didnt actually get to BUY my first car since a few years ago. my real first car was a hand-me-down land rover discovery, which was great, but hugely uneconomical.

come march 2007, and i wanted to get back into snowboarding after a couple of years off. thus, i needed a more economical car. obviously, i was going to get a hatch- they are completely practical, and i dont like the wasted space of a sedan.

i remember when my mum was looking around for a new car in 1998 or so, and one of the cars was the polo. at the dealership in artarmon, sydney, there was a black VR6 golf in the lot. i hopped in and fell in love. 2.8lt v6 in a car this small? it was my dream car since i was 16.

so i bought one. second hand, dark metallic blue, unfortunately it was auto. and unfortunately i took a traffic light pole out of the ground with it

if anyone from melbourne remembers in october of 2007, the day when traffic backed up for hours as a result of a downed traffic light on burke road onramp onto the eastern freeway- that was me.

now i have a polo tdi. tdi for economy, and now, for fun- got chipped last week. suspension and eventually maybe injectors and exhaust to come.

i really cant see myself buying anything but vw diesel ever again. my old man took a test drive of a tiguan diesel on the weekend- they rock.

quite simply, the vw brand would have me covered if i had a billion dollars.

-small go fast car = worked polo tdi with lsd, coilies, injectors, exhaust, etc
-gangsta car = passat cc turbodiesel, chipped.
-go-to-snow car= tiguan tdi with chip and suspension
-people hauler= vw caravelle, of course chipped and lowered on dubs

so there you have it. good, sturdy cars that evoke alot of emotion. need i say more?

[Ssom]

Initially I chose a Volkswagen (1990 Jetta 1. as my first car in 2001, it was unique (Only about 40 Mk II Jettas were sold NZ New), a brilliant drivers car and pretty gutsy for what it was.

That was until I crashed it into a truck and had to price up some cosmetic parts. Since then I fled to Japanese cars.

When I come back to VW it won't be a VW or Audi, they're as common as muck where I live. I will be going to Skoda, unique enough to stand out, common enough to get bits for

[stormshark]

Growing up( early 70's)- always had 1, sometimes 2 Vw's in family, bugs,Kombis,campers,type 3's(Dad was an engineer) First car was mums 67 Bug which i spent $$$$ on modifying, but it was sure quick in the end! (Wish i listened to parents on Spending the money on property?) My mum still has '73 1300 in mint condition(35 yrs ownership)-magnificent car and testament to great workmanship.I've just bought a Golf after 20 yr hiatus, and dalliance with various cars (most recently a line of Maximas), and realise how happy i am with driving a VW. Many stories in many big holidays loaded up in old VW's but this new generation Golf really seems like a "serious" car. Bet it doesn't go through big wets like a 67 bug though- unstoppable.Those that know me can't believe i ever left VW, unfortunately i won't be working to much on this other than oil and filters-too high tech! My dear old departed dad would be wrapt i now drive a Diesal!
as my mum said prior to recent purchase "Mmm their not as reliable as they used to be (VW) you sure your not buying for nostalgic reasons"- ..........

PROBABLY!

[BobR]

Bought my first Kombi in 1972, a red ex PMG splitty with a gutless (1000cc?) motor and hub reduction gearbox, which made you want to get out and run, or push it, or burn it. Cost 500.00 but traded it 6 mths later for 400.00 on a near new 1970 1600 Kombi panelvan for 1990.00. Had that for a few years and it didnt miss a beat. It was a real loungeroom on wheels and although my mates Sandman vans were quicker, the kombi was eveyones favorite, especially at the drive-ins (remember them?) you could have an orgy in it. Got hitched and traded that on a Monaro GTS until the Fuel crisis started in 1979, and bought a new 3 door golf with a canvas sliding roof, golf ball gearknob and "join the golf club" stickers from Lanock or Lennox at Maroubra for 8,000.00. (For comparison, a new just released Commodore was around 6,000.00+orc). Sold that to buy a house and was VWless for a few years until I picked up a 1976 1800cc Kombi which rolled, with me in it, trying to avoid a wombat. Bought a 2.0l Kombi next and kept that for quite a few years too. Also had a 63 beetle and a 70s Type 3 squareback (wagon) as projects, which were both done up, driven and sold . My next one was a 1990 T3 Transporter, a very good van to drive, but expensive to maintain. And yes, there was always coolant leaks,which meant bleeding and more coolant and even the gearstick broke off which nearly gave me a heart attack when the dealer told me the price of a new one. luckily it was hollow, so in went a solid rod and welded back together. I then downgraded to a 1982 aircooled T3 which I sold last year. I have just got a 2000 model T4, so far so good but its only been a few weeks.
So yes, VW ownership is an addiction and particularly Kombis for me, and except for T5, Ive had every type of Kombi. Aircooled is simple and inexpensive to maintain yourself, and very reliable whilst watercooled is a tad more complex although just as reliable, but these days a workshop does all the maintainance as I am getting lazier as I get older.
But I still maintain my old motorbikes myself, 1955 and 1960 BMW, horizontally opposed, aircooled and German precision. VWs on 2 wheels? Or, are aircooled VWs BMWs on 4 wheels? Hmmmm.

[maca]

Dad drove a Mk2 of some type in Italy..

He then bought a Touareg in 2006 and it's where it all began.
In 2007, I needed a car to learn in and he needed a run around so he bought a Mk4 Bora, probably the best car I will have ever owned and did a great job as my learner car, dad's run around and my first car. Then in February this year, the Bora's repair bill wasn't worth it so we had to give it the scrap .

That made way for my Jetta, though . And I think I will always have a VW or have a VAG car.. The soul these cars have is just too good to lose and you've just got to accept that having a Volkswagen doesn't mean you own a car; it means it's your way of life.

[Jayse]

three little (well actually 1 letter and 2 digits..plus some dots..)


.:R36

[phaeton]

Hopefully this bump will attract new members with their stories

[Cher]

Well I've only recently become a VW owner (and I love my car so sooo much). About 8 years ago, I got a lift home with a friend of a friend who drove a golf. I thought her golf was really beautiful and the ride was so smooth and the performance of the car was quite obvious even as a passenger. At the time, I had a first car -a Hydundai Accent that wasn't too old and I never thought I could afford a european car.

In 2010, we went to europe and i firmly realised my love for the style of the European car - I really love the elegance and clean lines of the golf (I am really not a fan of the more funky cheaper looking often jap cars). When I came back, my brother's girlfriend was driving a peugeot -ok not a golf but still a nice looking car. We needed a new car, I couldn't resist any longer and well the rest is history!