Outer Limits 4x4 Board

chunks wrote:

V.W.Dave wrote: All that said VW are not built for the Australian climate. They are a high maintenance brand in general. If you keep at it and look after it they will last you a long time and keep you and your family much safer on the road.

As die hard VW as I am I would NEVER own any new VW longer then 4 years. If I was to get a second hand one it would have to be cheap and I would have to know its FULL history as they are easy to neglect and if you don't know how to fix them (MOST vw technicians are a joke let alone the after market places) it will only cost you more.

I would be happy to go out and get a Amarok and drive the piss out of it but I would sell it before it got to 50000ks

Here are a few reviews

The Ranger would still be my pick if it was a car I was getting to keep.



Here are a few reviews of the Amerok
http://www.privatefleet.com.au/volkswag ... ok-review/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.caradvice.com.au/105919/volk ... ok-review/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Interesting. Customers often ask me about buying VWs, I always say they are nice to drive but I would only have one if you are turning them over regularly. Guess I'm not alone in my thinking.

I bought a Golf for a work car. Took the extended warranty, and intend to be rid of it before the warranty runs out.

In the mean time, I expect to enjoy it.

I drove my old boss' new 2.5L D22. I have not had much experience with diesels. I drive a Mazda Bravo 2.6 petrol for work and a 4.5 petrol GU for a play car.

Below 2000rpm, it was terrible. If you went around a corner in 3rd at 30-40kph and tried to accelerate, it basically felt like someone has disconnected the accelerator(the Patrol would do it no problems with a trailer in tow). As soon as it hit around 2000rpm it felt like a NOS switch had been flicked and would easily be faster than either of my cars. I just couldn't believe how little low down torque there is. Even slowing down in traffic from 70 to 55-60 in 4th gear, it would take a couple of seconds to come on boost before it took off again. My 2.6 petrol Mazda (2.32t loaded) has a much better spread of torque, much easier to lug around needing less gear changes.

I know you have to drive these new turbo diesels differently but I would hate to lug a big load or tow a big trailer with them in stop-start type driving, you would have to keep it above 2000rpm to be drivable. It would be very easy to be caught off-guard and be in the wrong gear. Definitely need to adjust your driving style to get the most out of these turbo diesels.

The boss' have 2 of them. Both drive the same and neither have had any problems in 2 years and approx 40,000km each.

chunks wrote:

V.W.Dave wrote: As die hard VW as I am I would NEVER own any new VW longer then 4 years. If I was to get a second hand one it would have to be cheap and I would have to know its FULL history as they are easy to neglect and if you don't know how to fix them (MOST vw technicians are a joke let alone the after market places) it will only cost you more.

Interesting. Customers often ask me about buying VWs, I always say they are nice to drive but I would only have one if you are turning them over regularly. Guess I'm not alone in my thinking.

I was a little tired coming off night shift when I wrote that let me rewind and change a little about getting a older used VW.....

If I was to get any VW that wasn't brand new it would be a 2001ish VR6 4motion Bora or a 2001ish W8 4motion passat. I know they are a little older now but they are BY FAR the best VW sold in the last 20 years. In fact a very little known fact about the gen 2 VR6 engine, The stopped making them because they were loosing so much money on them. When they ran out of warranty they would hardly ever brake down. The VR6 was near bullet proof as long as you ran the correct oil and stuck to the service scheduled.

The Bora only has 2 small problems 1 being the ECT (elect coolant temp sensor) the other being its water pump but both of them are simple and easy to replace and can be done in under a half hour.
The passat has issues with its front CV boots (like all gen 3 passats) and the electric thermostats mess up. The CV are easy 30 min job each side to replace if you know what your doing. Expect to replace the boot every 30000 - 40000ks (boot kit cost around $40 if you know where to get them) The stat is a little different story they cost around $1500 and about 8 hours. But the car will run fine if its messed up just a little rich.

I had a test drive of a new XL Ranger today in the 6 speed manual. Pretty impressive, they have mountains of torque and will accelerate easily up a steep hill in fifth from 60 kmh. Also tested out the low range up a steep embankment, you can be in 2nd low and it will just idle up without touching the accelerator and no signs of stalling whatsoever. The onroad gearing feels good and first is low enough to take off on a steep hill without having to ride the clutch like all the other utes these days. I look forward to driving the 6 speed auto, I reckon it will just be like riding a constant wave of torque.