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The Hunt for Eric's New Car |
I traded in my truck at the end of 2001 for a car. The truck had about 98,000 miles on it and was still running ok. But, the ride and handling were not great, especially in the snow (I guess I should have bought the 4 wheel drive option). It was great in college when I moved frequently, but it was time for a vehicle that could handle the snow and seat more than 2 people. I ended up with a Volkswagon Passat.
I test drove many vehicles, some just for fun. Much to Lisa's
dismay, test driving and talking about cars was a little hobby of mine for
a couple of months. I initially wanted a car with gas mileage of about
30 mpg in the city, with a high safety rating, with enough horsepower that
the car doesn't feel like a weak 4 cylinder. I also wanted a manual
transmission, a station wagon (i couldn't go straight from a truck to a
car :), a little style and luxury for around $20,000. I wanted a good
size compact to a mid-size, something sporty without being solely a sports
car.
OK, maybe my requirements are a little unrealistic. The only cars
that get 30 mpg in the city are usually small, under powered compacts.
Cars that have plenty of power, usually have a V6 with more power
than I needed, drink too much gas, and didn't come in a manual. So,
I knew right from the start that I was going to have to compromise on something.
I drove many 2002 models: Volkswagon Jetta & Passat, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Sentra SE-R, Mazda Protege, Volvo V40, and the Subaru Impreza & Legacy. I would have liked to drive a BMW, Audi, or some other sporty luxury car, but they were way out of the price range. The reality that a luxury car was more than I wanted to spend started to settle in after I drove the Volvo.
The Volvo V40 was around $25,000 but didn't come in a manual. To add a few more options would have made it cost even more. It was safe, handled great, good gas mileage, but overall it was a little bland and more than I wanted to spend.
The Impreza and Legacy were nice. Both cars handled well and came in manuals.
The Impreza was a little more exciting than the Legacy. Since
they both have all wheel drive, the gas mileage wasn't great. The Impreza
was in the running, but I thought that one of the options I wanted wasn't
available. All wheel drive wasn't a priority for me anyway.
The Mazda Protege 5 was cheap but nice. I wasn't expecting much when
I drove this car and I was pleasantly surprised. When I drove it around
the city, it handled far better than I thought it would. It had a stiff
sport suspension which I soon realized translated to a rough ride on the highway.
Sport suspensions are not my thing. It could also have used just a
little more horse power. It probably didn't help that they didn't
have a manual transmission for me to test drive.
Like the Protege, I wasn't expecting much from the Nissan Sentra SE-R.
I've driven some of the older, standard Sentra's in the past. Again,
like the Protege, I was pleasantly surprised. The Nissan Sentra SE-R
had plenty of power and a sport suspension that wasn't too rough... although
I didn't take it on the highway. I drove this just for kicks since I
knew that it wasn't really what I was looking for.
The Accord and Camry were nice. Both had a plush ride. A stark
contrast to the cars with sports suspension that I drove, but both were just
a little to plush for me. I liked the handling of the Accord over the
Camry, but the new Camry had better styling. I didn't get a chance to
drive the 4 cylinder Camry. I drove the Camry and the Accord more for
comparision with the Passat.
The Jetta and the Passat fit more of what I wanted in a car. More style
than the Camry or the Accord. Both cars had the same turbo 4 cyclinder
engine, which had the amount of power that I was looking for with decent gas
mileage. Both came in wagons with a manual transmission. I went with
the Passat because it handled a little better, was a little safer, and was
more reliable. I threw in a few options (leather, cold weather package, etc.)
which pushed the price up. But with a little haggling I kept under $25,000.
I've put the spec's for the car at
the bottom of this page.
I was happy with the car until the beginning of 2003. The car started to lurch along the road and sounded terrible. I managed to get the car to a dealer only to find out that this is a common problem on 2001 and 2002 VWs with 4 cyclinder turbo engines. The coil pack has a defect that causes the cyclinder to mis-fire. Since there is one coil pack per cyclinder, this problem could potentially happen to me 3 more times. VW was having trouble manufacturing enough parts to keep up with demand and refused to recall the car. I asked them to commit to replacing the remaining coil packs when they resolve their supply problems. They refused. VW finally sent a letter to notify their customers of the problem.
I was semi-disappointed in VW's response to the problem. They made
a good effort to manufacture more coils and offered to pay for rentals.
However, since they won't repair the remaining three defective coils
or extend the warranty, I am not satisfied. They were finally pushed
to commit to fixing the problem after the Boston Globe, New York Times,
and other media outlets started running negative stories.
Until I see a letter from them stating that they are going to replace the remaining 3 coils in my car that could fail at any time, I question their customer commitment.
Powertrain
170hp 1.8L DOHC 20 valve intercooled turbo I-4 engine with SMPI
Fuel Type: premium unleaded
Emissions Type: ULEV
5 speed manual transmission with overdrive
3.7 axle ratio
Front-wheel drive
Fuel Economy City: 22mpg
Fuel Economy Highway: 31mpg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 16.4gal.
Suspension/Handling
Front independent multi-link suspension with anti-roll bar, gas-pressurized
shocks
Rear semi-independent torsion beam suspension with anti-roll bar,
gas-pressurized shocks
Hydraulic power-assisted rack-pinion steering
Front and rear 15.0" x 7.00" silver alloy wheels
P195/65R15.0 H BSW AS front and rear tires
Body Exterior
Driver and passenger power remote door mirrors
Body-colored door mirrors
Body-colored bumpers
Roof rack rails only
Body-colored bodyside moldings
Clearcoat paint
Convenience
Manual air conditioning
Express open/close glass sunroof
Cruise control
Power windows with driver and passenger 1-touch down/up (operable
from the driver seat only)
Remote power door locks with 2 stage unlock and illuminated entry
Manual tilt/telescopic steering wheel
Day-night rearview mirror
Front and rear cupholders
Dual visor vanity mirrors
Full floor console
Covered floor storage
Driver and passenger door bins
Seats and Trim
Seating capacity of 5
Front bucket seats
6-way driver seat adjustment
Manual driver lumbar support
6-way passenger seat adjustment
Manual passenger lumbar support
Center front armrest
60-40 folding rear bench seat
Premium cloth seat upholstery
Entertainment Features
AM/FM stereo radio
Auto-reverse cassette
Single CD player
8 speakers
Integrated roof antenna
Lighting, Visibility and Instrumentation
Halogen projector beam headlights
Front fog lights
Variable intermittent front windshield wipers
Speed sensitive wipers
Fixed interval rear windshield wiper
Rear window defroster
Fixed rear 1/4 vent windows
Front and rear reading lights
Light tinted windows
Tachometer
Outside temperature display
Trip computer
Trip odometer
Safety and Security
4-wheel ABS brakes
4-wheel disc brakes
ABS and driveline traction control
Dual front impact airbags
Dual seat mounted side impact airbags
Overhead airbags
Airbag occupancy sensor
Power remote door locks with 2 stage unlock and panic alarm
Security system with Transponder III ignition disable
Manually adjustable front head restraints with tilt
3 manually adjustable rear head restraints with tilt
Specs and Dimensions
Engine displacement: 1.8L
Engine horsepower: 170hp @ 5900RPM
Engine torque: 166 lb.-ft. @ 1950RPM
Curb weight: 1,514kg (3,338lbs)
Front legroom: 1,054.1mm (41.5")
Rear legroom: 896.6mm (35.3")
Front headroom: 960.1mm (37.8")
Rear headroom: 962.7mm (37.9")
Front shoulder room: 1,417.3mm (55.8")
Rear shoulder room: 1,386.8mm (54.6")
Passenger volume: 2,633 L (93.0 cu.ft.)
Exterior length: 4,681.2mm (184.3")
Exterior body width: 1,745.0mm (68.7")
Exterior height: 1,498.6mm (59.0")
Wheelbase: 2,702.6mm (106.4")
Turning radius: 5.7m (18.7')
Limited Warranty
Bumper to bumper limited warranty:48 months/50,000miles (whichever
occurs first)
Major components limited warranty:60 months/60,000miles (whichever
occurs first)
Corrosion perforation limited warranty:144 months/ unlimited distance
(whichever occurs first)
