Renting a Jetta or Passat?

In rec.autos.driving John S. > wrote:
> You might want to look at something larger like one of the 4 door
> sedans from Chevy or Ford. Also, the Toyota Avalon seemed to have a

Look at the Crown Vic. Seriously. Once you get past the "old guy's car"
rep, it's a damn good car. They're RWD, very durable[*], comfortable, and
get 25-27 mpg on the highway. Not "flashy" for sure, but nonetheless
good.
[*]- You see NYC cabs with 250+ k miles running around all the time.
There's something to be said for a car that lasts that long in *hard*
city driving. (NYC roads aren't the best, traffic is stop-and-go all the
time, and it gets *hot* in summer.)

-Andrew

On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 06:31:16 GMT, lid (Király)
wrote:

>Rent? Are there no local VW dealers willing to let you take a test
>drive, for free?
>
>K.

You don't often learn a lot in a trip around the block with the
salesman pressuring you about buying the car, never shutting up long
enough to even listen to the radio, much less check seating comfort
over an extended period with two or more drivers at the wheel.

In rec.autos.driving Pooh Bear > wrote:
> I know somone who bought that model and had to sell it because he found the
> seats intolerably uncomfortable.

> If you like great seats I can recommend Saab.

> Graham

Seat comfort is very much a personal thing. The original poster might
find the 'old' Passat quite comfy (and I'm not sure how different the
'new' Passat's seats are anyway).

I find my Volvo 240's seats to be extremely comfortable (not to mention
the best seat heaters ever), but a short friend complained that the
pass. seat was 'awful' on a long trip.

-Andrew

"Bob Ward" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 06:31:16 GMT, lid (Király)
> wrote:
>
>>Rent? Are there no local VW dealers willing to let you take a test
>>drive, for free?
>>
>>K.
>
> You don't often learn a lot in a trip around the block with the
> salesman pressuring you about buying the car, never shutting up long
> enough to even listen to the radio, much less check seating comfort
> over an extended period with two or more drivers at the wheel.
>

Hell, any GM or Saturn dealer will give you a 24 hour test drive.

In nk.net "Bill McKee"
> wrote:

>
> "Bob Ward" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 06:31:16 GMT, lid (Király)
>> wrote:
>>
>>>Rent? Are there no local VW dealers willing to let you take a test
>>>drive, for free?
>>
>> You don't often learn a lot in a trip around the block with the
>> salesman pressuring you about buying the car, never shutting up long
>> enough to even listen to the radio, much less check seating comfort
>> over an extended period with two or more drivers at the wheel.
>>
>
> Hell, any GM or Saturn dealer will give you a 24 hour test drive.

But I don't think the OP could get a Passat from his local Saturn dealer
:-)


--
Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

On Sat, 17 Dec 2005, Andrew Szafran wrote:

> In rec.autos.driving John S. > wrote:
>> You might want to look at something larger like one of the 4 door
>> sedans from Chevy or Ford. Also, the Toyota Avalon seemed to have a
>
> Look at the Crown Vic. Seriously. Once you get past the "old guy's car"
> rep, it's a damn good car.

It's a shoddily-engineered, shoddily-built piece of garbage from Ford.

>[*]- You see NYC cabs with 250+ k miles running around all the time.

Big deal! I still see '85-'87 Yugos, Chevrolet Cavaliers and other such
dreck with that kind of mileage on them. With enough parts replacement,
you can make anything last that long.

"Daniel J. Stern" > wrote in message
n.umich.edu...
> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005, Andrew Szafran wrote:
>
>> In rec.autos.driving John S. > wrote:
>>> You might want to look at something larger like one of the 4 door
>>> sedans from Chevy or Ford. Also, the Toyota Avalon seemed to have a
>>
>> Look at the Crown Vic. Seriously. Once you get past the "old guy's car"
>> rep, it's a damn good car.
>
> It's a shoddily-engineered, shoddily-built piece of garbage from Ford.
>
>>[*]- You see NYC cabs with 250+ k miles running around all the time.
>
> Big deal! I still see '85-'87 Yugos, Chevrolet Cavaliers and other such
> dreck with that kind of mileage on them. With enough parts replacement,
> you can make anything last that long
Yep! Even a Volkswagon. LOL
http://www.my3cents.com/companyOverview.cgi?code=81
Geoff.
>

In rec.autos.driving Daniel J. Stern > wrote:
> It's a shoddily-engineered, shoddily-built piece of garbage from Ford.

Certainly simpler and more maintainable than the 500 or Taurus. Nice,
simple RWD drivetrain and well-debugged design (the basic design is 20+
years old). I thought your philosophy was K.I.S.S., Daniel, and that you
were a fan of the old RWD Volvo (1-/2- series) and slant-6 Dodges for that
very reason.

-Andrew

"Bert Hyman" > wrote in message
...
> In nk.net "Bill McKee"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> "Bob Ward" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On Sat, 17 Dec 2005 06:31:16 GMT, lid (Király)
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Rent? Are there no local VW dealers willing to let you take a test
>>>>drive, for free?
>>>
>>> You don't often learn a lot in a trip around the block with the
>>> salesman pressuring you about buying the car, never shutting up long
>>> enough to even listen to the radio, much less check seating comfort
>>> over an extended period with two or more drivers at the wheel.
>>>
>>
>> Hell, any GM or Saturn dealer will give you a 24 hour test drive.
>
> But I don't think the OP could get a Passat from his local Saturn dealer
> :-)
>
>
> --
> Bert Hyman St. Paul, MN

A used one. Or mention the offer to the VW dealer.

The callsign shows I'm in the Pacific NW of the US - and the local
dealer had not a clue where I could rent one for a 300 mile drive, nor
would they allow me to drive it that long.