Volkswagen Jetta vs. Toyota Corolla ??

[crusader rabbit]

You're getting a lot of good advice her, so I may as well chime in with my experience...

I lost all faith in VW when they started building them in Mexico.  Unfortunately, I did not learn this lesson until I had purchased a VW New Bug for Bunny.  After the warranty had expired on the POS, the tranny went out.  It cost a great deal of money to replace it, and the car was never the same after that experience.

When the tranny went out a second time, I called up the We Buy Any Car folks and they gave me $400 as they hauled it away.  It should tell you something that I felt I had got the better part of the deal.

I wouldn't have another VW if you bought it and gave it to me along with a gas card and paid insurance.

Kid sister (she's 67) has had Toyotas for the past three or four decades.  Started with a Celica in the early '80s.  Currently she and her husband own one of the hybrids and one of their bigger units (I don't remember the model name).  They have had very few problems with any of them through the years.

I would go with the Toyota, given the limited choice. 

Like Tim, I have preferred Fords through the years.  I had a 1997 4WD Explorer that just may have been my favorite car.  But, Ford has quality issues these days.  Their Focus has a clutch-pak issue that needs replacement every 20K miles.  It leaks a small amount of tranny fluid inside the automatic transmission and that causes a herky-jerky start in low gear.  Ford has willingly addressed the issue each time, but Bunny's Focus has been in the shop 3 times with the same problem.  Ford extended the warranty on the faulty transmission, so it gets fixed each time.  But it's a pain in the rear to need that service.  It's been bad enough that a class action group is forming to try and receive redress from Ford.

I think some of the best cars on the road today are made by Subaru.  Great safety rating and excellent warranty.  Maybe you should expand your search parameters.

FWIW,
Crusader Rabbit

[Timothy]

I second the Rabbits Subaru recommendation.  I nearly went that direction but they don’t give em away.  I managed a 5K discount on the Ford with an extended warranty thrown in...  our local Subaru would not budge on the pricing or trade.

[billt]

I'm most likely going to go with the Toyota. The Corolla is the best selling car worldwide, and is as common as M&M's. Most of the larger Toyota dealers around here have 60 or more of them in stock at any given time. I'm not put off by the CVT Transmission. They just drive different. And because of that a lot of drivers don't like them, because they detune the car somewhat, and make for a less exciting ride.

But let's be honest, if I wanted an "exciting" ride I wouldn't be buying a 4 cylinder compact to begin with. There are millions of these CVT Transmissions in this country alone. And millions more in Continental Europe, where 4 cylinder compacts are even more popular than they are here due to much higher fuel cost. If there were any major issues with them, we would have heard about it by now.

Most people say to keep the fluid changed more often than the dealer recommends. They don't like old fluid, and it can effect their operation. And another thing is not to floor it until the fluid is up to operating temperature. The Toyota's employ's a built in heater inside the transmission to help with this when it's cold out. Here in Phoenix that won't be much of a problem. Especially in the Summer months.

[jaybet]

Here's 2 more cents that's worth even less in real world money.
My mechanic works on all kinds of stuff. My son had a VW Jetta and he beat the crap out of it for years and it kept going, but he fixed a lot of stuff. My mechanic points out that they are over-engineered...too complicated, too much disassembly to get to things, etc., etc.
So I would go with the Toyota. We had a 4 Runner that was an awesome vehicle till it eventually tried to kill Maggie with Co leaks.  They're good vehicles, but WATCH THE DEALERS! Everyone I have been to makes other dealers look like the Salvation Army. They use every trick, every, half truth, just HORRIBLE treatment.
Good luck.

[Big Frank]

I read that there were a lot of problems with CVTs when they first started putting them in cars. It seems they've got it all sorted out now.

CR, I have little to no faith in any vehicle made in Mexico, unlike my idiot brother. He bought a Dodge pickup truck that was made in Mexico. He said it was the biggest POS he's ever owned. When it was time to trade it in, what do you suppose he bought? Another Dodge pickup truck made in Mexico! What in the actual heck would make anyone do that? He thought Dodge made the best trucks, even though his very own experience proved otherwise.

I've had little trouble with either of my Chevy Silverados made in Pontiac, Michigan. The alternator went out on the first one after the 6 year extended warranty was up. I traded it in for another new one in case other things were going to start breaking too. It was an excellent truck and I wish I would have kept it for several more years.

[Sponsor]

[alfsauve]

,, unlike my idiot brother. He bought a Dodge pickup truck that was made in Mexico. He said it was the biggest POS he's ever owned. When it was time to trade it in, what do you suppose he bought? Another Dodge pickup truck made in Mexico!

Insanity:  Doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results.

[Big Frank]

Insanity:  Doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results.

Using recreational drugs didn't improve his sanity either.

[TAB]

Drugs never make things  better

[Big Frank]

Drugs never make things  better

It depends on the drugs and the situation. Once when I was coming to after surgery I felt a sense of calm and wellness that I've never felt before or since. I opened my eyes, looked over and saw my mom sitting there, closed my eyes, and everything was right with the world. Of course that's nothing like snorting meth. Anesthesia, good. Street drugs, bad.

[alfsauve]

I've been following my this tread from afar.

I can't believe it's come down to this.   Like discussing whether to buy a Jennings or FIE. 

Really Jetta vs Corolla?   Those are the best choices?

I will admit I have psychological hangups about certain cars.

Chevrolet:  My grade school nemesis's father owned the local Chevy dealer.  WILL NEVER OWN A GM.
Toyota:  I can't get it out of my head that the first three letters spell "toy"  and not in a good way.
VW:  Cheap hippy cars, but I'd love one of the old pickup trucks or a Carmen Gia.
FORD:  Found On the Road Dead  or Fix Or Repair Daily

Still though that leaves a pretty good range of makes available.