outerlimits Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 ok gearheads, need some opinions... gonna buy my daughter her 1st car. looking at $10k limit and she wanted a used jetta. i can find them for under that with 50-75K miles on them. then, for the hell of it, i looked at some mercedes c240's. i found a few for around the same price with about 70-75K miles on them. given fuel consumption ain't driving the decision, why would i buy a jetta? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Spare parts/service cost for the Mercedes will likely be considerably higher than the VW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classic_jon Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 ok gearheads, need some opinions...gonna buy my daughter her 1st car. looking at $10k limit and she wanted a used jetta. i can find them for under that with 50-75K miles on them. then, for the hell of it, i looked at some mercedes c240's. i found a few for around the same price with about 70-75K miles on them. given fuel consumption ain't driving the decision, why would i buy a jetta? I am no expert but, I did stay at a holiday inn and had an ex-roomate that was a Mercedes "technician". The Jetta is a great little car and the parts for it will be cheaper if it breaks. They have a good crash rating as well. I would recommend looking around on some of the Jetta forums and you should be able to find out all kinds of things on what to look for if buying a used one as to what can go wrong and what years and models to look for. Do remember that a lot of people are "ricer-izing" their Jettas to do the fast and furious bit and then converting them back or selling them as is so I would *really* suggest the Jetta Forums and paying to have a Jetta mechanic go over it that does not work for that car lot/person. I know a guy that has a diesel Jetta that he would not trade for anything. On the Mercedes, man, they are great cars but repairs are steep... they may run forever, but if something goes wrong that is not under warranty ... Mercedes are also very well known for their crashworthyness, but the Jettas are not too far behind so... Another thing to consider is this, Jetta's are currently an "in style" car so that may be part of her wanting one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al503 Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 I have a couple of friends that had the previous gen jettas. They both had issues with coils (turbocharged engines) and their auto trannies. One got a $4500 estimate to replace the tranny as it was out of warranty (had about 56K miles on it). He traded it in and the dealership said its the first thing they look at. Don't know too much about the Mercs. I know that they aren't as cool as the germans and I know you didn't ask but you may want to consider a honda or a toyota. You should be able to get a decent one that will probably hold up much better, reliability wise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Hefta Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 ok gearheads, need some opinions...gonna buy my daughter her 1st car. looking at $10k limit and she wanted a used jetta. i can find them for under that with 50-75K miles on them. then, for the hell of it, i looked at some mercedes c240's. i found a few for around the same price with about 70-75K miles on them. given fuel consumption ain't driving the decision, why would i buy a jetta? I wish that you were my Dad, I a buying my son a '97 Intrepid for $300 and he is excited, it is going to be his first winter driving and I am not going to get anything too nice for him to crash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el pres Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 Jetta : cheaper to fix but may need to be fixed more often, If it's got a timing "belt" even more money, it is however always in style for a young girl 16-26... Benz: I could be biased but it is "the" safest car in that price range that you could put your daughter in, that would be my choice (for my daughter) for that reason. The C240 is probably the least maintnance dependent of the complete Benz line, but yes, if something weird goes wrong it can get expensive. You can save yourself all the horror stories if you make sure it was'nt hit before you buy it. This to look for are leaks and front suspension components worn out, other then that they are pretty solid. PM me if you want more info ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y. Koester Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 There would not be a question if it were me. I would almost always get the benz. I dont think that the jetta is going to be m ore reliable, plus it has timing belts!! I would recommed a 02-07 c class. I never get the first year of a model run. Pm me or peter if you have any c class questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 For most years the two have similar safety ratings (not that those mean everything). It's hard to say which is more likely to be reliable, but the Benz is going to cost more to fix...hard to get around that. One thing to consider is front wheel drive versus rear wheel drive. Generally the C240 is RWD, but I recall a 4-wheel drive 4Matic version if my memory is correct (depends on the year). The Jetta isn't offered in RWD, but for most years I know of they offered both FWD and AWD. If reliability is a concern I'd also consider seeing if there's a Honda or Toyota she likes...it'll make life easier in the long run. The German cars have a lot to offer but they almost always require more in the way of routine service when compared with something like a Camry or Accord. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted October 8, 2009 Share Posted October 8, 2009 The Benz is more reliable, better looking, and will last a lot longer. Volkswagens usually start self destructing when they get over 100k. I know that'll piss some folks off, but being in the automotive business I see it all the time. The Benz has also depreciated a ton and will likely hold more of it's value as time goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Sierpina Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I'm showing my age here. My question would be to her, "What are YOU going to buy?" Sorry, I guess I long for the simpler time of my childhood, and the way I was raised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galt11 Posted October 9, 2009 Share Posted October 9, 2009 I currently own a 99.5 VW Jetta VR6 GLS and it will absolutely be the last VW I ever buy. I have had to replace the ignition coil pack, the water pump, the alternator, the catalytic converter, etc. The cat alone was an $1100 part. The qc on these cars is horrible and the service at most stealerships is terrible. If you want more info try the vwvortex forum. It is one of if not the largest car forums on the web because so many vw owners have problems. Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rishii Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 butch I gotta 2nd the buy a toyota or honda crowd. but for a different reason, every so often this question comes up at work and I tell them to buy a cheap car because they are going to wreak it. and unfortunately many time they do. they also shouldn't drive something older than they are, so take their year of birth, minus 2 years and go look for that year corolla or camry. they are both gutless but very reliable, hopefully you can find an old grandma car that wasn't driven much. also make sure it's got a crappy radio in it, pull her I-pod for a few months, block texting on her phone, and get it set up for bluetooth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMC Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Hey Butch, I drive an 03 Jetta TDI with 90K and its a great little car. My daughter has a 01 Golf and its been reliable too with 70K+. I think its like anything, some people have no problems and other have nothing but. The Mercedes sounds good but if she wants a Jetta, find her a nice clean one. I have 2 girls and if they have thier mind set on a specific something and I think someting else is better and I buy that, its never good enough becasue its not what they wanted. The long term whining needs to be taken into consideration here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Gundry Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 If you are going to buy a Jetta (judging from the price/mileage I will assume 4th gen (99.5-2004)) - only buy a TDI or wagon. The TDI's are worth keeping going and the wagons were made in Germany - the Brazillian and Mexican built VW's suffer quite a few more problems. VW automatics are about as problematic as automatic transmissions get... only buy a stick. The C230 is a nice car, maybe a little too nice for a 1st? I can't imagine a teenager not crashing/bumping into things. It will have some issues at some point in time, and the repair bulls will hurt a bit more than the Jetta (just won't hurt as often most likely). Coming from a guy that works with import cars everyday (we specialize in the Germans) - I would not buy or suggest anything other than a Honda or Toyota for friends/family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyZip Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 butch I gotta 2nd the buy a toyota or honda crowd.but for a different reason, every so often this question comes up at work and I tell them to buy a cheap car because they are going to wreak it. and unfortunately many time they do. they also shouldn't drive something older than they are, so take their year of birth, minus 2 years and go look for that year corolla or camry. they are both gutless but very reliable, hopefully you can find an old grandma car that wasn't driven much. also make sure it's got a crappy radio in it, pull her I-pod for a few months, block texting on her phone, and get it set up for bluetooth If you are going to buy a Jetta (judging from the price/mileage I will assume 4th gen (99.5-2004)) - only buy a TDI or wagon. The TDI's are worth keeping going and the wagons were made in Germany - the Brazillian and Mexican built VW's suffer quite a few more problems. VW automatics are about as problematic as automatic transmissions get... only buy a stick.The C230 is a nice car, maybe a little too nice for a 1st? I can't imagine a teenager not crashing/bumping into things. It will have some issues at some point in time, and the repair bulls will hurt a bit more than the Jetta (just won't hurt as often most likely). Coming from a guy that works with import cars everyday (we specialize in the Germans) - I would not buy or suggest anything other than a Honda or Toyota for friends/family. This is sage advice. My wife had a Honda Accord when we met. We drove that thing like there was no tomorrow everywhere on the West Coast from '93-'97 and it was a great little car. She traded it in on a '98 Civic and if we hadn't had kids that car would probably be in the driveway right now. That little Civic was gutless but had enough power to cruise at 80 on the freeway and sipped gas. It was a stick, which I recommend, and was easy to drive. My neice and nephew learned to drive in that car, and my 98 Nissan hardbody truck. They aren't glamorous, but they both served well. They were cheap to fix compared to friends who drove Mercs and VWs. Most of our friends that drove either of those types now drive Camry, and Accords. Oh and Infinity and Lexus. One fo those was a staunch VW driver who said the other day that she wishes she had bought a Toyota earlier. then she went on to tell us a couple of stranded with the Jetta stories. YMMV, just mine and friends experience. JZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txkid Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 My wife and I purchased a 1995 Passat Wagon on 2005 with 103K on it after driving it for 4 years we ended at 233K with out any Engine or transmission problems just the usual parts that go bad on any car. In the pass I had a Made in Japan Toyota Corolla and the tranny gave out on me at 80k whats up with that? My wifes love for VW style and reliability we had to go with another VW. Just got a new Jetta TDI wagon we just love it. Well I have to say get what your daughter likes the most. Men have to keep our ladies happy. Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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