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BHPian Rajamass recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Rewinding to Sep 2021, I just moved to the US for my post-doctoral research with my family. In this long thread, I discuss my US car purchasing experience and ownership experience with VW Passat Limited Edition. I owned a Ford Figo Aspire DCT in Bengaluru, which was sufficient for my needs. We also own a VW Vento TSI+DSG in our family.
I have a fair idea of public transport problems in the west, particularly last-mile connectivity. Hence, I planned to buy a car as soon as I moved, but the market scenario worsened so severely that I had to wait nearly five months to get a car.
Moving to the US helped me as the prices of vehicles are a lot cheaper with few maintenance costs. People advised me to go with pre-owned vehicles as they are more affordable, but I realized most of them were driven crazily beyond 100k miles (>156k km). I was not comfortable. VW cars are my favorites, and I wished to buy a new VW Jetta SE variant which would fit my budget of less than 25000$.
In Aug 2021, just before moving to the US, VW announced a refreshed Jetta for the North American market with an upgraded engine and other features. Due to the chip shortage, new cars that were supposed to arrive at the dealership in Oct got pushed to the March 2022 time frame. I started to look at used cars, but the prices of pre-owned vehicles had gone crazy by then. For example, a Toyota Corolla of 2015/16 model with 1 lakh miles (160k Kms) was selling for 17-18000$. The actual price of the car would have been around 20000$ back in 2015/16, insane!
Left with no other option, I had to wait a few months to save some money and buy a new car. Pre-owned cars sell quickly here, especially those with clean Carfax history and are well-priced. I had an opportunity to buy a pre-owned 2012 VW GTI in Nov 2021, but by the time I confirmed my deal, the car was sold in a few hours. I took Carfax 6-report subscription for 100$ before starting my search. This is something I wish to have in India. The Carfax reports will have most details related to ownership records, service, and accident history. It also mentions if any major parts are replaced, like the water pump, fuel injectors, etc.
In Jan 2022, I came across a white VW Passat R-line 2020 model offered as a certified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle with an additional two-year or 24000 miles warranty. It has driven ~8500 miles (~13000 km) and was well maintained. The price was reasonable with 25000$ + Taxes and department of motor vehicle fees, a total of around ~28300$. I took personal time off and went to see the car on a weekday, traveling 75 miles (110 km) away from my place.
The showroom was not of VW standards. I can vouch for the VW showrooms in Bengaluru, which are well maintained than this one. I checked the car and instantly liked it. The sound system was excellent with standard speakers. The spacious interiors were something I had not experienced before. I was ready to pay the advance and take the delivery on Saturday. The dealership asked me for a driving license, which I had not yet. I told him that California law does not require DL for buying a vehicle and there is no need for an international driving license. California law allows people to drive as long as they hold a valid driving license issued in their home country for up to a year.
We negotiated the price and fixed the date and time for delivery. The next day the dealer called me and asked me to come and make the payment. The service advisor warned me they would sell the car to other customers if I didn't turn up. I was furious and frustrated. I decided to go the next day and called him before leaving. The service advisor told me the vehicle was sold by then. In hindsight, I realized that the dealership does not want to sell the car to someone who pays upfront in cash. They have tie-ups with banks and prefer to sell the vehicle to someone willing to take a loan and get more margin. I could not take a loan as I didn't have a good credit history built by then. Some banks offered interest rates as crazy as 40% APR. The wait continued, but I firmly decided to buy the VW Passat.
I came across another VW Passat listing in the first week of February. This time it was a top-of-the-line 2022 limited edition variant with Aurora Red metallic exterior. VW announced the retirement of Passat from the North American market and hence produced a few models with limited edition badges and exclusive features to the variant. My first glance at the ad made me suspicious. The mileage posted for the used car was just 198 (300kms), and it has a clean Carfax report showing Nov 2021 as the month vehicle was first registered. It was priced at 29491$ plus taxes and a DMV fee. The limited-edition Passat will cost me >35000$ if I buy a new one.
The price was shocking, considering the demand and supply issues then. I looked at the seller, a Lexus dealer (Lexus of Fremont). I called them immediately and confirmed the car's availability. It was on Wednesday, and I was cynical about its availability until the weekend. I called them again on Friday, and it was still available. I immediately scheduled a visit for Saturday morning time. This time I prepared myself to buy it on the first visit if I liked it. I made sure that I had the required cash in my account. I cleared my driving license test by then but have yet to get the physical copy. I just got a provisional driving license.
The Lexus of Fremont is one of the largest dealerships I have ever seen. They were at the heart of the Bay Area and Lexus, having an excellent reputation in the US, helped them. They had a vast catalog of Lexus and other branded cars, which they got as trade-ins, including the BMW i8. The showroom was excellent and had class interiors all over. The sales associates told me that they sell 20-30 cars daily!
The service advisor then took me to the parking lot and showed me the red beauty. This one looked more beautiful than the white one I saw earlier. I will discuss the features shortly. I test-drove and found everything okay, nothing suspicious. Since it was almost brand new with barely any mileage on the car, it carried all OEM car benefits, which included a 7-yr perforation warranty, 5-yr VW car-net subscription, 4-year/50000 miles warranty, 3-year roadside assistance, 2-year free maintenance. I knew I was making the right decision. I could bargain a few hundred dollars and proceed to the formalities.
VW announced that this would be the last iteration of the Passat for the North American market. The current model is a seventh-generation car based on the old platform named Passat NMS (NMS for new midsize sedan built on A32/33 platform). It's a downscaled version of the premium Passat offered in the European market but larger. Currently, the Passat sold in Europe, and China is built on the popular MQB modular platform.
Being an older platform, it missed features like the fully digital display offered in the lower model Jetta. VW North America had no plans to update the existing platform. Hence decommissioned, the model with a few limited-edition cars (1973 in number). The number reflects the year VW Passat was first launched in Germany.
The red one I own is made only 411 in number. Limited edition cars come with special interiors which pay homage to the city of Chattanooga in Tennessee, where the Passat is built. Being a top variant, it has an extensive list of features. The technical specifications are listed here. For variant-wise comparison, check this PDF. I will list my favorite features and why.
The switch controls for windows are chrome-tipped, enhancing the vehicle's look and premium feel. The gas and brake pedals are made of stainless steel. They are classy and give the car a sporty look.
Mileage displayed on the MFD while I was descending from a hill station
Thanks to being in the US, I can buy stuff from AliExpress. As soon as I got the car, I started searching for a good dash cam, and VW being a popular brand in China, also helped me with many options. I came across this model, which does not require tweaking any wires. It's a plug-and-play model that harnesses power from the rain sensor wiring for automatic wiper activation. The installation was simple, with no cables in and around the dash. The quality is decent enough but nowhere near the claimed 4K resolution. It has automatic recording capability in case of any suspicious activity. The app support is the worst, or fair to say non-existent. The advertised Wi-Fi direct also never worked. I have to remove the SD card every time to copy the footage.
The dual-tone alloy wheels are elegant but prone to scratches due to the tire size provided. I already had scratches on a couple of wheels
One fine morning when I was on a day trip to the nearest beach. I suddenly heard a sharp sound. I was on a phone call and was not sure what had happened. After a few minutes, my wife noticed a crack in the lower part of the windshield. Lack of knowledge and awareness, I kept going and later realized at the end of the day that the crack had grown considerably big. I thought my insurance would cover it, but I kept a 1000$ deductible for this event in the comprehensive plan. I did not expect this to happen, as even in India, with lorries carrying asphalt, it never had an issue.
I visited the windshield repair facility Safelite in Sacramento. The technician told me it couldn't be fixed with a gel and needed replacement. I called the nearest VW body shop for help, but they don't repair windshields and suggested Safelite. I asked Safelite for a quote, and they took details of the model and came to me with a 980$ bill. I asked them why it costs so much for a windshield installation when the price of the part itself is around 400$.
Here came the depressing news from them telling me that since the car has a lane assist feature with a camera mounted on the windshield, every time it's replaced, the camera needs calibration with lased guided checkerboards on a flat surface. This itself costs close to 500$ outside (VW quoted 800$ for calibration!). Since my deductible is 1000$, I decided to go with out-of-pocket expenses. I found an excellent technician named Shaud in Palo Alto who is an expert in windshield work. He quoted me 500$ for installation and sensor calibration, provided I bring the windshield. Luckily, I got a good deal on the OEM part at Stevens Creek VW, San Jose, and fixed it at his workshop.
Passat front camera being calibrated with a laser-guided checkerboard after the windshield replacement
Hard lesson learned, and I immediately changed the deductible to 0$ by paying more premium.
The next day, after fixing the windshield, another heartbreaking incident. I parked my car at the workplace within the university but outside the paid parking zone. When I returned to take the car in the afternoon, I noticed a big dent on the driver-side front door and minor dents on the driver-side rear door. When I first saw it, my intuition was this was not an accident or rear-ending, but I did not have anything to prove.
I called my insurance agent, and they said it comes under collision and has 500$ deductible as per my plan. I voiced my frustration and said I didn't collide with any vehicle, but they could not help. The next day I received mail from my building manager that they had video footage of someone kicking a red car in the parking lot and asked us to identify ourselves.
I immediately approached them and saw the footage, and was heartbroken. Some stranger kicked my precious red beauty mercilessly multiple times out of frustration or mental health issues. A moment later, I was surprised at how they got the footage. They said one of the Janitor had sent them the video. I met the Janitor and asked him how he got the video. He said his car had recorded. I asked him which car, A Telsa Model S! Tesla cars have sentry mode: 360 cameras monitor the surroundings all the time (if enabled) for suspicious activity. The trick here is it will save the pre-5mins footage only if it involves a Tesla car.
The person who vandalized my car also kicked the Tesla while leaving, so it automatically saved the 5min footage before he kicked it. All gods on my side, a very rare chance of occurrence, I got the footage of the incident. I immediately approached the insurance, and they converted the case to vandalism with a 0$ deductible. My insurance approved a quote of 1500$ for the work. I gave the car to the nearest VW-approved collision center (Niello Collison center) and got it repaired with an eye-watering bill of 6400$ for the two-door metal panels with parts accounting for 2000$ and 4000$ for labor.
The cost is only for the metal sheets and does not include the doors' electronics or glass panels, which were not damaged. They refused to remove the dent and went ahead with the replacement of both door panels. The rear door has a small dent which I struggled to image for insurance purposes. I honestly felt bad for the insurance company and was surprised that they approved all this with photos. This would have been repaired in India for a mere 400$ for the work in the VW showroom.
In less than 13500 miles (~20000kms), I had to top up the engine oil four times. This is annoying, but the VW service advisor assured me it's quite common for a new engine to consume oil. The issue persists even after the first service at the 10000 miles mark.
In conclusion, I am a happy VW Passat owner. I made the right decision when the market prices were volatile and super expensive. There is always a smile on my face whenever I am driving it. It has more features than I had wished. I hope to keep the car with me as long as I stay in the US. I am looking forward to an incredible journey together. Thanks for reading my post.
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