Topic: CD Article: 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit

[JSCC]

Don't know yet.

[ArticSteve]

Currently the 07 Rabbit has plenty of power @170 ft/lbs. of torque.  Instead of increasing HP; weaseling 10% better fuel mileage would be the better way to go.  Hire some Honda ppl. 

[JSCC]

I think this thread will hit 20,000 before the 2008s come to Canada. 

[sirAQUAMAN64]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/070319-8.htm
March 19, 2007

VW Rabbit has highest projected resale value in compact segment

Auburn Hills, Michigan - The 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit was chosen as Automotive Lease Guide's (ALG) highest projected resale value in the compact car segment, announced Volkswagen of America. The annual award acknowledges automakers for producing vehicles predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price.

Automotive Lease Guide analyzes value, historical vehicle performance and industry trends in more than 1,100 vehicles in 13 vehicle segments to determine the automotive industry's best residual values. The U.S. award is based upon Automotive Lease Guide's projected residual values and industry analysis for the 2007 calendar year.

[The Beach]

Hey, don't pick on girls!

The 2.5L I-5 engine is North America specific.
In Europe and Asia they use the 2.0L I-4 FSI with 150HP.
We have discussed the issue between these 2 engines before, you can find more if you use the search function on the forum.

Personally, I would prefer the 2.0L FSI over the 2.5L I-5, even though it requires 91 octane fuel, but it's not an option for the North American market at this point.

The 2.5L I-5 is not a "bad" engine, it has a lot of potential in it, chances are VW will retune it to 170HP+ in 2-3 years.
Only downsides are, rough start-ups and higher than average fuel consumption.

Even the 2.0T has better fuel ratings, but again requires 91.

I ued to have a 1.8T Turbo using premium and I'm using way less fuel with the Rabbit at 87 octane then I was using with the Jetta 1.8T...I'm one of those people that the gas attendant is wondering what happened to cause I'm hardly ever there as much!

[The Beach]

Or might catch fire if pushed too hard! 

WTH? The build quality and fit/finish in the Cities are still miles ahead of the Japanese competition, no?

I believe design wise, the old golf/jetta will look bland.  But materials and fit and finish, I believe they are still up there.  I sit in new cars today whether it be the new rabbit, sentra, mazda3, corrolla.  The materials and fit and finish in my golf still beat them.  The new cars may look fancier, but they are slightly cheaper in the end.

I COMPLETELY AGREE!!!       I Have been in and driven many cars and V DUBS Rock!!..I just wish I had gotten the free electric guitar...I hate it when the American's tease us so.

[The Beach]

Or might catch fire if pushed too hard! 

WTH? The build quality and fit/finish in the Cities are still miles ahead of the Japanese competition, no?

Not in my opinion ... there is no way the city golf is near the fit and finish of most Japanese cars.  It's nowhere even close to other VW's like the Rabbit. 

IMHO it felt cheap -  really cheap.

R. 

I agree with you as well. Before I brought the Rabbit I had a 2003 Jetta and I find as the years go on with every manufaturer, they are always finding ways to save money and build cars with cheaper looking materials cause they no dam well that people won't not buy a car cause the dash board looks slightly cheaper then its predecessor though it does drive us loyal car buyers up the wall that pay attention to the details.  They do so much reearch on this stuff it is sick.

Car makers actually do research on the leght of time certain parts will last. For instance if a certain kind of car make and model is known for 90% of it's sales being leased sales, then they will make caertain parts on that car last only a certain amount of time.  There is a bunch of websites out there trying to expose the industry for these type of manufacturing/engineering practices.

[The Beach]

http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/070319-8.htm
March 19, 2007

VW Rabbit has highest projected resale value in compact segment

Auburn Hills, Michigan - The 2007 Volkswagen Rabbit was chosen as Automotive Lease Guide's (ALG) highest projected resale value in the compact car segment, announced Volkswagen of America. The annual award acknowledges automakers for producing vehicles predicted to retain the highest percentage of their original price.

Automotive Lease Guide analyzes value, historical vehicle performance and industry trends in more than 1,100 vehicles in 13 vehicle segments to determine the automotive industry's best residual values. The U.S. award is based upon Automotive Lease Guide's projected residual values and industry analysis for the 2007 calendar year.

WHOO HOOO, that's why I was able to get such a great monthly lease payment!!..and a little help from my friends 

[want a rabbit]

Hi there,

My husband and I test drove a rabbit today and fell in love with it.
I'm wondering if I tell you guys what the salesman offered us if you can tell us if we are being offered a good deal or ripped off.

First of all we are in Canada.
The car is the vw rabbit with the convenience package and automatic.and alloy wheels.
It is for a 48 month lease
The sheet says:

MSRP :          $24310.00
residual % / $ 0.54  /  $13127.40
price:            $25090.00

monthly lease payment   $409.96 taxes included.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.
Does this sound pretty normal or should we be getting a better deal?

[The Beach]

Hi there,

My husband and I test drove a rabbit today and fell in love with it.
I'm wondering if I tell you guys what the salesman offered us if you can tell us if we are being offered a good deal or ripped off.

First of all we are in Canada.
The car is the vw rabbit with the convenience package and automatic.and alloy wheels.
It is for a 48 month lease
The sheet says:

MSRP :          $24310.00
residual % / $ 0.54  /  $13127.40
price:            $25090.00

monthly lease payment   $409.96 taxes included.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.
Does this sound pretty normal or should we be getting a better deal?

Hi there. I just pulled out my papers and it looks like you are getting a pretty good deal. I might try to get it down a couple of dollars a month, like to $403 or something close.

Given that I got the sunroof package my payments are a bit higher per month at $423.18 at $26909.00 selling price with the residual value at $13835.00

Lease rate at 5.92%.

You guys have done a great job.  Is your down payment included in that quote?

Let me know how it goes!

[want a rabbit]

Hey Rabbit Girl,

Thanks for the fast reply.

There is no down payment with that.
I am just concerned cause when I look our page with the price is higher than the msrp. That doesn''t seem normal.
Was yours like that?

How much was your sun roof package?

thanks

[want a rabbit]

Rabbit Girl ,

How's your rabbit on gas?  What does it cost to fill it up?

We're sellin gour Kia Sedona. It has been a wonderful van for us but it is soooooo hard on gas. It costs me 70.00 to fill it up and I go through a quarter tank a day. We figured out it costs us 20.00 for 100 kms. 
I hear that the rabbit is hard on gas as well.

[The Beach]

Rabbit Girl ,

How's your rabbit on gas?  What does it cost to fill it up?

We're sellin gour Kia Sedona. It has been a wonderful van for us but it is soooooo hard on gas. It costs me 70.00 to fill it up and I go through a quarter tank a day. We figured out it costs us 20.00 for 100 kms. 
I hear that the rabbit is hard on gas as well.

Well as I have mentioned in rebuttle to some of those reporst about the Rabbit being hard on gas. I really believe it is subjective, meaning, I think it is great on gas cause I used to have a Jetta 1.8Turbo engine and that car took only premium (93 octane) so when we had those skyrocketed prices a couple of years ago, I was paying $1.50 a litre!
Now that I have the Rabbit I have noticed I fill up less and my bill to pay for the basic gas grade is between $39 on a good price day and upwards to about $43 on a high priced day.

You have the choice to save more gas in this car by turning the climate control on "Economy". Because the climate control keeps the temperature in the car at a constant temperature without you having to modify the dials, the air conditioner will kick in to keep the cabin cool if it gets hot in the cabin. For instance if you happen to add a couple of passengers and it gets hotter, then the air conditioner will kick in which will eat up more gas.
So, if you press the "economy" button you can avoid the air conditioner from automatically coming on and modifing the car's cabin temperature yourself with the dials.

The climate control is a fantastic feature but if I have the window open or something then I don't tend to use it so I don't waste extra gas trying to cool off the outside air when the window is down.

The 6 speed transmission also helps cause you don't use as much on the highway but you lose a bit of pep being in 6 gear so that's when I switch it in to the Triptronic mode and gear down to pass slower people on the highway and such.

It is fantastic that VW gives you so much control over the car. Something other manufacturers don't tend to do unless in $60,000 vehicles.

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'll try to help as much as I can.

[onearmed]

Hi there,

My husband and I test drove a rabbit today and fell in love with it.
I'm wondering if I tell you guys what the salesman offered us if you can tell us if we are being offered a good deal or ripped off.

First of all we are in Canada.
The car is the vw rabbit with the convenience package and automatic.and alloy wheels.
It is for a 48 month lease
The sheet says:

MSRP :          $24310.00
residual % / $ 0.54  /  $13127.40
price:            $25090.00

monthly lease payment   $409.96 taxes included.

Your advice is greatly appreciated.
Does this sound pretty normal or should we be getting a better deal?

I priced the rabbit out on vw.ca and it comes to $24275 with $715 freight included.  What other charges are normally included in a lease deal?  I know PDI, a/c tax, admin fees are included in a purchase. 

If that's the case, I would drop the msrp by $1000, calculate the new monthly rate from that and consider it a good deal. I think you can pull $400 even a month easily.

[Want a rabbit]

Thanks Rabbit Girl and onearmed I emailed like 5 different volkswagen dealerships throughout the maritimes so I'll see who gives me the best price  

I really want it.

My husband and I are new to volkswagen cars and don't know much about hem. I've been doing some reading online and have read a bit about reliability issues. Is  this with all vw's or just the old rabbits?  
The other cars we were considering were the Nissan Versa and the mazda 3 but once i sat in the rabbit, Well we both really loved it and those heated seats

the only thing that is scaring me is what i've read about reliability and that the service prices are much higher than with other vehicles. Will have to check that one out when they open back up tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help.

[onearmed]

Thanks Rabbit Girl and onearmed I emailed like 5 different volkswagen dealerships throughout the maritimes so I'll see who gives me the best price  

I really want it.

My husband and I are new to volkswagen cars and don't know much about hem. I've been doing some reading online and have read a bit about reliability issues. Is  this with all vw's or just the old rabbits?  
The other cars we were considering were the Nissan Versa and the mazda 3 but once i sat in the rabbit, Well we both really loved it and those heated seats

the only thing that is scaring me is what i've read about reliability and that the service prices are much higher than with other vehicles. Will have to check that one out when they open back up tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help.

The reliability is lower than most manufacturers, this is based on the last generation model line.  Not sure about how the new ones stack up, supposedly it's better, and from reading the messageboards it definately does seem so (I was around those same messageboards in 2002).

Service prices are expensive if you go to the dealer, but that is the same with honda, nissan, or any dealer for that matter.  I go to an independent mechanic and thus my VW hasn't been too bad, for example, all 4 brake pads with the front rotors machined and brake service for $340 taxes included.  To answer your question, if you plan to go to the dealer then expect to pay, if you go to a trusted mechanic the prices should be reasonable.

 

[The Beach]

Thanks Rabbit Girl and onearmed I emailed like 5 different volkswagen dealerships throughout the maritimes so I'll see who gives me the best price  

I really want it.

My husband and I are new to volkswagen cars and don't know much about hem. I've been doing some reading online and have read a bit about reliability issues. Is  this with all vw's or just the old rabbits?  
The other cars we were considering were the Nissan Versa and the mazda 3 but once i sat in the rabbit, Well we both really loved it and those heated seats

the only thing that is scaring me is what i've read about reliability and that the service prices are much higher than with other vehicles. Will have to check that one out when they open back up tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help.

If your leasing Vw gives you one of the best warrenties in the business so you won't have any issues with getting things fixed if they do happen.  If you plan on keeping the car longer then 4 years then just make sure you buy a warrenty extension just incase.  I would of done that with my old Jetta if I hadn't turned it in to re-lease. Leasing for me with my job is more beneficial.

Anyhow, With all other manufacturers, they tend to have problems more and more these days to cause of the supply and demand factor. For instance the Mazda 3 has had some issues. A friend of mine brought a Mazda 3 and after 500klms the transmission died. On a brand new car too. So you never know.

You notice that you get a lot more for your money with the rabbit in so many ways that you could not know util you actually owned one.  Most VW owners will agree to that.

About the fees, I would call around to different dealers and ask about their hourly fees and oil change prices and compare them all. Also, compare how much your insurance will be and gas. Then you will be able to make a more informed decision.

Even different VW dealers charge different fees as well.

Hope that helps!

[sirAQUAMAN64]

RE maintenance, for lots of engines VW recommends synthetic oil, which is more expensive than 'regular' oil and thus oil changes are more expensive. For the everyday consumer, this is often seen as VW being more expensive to maintain as well... although synthetic costs more for any brand. Just not every recommends it, so examine that as you may. Dealers also tend to be either quite good or pretty miserable.

No doubt VW has scored much lower on reliability surveys. I haven't had many issues with mine, and of those I've had they've been minor. I believe like onearmed, that the new generation is substantially more reliable than the previous, as I too am a regular VW forum visitor and have noticed the huge change in posts. My 2007 GTI has been issue-free thus far (delivered July, 19K now). I think it's much less of a consideration than in the past, where I would have hesitated recommending a VW because they tended to be very hit-or-miss, and for the everyday consumer that just isn't an acceptable hassle.

That said, the possibility exists for a lemon with every manufacturer. Statistically higher for VW, but the situation has improved...

[ArticSteve]

Thanks Rabbit Girl and onearmed I emailed like 5 different volkswagen dealerships throughout the maritimes so I'll see who gives me the best price  

I really want it.

My husband and I are new to volkswagen cars and don't know much about hem. I've been doing some reading online and have read a bit about reliability issues. Is  this with all vw's or just the old rabbits?  
The other cars we were considering were the Nissan Versa and the mazda 3 but once i sat in the rabbit, Well we both really loved it and those heated seats

the only thing that is scaring me is what i've read about reliability and that the service prices are much higher than with other vehicles. Will have to check that one out when they open back up tomorrow.

Thanks again for all the help.

I've been doing some reading online and have read a bit about reliability issues. Is  this with all vw's or just the old rabbits? 

Your leasing; Rabbit has 4 year bumper to bumper 80K so reliability not a huge issue other than down time, but the Rabbit is different than the previous offerings.

The other cars we were considering were the Nissan Versa and the mazda 3

The Rabbit is so much different than the Versa or non sport Mazda 3 hence the difference in price/rates.  Besides the Versa and non sport Mazda 3 are econo boxes.  Rabbit is no econo box; just the name plate.

The gas consumption is average for a 2.5 litre 5 cylinder motor.  A 1.8 Civic it is not.

If you want a good handling and an excellent braking car with loads of torque the Rabbit is hard to beat.  The motor holds 6 litres and oil change costs will be twice that of a Civic or Mazda 3.

[sirAQUAMAN64]

Should note the outgoing Kia Sedona is a very heavy minivan, with an engine not known to be very efficient (gee, they say the same of the Rabbit in it's class as well). But point is, very different segments and the mileage ought to be a lot better than your current Sedona. Not Civic/Corolla better, but not much worse than a comparable Mazda3 2.3L.