Commuting - If You Have a Car....

What kind is it and what do you use it for when you commute primarily by bike? I'll start:

I have a 2001 VW Passat that is breaking down in many more ways than my 1991 Trek Antelope 830 converted mountain bike. The seat is torn, several plastic (cheap plastic) pieces in the car have broken off, the engine leaks oil like a seive, the power steering is making a terrible racket and is very rough.....and yes I do have the oil changed regularly and levels checked. Anyway, the point is...I really don't like my car but I love my bike.

As for what I use my car for now:

1) I call my car....my "Ipod charger." For some reason my standard in-home charger doesn't work ...so the only way I can charge the thing is in the car. This is the primary use of my car.
2) We moved into a house in 2003 that is right next to a school. We also had the driveway and other concrete re-done. The new concrete sucks up tire marks like a sponge and since we are next to the school and we have a three car wide driveway....all the parent use it to turn around. We try to tell the parents via talking with them when we see them do it, putting up signs, putting up cones (even though we have a home owners assoc that frowns on all that), talking with the school principle and having them place a message in the parent newsletter.....but they still use the driveway and it looks like an airport runway...no joke. SOOOOOO.....enter my very large Ipod charger....parked right in the middle of the driveway with the back bumper right near the sidewalk. What a solution....no new tire marks. Of course....as I mentioned my car leaks oil....so the 'moral' victory is short lived.
3) Use it to drop off clothes and food for the week at work.

My wife and I have talked about selling my Ipod charger but we are both a little unsure about being a one car family. We have two small kids and I work aways away from where they go to school. If some emergency happened I'm sure I could get someone to drive me somewhere or take a cab...but still. If you have some advice....let's hear it.

I definately take car of my bike more than my car, which really is a shame, I think. I've got a 2001 New Beetle.

By the way, it's "iPod".

What's so difficult about the little "i"? No one seems to be able to write that.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v419/wethepeople101/other%20stuff/blackbronc.jpg

I use my current one to play in the mud, take me places, make noise and suck up additional cash.

I have a 1998 Holden (GM in Australia) Commodore station wagon that is really only used on weekends when I need to take the family somewhere or when the weather is really too bad to go to work on my bicycle or motorbike (I alternate days with the two of them). I recently gave up my carpark at work and now it costs me $9 per day to park if I drive in so I save heaps by riding in (and I get an extra $50 per week in my pay).

I have a 1999 Toyota Corolla VE... the most basic version possible, with a 3-speed transmission, no power locks/windows, not even a way to move the mirrors other than by pushing on them with your hand :p You can thank my cheapskate dad for that one.

I use it for buying large amounts of groceries, sometimes for heading to my girlfriend's place 12 miles away (though I ride my bike > 1/2 the time), for buying and selling bikes (which I do way too often), and for going on camping trips.

Despite it's simplicity, my Corolla is really a great car. 33 mpg on the highway despite the 3-speed tranny, good brakes, fairly roomy, good speakers, good heat and AC, and a surprisingly large trunk. I had a problem with the engine that was under warranty, have gotten a new set of tires, and just last month had a rusty bolt break off the tailpipe, but otherwise I've had no maintenance issues and am now at 50,000 miles. I think that's pretty good for a car that's spent many winters in Michigan and upstate NY without ever being parked in a garage.

I don't see any reason why I would want to get a different car. This one should hopefully have at least another 100,000 miles in it. I might someday like to have a mid-size station wagon for carrying around a dog and kids and for carrying more groceries and appliances and such. I definitely wouldn't want anything with AWD or a bigger engine, gotta have that fuel economy. I must be the only 24-year-old straight American male whose dream car is an underpowered station wagon :)

Like many others I'm sure, I don't obsess over my car nearly as much as my bikes. I don't know how to do any repairs other than pumping tires, replacing the wiper blades, and installing bulbs and stereos. Sometimes I forget that I own my car... currently I don't think I've driven it in 2 weeks :)

I've got a 2000 Jeep XJ that I use for hauling me and my friends' camping/snowshoe/snowboarding gear to the trailheads on the weekend, or moving big things between my apartment and storage locker.
I've filled the gas tank once in the last 2 months, and there's still half a tank left.

-wethepeople- That is one sweet lookin' Bronco. Man, I miss goin' muddin'.

I have a 1997 Honda Civic EX. It's paid off and I secretly hope it gets stolen. I don't hate my car; I just don't like it as much as I used to. It's getting up in milage (near 150k), has been broken into three times, the passenger door doesn't open from the inside and the power lock on the passenger door doesn't work either. The front bumper has a couple wounds from hitting a skunk and a construction cone. The hazard light button likes to pop out every once in a while. But all in all, it's in great shape. It gets 30+ mpg despite the performance stuff I've done to it. I HATE driving it in the summer time, but I can't bring myself to sell it since I maybe getting a job that will require a much longer commute and I can't afford to live closer just yet. Maybe I'll sell it and buy a Buell.

I have a 1999 Toyota Corolla VE... the most basic version possible, with a 3-speed transmission, no power locks/windows, not even a way to move the mirrors other than by pushing on them with your hand :p You can thank my cheapskate dad for that one.

I use it for buying large amounts of groceries, sometimes for heading to my girlfriend's place 12 miles away (though I ride my bike > 1/2 the time), for buying and selling bikes (which I do way too often), and for going on camping trips.

Despite it's simplicity, my Corolla is really a great car. 33 mpg on the highway despite the 3-speed tranny, good brakes, fairly roomy, good speakers, good heat and AC, and a surprisingly large trunk. I had a problem with the engine that was under warranty, have gotten a new set of tires, and just last month had a rusty bolt break off the tailpipe, but otherwise I've had no maintenance issues and am now at 50,000 miles. I think that's pretty good for a car that's spent many winters in Michigan and upstate NY without ever being parked in a garage.

I don't see any reason why I would want to get a different car. This one should hopefully have at least another 100,000 miles in it. I might someday like to have a mid-size station wagon for carrying around a dog and kids and for carrying more groceries and appliances and such. I definitely wouldn't want anything with AWD or a bigger engine, gotta have that fuel economy. I must be the only 24-year-old straight American male whose dream car is an underpowered station wagon :)

Like many others I'm sure, I don't obsess over my car nearly as much as my bikes. I don't know how to do any repairs other than pumping tires, replacing the wiper blades, and installing bulbs and stereos. Sometimes I forget that I own my car... currently I don't think I've driven it in 2 weeks :)

A person after my own heart!! Have faith in the mighty Corolla!!! I have an 86 Corolla DX that I've had since 1996 173,600 miles and this sucker still has a 100,000 to go!! It's old but its all the car I need (I went to Aridzona to buy it so it's rust free),it will take me anywhere,anytime all the time! It has never failed to start,run,stop or go backwards! It has sat in my yard week after week as I bike all over hell and back and yet will still not asks for much of anything! (A few sips of gas now and again)
As you can see I like 'Yota's!! nothing better for a Bike Phreak!!

1993 VW Golf Diesel. We fill up the tank once every three months on average.

We use it for hauling big bags of dog food, picking up materials for house repairs, going to the deep countryside, and grocery getting in the winter.

2005 Scion xB (big surprise considering my screen name) Use it to haul the girls around town and drive to work when I don't ride in. I installed a receiver hitch to put a bike rack on for when I go mountain biking. It sits in the garage when I ride my bike to work and just takes up space. My wife thinks I'm nuts when I ride my bike when it is raining rather than take the Box (as we affectionately call it) so it doesn't get dirty if I have washed it recently...

My wife and I have talked about selling my Ipod charger but we are both a little unsure about being a one car family. We have two small kids and I work aways away from where they go to school. If some emergency happened I'm sure I could get someone to drive me somewhere or take a cab...but still. If you have some advice....let's hear it.

DO IT!! I sold my truck and we're down to one car. I couldn't justify eating the depreciation, the maintenance costs, the insurance on it. My wife totes our three kids around in our minivan ('03 Grand Caravan), and we use it for family trips. I can bike home from work in 20 minutes if there's reason to rush.

Plus, think how many conventional IPod chargers you could buy :D

2005 Honda Civic VP. Church, groceries, long distance travelling

1998 Crysler Town n Country we bought with over 150k miles. We use it primarily for long trips or we company visits. Also the occasional MTB ride or errand involving large loads. I'd get rid of it and just rent on need but my wife's convinced we can't survive without two cars even though it is very seldom both are used at the same time.
I'm pretty sure I will ride more than I drive this year.
Craig

I've got a 2001 Audi A4. It used to be my "toy," and has a long list of modifications. Since commuting, I haven't driven it much, so it'll probably get sold. The only time I really need a car on a daily basis is in the winter, and it doesn't make sense to me to have something so nice just sitting around for 2/3rds of the year. Last week, I took it in to a shop to get the inspection done and realized it hadn't moved since the beginning of June!

I also have a 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, but I don't really want to daily-drive it in the winter, since the gas mileage sucks. If/when I sell the Audi, I'll probably get an old beater sedan for the winter, a 90's Toyota or Honda most likely. Either that, or I'll ditch the Audi and the Jeep and go for something like an xB.

I have a 1993 Ford Tempo GL with the 2.3 litre four cylinder with a 5 speed manual transmission. It is surprisingly good on fuel as I can often breach 40 mpg (computed in imperial "real" gallons:) ). Best of all, the Red Menace has long since been paid for and the insurance is cheap. The car is dead reliable and there has never been a situation where it didn't run when I wanted to get somewhere. It only left me stranded the once but that was because I stupidly forgot to turn off the headlamps. I don't bother using the car to get to work as my Mongoose will do the trick until the snow flies when I will then switch to taking the bus. The car is extraordinarily helpful in getting groceries, running errands and visiting friends and family. Getting out of town around here is a pain without a car.

I have a 2004 Honda Civic. Leased it while I was still in Charlotte and could not bike to work. Now it is a dust bunny, sitting in the parking garage and leaving twice a week, once to take my clothes to work, and once to pick them up after the week!

I have a 97 Taurus. It's never given me much trouble, just new tires, filters, oil and gas, the usual. I do need a new DPFE sensor, but I'm too lazy/cheap to order one so I've just plugged the EGR vacuum line for now. Gotta deal with that before it snows. Other than that it runs fine and has no significant body issue. I get 24 to 28 MPG in it, but with the amount I drive it there's absolutely no way to justify replacing it with a higher mileage car, unless I could get something that got 100 MPG for $1000, and even then it'd be several years for payback.

I use it to haul the kids to stuff in town, or when I need to carry something I can't fit on my bike. I recently dropped down to minimal insurance, since I only drive it about 3000 miles a year (and a big chunk of that is longish (3-5 hour) trips to conventions or to see family on weekends).

I have panniers on my bike and a casual work place so no need for a car trip to take clothing in.

My wife and I used to have four cars: '87 Vanagon, '83.5 Vanagon w/ Subaru motor, '95 Jetta VR6, '94 Geo Prizm. About six months ago we both started commuting by bicycle and we have one car, an '03 Accord. Actually the '87 Vanagon is still around until the buyer comes on the 23rd. Now we have five bikes...

We are moving at the end of the year. Hopefully we can stay at one car, but there is a chance we will need two. If so, I'm looking at either a Golf or Jetta wagon TDI.

1996 Mazda Miata. It's my car for when I need to haul something larger than my bike or need to get somewhere in a short amount of time. I usually drive on the weekends.

I have a 2005 VW Passat TDI Wagon. I sold my other car last year and my wife had the only car. I made it about 2 months before I gave in and got another car. My wife works and we have 2 kids in daycare. Me not having a car made it inconvient for her.

BayBruin, for some of the same reasons you mentioned about your Passat having pieces of plastic breaking when the car is only 6 or 7 years old, along with computer and electrical problems of todays more complex cars I have almost completley given up on newer cars! I do commute by bike on good days but I have a 67 Ford Galaxy 500 conv, and recently bought a 68 Mercury Cyclone (both have the same engine). These older cars are not only still around with most of their original parts still intact but due to their simplicity of design are way easier to work on. I don't need all that mumbo jumbo technology they put in cars today only to watch that crap break. After a few modifications to the cars (I keep the original parts) I get about 18-19 mpg on the frwy which is better then most SUV's and fullsize pickups, and better then a lot of newer performance cars on the market; plus the cars are way more roomier then todays cars, even the leg space is better then any SUV's and fullsize pickups especially in the back seat! And they have huge trunks; I was able to put a 6 1/2ft christmas tree in the back of the Galaxy one year and closed the trunk!

The engine control systems were suppose to give cars better mpg but the real mpg gains came from making cars lighter, smaller and more aerodynamic, not engine control computers and electronic fuel injection. These lighter parts are not made very durable, and the electronics fail a lot. Both of my cars are about as heavy as an SUV or a fullsize pickup yet the older cars get better fuel economy?! Some argue that the newer cars engines can last over 200,000 miles if maintained properly, and while that may be true, keep in mind that todays cars are only turning about 1500rpm's at 70 while older cars are running at close to 3000 rpm's! In reality the newer engines are lasting as long as the older engines based on how many revolutions the internal parts of the engine are doing. Having said that, I had my engine in my Galaxy rebuilt at 187,000 miles not because it needed it but to freshen it up; that would be equal to over 370,000 miles on todays engines! The transmission in the Galaxy has never been rebuilt. Both the engine and trans in older cars are way less expensive to rebuild then newer cars.

The modifications I do to older cars are relatively cheap. I retain the original exhaust manifolds (but headers would increase the fuel economy by at least 3mpg which I plan to do to the Cyclone for fun), I put on a free flowing exhaust system from the collector on back, replace the points in the distributor with a set of Pertronics points that are fail safe and never need adjustment, replace the coil with a high output coil, replace the spark wires with larger guage wire, then have the cars dynotune for max efficiency, ie more mpg, which also brings out more power.

The older cars are costing more today but they still are cheaper to buy then newer cars, and the older cars will appreciate in value instead of depreciating like newer cars. Parts for older cars are cheaper to buy and are found anywhere...as long as you stay with the Big 3 and buy popular engine sizes. Oddball cars even from the Big Three like the rarer Pontiac Firebird with the overhead cam 6 with 3 deuces can be a pain in the neck to get mechanical parts; but most parts, even body parts, are easy to get for the popular older cars.

The only newer vehicle I have now is a 2004 Ford 3/4T 4x4 supercab 5.4 that gets 18mpg (up from 15mpg due to replacing the stock exhaust with a free flowing exhaust) on the frwy. This truck I will probably keep since I need a truck for snow around here as well as hauling stuff that won't fit in a car. I will be searching for a 46 Ford pickup, but this one I plan to build into a street rod truck.

I take whatever vehicle I'm in the mood for to drive to work when the weather turns foul. Maybe I see you one of you guys on Woodward Ave in Detroit next year; I did see about 5 road cyclist this year riding together on Woodward looking at the cars...by chance any of them one of you?

my wife has a 2003 Kia Rio Cinco. it's a very economical little wagon. i have an 89 escort "pony" hatchback. it needs a new clutch, the tags are over a year expired, it's been sitting in the lot of my aprtment complex, hasn't moved in three months. i consider myself very lucky that it hasn't been tagged. i'm going to replace the clutch before winter, my wife doesn't like the days i have to take the kia.

i've got a 1997 Saturn SL2 w/ 113k on it, i had to put in a new engine in March and have put about 8k on it since then (yeah... i drove alot over the summer, no good bike commuting routes, etc) but now that school has started and im MUCH closer to my job i commute by bike 1-2 times a week, mostly cause sometimes i have to be at work so fast after class i cant ride, not enough time

2002 Chevy half ton pickup truck. 4x4 standard cab.

1998 Oldsmobile Delta 88.

My wife and kids are usually driving these vehicles all over town while I'm at work.

WE (my wife, our son, and me) own a 2003 Saturn Vue, it has 17,000 miles on it. Sometimes the car sits in the driveway for 6 or 7 days at a time without being driven. We use it for family trips, shopping, and for my wife to get to work and back 2 days a week. It gets a little over 25mpg and we fill up once a month for about $30.00. The only time I have driven since May was to give my wife a break on our way back from Kentucky Tuesday. Our family still thinks I'm nuts for selling my car and chosing a car free lifestyle.

I sold my 1996 Honda Accord in June, but kept my 1993 VW Eurovan MV Weekender, which is a pop-top, but not the full blown camper. I use it for home improvement loads and family vacations, and drive it very rarely otherwise. It gets 17-19mpg, which matters less to me than a daily driver.

It can be a little needy, but brings more joy than any other vehicle that has owned me in the past.

My wife drives a Honda Element, which has been a great car for kids.

I have a 2001 VW Passat that is breaking down

Sell it, if it's a 1.8T, sell it NOW!

I'm some what of a VW mechanic.

From the 80s to early 90s the wife had a 73 Mercedes sedan then an 87 Audi 100 & I had my old BMW Bavaria (a hotrod with 4 spd stick & Webers) that we used for long trips, we traded the Audi for a 95 Cirrus LXi that wifey still commutes to work & I gave up the BMW, 1st for a Mercedes 300SD TurboDiesel, later for a BMW wagon which were used exclusively for long trips. I did all the mechanical work on my cars Including rebuilding the engines on the Bavaria & the Diesel. Wifey's cars have never needed anything but routine servicing. In 2004 I bought a Chrysler Pacifica which we use for trips to Salem Oregon, Colorado & Arizona (26,000 miles now). For a while I had an 87 Suburban that didn't get much use. I'm recently retired & when the wife retires we will sell the Cirrus & go to one car. All of our cars could comfortably carry at least 1 bike for me. Don

Sell it, if it's a 1.8T, sell it NOW!

I'm some what of a VW mechanic.


Huh? There's nothing wrong with 1.8t's.

2005 Saab 9-2X Aero.. graduated college and got a real job right about the same time as my old car crapped out on me. It was about 22000 miles on it after 13 months, mostly from 'commuting' from Boston to Vermont most every weekend from December through April, combined with occasional trips back to NJ, and commuting to the real job when I have to be offsite at some point during the workday.

I have 2002 Firebird. Put flowmaster exhaust on it. Vroom, Vroom. I love going 90+ on a freeway with T-tops off, and taking corners fast. :D
That is one of the reasons I commute on a bycicle actually (that and so I can go for a training ride straight from work), I just can't stand commuting in it. Stop and go traffic is really stressfull for me. When I commute on a bike I show up for work much more relaxed and in better mood.

Our family members do not have their own car. The family car is an '03 camry that my wife happens to drive all the time. I'm not against the idea of purchasing a beater for myself. Just have no use for it and would rather spend the $$ on cycling.

I sold my 88 Jeep Comanche (man, I loved that truck!) four years ago and we've been a single car family since. We have a 1997 Mercury Sable wagon with 150K+ on it. We haven't had a car payment for years and dread having one in the future, although we both look forward to a car with a CD player. The Sable runs great and requires only occassional repairs. We use it for everything and drive it probably every other day.

We do a lot of work on our house and yard, and it's hauled anything we've ever needed, sometimes inside, sometimes on top and sometimes in the utility trailer. With three boys still in car seats, the back seat is a little tight, so we know we're going to have to replace it, eventually, but it won't be for a while.

There's nothing wrong with dreaming about station wagons, man!

This is a good thread. My 1990 Volvo 240 is on the way out. I'm a bit sad because it has been a really great and reliable vehicle. But I only driven it a few times this year and it's not great for really hauling stuff, which is my primary use for a car now. So I might look into a small pickup truck that is just for carrying lumber and bike stuff, plus the occasional emergency trip. Bike everyday, pickup when needed. I like that mix.

A 2002 Pontiac Montana minivan, extended wheelbase. My wife and I share it. We bought it when our third child was born, as it or a Chevy Venture were the only choices with anchors for three child car seats (I was astonished to learn that virtually all minivans only have two). Picked it over the Chevy because the Chevy didn't have a DVD player, which we've never regretted!

After 4 1/2 years we just clicked over 25,000 miles. Most of that is either from our annual vacation or errands requiring the kids.

Huh? There's nothing wrong with 1.8t's.

Not in a Jetta, but the transverse mounting in the Passat reduced the oil sump by a full quart, which isn't good for a turbo. Unless you are religious about oil changes and/or use synthetic, the Passats are generating oil sludge around 60-70K miles, often requiring a full engine replacement. I had a 2003 Passat wagon, and loved it as a car, but it left my wife and kids stranded 3 times (faulty ignition, failed fuel pump, heated seat caught on fire within 36,000 miles), so I unloaded it and went back to a Honda before I had to deal with the engine.

91 Nissan Sentra. 35 mpg on the highway (confirmed) and an extremely reliable little 4-banger that has 140,000 miles on it and is showing no signs of slowing down. knock on wood. One piece of advice I would give anyone wanting to get the most out of their car is change the oil regularly, makes a big difference

Excellent Thread.

When I'm not biking, I drive an '89 BMW 325ix (e30). It was BMW's first foray into all wheel drive. The car handles like it is on rails, and offers many features that are still considered 'new' in more recent cars. Depreciation is minimal, it's fully paid for and it only has 100k miles on the clock.

I use the car for commuting when I have early meetings (7am) or appontments right after work. I also use it to haul bikes and skis to various trail heads, and for roadtrips and errand - running on the weekends. I've also had it out on the track for a couple of 'driver's schools' and autocross (the OTHER cross) races.

It can be thirsty in city driving, but I fill it about once a month. It feeds my need to tinker with mechanical objects (the bikes do this as well) and allows me to practice my German profanity, and my appreciation for fine engineering work.

http://www.members.shaw.ca/alex89ix/Alex_89ix_Winter006.jpg

A.

Interesting VW reviews. We have an 02 passat wagon, 1.8t, pushing 70k miles now, and have been using syn oils. We just had our first (non-recall) mechanical issue, some vacuum lines were going. Picked up VW/PC usb interface off ebay ($20??? this thing is amazing!!!) to diagnose that. In general we love the car.

This semester my wife is actually working in the county we live in, but I doubt she'll be biking. Thing 1 is in school now, 4 blocks from home, Thing 2 in daycare they both attended, mile or so from home, so 1 car is plenty sufficient, easy enough for me to retrieve them in bike trailer if something arises that I need to handle.

I have 2. A 1992 Dodge truck that is parked next to the tractor and is used as farm equipment. It hauls hay, feed, etc.
The other is a 2002 Miata (http://homepage.mac.com/awcg/.Pictures/Bike/Miata.jpg), small, good gas mileage, and so far trouble free. I use it when I need to haul someone else, more than I can on my bike, or during inclement weather.

Stop and go traffic is really stressful for me. When I commute on a bike I show up for work much more relaxed and in better mood.

2003 Infiniti G35 coupe - Black on Black
It hates stop and go traffic!

Sounds like a VW... :D Either they are great or they are bad. Usually wiring issues.
If you commute all the time and can handle incliment weather, then sell it. You still have one car and your wife can be the go to in emergencies. On the weekends and in the evenings if you need to drive somewhere then you do have the option. Sounds like the VW is going to be a money pit and is also something that just takes up space. Also the money you can get out it would probably make a good investment oppurtunity, a chance to buy a new I pod charger, and maybe a gated drive :p
You don't like the car, it serves very little use, it has issues and will cost you money, SELL IT.

Me:
92 Civic Si Hatch, paid $1000
Bought it when I sold my S2000 recently, when I decided I was tired of debt.
Every panel is dented either from hail or previous fender benders before I bought it. Has perfect interior, and 216,000 on the clock. Runs good, fits a bike when I want it too, and fills my car needs. Well not all of them, I'm a car guy, but getting out of debt is more important than a "fun" car right now. :rolleyes:

Huh? There's nothing wrong with 1.8t's.

HAHAHAHAHAHA QUOTE OF THE MONTH

That hatch will do much more with a nice Thule rack.

We have two Hondas.

1) My wife's '92 Prelude. A great car. This is the model with all-wheel-steering, which I think Honda gave up on but GM had to revive it in order to make their gigantic SUVs parkable. 125k miles, nearly 30mpg, very enjoyable to drive. Unfortunately you can't fit anything in it bigger than a bag of groceries. Which is why we got:

2) 2005 Odyssey. We use this mostly for transporting the Wonder Twins and their accoutrements. I have to say that originally my male ego totally resisted a minivan. But it's so dang useful, surprisingly good handling, surprisingly good mileage, and it holds a ton of stuff (especially with the roof rack). When the kids were still infants we went up to Tahoe for a week and I was able to fit three adults, two babies, a dog, two bikes, the kids' bike-trailer/jogger, a double play-pen, and all of our bags.

Not in a Jetta, but the transverse mounting in the Passat reduced the oil sump by a full quart, which isn't good for a turbo. Unless you are religious about oil changes and/or use synthetic, the Passats are generating oil sludge around 60-70K miles, often requiring a full engine replacement. I had a 2003 Passat wagon, and loved it as a car, but it left my wife and kids stranded 3 times (faulty ignition, failed fuel pump, heated seat caught on fire within 36,000 miles), so I unloaded it and went back to a Honda before I had to deal with the engine.

Errr. . . . not to be picky, but I think you've got things mixed up a bit. B5 and B6 platform cars (Audi A4, Passat) had longitudinally mounted 1.8t engines, it was the A4 platform (i.e. Jetta, Golf, Audi TT) that had the transverse engine.

Anyways, VW offered owners and extended warranty to cover the sludging problem, which was pretty cool considering I think it's fair to say that reports about it were pretty exagerated. I've put nearly 200,000 hard miles on modified 1.8T engines, in addition to tearing a handful of them down, and I have yet to see any resemblance of oil sludge damage. Following the reccomended oil service schedule (5k miles with 502.00 oil) is certainly going to help avoid the problem - I don't really see how people can get upset for a problem that's basically caused by not following the vehicle's maintenance schedule.

Granted, the sludge thing is definitely happening to some people, and the 1.8t has other problems (timing belts, water pumps, coil failure) but writing off any vehicle equipped with one in a blanket statement is wildly misleading, IMHO.

HAHAHAHAHAHA QUOTE OF THE MONTH

Right. :rolleyes:

I have two cars, one in the UK and one in the USA.

In the UK, a very cheaply purchased Jaguar XJ6 - the car is used so infrequently we thought we'd have a little luxury fun...

In the USA, a 1967 MGB roadster that has been slowly brought back to life over the last 3 years. A car to lie underneath, rather than drive... She is now on the road again and in good driving condition, but awaits an interior.

My wife has a very frugal Honda Civic for everyday use.

Ed

98 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It's 16mpg is what inspired me to start riding a year ago. I usually sits M-F unless we have a family run, or are headed out to dinner. I went from tanking that pig 3 times a month, to less than once a month now.

Considering getting rid of it, but we can't haul much stuff in the GF's Honda. There are times we fill the 3 bike roof rack and hang a couple more on the back. Not sure how the Tandem would fit on the Honda either. Maybe get a small pickup or something.. but the thought of no car/insurance payments is tempting.

Errr. . . . not to be picky, but I think you've got things mixed up a bit. B5 and B6 platform cars (Audi A4, Passat) had longitudinally mounted 1.8t engines, it was the A4 platform (i.e. Jetta, Golf, Audi TT) that had the transverse engine.

Anyways, VW offered owners and extended warranty to cover the sludging problem, which was pretty cool considering I think it's fair to say that reports about it were pretty exagerated. I've put nearly 200,000 hard miles on modified 1.8T engines, in addition to tearing a handful of them down, and I have yet to see any resemblance of oil sludge damage. Following the reccomended oil service schedule (5k miles with 502.00 oil) is certainly going to help avoid the problem - I don't really see how people can get upset for a problem that's basically caused by not following the vehicle's maintenance schedule.

Granted, the sludge thing is definitely happening to some people, and the 1.8t has other problems (timing belts, water pumps, coil failure) but writing off any vehicle equipped with one in a blanket statement is wildly misleading, IMHO.

Right, logitudinally mounted is what I meant. They really crammed that thing in there from the looks of it. I got the extended warranty, but actual claims on it by others I know were denied unless they could provide documented proof of oil changes every 3k miles, which is more frequent than recommended. In all fairness, I do know people who have the same car (Passat or A4) and are well past 70k miles with none of these issues, so I guess its hit or miss, I just wasn't interested in the risk.