On 9/25/2015 9:23 AM, Don Y wrote:
On 9/24/2015 9:48 AM, Muggles wrote:

As others point out, VW is in a heap of trouble and probably best
avoided.

I've been wanting to buy a VB Beetle, but not a new one. Are the older
models (by a few years) a bad idea, too?

"older models (by a few years)" is still a "new" (redesigned, not
"classic")
beetle, right?

The cars named in the recent disclosure are sure to take a hit -- in the
short term and possibly even longer. A lot will depend on the sort of
fix that VW puts forward and how it affects the perceived value of those
vehicles. My hunch is that any *cheap* fix (e.g., a software upgrade)
will result in a vehicle's performance falling below what their owners
(and prospective resale owners) would be happy with.

[If this is NOT the case, then why would VW have shot itself in the
foot so forcefully? Their actions suggest that strict compliance with
the letter of the law would have affected fuel efficiency or overall
performance in a way that would have caused potential buyers to "look
elsewhere"]

How much spillover to other models NOT named is up for debate. Note
BMW already took some heat over *suspicion* that they might be
similarly cheating (no evidence to suggest this!).

People who are fearful by nature will probably lump all VW products
into that category; perhaps even all diesel offerings there *and*
from other vendors.

If your question concerns your potential *exposure* if you opt to
purchase a used bug, I'd not be too concerned. OTOH, if you were
wondering how this would affect the purchase price of said bug,
it will depend on how much fear-mongering the media heaps on
others "competing" for that used vehicle that *you* want.

Craigslist reports that prices for used VW's are already down ~20%.
VW is expected to have a drop in sales for the month of Sept
while most other automakers are posting *record* sales figures.
How long that persists is anybody's guess...


With the prices of new Beetles, I can't really afford one right now, but
if the prices of used (automatic - not diesel) Beetles come down I may
easily be able to afford one of those.

Is the problem being discussed with VW only with diesels? I haven't
read every post on the subject and could have missed that detail.

--
Maggie