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In September of last year gas prices became so bad that I could no longer afford to drive my 1998 Wrangler to work anymore. The 16-MPG highway I was getting was costing me, with no exaggeration, $340.00 per month in fuel alone. (Yes, I work 50 miles away from my home. I’m not happy about that, but that is where the work is.)

With this in mind, I began to look for a new car. The first car I went to look at was the 2005 Toyota Prius. We went to our local Toyota dealership, and after being ignored for 20 minutes, we were finally shown the car. I’m a larger fellow, but I fit comfortably enough in the car, and I liked its features.

I had done quite a bit of research on it, and I was quite disheartened when I realized that I knew more about the car than the salesman did. I asked about the Plug-in modifications that increase the cars fuel mileage, and if Toyota didn’t have them, I asked if he knew anyone who did. His reply was that he didn’t even realize they existed. When we first got into the car, on board system display was in a mode that he didn’t know how to exit. This did not inspire confidence.

Still, the car drove well, and it had the features my family was looking for, so we sat down to price it out, and decided to buy it. Then the salesman told us our wait would be 14 - 24 months… This would have been good to know at the beginning. Especially since I asked if he had any available at the beginning and he said yes.

Now, I wasn’t being picky, I would have taken any level of the car. I wasn’t looking for any specific features or color, so it wasn’t because of that. That was the last straw, and we left fearing the service that particular Toyota dealership would provide. (Notice I didn’t link to them.)

Our next stop was to Honda. We looked at the cars there, but the one that I truly loved was the 2005 Civic SI. While I loved the car, the fuel mileage just wasn’t what I was looking for (Especially with the way I would have driven it.) So Honda was off the list as well.

I couldn’t fit in any of Mazda’s offerings (The RX-8 not included, but I would kill myself with that one.) Sad, because I really liked two of their cars.

We looked to Dodge and GM as well, but I didn’t find anything I really liked. (Except the Magnum RT, but fuel efficiency was key here.)

Kia had an interesting offering in the Rio. A very cheap car, but it had the room and mileage I wanted.

The next car we were seriously considering was the Ford Focus ZX3. (I fit in it better than the ZX5) it had decent pricing and fuel economy.

I really had not even considered VW, but while thinking about the Ford we saw the VW dealership across the street. On a whim, we thought we’d stop in.

BUYING EXPERIENCE

Our salesman, Jim Hunt, was very knowledgeable, and answered every question I had without having to look anything up. We explained our situation and he suggested the 2006 Jetta TDI. We took it for a test drive and I was very impressed. The price was good, the mileage was incredible and the performance was good. The only problem was I didn’t fit in it very comfortably. The center console has a piece that dug into my right leg painfully. I apologized to Jim and explained why we were walking away, when he told us that the 06 Jetta was very close to the 2005 Passat, and that the Passat had a slightly different interior layout that might fit better. He also had several 05 Passat TDI’s on the lot.What a world of difference. I fit perfectly into the Passat, and it performed almost as well as the newer Jetta. (The Passat is a bit heavier, and has the same engine. There is a noticeable difference in engine responsiveness due to the extra weight.) I can’t begin to tell you how impressed I was. Though there was a limited selection on site our salesman also said that if they didn’t have what we wanted, they would try to see if another dealership had it and then they would get it from them.

In truth, I was a bit afraid of having a Diesel. I was unsure of the local availability and price, so we decided to think about it for a bit. After doing some research on the vehicle, and availability of diesel, we decided we would get one. Our local dealer did not have the version we wanted so I took some time to look into it a bit. (A note to VW of America. Your web site usability sucks. There is no reason you should not be able to do an inventory search for all dealers within a certain range. Every other manufacturer we looked at had this Functionality. Forcing a possible consumer to search each individual dealership on his or her own is foolish. You are asking to lose customers.)

We decided we wanted the Station wagon version, and the only dealership within 100 miles with a Passat TDI wagon in stock was in Danbury CT. Then Hurricane Katrina hit.We went to our dealer and asked them if they could get it from them. They replied that due to the new rush on TDI’s from Katrina, Danbury refused to trade with them, but if we really wanted it, we should buy it from Danbury and they would be happy to provide us with our service. So we called the Danbury store. I have never been treated so rudely in my life. The salesman I spoke to was abrupt. I explained that I was on my way down from our other dealer and would like to look at the car. His response, “Look buddy, if you want it, you have to give me a non refundable deposit of $500.00 right now over the phone or I wont even consider holding it, nor will we honor any pricing you have already received. If your not willing to do that you are wasting my time, I have other customers waiting to speak with me.”I was stunned. “Buddy”??? How do you talk to any customer, let alone one that is purchasing a $25,000 item from your business, like that?

Text does not convey tone well; so let me assure you that his tone was one of someone who had little to no interest in speaking with me. He was not polite or apologetic of the situation. When you do that, thing’s like this article show up warning others not to buy from you. I politely apologized for taking his valuable time, and ended our conversation. Since we had called from the parking lot of our local dealership we turned around and went back in and told our salesman that we would rather purchase the sedan from them than deal with Danbury if they were the last people on earth. Again with the rush, our salesman, Jim, apologized and explained we would have to be willing to pay full price for the car. I’m not an idiot. I understand supply and demand, and would have dealt with Danbury if they showed any level of respect to me.I agreed to the terms (I wasn’t happy about it, but I understood.)

Our Choices were limited; All the Passats available were the same model with the same options (GL Trim, I would have gone GLS if it were available.) Colors were silver or black. We chose the Black one. (I really wanted the green, but alas.) I will also say that while we were there at least three customers were informed that there were no TDI’s at all left in stock. When we had walked in the door that morning, there were 12 assorted model TDI’s available. (We were there at opening, and stayed less than two hours.)

As I was waiting for Jim to get things ready (Including making sure our car didn’t get sold to someone else) I was pacing the showroom floor trying to work off some of the rage I had from how the other dealership had treated me. Another of the VW employees came over to speak with me. He was an older gentleman, somewhat soft spoken and extremely polite. He asked if I was being helped, and I explained that I was. Then he asked if everything was all right. I explained to him the situation and how helpful our salesman had been, and that I had mixed emotions because I really wanted the wagon, but I would never do business with anyone who treated people the way Danbury did. He apologized for the treatment I had gotten from Danbury, but was happy to hear that this dealership had treated us well. He was very personable and calmed me down considerably. Needless to say I was shocked when Jim came back in and greeted me with “I see you’ve met the Boss!” I had been speaking with Gene Langan, the owner of the dealership.

After the paperwork was done, we set the date to pick up the car. (It was still in the shipping shrink-wrap and had to go through their setup/inspection process.) A week later I picked up the car. Jim walked me through all the features and controls very patiently as my daughter threw a tantrum. I thank him for his understanding.

Nine months later, the car has been in for it’s regular servicing three times (soon to be it’s fourth). The service department is excellent. Everyone there seems to be knowledgeable, and polite. Everything has gone smoothly, and we could not be happier. The only problem I have experienced was a blown fuse in the first week (I attribute that to teething troubles), and a cracked windshield that is certainly not the cars fault.

PERFORMANCE AND ITEMS OF NOTE

I’ve owned ten cars of assorted types now, from muscle cars to SUV’s. This car handles better than any of them. There is a little body roll in tight turns but less than you would expect for a non-sports sedan. 0-30 Acceleration is comparable to the ‘79 Camaro I had in my younger days. (Though the Camaro would still beat it in a straight line run, the Passat would tear it up in the turns. Twenty years of suspension advancement will do that.)

There is a moment of hesitation off the line right before the turbo kicks in (Less than half a second, but noticeable), but once it does there is plenty of power. (Every Turbo I have driven has this same issue to some extent.) The engine is only 134 hp, but the low-end torque of the diesel more than makes up for it, 0-60 in less than 10 seconds easily. (VW lists it at slightly above, unless my Passat is unique, that is very conservative.) The steering is still as tight and responsive as the first day I drove it. I particularly like the way it handles turns at speed. There is very little under steer, if any at all. The traction control works well and doesn’t kick in more than it needs to.

Braking is quick and smooth. It will keep up with Drew’s G35 (I’ll link to his upcoming review when he gets it posted), though it definitely doesn’t have all the cool bells and whistles that his car has, but it wont beat it. For the difference in price and MPG, I’m not complaining. (In fact I think Drew should complain considering how much more the G35 is).

Something that might be on the silly side, I love the dash layout and color. It has a purple scheme that is very easy on the eyes. The gauges are well placed and easy to read, though some of the language in the alert messages feel more British than American. The Trunk has more than ample space. While I will not be carrying home full sheets of plywood, it is the largest of the cars we considered purchasing by far. Drop down the 60/40 seats and that plywood may not longer be out of the question. (Though the wagon still would have been more convenient for me.)

Mileage has been the shining star though, with one odd point of interest. As I said before, I drive 50 miles to work one way, mostly highway. If the temperature outside is below 70, I get about 38 - 40 mpg. If it is above 70, I get 40 - 42 mpg. Well, I thought it was interesting. Since I traded the Jeep for the VW, Fuel prices have risen from 2.50 to above 3.00 per gallon. The fuel cost of the Jeep was higher than my monthly payment for the Passat at $2.50 a gallon. This morning, I paid $3.09 for diesel. Regular unleaded was $3.25 a gallon. At that price, Fuel for the Jeep would cost me more than my monthly payments and my insurance on the Passat. Add into the fact that the insurance is lower for the Passat than the Jeep (SUV vs. a family car) The total cost for the Passat, Fuel and all, is less than the cost of operating the fully paid off Jeep. Looking at that, I am baffled at the amount of SUV’s I still see on the road.

The diesel fears I had I now realize were unjustified. Diesel pricing seems to fluctuate between the mid-grade and regular gasoline prices. (As I stated earlier, today it was even cheaper.) The noise level of the car is slightly louder than the gas version, but it reminds me of the old VW Beetle in its tone (I will note that it is not as loud as the old Beetle) and sounds distinctly VW to me. Also, there is no diesel smell to speak of, nor does it belch clouds of black smoke. Though it is not recommended by VW, there is also the option of Bio-Diesel. I will look into that after my warranty is expired, since it’s use voids it.

SUMMARY

My overall view is that the more I drive this car, the more I love it. I don’t have any regrets about buying it, and would buy another in a heartbeat. All in all, I think it was a better value than the Prius. The Prius we were looking at cost more, had comparable fuel mileage, less power, nowhere near the interior room, and we were nowhere near as impressed with the service of Toyota as we were with Langan VW.

To give the Prius it’s credit, it is a cleaner/greener car and gets better mileage in the city. That said, the VW wins hands down in every other category.When it comes time for my next purchase, Langan VW will definitely be the first place I go to. If I could go back to the beginning of the three months I took researching a new car, I would still by the Passat, but with a few differences. I would have gotten the green GLS wagon with the 16″ wheels over my black GL sedan with 15″ wheels. (I also would have bought it BEFORE Katrina rather than after…)

So, again, I’m very happy with the vehicle.Langan VW has been outstanding to us, and I will definitely be a repeat customer. If you find yourself in the Glastonbury store, ask for Jim Hunt. He knows his product, and deals straight up. A very refreshing person to deal with after some of the other sales people we experienced. I can not recomend him highly enough.If you are looking for a VW at Danbury, please make the trip up to Glastonbury. Your experience will be so much better if you do.

On a personal note: Mr. Langan, Thank you for the concern you showed me, and the professionalism you displayed. It is very good to see that great customer service is still something your company holds in high regard.

Thank you.-R