They were great cars. Genuinely different from what was available in North America. In NA the choice seemed to boil down to Japanese compact cars (boring) or North American monster vehicles.I actually owned a Wolfsburg-built Golf (GTI) in America. I believe it was the very last generation, before they shifted production to Mexico for the NA market.
Did you live in North America? Because even the same models of cars (like the VW Golf) are different in North America than in Europe.
In Europe, I would cheerfully drive a European-made German car. But in North America? No. They don't take to the driving conditions well - the rigours of a North American winter, road salt ec. They depreciate fast. They are expensive to fix.
(It almost goes without saying that this is true of any European car in North America. Having seen Fiats, Alpha Romeo, Mini, you name it - just basically turn into junk).
That particular model and spec was supposed to be so much like its EU counterpart, I considered bringing it to Europe with me when I moved over. Except…I couldn’t get assurance from VW what homologation changes were required, and thus know the final cost of import.
However depreciation and repairs?
Chrysler has had several near death experiences. They used to say about Japan that there were "zombie" car companies, kept alive by the national preference against bankruptcy.Instead I bought, mostly for looks and some curiosity, an Alfa Romeo. (Theres an adage that all car fans must own an Alfa atleast once). Without CR’s help, I already knew they made bad cars. And it was. That ownership group Stellantis just seems to be responsible for the worst cars id driven in my life: Opel, Fiat, etc. Wouldnt want to own then on any continent!!!
I think Stellantis is fast becoming the zombie car company. They don't seem to be able to address their Quality Assurance problems.
Statistics: Posted by Valuethinker — Tue Mar 04, 2025 2:27 am