AnthemLights Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 We bought a VW Passat less than a year before the emissions scandal. At first I didn't think much of it despite getting numerous letters from lawyers wondering if we want to get involved in a court case....I like my Passat, we didn't have any plans to sell, I love the fuel mileage, it seats 5 comfortably and I didn't really feel like we needed compensation for anything. Basically, I just ignored the whole thing thinking that it doesn't really affect us. However, we just got a notice in the mail today from Volkswagon with what I thought were incredibly generous settlement terms. In short, if we turn in our car, they will give us $20,000. (At least from what I understand from their website) This is a very tempting offer because since buying the Passat we have added a 6th person to our household so we no longer all fit. Whenever we want to go somewhere as a family, we need to take 2 vehicles. This hasn't been a problem so far because we don't really drive a lot of places together. And hey, teenagers, they like to drive by themselves, anyway. :001_smile: We have 3 vehicles right now....my husband's work truck, my Passat and a beater that we picked up for less than $2000 for our up and coming young people to drive around in. So maybe it would make sense to trade in the Passat and buy what? A van? Ughh. (Sorry to those of you who drive a van :P .) An Expedition or something similar? Horrible fuel mileage. We live a million miles from nowhere and I loved that I could drive my Passat guilt-free. Plus, I would hate to use such a big vehicle for running around. :unsure: Maybe 2 vehicles, both older? A 6 passenger something for the very occasional family trip and then a cheap run around for me. If we went that route, would you sell the beater we now have so as to avoid owning 4 vehicles? We probably do need to buy something that seats the whole family. We have close family that lives 10 hours from us and then my parents (who we try to visit once a year), live 40 hours. So maybe long distance trips 3 or 4 times a year? But it kills me to think of buying an expensive vehicle that we would use so rarely. Another thing to consider is that we might not have our 6th person for too much longer (foster child who may or may not become ours). And then there is the oldest who is 16....how much longer is she going to be with the family? Maybe we should just buy an economy car to replace the Passat and put the rest in savings? Am I over thinking this? Trying to plan too far ahead? WWYD? Specific vehicle recommendations would be greatly appreciated if you have any thoughts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyinLA Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 We got this in the mail today, and I just finished filling it out (my son's Jetta is affected). If he were going to come out way ahead of what he owed, I think he'd do the buyback, but since he'll basically break even with what he owes, he's taking the settlement and getting the repair. I think there would be pros and cons for either in your situation, so I can't really offer much help there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I'd do the buyback, definitely. I'd replace it with a nice foreign commuter, like a Kia or Honda hatchback of some sort. They tend to be safe, get awesome mileage, and if you buy one used they're a steal for the quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthemLights Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Yeah, I am pretty sure we are going to do the buyback. I guess my bigger question was what to replace it with. Something that would fit our now-too-big family or something with equally awesome fuel mileage or maybe with $20,000 we could get both? Obviously we would have to go with older, higher mileage, but I don't think that would matter to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I'd do the buyback, definitely. I'd replace it with a nice foreign commuter, like a Kia or Honda hatchback of some sort. They tend to be safe, get awesome mileage, and if you buy one used they're a steal for the quality. For a family of 6 when they want a car that will seat them all and don't have one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LucyStoner Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Yeah, I am pretty sure we are going to do the buyback. I guess my bigger question was what to replace it with. Something that would fit our now-too-big family or something with equally awesome fuel mileage or maybe with $20,000 we could get both? Obviously we would have to go with older, higher mileage, but I don't think that would matter to me. If you don't mind an older car, getting both is definitely doable. Just check the impact on your insurance rates for 4 vs. 3 cars. I prefer the minivan to the SUV that will seat 6+ for my family because of mileage, safety and gas mileage. There is a Mazda (5?) that seats six but is smaller than a minivan so that might be an option for to consider if mileage and not getting a minivan is important to you. My friends just got one and love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Don't know what vehicle to recommend, but could you buy one (maybe that seats 5) for around $15 to $17k & then set the rest aside to use for a large rental to use for the occasional long car trip with the entire family? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purplejackmama Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Don't know what vehicle to recommend, but could you buy one (maybe that seats 5) for around $15 to $17k & then set the rest aside to use for a large rental to use for the occasional long car trip with the entire family? My thoughts exactly. As infrequent as you road trip, just rent something bigger when needed. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 For a family of 6 when they want a car that will seat them all and don't have one? I was thinking of the future drivers. You could get both for that buyback price if you shop smart with your model and used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoodGrief Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 We're doing the buyback! The 18 year old is off to college, and I will happily be kickin' it in the 10 year old SUV that she was driving for the time being! I don't drive nearly the miles I used to with 2/3 of the kids out of the house, so this will be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthemLights Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 We're doing the buyback! The 18 year old is off to college, and I will happily be kickin' it in the 10 year old SUV that she was driving for the time being! I don't drive nearly the miles I used to with 2/3 of the kids out of the house, so this will be fine. We still drive a crazy number of miles. We owned the Passat 2 and half years and put 97,000 miles on it. So fuel mileage is very important to me. Which is why we bought the Passat in the first place. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnthemLights Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) Don't know what vehicle to recommend, but could you buy one (maybe that seats 5) for around $15 to $17k & then set the rest aside to use for a large rental to use for the occasional long car trip with the entire family? My thoughts exactly. As infrequent as you road trip, just rent something bigger when needed. Renting. That's an intriguing idea and one I wouldn't have thought of. I'm going to run that past my husband and see what he thinks. Seriously, it would make much better sense than buying an expensive suv or crossover that we would only use occasionally. I asked him tonight about just going with a van...so cheap and practical. He thought I was crazy to even suggest it. Said he wouldn't be caught dead driving one. LOL, I thought I was the reason that we never would have bought a van in the past. He said no, I was just his excuse. :lol: Edited August 17, 2016 by AnthemLights 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 (edited) For an inexpensive, amazing commuter for a high schooler or couple, you couldn't do much better than Elio, which we are considering heavily to replace our Saturn when it dies. That leaves a good chunk to put toward a bigger vehicle OR pocket (because the rental idea is kind of awesome for an infrequent big vehicle situation). https://www.eliomotors.com Edited August 17, 2016 by Arctic Mama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I like the renting option. Why drive around so much car when you usually don't need it? We just bought a 2013, completely loaded Focus Hatchback for $10K. It gets 40+ mpg and seats 5. If you did something like that, you would have $10K leftover. You could put part aside for renting when needed and put the rest aside to start saving for another car in the future. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I would take the Buyback $ from VW and run with it. You cannot predict how that horrible scandal will affect the Resale value of that vehicle, in one month or in one year. The reputation of VW has been badly tarnished. (We have a neighbor who is a very successful car saleswoman. She switched from Chevy to VW, several years ago). I would buy a vehicle that suits my needs 99% of the time. For the rare occasions that I need a different vehicle, I would look on the web site of Dollar Rent a Car. GL with your decision! P.S. We live in what I would describe as an upper middle class subdivision. Many of our neighbors have vehicles made by KIA. Check them out, among others... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimomma Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I wanted to come back to this. I agree with Lanny. Do take the money and run! Not only is resale potentially an issue but no one really knows what the "fix" will do. They do know gas mileage will decrease significantly and I suspect that other problems will arise. I would just want my money back to to be done with the whole thing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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