My Taos is a lease and got it last year (new) anything I should be concerned about? Throttle control and turbo lag is ass I know, if I had my money right I would've got the Mazda CX-30 or 5 (turbo)
The Used Car Bubble is set to BURST. What Ya'll Copping when these prices DROP? :blessed:
- Thread starter Stuntone
- Start date
yeah I had one when my Taos had to back for an engine issue, it was cool for what it was.
Schadenfreude
All Star
Lots of gems in this thread
Thoughts on the VW Atlas (used)? I've been looking at the 5 series BMW but my '10 Accord still gets the job done and not having a car pymt is
Avoid the first year or two. Lots of teething issues. A lot of dumb shyt happened the first year/year and a half of production (head bolts not being tight from the factory and causing leaking head gaskets for one). If your budget allows, get the VR6 and not the 2.0T. The virtual cockpit is also a nice option to have if buying used, and it's standard on the '22-'23 Atlas. The R-line is primarily an appearance package, and it's highly subjective whether or not you like how it looks, so YMMV. It should be noted that if you decide you want an R-line Atlas, the wheels and tires are larger, but cost more for replacement, just a heads up. Aside from those initial teething issues, it's been relatively reliable for a VW.
In terms of whether or not it's a good buy, it depends -- is this potentially your first VW? The Atlas, for what it replaced, is a better SUV for the US market than the Touareg ever was; it's a lot more space efficient, and cheaper to maintain since it shares parts with the golf, Jetta, Tiguan, Taos, etc. If you're used to Japanese cars and their maintenance costs - any German product is going to be drastically different than your traditional Japanese vehicle. Expect to replace your front brakes on the Atlas every 60-70k under normal driving conditions, rears 40-50k. The VW certified pre-owned warranty has varying terms (some are 1 year 12k miles with a $50 deductible, some are 2/24k with a $50 deductible). Coolant exchange at 100k. Transfer case fluid should be changed every 3 years regardless of mileage, no exceptions. (This is assuming the Atlas you're looking at has 4 motion). Spark Plugs and transmission fluid are every 80k miles. If you need more detailed information, ask away.
Schadenfreude
All Star
Kind of. Funny thing is, the Tiguan and Golf could take the VR6 that's in the Atlas but they won't do it, because America isn't high on the priority list for Volkswagen. Europe and Asia get ALL of the fun Volkswagen stuff. As for the V8 and V10 Touareg -- they're great cars, but an absolute NIGHTMARE to work on. There's a guy who owns a V10 TDI that brings his car here for everything. 90% of anything engine related on that car is putting the car in service position, and if that's not enough room, engine has to come out. They are NOT for the faint of heart to own unless you do your own work, or you have deep pockets.
Schadenfreude
All Star
Every Ecoboost leaks from the water pump as soon as the warranty is up. And depending on which version of the 3.5 it is, some of them are driven by the timing chain under the timing cover
, which is $$$. And also, every Ecoboost 3.5 is going to have cam phaser issues at some point, which also involves taking off the front cover to change the phasers (which are consistently on backorder) 
Edit: The reason why people buy the Lexus SUV's and GX/LX is because the shyt just works. That's part of the reason why their resale value is so good. If they do break, it's not cheap, but it's cheaper than the German or American equivalent. And a lot of the Lexus SUV's are moving to new platforms, time will tell if they'll hold up reliability wise since they're phasing out their V6 and V8's and going towards turbo 4 and turbo 6's.
Schadenfreude
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Only issues I've seen with the Taos personally is a few of them had head gasket issues (combustion gasses were in the coolant); one was leaking at 16k miles, and it was leaking because someone at the engine plant in Silao didn't check the torque on the head bolts. Also -- some of them eat rear brakes (only observed on 4 motion models). Other than that -- not a lot aside from the service bulletins that have come out with regards to the car (i.e rear knuckle replacement)
Yeah China gets that big body electric SUV
I think I had that head gasket issue at 10 or 12,000 miles, is that the one that is labor intensive?
Are all turbos unreliable? Are super chargers more reliable?
Schadenfreude
All Star
It's not terrible; but it's not something you should even think about attempting without a torque wrench that does angle or an angle gauge and a torque wrench, an vacuum coolant filler, a machinist ruler to check if the block and cylinder head are level/warped, triple squares, torx, the actual service information that tells you how to do the job, and a lot of patience.
Turbos are relatively reliable, just don't too long between oil changes since engine oil runs thru them; going too long between oil changes causes the turbocharger to get sludged/coked up and may necessitate turbocharger replacement because the turbocharger bearings get wiped out due to neglect. Superchargers have their own oil internal to the unit if it's a roots-type, and it does need to be changed periodically. They're belt driven though, and can generate a ton of heat in a small area so they have their issues as well. Reliability between the two is relative; depends on how you drive, what you want out of the vehicle, etc.
Schadenfreude
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There's a Jetta at work with 80k miles that's a 2014 that was traded in because they went too long between oil changes and it needs timing chains and an oil feed line. Might buy that car, fix it, and sell it. 
Edit: they gave them $1k for it
Edit: they gave them $1k for it
Cakebatter
All Star
Im looking to trade my Chevy Bolt in for a Tesla. All the sites offering to buy my car outright are giving me ridiculously low offers. I was offered $14k by Carmax, when they are trying to sell an older model for $28k on the site. I have no expectation of getting used retail prices for my car, but not 50% below retail. I was expecting $23k. I'm gonna see what Tesla offers me tomorrow. Worse case, I'll just keep it as my second car and sell my old ICE car.
Electric Relaxation
All Star
There's a Jetta at work with 80k miles that's a 2014 that was traded in because they went too long between oil changes and it needs timing chains and an oil feed line. Might buy that car, fix it, and sell it.
Edit: they gave them $1k for it
Is the atlas better than the grand Cherokee?Lots of gems in this thread
Thoughts on the VW Atlas (used)? I've been looking at the 5 series BMW but my '10 Accord still gets the job done and not having a car pymt is
DeuceZ
Li pitit gason
A friend had a Cherokee 5 or so years ago and it was one problem after the other
