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dealer woes

When they were son and Dad, awesome. They literally killed the BMW market here because if you wanted a Beemer, you were at their mercy.

At best, they have 5 new bikes on the floorplan, the minimum. A full load R1200RT with PDI, no taxes is $31,000.00. Same bike in Montreal, choice in color, $27,500.

BMW here is a just gravy for these guys.

You guys pay way too much. I could never own a BMW if I lived in Canada.
 
One is closely connected to the other.
Volkswagen redesigned the Passat for sale at a lower price in the U.S. market, cutting costs by using interior plastics and other materials that are cheaper than those used in the European version. The U.S. model also got a simpler, lower-cost suspension that delivers a less precise ride. All in all not the same car that may have created aloyal customer base over previous years.

When VW shifted production to Mexico and Brazil in the 80's and 90's, there were numerous reliability issues and the brand suffered. Today, the cars are much better and I have been tempted, but each time I'm in the market, they come up short. Of course, my local dealer is pathetic, and has been since the 1960's, so that is a major factor.

Does building VW's in America make me want to buy one? You answered the question, the products are typically US (or, perhaps, North American) market specific. If I'm looking at a European car, I want a car designed to operate in European conditions. Why would I want a Passat with a suspension tuned for Iowa?
 
When VW shifted production to Mexico and Brazil in the 80's and 90's, there were numerous reliability issues and the brand suffered. Today, the cars are much better and I have been tempted, but each time I'm in the market, they come up short. Of course, my local dealer is pathetic, and has been since the 1960's, so that is a major factor.

Does building VW's in America make me want to buy one? You answered the question, the products are typically US (or, perhaps, North American) market specific. If I'm looking at a European car, I want a car designed to operate in European conditions. Why would I want a Passat with a suspension tuned for Iowa?

I owned a 2001 Jetta and this year got one of the new Passat's. They are very different. The Jetta was more taut in ride quality and I could push it a lot more The brakes were more affirmative too. My 2001 had 150K miles when I sold it after 12 years, with the original clutch. Never needed anything beyond maintenance. I hope it's the same with the Passat. One ding against the passat is the goofy ergos. I am a big guy and didn't have the same problems in the Jetta, like the rear view mirror blocking my view and hitting the brake pedal instead of the gas as it's too tight for my size 14 shoe. The car was made for a smaller person, IMO, women. It's a good thing because it's my wife's car. ;)
 
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