[MLUG - DISCUSSION] any recommendations on VW dealers...

[Jonathan King <EMAIL:PROTECTED>]

...presumably in St. Louis, but KC if that's the place to go?

We're in the final lap of our car search now, but our complete lack
of experience driving a Passat wagon is beginning to annoy me since
there is a $1000 rebate (plus "marketing support" to the dealer) on
2004 models, which would yank them back into a dead-heat, price-
wise, with our #1 candidate, the Mazda6 wagon.

We (re)test-drove the Mazda6 again today (it was the first car we
tried...) and were pretty forcefully reminded why we prefered a car
over an SUV in the first place.  The 6 is just flat out a really
nice car, and a station wagon, too.  That said, the Honda CR-V is
our designated #2 candidate, and what we'll fall back on if we can't
get the deal we want on a Mazda6 wagon.  Unless it turns out that
the Passat really blows us away enough to forget our previous brush
with VW (a 1979 VW Rabbit...fun to drive, nasty to keep moving).  On 
paper, the Passat could be even nicer than the 6, and my inner geek 
won't let me declare the decision optimal until we've tried one.

Meanwhile, the more non-cars we see, the more we appreciate what the
CR-V gives you.  I'm not sure why anybody other than Toyota even
tries to compete with them on this as a compact SUV.  But the
frustration I personally have with the CR-V is the fact that it
would so much nicer for us if there were a, er, "dropped" version.  
Basically a vastly improved Civic Dairy Carton of yesteryear. Since
we don't go off road (and you'd be nuts to take A CR-V off-road
anyway), it's pretty psycho to have 8.1 inches of ground clearance
that just buys you a worse ride and mediocre handling.  Make that
thing a car, and the interior roominess alone is enough to recommend
it.

jking


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