| rev:text
| - My experience purchasing a 2016 Golf here was very good. This is the second VW I have purchased at VW North Scottsdale (third in AZ, but that was before this dealership existed.) I was treated far less like shark bait here than at other nearby dealerships where I test drove cars, including Honda and Hyundai.
My salesperson, Tuck, was attentive and knowledgeable. He is passionate about cars and technology. He understands how to work with experienced buyers who want information (not a hard sell).
The 2016 VW Golf I purchased is an impressive car even in the base configuration. VW's quality of materials, solidity and ride have always been a cut above its competitors in the compact car segment. However, VW's car tech was beginning to lag behind. This problem has been solved with the introduction of the "MIB II" infotainment system across virtually all models and trim levels in 2016. It integrates with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and provides a level of sophistication that is as good as or better than many other cars at double or triple the price (an advantage that will disappear as all manufacturers implement deep smartphone integration over the next few years). My main complaint about the car is that it is not possible to purchase any advanced safety technology if you opt for the stick shift. Also, the new 1.4T engine available in the Jetta really should be an option since it is more advanced and more fuel-efficient than the new 1.8T (which is still an excellent engine compared to the old 5-cylinder clunker).
I have two pieces of constructive criticism for the dealership itself:
1. My car was pre-optioned with an additional set of "VW Genuine Monster Mats". I can see where these might be useful to someone in the Northeast. But heavy rubber mats with deep ridges designed to catch water and slush are useless for the great majority of customers buying a passenger car in Phoenix. I will instead be using the carpeted mats that come standard with the car. The other mats are still unopened in the original plastic. Hopefully I can return them. Otherwise I will throw them away because they take up a lot of space in the tire well, and I'm not going to pile them somewhere in the garage, never to be used. This isn't an environmentally sound thing to do, but neither is the option of keeping them forever in the wrapper.
2. I'm sure the window tint is legal in Arizona, but it is certainly dark enough to affect safety at night, particularly through the rear passenger and back windows. It's so dark by comparison with the Jetta I traded in that it looks like the rear-view mirror is set to "dark" at all times. I'm able to make out headlights through it at night, but not much else. Tasks such as parallel parking at night are much more difficult with tinted windows. Even daytime driving is compromised, particularly if you wear sunglasses. Also, any aftermarket tint on front windows is illegal in the neighboring state of California, where many of us visit or reside at one time or another. I would gladly trade the extra air conditioning cost during the day for improved visibility at night that could save my life or someone else's. The dealer initially offered to remove it for $100, and later agreed to do so at no cost (generous considering it's a labor-intensive process that will almost certainly cost them more than it cost to apply in the first place). Total cost to me for the unwanted dealer add-on and the inconveniece to have it removed: $400.
To sum up my comments about dealer add-ons (which apply to other dealerships as well), the default configuration from the factory is generally what it should be. The dealer shouldn't order Arizona cars with mud mats, and it shouldn't apply aftermarket tint that makes driving and parking more difficult (and almost certainly contributes to a significant number of accidents).
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)