Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums  

It's not so much that you need special tools, though to my knowledge VW/Audi is the only manufacturer to use "Spline drive" bolts (as opposed to standard, hex or torx). And where it's not a spline drive it's usually a hex drive (allen bolt). the allen bolts can be troublesome if they're seized in because they strip so easily. The spline drive bolts are generally only troublesome if you don't have the proper tools. And most people don't have them. You can buy them at NAPA in Canada, so I expect you could in USA as well.

No, your big problem with VW/Audi (and BMW, and Mercedes) is not so much special tools, it's special techs. What I mean is that it's not easy to find someone willing to work on one, and when you do you'll pay through the nose. If you do your own work you'll pay through the nose for parts (and generally will have a wait because nobody stocks them, not even the dealerships), and shop manual type info (such as wiring diagrams) is not easy to come by and not easy to read when you find it. German cars generally don't play well with generic scan tools - you may be able to read generic OBD-II stuff (you can read codes, as required by law) but nothing else. No ABS, no SIR, and no live datastream. That being said, and this being the internet age and all, you can usually find some help in message forums dedicated to the cars.

An example of shops being hesitant to work on 'em: When I first started my new job at a large used car dealership I noticed there was an appointment for a timing belt replacement in a Golf we had just sold. I fully expected to be given the job, given that I had a lot of german car experience in my last job. I asked the service manager about it, and she said "Oh, we'll just send that to the dealership". I was surprised and told her so, and she said "You can work on VW's?!?", like I'd just told her I could walk on water. Long story short, I ended up doing the job and saving the shop the cost (and embarrassment) of sending it out. She was amazed (christ, it's just a timing belt, and on a 2.0 SOHC at that - not exactly rocket science) and I cemented my position there.

Unfortunately I also cemented my position as the VW/Audi/BMW/Mercedes guy...

Have you looked at any of Buick's offerings lately? The new Regal looks very classy, they offer it with a N/A 4 banger and a tubo 4 getting 30 MPG or 29 MPG respectively. 6 speed auto trans either way. The Lacrosse looks sporty, offers AWD and a direct injected, variable valve timing V6 getting 27 HWY MPG and 280 HP.

Both models start at 26K.

I haven't. I will though. Thanks,

Ether: How do you like the WRX?

The transmission has a supercharger like whine in gears 1-3 (i like it, some don't).

I'm conflicted, no car is perfect. Overall I love it. Going to be hard to part with it if I find the right Stang.

Pros
Handles great out of the box, even with the 4x4 ride height. Curvy dirt roads are a blast. The hatch is practical. The seats are nice. Gauges look great (sweep on start-up). The transmission has a supercharger like whine in gears 1-3 (i like it, some don't). Only comes in a manual (2009-up). Oh then there's the power. Lots of it in the mid to high range. You can hit redline pretty easy in first and second if you aren't careful. The car goes from bruce banner to the incredible hulk as soon as you tap into boost (0-60 in under 5). I ped my pants the first time it happened. Has a very large aftermarket.

Cons
Have to run premium gas. Gas mileage is meh. Highway blows because of the 5-speed ratio, buzzes just under 3K @ 70mph. I get about 24mpgs mixed, driving how I want to. Drops about 2-3mpgs in the winter. I squeezed out 30 once, and I apologized to my car afterwards. lol. It deserves to be driven. Stereo sucks along with most of the interior (loads of cheap plastic). Has projectors, but no HIDs. Heavy clutch. AWD system has less mechanical goodies than I antited. No front/rear LSD, viscous center diff. So in the deep fluffy stuff it can drive like FWD or RWD before correcting itself. Not a fan. Toyota's influence is apparent in every single bushing on this car. I have been on a mission to replace every single play-doh like bushing on this car. Aftermarket is expensive!

If I had to do it all over again, I would of bought a used 08 STi. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that doesn't want to drive a WRX. You are either going to love or hate it. I just wish Subaru would remember that and stop trying to soften it up.

Found an 06 monte carlo with low low miles, but the "displacement on demand" system sorta scares me. I haven't heard much about them, but they were only made for a couple of years.

im guessing you found a v8 one, i wanted a grand prix gxp untill i heard of the trans issues these cars had. oh well