Hi Scotty,
I have a 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan with 134k miles that I bought right as COVID started for around 7 grand. My wife drives it to haul around our two kids. I have owned the car for 3 and a half years and it has been a money pit. I have probably spent around 1500-2000 per year in repairs on the car. Just last week, the Turbocharger went out on the engine. I have had two mechanics quote me repairs for around $4,500 bucks. The dealership also pointed out additional work that isn't required but needs to be done bringing up the repair bill to around $6,500.
My first question is whether I should try to fix it, or sell it and get something else. I am worried that the price to replace the Turbo is wrong, as I have been informed that it should only be like $2,000 bucks to replace.
If I decide to sell, I am looking at the new Mazda CX-50 or the Toyota RAV4. My main concern is reliability. Which would you recommend?
Thanks!
As you are finding out, VWs are endless money pits. I would get rid of that thing before you bleed more cash.
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As for replacement, get the Toyota RAV4.
IMHO, selling it or trading it in is the better option here. From a financial perspective, I don't think there's a lot of upside in keeping it.
Right now, you're looking at a repair bill that is almost as much as you paid for the vehicle. Which would mean doubling your ownership cost on a vehicle that probably has a trade-in value of only 4K to 5K.
And unfortunately, you can't be certain that you won't have more major repairs down the road. Older, high mileage VW's sadly can be almost as pricey as their Audi cousins to maintain and fix.
Were it me, I would sell or trade in the vehicle for what I could get and use that as a down payment on either of the vehicles you mentioned.
So a seven grand car has actually cost $13-$15 grand in 3.5 years. Crazy.
I personally would cut my losses, get as much as I can for the car.
RAV4 would be my recommendation in terms of the most reliable. But the CX-50 is mighty tempting, the CX-50 non-turbo. Turbochargers suck.
