Automotive rant

I love my car.  I should say that right up front.  It fits me well.

It’s also involved in the most expensive scandal in automotive history.  Yes, I am the proud owner of a 2011 Volkswagen diesel wagon.

It has great fuel economy and is fun to drive.  I’m really not a fan of an automatic transmission, and VW was one of the few companies offering a 6-speed manual that was not confined to the “black plastic bumpers and no A/C” trim level.

I’ve been waiting to see how the recall will affect me.

—-

News broke this week that VW may offer to buy back my car.  That set the mental wheels in motion.  If the price was right, what else might I like to drive?

I don’t want an SUV.  They are the minivans of the current decade.  Most are heavy, expensive, unnecessary, and kind of ugly.

There are a few sedan possibilities. I once owned and loved a Mercedes C240, but I think the current C-class is over priced and ugly. There aren’t a lot of manual transmission options in the sedan class anyway.

Another wagon?  My current Sportwagen is great.  The new version is gas only, with the manual transmission confined to the base model. DAMMIT VW! I’M TRYING TO BE LOYAL HERE.

Other wagons?  SUVs have largely killed them. There’s Subaru. (Maybe.) Volvo (automatic.)  Mercedes (too big.) BMW has a 3-series which is a possibility.  It’s expensive though.

There are other things which are classed as wagons but are not.  Impreza? Venza? Accord Crosstour?  Go look at the pictures and tell me if those look like wagons to you.

There are some fun hatchbacks.  I’d have to test drive a lot of them.  I do like my cargo space though.

I had reached the conclusion that I like my car and own it already.  Perhaps I should just take the fix and keep driving it.  Then I pulled into a parking lot, pushed the close button on my sunroof (my fabulous panoramic sunroof), and it went CRUNCH.  It’s stuck open.

Five years of trouble-free driving.  The car has never needed more than regular maintenance.  I spent two days in a thought experiment about replacing it, and it broke.

The dealer cannot get it in the shop to close it until next Thursday.  Dammit VW. Good thing it’s motorcycle weather and I have a garage.