By the way, I own a Toyota and a couple of Chevy's. Also had a Zuki bike. I just buy what I like as long as its a quality vehicle.

I brought an Audi back from Germany when I moved back in 1986. Not only was it expensive to maintain, but electrical problems were frequent.

Moreover, Porsche/Audi/Mercedes/BMW dealers here try to impress upon you how special you are for owning a German car and expect you to reach deeply into your pockets with a privileged smile on your face.

I'd never own anything but a German car in Germany, but I'd never again own one here. In my experience, German cars are nowhere near as reliable as their Japanese counterparts.

I own a 2004 S-500 which I used to drive very infrequently till about four years back since I hated to see it parked in the garage. So within the first year of full time service with less than 30K miles on it, I stop by for coffee on my way to work and as I am driving out of the parking lot I realize that the transmission is staying on first gear. Stuck in first period. So I parked it and drove it in the evening back home very slowly.

Repair cost? $7K+ with a private mechanic since the car was ou of warranty by then. Dealer would have been over $12K. I still love that car though. My other ride is a 2002 Vette with about the same miles but only needed oil changes but tires last less than 30K miles and are very pricey. A very reliable car.

Having worked in a Porsche-Audi dealership and managed a BMW dealership, I can more or less confirm the above. But it's a bit overstated.

Beyond these issues, most German cars are outfitted with all imaginable bells and whistles for the US market to help drive the notion that high cost equals luxury. In Germany, you can buy BMW's with cloth seats, no AC, etc., if you are so inclined. Not so here.

Can you get an M in Germany w/o all the doodads?

What you want is a Schnitzer.

http://www.ac-schnitzer.de/en/bmw-ca...dels/m-models/

I doubt it. But you can (or could in the past, anyway) get a 3 or 5 series BMW or a lower model Benz with a smaller engine and without bells and whistles for a price far cheaper than a gussied up American version would cost.

:(Not purely American, no. We assemble a few things from foreign made parts with a few simple American made parts thrown in to satisfy "parts content" regulation.........But, that's about it.........at best.

I checked the parts content of my '09 Challenger. Geez.:(

Assembled in Canada of parts that come from Mexico, France, Japan, South America, China, Germany............

The engine castings are American made, but sent to Mexico for machining, assembly and testing. Then shipped to Ontario for installation. The door latches have "Made in USA" stamped on them. The body panels were still stamped in Twinsburg, Ohio (Where my father retired from.) until that plant was shut down and dismantled in 2010. I have no idea where they come from now.

And as we all know, Chrysler is owned by Fiat, an Italian company.

So, door latches, raw castings and the Italian owned Dodge logo are what constitutes an "American brand" these days.....:rolleyes:

I remember my Dad telling me sometime in the 1980s; "Well, we have to outsource some parts to keep profits up. That helps protect the remaining American jobs."

Love the guy and still think he was damn sharp........
But, that didn't mean he ALWAYS saw what was really going on.

From the info I have gleaned so far this is out and out fraud by VW. A company I have always thought was one of the good guys. My first car was a 63 Beetle at 16 and still own a 70 Ghia. Close to forty years now.

Hard for me imagine this is an isolated occurrence, just by VW and we will see. No excuse and my only hope the company (VW) one who was close to being the number one manufacturer in the world will see the error and make this right.

Can jail time be next?

Hope so!

Barney