2005 Volkswagen Fox Sportline 1.6
Summary:
Reliable car with minor faults
Faults:
Remote has lost synchronicity twice in 1 year.
Lock for rear door broke. New one costs 100+ US$ without labor.
Headlights are foggy; cheap plastic.
General Comments:
I bought this car, because after coming off a bad experience with a Nissan, I wanted a reliable and economic car. This Fox has certainly filled that void. The engine is very reliable, has had no mechanic faults whatsoever, and the fuel economy runs at about 37 KM/gal in the city, and about 45 KM/gal on the highway.
You might find it to be lower than in other countries, but driving conditions here in the Dominican republic are not the best. A lot of potholes, speed bumps and a LOT of traffic jams considerably decrease the fuel economy of the car.
Although very annoying, I consider the defective rear lock and the alarm issues to be "minor", as my judgment of the car and what I was looking for was an economic/reliable car in mechanical terms. It's not the most comfortable car, tends to be noisy inside at high speeds, has no air bags (Latin American version has no safety features unlike the European version; I guess a European's life is worth more than someone in the islands eh?) and the local dealer is EXTREMELY expensive, since the routine checkups for this very simple car average about 550 US$ per trip... that is 1100 US$ per year (e.g. 2 ROUTINE checkups), which for a car that is worth less than 5000 US$, I find to be staggering.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 11th August, 2010