Being fair to both makes (Honda Fit ~V~ the VW 2002 Golf TDI) I would like to offer my experience on these cars.


Here is the same post that I gave on the VW TDI web site:


Bought the wife a new car - TDIClub Forums


A few years ago I pulled to gather a 2003 Jetta Wgn TDI .
Rebuilt the engine, rebuilt the injection pump new turbo. Basicly replaced everything under the hood. New suspension, control arm bushings, and a 2" lift kit, brakes all around. New 16" Cooper tires. Replaced the radio and rebuilt the rear wiper / washer assem.
Everything in the car worked !. No issues with any of the electricals.
Due to my wife's limited mobility with her knee she has to have an automatic transmission. This is how I came into owning this wagon. I bought the car knowing the 01M was dead. Hence the purchase price was adjusted accordingly.
I didn't want to play with any 3rd party transmission rebuild shop so I went to a VW dealership and took the risk and bought a "factory" rebuilt 01M.
The warranty as you likely know is 12K miles or one year.
My wife drives about 8-9K miles a year.
The short version (of a long story) is the transmission lasted about 14 months before it started various failure modes. Mainly related to the torque converter mechanical lock-up. Of course you all well know how far I got with the dealership on this issue...squat.
I had expectation of my wife driving her wgn at least another 5 to 6 years.
I wanted to get my wife into a car with a reliable transmission.
Over several months of research, reading and talking to various owners I opted for a Honda.
She wanted hatch-back so I bought a Honda "Fit"
Like any car they are all built with compromises in various forms to achieve a designed and desired result.
The Honda Fit and the VW Golf are worlds apart.
This is why I love VW's Even on my 13 year old Golf TDI the ride is smoother, quieter and more stable than many other car makers.
I find the Fit is over loaded with (what I call) social technology, Blue berries, black tooth, MP-3,4,&5. Back-up camera ect...ect...ect. Things I will NEVER use. The ride of the Honda Fit feels "choppy" with road surface feed-back throughout the whole car. The wind noise is well above what any MK-4 owner would tolerate.
The good-news on the Honda Fit is that their drive train has a well established history of reliability. The 2015 "Fit" is the first year of a new Fit platform. There are a few styling features of the Fit that I wish I had in my Golf. The Honda has the "Magic" rear seat. The rear seats can be easily stowed in a manner which lets you utilize the full vertical distance from the floor of the car (under the seat) to the roof liner. This is a distance of over 3 Ft ! The rear seat on the Fit can be folded flat WITHOUT having the head rests getting in the way of stowing them.
But mainly it all comes back to the transmission. The Honda transmission has a totally different feel. This gearbox is very smooth and the transfer of power to the wheels is also very good.
So..My wife is happy and I'm pleased that she feels comfortable and safe in her Honda.
I will never give up my Mk-4 Golf TDI. That car has been nothing but a sweet heart to me.
Did I mention that driving my Mk-4 Golf is a HOOT !


So, I have a few words of caution for Honda owners.
If you ever get the itch to step-up into a VW be forewarned.
Avoid any VW with an automatic transmission.
They tend to be over-engineered and have inherent design flaws.
This includes the "DSG" gear box ( an electronic manual transmission clutch /shift) and their fully automatic tranny as well.
As always the VW manual transmission is the bench mark of quality for the average driver.

 

I'll add my two cents since I also owned an early '00s VW TDI:

I traded an 18-month old '13 Beetle Convertible TDi for my Fit, and wrote up why here (TDI Forum) and here (Curbside Classic).

As mentioned at those two links, I drove a '00 New Beetle TDI for 12+ years prior to the '13 Beetle, and it was a fairly high-maintenance relationship as well. Once I got past the rash of failures, it was actually pretty reliable, and the complete suspension rebuild I did a couple years before I sold it made for really fun motoring (albeit kidney-jarring on long trips). I wouldn't mind having the NB back for a fun weekend car – it had a lot more of the old-school VW gestalt than the '13 did. The 5MT in the NB had decent gearing, but always felt notchy, not 'snick-snick' smooth like the '90 Civic we had years ago. I have not driven a manual Fit yet, so can't compare with that – the '13 Beetle did have an excellent 6MT with gearing perfectly suited to the torquey TDi.

The Fit is a much more engaging car to drive than the '13. but less so than the '00. The utility is of course miles better than the convertible, and I never could have carried a new dishwasher home in the NB (the Fit swallowed it no problem). Cost per mile (in terms of fuel) is about 25-30% lower with the Fit, despite the '13 averaging a calculated 42mpg (diesel is more expensive in our area).

I like the better connectivity in the Fit as compared to my NB (I had added an aftermarket bluetooth interface which was "okay") – the tech in the '13 was more up-to-date, but was still 3-5 years behind where the Fit is.

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I would agree with you. The new Common Rail (CR) "Clean Diesel" isn't worth owning !
The premium on the sticker price is a rip off (for starters) and then the higher (than average) maintenance costs. The BIG problem with the "CR" is the High Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP).
Under warranty its no big issue. However, after warranty the HPFP is about $4,000.00 out of pocket repair. Not to mention the diesel particulate filter ($1,400) every 110,000 miles.
I wouldn't own a new VW diesel. But I love my Mk-4 ALH.


As far as social technology, Blue berries, black tooth, MP-3,4,&5. Back-up camera ect...ect...ect.
I'm not in the least impressed by those elements.
If fact I despise that junk in any car.

 

I like the tech in my Fit, but also like the lack of it in my vintage Beetles... (c:

Totally agree on the ALH.

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I have a 2k2 Golf GL
Stock as you know its 90Hp...I'm closer to 165

 

I upgraded mine to 130HP:



(c:

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except none of the cars you mentioned have a DSG transmission...
None of the MK4 generation used the DSG as far as I know, the first were the totally new and extremely improved MK5 (2006 I think).
I've had a 2009 Rabbit, 2010 GTI, 2010 Jetta, and a 2004 GTI, of those the only one with significant problems was the 2004 GTI. The old 1.8 Turbo and transmission were not the best in terms of reliability, and their electrical systems were atrocious.

But the DSG transmission by VW is one of the best out there. Very snappy, and reliability wise, not bad if you do the full scheduled maintenance.
The normal automatic, I have no idea (why would you get that O.o)

 

Correction, they did use a 6 speed DSG on the European MK4 R32, with wet pack clutches.

 

I'm rolling with an '02 GTI now, with the 1.8T and a 5M. The engine/trans has been really good so far (136K). A lot of other stuff, not so much: inside door latch, hatch lift struts, cat, ABS ... this list is long.

 

I've just purchased a 2016 LX after 15 years with a 2001 Golf TDI, which had been a very good car for me. It's 211,000 miles and 41 mpg, even with automatic transmission, were a good investment. Minor problems were addressed by a local TDI Club, a great group, (I had even forgotten the dealer's name!) The Fit drives well and will probably get equal mpg, but on lower-cost gas. The slight noise heard from the Fit doesn't come close to the explosive clatter of the TDI. The rearview camera on the Fit helps my arthritic neck; the driver's seat is better than the Golf's after 15 years of my 200 lb weight. The Golf was good: perhaps I was lucky. I now have to drive past the diesel pump! How do you say 'good luck' in Japanese?

 

For the 2015 Consumers Report Reliability Survey Honda dropped 4 spots to 8th. They attribute this to Honda's new transmissions failing and the inferior infotainment systems. Still, this is better than VW's rise of 4 spots to 13th!

In general I think you are much safer with manual transmission for either brand.

The internet translates "Good Luck" to がんばってね ganbatte ne, but the Japanese meaning is closer to "persevere no matter what happens", "never give up", "keep going, you'll eventually triumph", "work harder".

 

Its interesting,, I know a handful of folks with TDI bugs and Jettas,, Great driving, but all of them are kinda heavy on maintenance. Several have had endless electrical issues.. Its all luck of the draw. I will not own a german car made in the Americas. Have yet to see them without weird issues.. Just my luck probably..

Same as I've never had good luck with a Asian brand built in the US. Japanese built Toyotas have way better reliability than the US made ones.. IE: the 20 years of sucky toyota V6 head gaskets..

Edit: Fixed to say americas...

 

FWIW, both my '00 NB and the '13 Beetle were Hecho en Mexico (just like my Fit). Being familiar with industrial manufacturing, the location should not matter (the assembly processes is just as "designed" as the car is, and parts and tools all follow exact tolerances, etc.), but anywhere something can be done to "human tolerance" or where the engineering design was poor, you're going to have problems.

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My Golf was built in Brazil, the Fit in Japan. I don't speak either Portuguese or Japanese. The international symbols on the dash are tiny (for my old eyes).

 

I owned a VW Golf built in Germany. Biggest piece of rubbish on four wheels ever! My friends were so sick of me complaining about the car, that they were begging me to set fire to it.

There's a reason that the Japanese make better cars than the Germans. It's because the Japanese are better than the Germans.

 

I can tell the difference between my german car and my fit. They really are worlds apart. But you buy a German car for one reason, expecting a certain set of pros and cons. You buy a Japanese car for another reason, and get a whole different set of pros and cons.

 

Complaining about the reliability of a DSG is odd, since yours was the worst generation of ZF automatics ever built; not a DSG. The MKIV Golfs were maintenance heavy. Before the MKVI's came out the VW bosses told the company heads would roll if reliability didn't take a huge step up. We'll know in a few more years how that went.

As for my Fit, it developed a clunking noise in the front suspension in less than 10k miles, and one in the other front corner by 18k. I've got 20k on my 2015. The wind noise is absurd, the ride is choppy, the radio and nav system stuff is junk. The seat makes my butt hurt. Look, you can from A to B in anything. If this suspension clunk turns out to be nothing, I'm happy to call the Fit a reasonably reliable crappy car. Beats the heck out of a Chevy Spark or something.